Interviews have started and we are working our way through the process and trying to glean as much information as possible from the candidates. I am finding that one question in particular is causing problems with our candidates. That question is:

 “Tell me about the best team you’ve ever been on and what made it so good?”

The thing about this question is that I use it as a pretty standard interview question when working with our hiring teams. However, it has some enhanced meaning now that I am looking for someone for my own team. It’s causing me to think long and hard about how I would answer the question and truly what answer I am looking for when I ask it.

I must begin applying this dual role I have now as not only the hiring manager but also the HR Director. So, I have to answer the question with something other than a theoretical answer and cannot simply wait for the hiring manager to tell me what they are looking for. I hate stumping myself!

I know that I value team members who are willing to challenge me and bring inspiration to continuously improve how we serve all of our stakeholders. I’ve been on good teams (which is part of what makes it difficult to answer my own question by picking a “best team”) and I’ve been on teams that were not so good!

One answer that has turned me off is hearing that someone has never been on a good team. If someone has never been on a good team, can they know how to be a positive influence on ours?  Another example that gives me pause is hearing about a sports team that someone was on back in high school. That kind of answer generally prompts a follow-up about a work team. Sometimes, we do not get an answer to that follow-up question.

So to the wise people out there, how would answer the question I pose? Alternatively, is there another way I can ask it so that I am getting the sense that the people I am talking to can be a good team member and bring value to our organization?

PS – If you are a candidate for one of the positions for which I am interviewing and get this question from me, congratulations as your research ahead of the interview has garnered a little nugget of information that you can use to prepare!

I know this hard for many of you, but it’s so important so bear with me for a moment.

If everyone I know would take 10 minutes and write a letter, the difference that can be made is tremendous. There is too much going on right now in this country and in this world to sit and wait while watching it all happen.

Yes, I am referring to you. Take time, write, express your opinion to someone. Even if it doesn’t agree with mine it’s important to be heard.

So often we are afraid of expressing ourselves. Doing so shows vulnerability and that is a state that we humans don’t like. Too bad. As I have stated before, it’s important to become comfortable being uncomfortable. I am here to challenge you again!

Below is the letter I submitted Sunday afternoon to my Congressman, Fred Upton. Now, my representative and I do not agree on some things, do agree on others, and have had one very brief conversation while having lunch (on Election Day 2014) in the same restaurant here in Portage. Whether we agree or not is irrelevant. What matters is that I express my thoughts to my elected representative. There are too many important things happening to leave to chance if someone should think “I wonder what my constituents think?” So my challenge to you is to write now on a subject of importance. Be vocal, visible, and valuable.

Is there a song, piece of music, or sound that you rely on for inspiration?

My #HRMusicShare friends should have some great answers for this one!

When you were a child, what did you want to do and did it have any impact on what you ultimately became?

Starting early on, like many boys I had the fascination with being a firefighter (even riding on my rocking horse with my plastic fire hat on!) but soon found myself considering other things. For a while, in middle school, aeronautical engineering had some appeal. That ended as my math grades saw a decline during 8^th grade.

Entering high school, there was a wide open world ahead. Ultimately, my thoughts for post high school study became focused on biology (specifically marine biology) and that was my chosen field of study as an undergraduate. As I commonly say today, I have my undergraduate degrees in biology and environmental studies and haven’t used them a lick! I might be one of those that some pundits point to about judging the true value of a college degree. That is a post for another time.

Although I am now in the field of human resources (and have my MBA) I still love life science related things and find that there are often lessons from the biological world that can be applied to the art of HR and business.  A few include:

1. While there is great complexity in our world, some of the best things in both life and business are truly simple in their composition.
2. Relationships matter and can be symbiotic, antagonistic, or somewhere in between.
3. There are rules for everything, except when there are exceptions.
4. What we do not know often exceeds that which we do know.
5. Beauty takes many forms. Consider that both the warthog and a multi-sheet Excel document with pivot tables each have admirers.
6. Life cycles exist for living beings as well as organizations.

One of the papers I had to write during my MBA studies was focused on organizational structures. While many of my fellow students focused on mechanical aspects of hierarchy and control, my approach was different. Organizations are very much like life forms in how their systems operate and function. I would make the argument that we get better results when treating organizations less like machines, and more like living organisms.

That is the impact my early fascination has had on me!

So, for this week, my reflection question is:

When you were a child, what did you want to do and did it have any impact on what you ultimately became?

My answer will be posted tomorrow on RollerCoasterHR!

My intent is not to answer any of life’s big questions (like who will win a battle between Batman and Superman) but to trigger some exploration and reflection. My plan is to post the question for all to see on Monday and provide my own response to it the following day. Even if this doesn’t trigger public discussion or disclosure, I hope that anyone reading this will think to themselves about how they might answer the question.

Look for the series to begin next week. Until then, stay warm and safe my friends!

It’s time to do some thinking and reflecting.

The stage at #SHRM15

Hank Jackson, the CEO of SHRM, echoed this theme yesterday. He hit upon a few points during his extended opening remarks as the conference officially kicked off.

Citing the newly released edition of Harvard Business Review, Hank talked about the necessity of HR to lead their organizations and step into roles that define to other executives what is important for the organization’s people. One of the articles in the magazine by Peter Capelli says that “the HR team can show these executives what they should care about and why.” Often, HR pros can conquer the what, but struggle with the why. This must change!

There are many in HR who would prefer to say “it’s the law” or “that is company policy” rather than provide rationale for the reason decisions are made. To me, it’s important to be able to speak to the reason behind a decision – the why of the decision. This concept is captured by Simon Sinek in his book Start with Why. Capelli cites something similar in the article when he says “knowledge of practices is essential, but it’s more important to understand what works when and where.” While this may remind some of you of your elementary school writing lessons (are you answering the W questions?) this practice is still essential in today’s workplace. Workers of today, no matter their generation, are not predisposed to simply follow orders because someone says so. Frankly, if the why can’t be explained, perhaps the decision needs to be reexamined.

Go beyond the what and cover the why. After that, ensure the when and where are correct too. This will bring the ability to thrive to not only to the organization, but to you as well.

Like many, I too fall victim to “needing” the next big thing or fanciest device rather than being appreciative of an experience or what is already in my possession. I fully admit that I am guilty of this, yet there are still times when I am able to make a conscious effort to be fully present and emphasize the importance of the experience. Thankfully, there are times when I can sit back and reflect on what is important and realign myself to be who I truly am and not simply what either society or my organization wishes me to be.

Being a copy of someone else isn’t allowing you to share your own gifts or your own values. Please don’t be a mere visitor to your life. Live well and be comfortable having a sense of uncertainly and an appreciation for the wonder in your world. It is truly magnificent!

Are you ready for a challenge?

One important element is that to define the picture of a puzzle it takes not just many pieces, but all the right pieces. When the journey begins, there has to be faith that the right pieces to make the picture desired are present or can be found.  There are times we don’t know the direction we are going, but there must be faith that in the end, the pieces we need will be available to us.

Since the placement matters in a puzzle, the pieces alone do not tell us the whole story. Are you one who believes that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? Stacked on top of one another, puzzle pieces may make an impressive tower, but that isn’t the proper placement. The pieces must come together in just the right way to make the picture complete.

The trait of perseverance is one being tested by the current puzzle projects in our house.  A complete picture takes work and it is not necessarily easy to achieve the end goal. Even when we know what the end looks like, it still takes work to reach the goal and things may not always go the way we expect or want them to go.  Always push forward.

Finally, we need to remember that even when we believe the puzzle is done, there remains work to be done. We can choose to tackle a new puzzle, or deconstruct what we’ve assembled to begin again.  It’s important to continuously move forward so that we do not become complacent or think that we have everything figured out. If that happens, that’s when bad things can occur.

So remember to find the right pieces, place them in the right place, don’t give up when things get difficult, and do not be satisfied when the picture is clear if you want to keep growing and improving.

First, there are some “official” learning opportunities at stages set up by SHRM with a set schedule of demonstrations and short talks. These are focused on technology and can provide a good overview of a product’s features and usability. This doesn’t even count the new “SmartStage” that made its debut this year with 20 minute talks on a variety of subjects with some of the best minds in HR.

Several large booths have their own presentation spaces and also schedule times with industry leading speakers providing information on a variety of topics. These provide great opportunities to ask questions in a more intimate setting than can be found in the concurrent sessions at such a large conference.

Finally, many vendors provide great education just through conversation. While having fun and creating conversation is intended to generate leads, the vendors who attend this conference are frequently well informed and willing to engage in information exchange. Even when not necessarily interested in a product or offering, a few minutes chatting with a vendor can provide information to take back to our organizations or prompt new thinking on an old problem. Don’t be afraid to talk, even if there no use for a product or service. I learned about a recruiting strategy for a large public school system from an immigration assistance group. Although I do not intend to reach out to foreign teachers, the information shared started me thinking about an approach that I could use for harder to fill teaching positions.

A few other random thoughts that occurred to me while roaming:

• There are numerous companies offering to create employee engagement programs for your company. If you need an outside company to do this, you’re doing it wrong.
• Creativity with booth themes attracts attention. I see this at every conference I attend yet so few vendors are willing to go outside the traditional banners and information on a table. While budget can certainly play a role, a little bit of outside the box thinking can be cheaply and attract attention.
• Why was there a booth selling aloe cream?
• Yes, many booths had giveaways of Coach or Michael Kors purses. The target audience is clear and in many cases, disappointed that they didn’t win.
• Kudos to the SHRM booth for having extra padding under the carpet. Relief for the feet.
• If you’re going to use the scanner to collect leads, please take a few moments to learn how to use it. I showed two different vendors how to use their scanner. You’re welcome!

The nice person at CareerBuilder asked me if I wanted my picture on their roller coaster. I laughed, said of course, and waited for a real coaster. I did come up with the staged picture below before referring them to RollerCoasterHR.com

This does not count as coaster #104…