End of the Week Reading: Great Posts to Read

As we wrap up the workweek (at least the official one.. I almost always do a little work on the weekend) I wanted to point out to you some interesting blog posts. Something you can open on your laptop or IPad at the pool and read while sipping a cool one or a cup of coffee.

1. Alan's Blog from Alan Weiss, an extrodinary consultant and teacher. He writes On Leading and  how leaders stand their ground.
2. Suzanne Lucas, the Evil HR Lady, who also writes for BNET talks about 5 Things to Do When the Boss is Wrong. Some good advice for a tough situation.
3. The folks at Compensation Today over a brief lessons on some compensation metrics that EVERYONE should know, like Compa-ratio. So check out Compensation Metrics Defined.
4.  Alan Collins of Success in HR, writes about making some extra money in what he calls a "side hustle" and offers some ideas and suggestions for find the right one for you. He mentions teaching, which I do a lot of, but I never thought of it as a side hustle. Interesting article.
5. Frank Roche, at KnowHR,  writes Where in the Hell was HR in the Shirley Sherrod Case at the USDA. I am sure this will become a classic example of why you don't let managers file on the spot, especially when your boss is the President.
6. Barbara Hughes at Leading Engaged Companies writes about Making Tough News Inspiring. The story she relates is an excellent one. Barbara writes a smart, well thought out blog. I would put this one on "my must read" list.

A final observation for the week. There have been numerous examples in the news that all HR managers and business leaders can take a lesson from. The Sherrod firing as knee-jerk reaction being the biggest. But last night I was struck by something President Obama said about setting an example. In talking about the Unemployment Compensation bill being passed he said that (I paraphrase here) "Unemployed Americans who have been without help have had to cut budgets, cut corners and manage their money in order to survive. They should expect nothing less from their Government." I don't quibble that people need that money, but how does passing a $34 BILLION measure without finding a way to pay for it demonstrate the governmental fiscal leadership he spoke of?

Vow to be Visible!

I am back from vacation. Yes, I had a great time, thanks for asking. Having disappeared for a week or so I thought about visibility as I came back. Two blog posts by other bloggers prompted this thought, so I thought I would pass on their ideas and add a couple of my own.

The first thought comes from Alan Collins writer of Success In HR in his post Seven No B.S. HR Career Strategies Your Boss Won’t Tell You About! His fourth point is "Visibility is not an official HR competency, but it should be." Alan makes the comment "...focusing on doing what you do better than anyone else and trusting that that alone is enough, guarantees you one thing and one thing only: a long life laboring in oblivion." The implication is that you need to "toot your own horn." People within your organization need to know that you are good, not just your boss. My experience has been that you can increase your visibility by working on committees, task forces, etc. You can also increase your visibility by being a good speaker and making good company presentations. Alan also makes the comment that writing a blog can increase you visibility. I can attest, it does.

Kris Dunn, The HR Capitalist, makes the comment "Develop a professional identity outside the workplace, and you'll never be held hostage intellectually to the job you currently have." In his post How a Sucky Economy Makes A Professional Identity Outside of the Workplace More Important... he makes the point that having an identity outside the workplace is protection against the psychological impact of losing your job. I think it also makes you somewhat more resistant to losing your job. So how do you get a professional identity outside of your workplace? Well following Alan Collin's advice of writing a blog can help. But there are other ways too. Volunteer! There are many non-profits that need help, especially on their Boards of Directors. This allows you to demonstrate your leadership ability and your decisionmaking skills. It can be fulfilling, challenging and provide you a stretch. It can also position you to go to work for someone else if you lose your current postion.

So vow to be visible! It will make you a better current employee and a better future employee.

Career Opportunity for HR in the EFCA

Here is a great blog post by Alan Collins on the HR opportunity in the Employee Free Choice Act. I could not have written this any better (or for that matter even as well as). It is a discussion about the four opportunities for HR. Read it and learn.

On an information level visit LaborPains.org , scroll down and watch the video. Then scroll down and read the list of "notables" that are against the EFCA. Very informative blog.