Networking: An Essential Skill in a Successful HR Career (and every other career too)

I did some networking today. I reached out to Sharlyn Lauby, the HR Bartender, and she was gracious enough to call and chat. (You need to put her on your MUST read list. You will find out why she is on most of, if not all, the lists of the best.) We chatted about our businesses, our blogs, what we are trying to accomplish. (This all developed from a post of hers that talked about being willing to share, even with other consultants. A view I hold as well.) In the course of the conversation we talked about people who "network" with us. I put network in quotes because, in reality, that is not what people are doing. They call us because they are looking for a job and someone told them that we "know everyone." They come looking for job leads or names. We are gracious and help them out and off they go. Often we never hear from them again or sometimes we will get some follow up basically to the tune of "have you found anything for me yet?" Then one day we hear they got a job. So we drop them a note and say congratulations. Some times we get a note back, often we do not. Seldom do we ever get a note saying "I have gone to work. Here is where you can contact me. Thanks for your help. Now what can I do for you." Often we hear "Oh, I am sorry, now that I have gone to work I just don't have time to network." (Is this sounding like a rant?)

Well "I don't have time to network" should be banished from every HR professional's lexicon. Networking is an ESSENTIAL TOOL of the HR professional. One of the goals of a true professional is to be a resource to their organization for which they work. You have to be scanning the environment, you have to understand the legal and legislative landscape, you have to know social trends and compensation trends all so you can support the strategic goal of the organization. That is tough to do all by yourself. But there are people out their that know this stuff. There are people out there that are smarter than you. And it is important for you to know who they are and meet them. And they come in very handy if you are looking for work.

Here are my tips for effective networking:

1. Everytime you ask for help offer some in return. Do NOT be just a Taker. Be a Giver. At the end of a conversation ask the question "How can I help you?" (Hint: Mean it!)
2.  If you are job hunting, be specific. What are you looking for? Don't just say "Do you know of any openings?" My response may be "Well I saw a Now Hiring sign at Panda Express." (True) If you employed and are looking for contacts, suppliers, or information be clear about what you are looking for.
3. Try to meet someone face-to-face. Just because you have connected with them in Linked In, or Facebook or Twitter does not mean you are networking, as I wrote in Networking is More than just adding a contact on social media.
4. Follow up. FOREVER. This does not mean that you have to write every day, or once a month, or even once a quarter. But there needs to be some consistant follow up. Think of it as a "drip marketing" campaign. You can even rank your contacts as A, B or C. The "A" contacts you may want to reach out to quarterly. The "B"s every six months and the "C"s on an annual basis. This is based on the importance to you that you keep in touch with them. And you don't have to write a book. A one line email, a birthday card, a short hand written note or even a voice mail is sufficient just to make contact.
5. Sharlyn and I agree everyone needs to read Keith Ferrazzi's Never Eat Alone and I will add Harvey Mackay's Swim With the Sharks. These too books are required reading.

Well I will bring my rant to an end. There are many more tips and many experts on networking that are availble to you. Find what works for you. But if you have aspirations of the "C" suite, or of consulting or of just being able to find a job when you find yourself on the street then you had better learn to make networking a life long practice.

Tell me what you think. (BTW, one good way to start networking with people is to leave comments on their blogs. Who knows they might even initiate the contact. Unless of course you are Anonymous.)

HR's Primary Role and How To Fulfill It

As I was reading Twitter posts today I came across one posted by a favorite of mine. Sharlyn Lauby, the HR Bartender, conducted an Interview with Libby Sartain. She is an author and speaker, the former board chair for SHRM and is famous as the proactive, forward-thinking Chief Human Resources Officer for both Southwest Airlines and Yahoo. She is, as Sharlyn calls her, "...the real deal – business savvy, HR smart, and volunteer leader." She is certainly a model for up-and-coming HR pros to follow.

In the interview she made a statement that made me say "Yes, she has it! What a perfect summary!" Her quote was:

"The primary role for HR is to ensure that the business succeeds by having

the right workforce in the right place at the right time.

There is so much more involved including strategic workforce planning and talent management,

the right rewards and recognition, flexibility to add and delete workers according to

business requirements. And, ensuring a culture that inspires and leads to a higher performance than the competition."

What is the skill set needed for this level of performance for HR? Here is my list:

1. Knowledge of the business your business is in. How can you know if you are finding the right people if you don't know what is needed. So you need to know your industry and your competition. And that means more than just the names.
2. You need to be a futurist. You need to know what is happening and what may happen. How are things like demographics, technology, social trends and legal developments going to impact your business. This is the proactive stuff. If you don't foresee it you are doomed to react to it.
3. You need to understand how your business operates, how it makes its money. If you don't you will  be adding or deleting people without understanding why. You can help upper management make reasoned decisions rather than just reacting to their perceived need to cut costs.
4. You need to know compensation and motivation. Remember her statement was "the right rewards".
5. You need to know the laws of the land. There are many "legal landmines" that can thwart your best efforts to run a good HR show. So know your stuff.
6. You need to have a "very good presence." All leaders (and that is what HR should be) at some point have to make a presentation, make a speech in front of a group of employees or an executive board, or represent the company in a public setting. Learn how to speak and to do so effectively. Get over that fear by going to a Toastmasters program or a Dale Carnegie class or even get a private coach.

Those are my thoughts on required skills. What would you add to it?

Thanks to Sharlyn Lauby and Libby Sartain for this stimulation! If you do not follow them both you should, you will learn a tremendous amount on a weekly basis. And I see Libby's most recent book, Brand for Talent: Eight Essentials to Make Your Talent As Famous As Your Brand, making its way to my bookshelf in the very near future.