Overthinking on the Job: It’s Both Costly AND Counterproductive

I looked at my phone and there was a text that said, “Urgent: now what do I do?”

Like a lot of people in HR, I do a fair share of career counseling, especially with Gen Y. This was a call from someone who, to put it mildly, works in a terrible culture with mistreatment all around. There is no such thing as a normal day (10-12 hours per day).

This person finally decided that she had to get out. Resumes went out and, just like bait, she got a hit. She felt that this was her chance. Now she had to worry about getting the time off to go to the interview.

The power of overthinking a situation

To Attract the Right Talent, You Need a Fertile Environment for Growth

“When my daughter became of age, I recommended her to my boss. She got the job and worked there her entire life.”

While watching the Smithsonian Channel the other day, I saw a documentary called White House Revealed. That quote was from one of the housekeepers that started working in the White House in 1909.

She was talking about her daughter coming to work and getting a job where she worked. This was during an era when there was no such thing as a career. People had jobs and they did them as long as they could.

Her daughter was eventually hired as a seamstress and worked there until she retired. This was such a long time ago that when you think about it, there were not a lot of options open to people. The choices were limited, to say the least.

I had a conversation with a repair person from one of the utilities who was repairing a gas line at my home this week. He told me how he got out of high school and started working for this company and had worked his way up. Now he is trying to get his son a job a job at his employer..

No help from me

Is Your Candidate Experience Broken? 5 Keys If Your Recruiting Really Works

“I don’t understand it. They told me that they were just looking now and that they would not make a decision for at least another three months. Why would you have me make this effort? If I find the role I am looking for, do they honestly think I will stick around for their call? The nerve of them.”

As I heard that, I said that yes, it does make sense. But I also know that we all have done informational interviews from time to time, but three months out is totally different. I don’t know what type interview that I would classify that as.

But this I do know: if a candidate has a bad experience applying for a job, that can play a critical role if your company decides to offer that candidate a position. Your organization is then behind the 8-ball from the start, so if the candidate takes the position, they are probably coming in not fully engaged and already skeptical.

Recruiting: it’s sort of like dating

Leadership 101: The Most Powerful Words You Want From Any Leader

“All I want is for someone, sometime, just one time, to say thank you.”

She works late every night, and pulls long hours. This particular morning she left home at 5:30 to make sure she got in to prepare for the big meeting. She left at 8 that night to go home.

As she wistfully told me that story, that first statement about wanting somebody to say “thanks” caught my ear.

I have a granddaughter named Peyton She is 2-years-old and is learning to talk. She stayed with us a few weekends ago, and her favorite phrase now is “THANK YOU.” As she followed my wife and I around the house, everything we did together came back with those two words.

Weighty words for a leader

Ready or not, here comes HR analytics

This article was based on an interview that I gave on HR analytics.  The article was originally published at Search financial applications.  Interview was conducted by Emma Snider, Associate Site Editor for SearchFinancialApplications.com.


Much like big data has revolutionized marketing and finance, industry experts say that HR analytics -- workforce metrics that can help companies glean information about their talent pool -- will transform human resources. But are HR professionals ready to assume a more data-oriented role?

Not without better analytical skills, says Josh Bersin, president and CEO of Oakland, Calif.-based consultancy Bersin and Associates. "HR teams are not very analytical in their thinking yet," Bersin said, despite broader adoption of talent management software. "That is holding them back from doing more data-driven decision making."

Ron Thomas, director of talent and human resources solutions at New York City-based Buck Consultants, has a similar opinion. Thomas said it can be difficult for HR managers to get away from "gut-feeling" decision making.

Confronting Bad Behavior: Can You Step Up and Do the Right Thing?

“As I opened the door, I saw her with her back turned and shoulders slumped. When she turned around, I could see that she had been crying. I felt bad but it made me realize that I am not the only one who gets verbally abused. The kicker was that she was a senior level person.”

This tidbit was based on a senior level person being screamed at in the conference room by someone senior to her. This happened in front of a room full of people.

When I asked what happened and did anyone intervene, I was told this happens all the time to EVERYONE. They have developed a garden of screamers.

They have developed an organization with a culture that says it is OK to scream, and everyone is tip-toeing around, afraid of their own shadow. My question was: who is in charge? Oh, and by the way, the CEO is also known for getting upset and walking out of meetings.

The Power of Failure: Why It Is One of Our Very Best Teachers

“How did the project turn out? Oh, we lost it. The project was a disaster from start to finish.”

Sometimes during the course of the day, we hear statements that stick with us. This was my sticker statement of the week.

I was having a conversation with someone who was talking about their job and some of the challenges that it encompasses. Almost in passing, they mentioned a project that they worked on — and that’s when this statement was uttered.

My question was this: what did you and your team learn from it? To put it in a nutshell, they basically walked away from it and moved on. I could almost hear the buzzer go off, and I wanted to say stop, rewind, and let’s go over that again.

A powerful learning tool

The Future of HR: It’s All About Making It a True Decision Science

“It is important for communities to educate our children for their future, not our past.”

In a recent interview, Romain Dallemand, the superintendent of schools in Bibb County, Georgia,  talked about how he came into the job last year with a bag of changes he calls “The Macon Miracle.”  One of the tools in that tool kit was adding Chinese as a language requirement in his school district.

“This is HR’s future”

Are You “Done?” You Need Some Fire to Fix Employee Discontentment

“I’m done.”

Those words were uttered by Andy Roddick last month at the beginning of the U.S. Open. Tennis is unlike a lot of sports, where the coach or general manager lets you know in so many words that it may be time to go.

Yes, in most sports they tell you when you are done. In tennis, it is the player’s decision and determination when they’re finally finished.

As I commute into New York City each morning, I know that so many people that are on my bus are DONE. You can spot it in the most minute bit of a conversation. It oozes out of their pores. At the smallest opening, they tell you it without uttering those two words — but we know.

Freedom or fallacy?