I was reading a piece my boss shared with our team, A Nation of Weavers, written by David Brooks of the New York Times when that term entered my lexicon. Its meaning, while not specifically defined, connected with me on a level that few other terms have in a long time. In the article, they write about experiences that they had while researching hyper-individualism. My favorite quote from one of the people they interviewed stated “We don’t do things for people, we don’t do things to people, we do things with people.”

What many don’t realize about me is that I am science-oriented person by nature. I majored in biology, not business or HR, in college and while I think I’ve done pretty well in my chosen field, I still have a love for science, specifically, the life sciences.

This term, “radical mutuality” resonates with me because it reminds me of the symbiotic nature of so many relationships that we need to have as humans. This goes beyond our mere need to be needed, but instead suggests that there is a very real connection that happens whether we intend for it too or not. It’s these interconnected elements that can lead to our ultimate success in life.

In one of my previous positions, we debated whether we should be striving to build up people’s independence without ensuring that there was an interdependence that was just as strong. Thankfully, we landed in a place where we emphasized connection with the larger community rather than a singular focus on an individual’s own ability (or disability).

One of the challenges many of us right now in an economy that has low jobless rates is finding the talent we need in our organizations. I suggest that the concept of radical mutuality can help us in attracting and retaining valuable talent. Building interdependence and treating people the right way can make an organization stand out. Pair that with a valuable mission and vision, you can achieve great things with the great people you are certain to attract.

Do even better. Figure out how you can help push this radical mutuality not just in your own organizations, but in the larger world as well.

Who is someone who greatly influenced you in your early career?

As I think back to my first “real job” after college, it takes me back to Cincinnati and my time working as a theme park consultant with International Theme Park Service (ITPS). When I was hired in September of 1995, I was fresh out of college with work experience that consisted of being at a theme park (Kings Island) mostly working with people my own age and behaving as one would expect young twenty somethings to do!

Enter Mrs. Jackie Renner!

Jackie was the VP of Administration for International Theme Park Services. I credit her for teaching me what being a professional looked like. I learned much from Jackie including the right way to communicate with people from around the world and other cultures, how to be complete in my preparation for client presentations, and how to be a loyal employee to my organization.

As my tenure at the organization increased, I found myself working more closely with Jackie on new business development. Her ability to judge people and know them quickly was something I admired.  When I did not understand the reason behind a process we followed, she was able to explain the why behind it and how the process made the business better. This is a lesson that I’ve never forgotten; always be able to explain your actions and how they can impact your business.

It’s really been over the last few years that the lessons I learned from Jackie have become even more important. My opportunities to interact with and show the next generation what professionalism means have increased. Each time I am complimented on how I handled something professionally or ensured some detail was taken care of, I think of Jackie and say a silent ‘thank you’ to her.

Now, I can say it aloud; thank you Jackie for showing me what being a professional should look like. It is something for which I am very grateful!

The first of these questions:

Who is someone who greatly influenced you in your early career?

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 discussion began when a student inquired about handling an employee situation after someone has done something wrong yet they insist that they’re right. After joking that a situation like that would never happen because HR is always right, I shared a story that affected me.  Without sharing the lurid details here, the story was about me being accused of doing something that I did not do. Rather than argue and hold hostility to those involved, there was reflection on the things that I had done in relation to the situation as well as the things that I had not done that could have prevented the misperception from occurring in the first place.  In short, it still benefitted me to learn from the situation and get better so that I would not be in the position again where I could be wrongly accused.

Even when one is not wrong and is still being accused, there is always room to improve. I reminded the group that learning from a negative situation can provide great dividends moving forward and that many of my most valuable lessons had come from the mistakes I’ve made, not the immediate successes.  Had I simply been bitter about being accused and reacted in a hostile manner, it is likely that the lessons learned would not be as positive and I would not have gotten better moving forward. To simplify it, it is important to get better, not bitter.

In many ways, the positive influence of a leader is at the heart of seeing an organization’s employees do their best to meet the shared goals of the organization.  Remember, the simple act of “telling it straight” is one important element.  It is doing this consistently that leads to the continuous building of this social capital that enables people to trust that the right decisions are being made and that they, as employees, are trusted to do the things needed to be creative and innovate in their workplace.

We have seen examples of toxic environments that are improved by changing the person at the top.  If you are a leader in your organization, are you making a positive impact or are you placing yourself in the unenviable position of being the one replaced?

I remember when I decided to seriously consider whether I should take the plunge there was still hesitation on whether I should do it or not.  So I forced my own hand and put the decision (partially) in the hands of others.

The push came from my decision to apply for a scholarship from the SHRM Foundation.  Although the scholarship was certainly not a large amount of money in the grand scheme of things it, to me, was the decision point over which I did not have the entirety of control.  If I got the scholarship, then I would start; if not, then perhaps the Master’s degree was not the way to go.  After all, everything happens for a reason!

Well, thanks to kind and generous recommendations from co-workers and fellow SHRM volunteers (and perhaps a little bit to my own testimonial) I did receive the scholarship which was then applied to my first class.  Three years and 14 classes later, it’s complete.

The process was a great one not because of the end result, but because of the new ideas discussed with classmates, the systematic way in which some of my business and leadership assumptions were challenged, and the exposure to methods and exercises that will benefit me for years to come.  As I recently told my wife, it’s not the degree or even the actual course work that is proving most valuable.  It’s the boundaries that have fallen in my own mind as I approach new situations and work with others to meet their HR and leadership challenges.

I’ve (almost) always been a very positive person in my approach to the world.  I still consider myself that way, but now enhanced with a healthy dose of knowing that learning always continues. Even though one part of the journey may be done, there can be no stopping as we must recognize the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity in the world.  This journey forward is successful by having factors like vision, understanding, clarity, and agility in your arsenal.  I’m thankful and fortunate to have great friends, colleagues, and mentors from whom I can continuously learn!

St. Joseph’s College of Maine – My newest alma mater (joining Indiana University)

Something here should look familiar

Those who emphasize the GPA of students or recent grads point out that by an objective measure, these individuals have performed best within the system they were in and worked hard to achieve something.  It is these newly minted workers who will find a way to succeed in the systems we have in the workplace and they have demonstrated that they are intelligent enough to be able to handle the rigors of the academic world. Having a high GPA may also demonstrate that they have a work ethic that allowed them to resist the pressure of college life and not surrender to things that did not provide the benefit of learning from an accomplished expert in the field of study selected by the student.  These are all valuable, especially to someone who has little to no work experience.

Accepting a looser approach to the GPA debate also has a strong argument.  Once out of school, there is rarely a syllabus or work to be graded.  Often, classes that have little to no relevance of the person’s chosen vocation are part of the calculation and can affect the number without reflecting the true strengths of the individual.  My own undergraduate GPA was adversely affected by physics and I dare say my deficiencies in that have not brought down any HR related processes I have worked on!

By looking solely at a GPA, the potential to miss the bigger picture that each person represents grows and we miss the opportunity to judge the whole person.  Like everything else in the hiring process, there are pros and cons to using factors that are presented to us.  One aspect in the GPA to consider is the true strength of the number itself.  Who are we to judge that the 3.40 earned at school A is better than school B?  While my undergraduate GPA was not close to a perfect 4.0, I am happy to point that the one in my MBA program is!  Does that really matter?  Given the myriad factors at work, to me the GPA is just not that strong an indicator of future performance in the workplace.  Do you agree or disagree? Leave a comment below!

This on-going connectedness has many benefits.  We all have areas that we struggle to be as successful as we are in others and being able to look to others who have conquered an issue and are willing to share that knowledge is extremely valuable.  I am pleased as more of my HR colleagues take on blogging and increase their visibility at state and local HR conferences as speakers and the experts that they are.  The more exposure that the HR profession has to many of the great and active voices that are in the consciousness, the better we all can be in terms of pulling together our strengths to benefit the profession, our organizations, and those we work with on a daily basis.

One strategy I am using is to expose my HR staff to some of the blogs I read so that they can begin to explore and see the larger HR world that exists outside our organization and our local SHRM chapter.  Good ideas come from everywhere and building on these is the best way to build a feeling of abundance and avoid the feelings of isolation and desperation that can sow the seeds of doubt.

My current MBA class is focusing on quality issues within organizations.  A phrase from the first class seems appropriate for us who want to learn while in the blogosphere.  Unconnected knowledge is not as useful or satisfying as learning applied for individual and group benefit.  Reach out, share your knowledge, and be willing to suspend your own certainty to learn something from someone else each and every day.

However, shouldn’t we strive to allow people other than managers to teach and train?  Aren’t the real world examples that can be utilized invaluable to the education of new people?  I believe they are and the establishment of solid co-worker relationships in the workplace can make the job of a manager easier than if they are the “answer” for everyone and everything.

When I first started in my current job, the introductory training was done entirely by one person.  We have numerous state-mandated classes that people have to go through before they are permitted to work.  These pertain to the safety, care, and rights of the people with developmental disabilities that we serve and are very important.  Even though I was not required to go through all of the training (as an “administrative staff”) I chose to go through it and was generally appalled at the methods, information, and techniques being used by the one person designated as the agency trainer.  Quickly, we changed how we trained and started to use experienced employees who were able to relate their “real world” experiences to the information that is required by the state curriculum.  Given some training in adult learning styles, implementation of competency based testing, and the chance to be viewed as an “expert” by our new hires, this group of employees are now positively viewed and are frequently sought out by managers to ensure that the alignment of the classroom and location training is linked as closely as possible. 

Once our newly hired direct support professionals are working, they often are working solo and may not have the chance to see a supervisor on a daily basis.  Being able to rely upon solid experienced co-workers also provides people with the chance to ask questions that they may not want to ask a supervisor if they believe that they should know the information already.  A co-workers can be safer for the “less important” questions and someone serving as a mentor can help establish a confidence that can carry through the entire career of an employee.

So, 67 percent learn more from a co-worker than their manager.  If people are following one of my core pieces of advice and hiring those who are smarter than themselves, then the organization should continue to grow in its knowledge. 

Go ahead and teach a co-worker something today – everyone will benefit from it!