I think this Stone Belt art piece captures my feelings today!

The current system, one that has been in use by my organization for just over a year, is quite robust. While this robustness serves us well in some areas, it also provides challenges when trying to extract certain information. The integration with other systems also means that getting items A, B, and C also requires us to look for M, X, and T too. Unfortunately, the mechanism for getting M is different than the one needed to get X and T. So, a report that someone thinks is a quick 5 minute process actually takes the better part of two hours. After two hours, I believe I have A, B, and C only to discover that A and C are present for everyone but B has not populated for one group of people.  It’s back to the report generator for another attempt. Maybe I need to include variable F too?!?

Now, a consolation in this battle is that I am not alone. All of us on the new system have experienced at various times these same frustrations. While some call for us the change (again) I am experienced enough to know that learning any new system can present these frustrations. I will scream, curse, and complain, but ultimately I know that the information will be provided in a manner that can be used.

Does anyone out there relate? I’m guessing there are many who do!

There are many people with much better knowledge on HR technology than I and during my time in HR I’ve been fortunate to learn from them, have learned to ask better questions in our selection process, and have become quite savvy building my queries. However, I’ve yet to encounter a system that can truly “do it all” and do so for every organization. I supposed I’ve also reached the revelation that perfect in the world of HRIS does not exist and that we cannot allow the pursuit of perfect jeopardize the good that we have created.

That being said, I’m still screaming!

One of the fun little things on my desk (in front of a pile of folders which, at the moment, is put away!)

Well, there is no clear consensus on how we like our desks to look. Not a surprising result, yet instructive on how we each look at the world. Despite yesterday being #CleanOffYourDesk Day, I get the distinct impression that is not something widely celebrated within my circle of friends and colleagues.

There are numerous studies (some results from one conducted at the University of Minnesota can be found here) that suggest a messy desk is a sign of creativity or genius at work. Personally, I’m ok with that. Although right now my desk is at its zenith of neatness, I am confident that will change as January progresses. I fondly remember my mother having a sign with Garfield the Cat on her desk that stated “A clean desk is the sign of a cluttered mind” and given the studies that have been done and some of the commentary shared by my readers, there seems to be some agreement to that point.

So, do not fret over the mess. It may very well mean you are creative, maybe even a genius.  Science will even back you up on that!

Thanks for the input for this week’s post. The question for consideration before next week is…

What is a lesson learned from your 1^st job that still serves you well today?

My son, an incoming junior in high school, finished his summer reading this past weekend, hasn’t located his backpack to use, and is spending more time worried about his appearance for school pictures on the 1^st day than on determining exactly where he is supposed to go first on the 1^st day!

My daughter, entering 7^th grade, has had her backpack prepped for a few weeks, rechecked it several times to ensure everything is in the correct order within the backpack, and already knows where her 1^st class is located so she can go right there when she arrives at school!

The vast differences in the preparation of these 1^st days I imagine are quite reflective of not only their personalities, but age too. While he would not admit it, there is excitement in my son to get going in this year. Meanwhile, my daughter certainly has apprehension of a new year with new teachers and the rise of additional expectations that come with each advancing year in school.

These are the same feelings that appear in our people at work from time to time too. I’m sure someone you work with is experiencing excitement about future possibilities while another may be feeling anxious over events where they have little or no control. What are doing to support this spectrum of humanity? Do you know where you fall on it?

One of the reminders that I am most likely to use at work this time of year as we have many new people joining the District is that while we in HR have heard a question many times, for this person, this is their 1^st time hearing our answer. Are we making sure that the answer is as complete and informative for this person as it was for the 1^st person who asked it on our 1^st day? It’s important that we make every effort to make it so!

Enjoy the 1^st day. While you’re at it, enjoy the 1000^th one just as much!

What class (in high school, college, or grad school) influences you now in a way that you did not anticipate at the time you originally took the class?

There have been so many great classes with so many good lessons. How can I settle on just one?

Thinking back to high school I could go with my biology classes (some inspiration from last week’s post,) my English classes for the writing skills they inspired, or even my time in band, which is still the only part of high school I would be willing to experience again!

College brought more fabulous classes. For majoring in biology though, the memorable or impactful classes had nothing to do with my chosen field of study. The personal finance class taught lessons I use to this day while my interest in political science can be traced back to Dr. Hershey and the class I took from her my junior year at IU. Environmental law, limnology, and my risk assessment course are also contenders.

However, after much thought around impact, I think I find myself finally deciding to settle on one of my graduate school classes. Introduction to Systems Thinking brought to clarity some of the factors I had always thought about. I could finally put words to the influence of one event upon another as well as the creation of both virtuous and vicious cycles. We experience these systems in all aspects of our lives and being able to apply the tools of systems thinking (primarily through the work of Peter Senge) has made me a better leader and HR professional. Being able to graphically and verbally explain what is happening to a group or process and the presenting some options to consider a change are now essential tools in my own leadership and consultative approach.

The base elements of systems thinking, the archetypes, have become more ingrained as I use them and rarely does a day go by when I do not think through a situation from a systems perspective.  Judging by impact, the systems thinking part of my grad school curriculum has provided me with not just theory, but a practical approach that I use in my HR world as well as seeing the larger scope of public education (my current industry) through a whole new set of lenses.

Thank you Claudia (my instructor) for providing a solid foundation that many other elements of my MBA were able to build upon.

What class (in high school, college, or grad school) influences you now in a way that you did not anticipate at the time you originally took the class?

I know I need to think on this one for a bit. I hope you do as well!

My answer comes in my next post! Feel free to chime in.

This is one of those times where my day job and my interest in politics come together. As has happened in many states, the legislature here in Michigan, in all their wisdom, has come forth and mandated an evaluation system for the teachers in our state. Like many other states, the focus is less on creating a road map for improvement (which is what I like to see in an employee evaluation) and more on ensuring that someone is held accountable for the success and/or failure of those being taught. There are so many things wrong with the process as mandated that its legitimacy is easy to question.

I feel very fortunate to work in a District that takes this responsibility seriously and currently has a process that has some forward looking elements so that our professionals in the classroom can continue to grow and improve their craft.  We have excellent teachers who (mostly) want to improve and build upon their knowledge and skills. I fear as the momentum toward growth measures becomes a reality, that real conversations that take place around improvement will yield to chats about testing and preparing students for the high stakes tests that now can not only determine a student’s potential path, but their teacher’s path forward as well.

For those complaining about an appraisal you received at work, remember it can be worse; the government could have designed it!

As I spoke to other attendees and asked them about their conference experience, I frequently get one of three reactions:

1. Who are you and why are you talking to me?
2. A story about the great session they just went to.
3. A comment about how little new information has been learned, but how they are hearing and getting refreshed on things they already knew.

It’s this third point that catches my interest. I believe this provides an opportunity for the HR pros who attend conferences to leverage their own knowledge in their organizations and build their credibility in the organizations.

We know that outside “experts” are often believed more than those who are embedded within organizations. This gaining of knowledge from the outside can be leveraged to help position HR as true knowledge partners throughout the organization.

When you hear a speaker talking about something that you believe and sharing information that you want your organization to use or implement, take note. When back in the office, share what you’ve learned. A simple summary of points can go far in helping convey points that need to be made. Giving credit to others brings both enhanced credibility to you as a learner and shows the value that attending conferences or other learning experiences is for the organization.

So, if you’re heading to state conferences in Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New York, or Michigan in the next few weeks, don’t let the information gained reside only in your mind. Spread the knowledge and share the wisdom!

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.

As a leader in an organization, it’s important that we regard change not as a mechanism for loss, but as an opportunity to grow and expand our horizons. Share examples from your own change events that demonstrate this. These stories can be powerful tools to show a little of yourself while emphasizing the ultimate outcome that has happened to date.

Ralph Waldo Emerson captured this sentiment beautifully when he said:

“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.”

As we wrap this year please go ahead and add to your life through change!

In my short tenure in my new position, it has become clear that my presence outside the administrative office is a new fangled concept to many.  I’ve heard phrases like:

“HR has never been here before.”

“Why are you here? Is something wrong?”

“I hope you’re not here because someone is in trouble.”

“Wait, you’re the new HR Director and you came to see me?!?”

While this seems novel and funny (and yes it is!) it is more a testament to a fundamental disconnect so many in HR have from the daily realities that occur in the organization that we are hired to support.  The only way HR can be relevant to an organization is to understand what being relevant in the organization means and what it looks like. In addition to visits to schools I’ve gone through a morning shift with a school bus driver, prepared and served food in a school cafeteria, and set-up chairs for a PTO meeting one morning before breakfast.  Each one of these experiences has informed me and will allow me to make better decisions that will benefit the district, the employees, and ultimately, the students we serve.

Serving lunch to middle school students provides valuable insight!

One of the phrases I use when asked why I’m visiting is:

“I can’t do good work unless I know what is needed and that can’t happen by sitting in my office and waiting for things to come to me.”

It will take time, but I am confident that my presence will cease to be alarming some day! As I gain more knowledge and understanding of the operations in the schools and other student support services, this presence can expand our opportunities to ensure that our HR department provides positive and proactive support to everyone in our organization.