tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59530178785540595892024-03-06T12:02:30.132-08:00Blue Collar HRThere are many "high class" human resources blogs out there......This is not one of those blogs.Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-56029514906242282082015-08-21T13:38:00.000-07:002015-08-21T13:38:02.363-07:00Blind Spots -- We all Got them<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOnBU27qX1hmTBaG7A_wx6qGUAQPs4B-_pfaaTWJPO2rkwUNfDcLbQBXOIQJNG-XeWtOPl6h20kA1ivAR496WGeetLo7HmFAraIj0ZgZgYcUyFpEVwQC3dRGuMlohwFq1V9Yp_to-u6w/s1600/weird072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOnBU27qX1hmTBaG7A_wx6qGUAQPs4B-_pfaaTWJPO2rkwUNfDcLbQBXOIQJNG-XeWtOPl6h20kA1ivAR496WGeetLo7HmFAraIj0ZgZgYcUyFpEVwQC3dRGuMlohwFq1V9Yp_to-u6w/s320/weird072.jpg" /></a></div>I had the opportunity today to talk to a manager about blind spots in one of his direct reports. What is a blind spot? A blind spot is an employee who you think is great, but the rest of the organization is trying to warn you that they are a force for evil not good. A person with a blind spot will go to the point of career suicide to defend a person's outrageous/ineffective/incompetent behavior often in front of caring coworkers who have given up trying to convince them.<br />
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It is ugly to watch. Makes everyone REAL uncomfortable.<br />
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A person with a blind spot is not a bad employee, often they seem perfectly normal and even show outstanding type performance in other avenues of their professional life.<br />
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Some people have a lot of blindspots and those people tend to flame out pretty quick in management positions. They are locked in a perpetual denial about the true performance of the people around them. Often they are only successful through massive amounts of individual effort. They tend to look tired and blame that on the company not their team.<br />
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More insidious is the Senior Level Manager with only one blindspot. In all other avenues of life they seem perfectly sane and reasonable, but, once you get them on the subject of, let's say, Bob, you hear anything from raging at the machine to outright whining. Common statements/questions are:<br />
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"I don't understand why everyone else doesn't appreciate Bob, he is better than [Insert insanely ridiculous comparison with no grounding in reality]."<br />
"You just don't see all the things Bob does, this operation couldn't function without him"<br />
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Worse, sometimes people get so baffled by their blind spot they start believing in some sort of institutional discrimination that they would not otherwise buy into.<br />
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In the end, blind spots are a failure of your performance management system. The manager who has the blindspot is not using facts to determine how they assess people. Or maybe just using the wrong facts. Coaching people through a blind spot can often be a frustrating exercise, but forcing the manager to walk through performance expectations and show how that relates to the employee at hand can really help to shed light on reality.<br />
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Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-38661511875626820652013-06-17T19:08:00.001-07:002013-06-17T19:10:26.318-07:00What do your Contractors have on your Organization?<br />
If the NSA can give a high school drop-out Top Secret clearance and acccess to the largest information gathering program in history only to escape to China with it, don't you need to look at the confidential information that your contractors have access to?<br />
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It made me a little nervous. Double checking our systems as we speak.Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-60395511813147132352013-06-17T19:01:00.000-07:002013-06-17T19:01:07.346-07:00Execution Problems?One of the most amazing things I learned in the Army is how to execute. Most of the leadership training in the Army focuses on "decisions on the fly". Sure we do planning involving lengthy operations orders, but while not planning correctly will get you productive feedback sessions, not making decisions to correct things when the plan starts going sideways...<br />
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That is push-ups and screaming.<br />
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Translating this into a business environment is difficult, because making decisions without fear is truly a learned behavior and many people just don't trust themselves or their organization enough to do it. Oftentimes when employees come to me and complain about planning it tends to be a lack of decision making and execution on the part of a leader somewhere in the process. <br />
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In order to really overcome the fear of making a decision you really have to have an overwhelming desire to WIN. I have found that successful executives in organizations have to really control themselves from making decisions that belong at a lower level. They watch lower levels agonize over decisions that would take them seconds and they can't control themselves. I think if I could identify one key trait of successful executives making quick decisions on the fly without fear would be one. How do you fit? Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-11590718357442605242013-05-06T22:22:00.002-07:002016-07-13T08:23:08.404-07:00New Policy: Enforce our Old PoliciesI don't know how much time is wasted in corporate America solving problems that have already been solved, but my guess would be alot. While a blog post about policy probably doesn't seem exciting I think a policy review of your new organization is one of the best ways get a feel for what exactly you have gotten yourself into. I see managers struggle every day to recreate rules and policies when, if you ask the hourly employees who have been around for a while, they will all tell you that there already is a rule/standard but people stopped enforcing it long ago. <br />
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Honestly, while there is a sick part of me that loves creating and revising policy, I never start creating until I do some research into what has existed in the past. In most cases, I find some sort of document or manual that lists everything I would have written anyway. Then I ask the question "Why did we stop using this?"<br />
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The unfortunate honest answer is that it was too inconvenient to revise and became so outdated people just stopped. A clear lack of discipline and effort. Because enforcing a dress code that requires women to wear a skirt or refers to an attendence system that no longer exists is ill advised and confusing. They don't change the policy, they just stop having rules altogether.<br />
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The funny thing is, in mature organizations, employees will still refer to those old rules or the old manual as if it was still in effect. Most of the time people never make a big announcement about the fact they don't have the discipline to keep their work rules up to date so the old timers assume it is still in effect (and they feel that all the new employees are getting away with murder). Employees lose respect for management and management loses their credibility to hold people accountable.<br />
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Sometimes when you go through the old manual you realize that it is not half bad. By revising and updating, most of your high tenure employees will readily accept the familiar rules and practices. Then you can focus yoru change management efforts on the pieces that need drastic change.Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-73911538304460331852013-02-28T22:26:00.000-08:002016-07-13T08:51:35.712-07:00Performance Reviews and Otherwise Getting off of your High Horse and Doing the WorkEvery time a major company changes they way they execute their performance management cycle there is the inevitable wailing and gnashing of teeth from the "thought leaders" out there who see any change of a performance evaluation as an exercise in futility that reinforces a failed system. <a href="http://www.hrcapitalist.com">Kris Dunn </a>points out correctly that these people are high on complaints and low on solutions. It is fine to say that continuous feedback would negate the need for a performance evaluation and that they should not be necessary in a perfect company, however, there is no such thing as a perfect company (Shout out to Jon McAmis my first HR Director for that line). In a world where hourly employees make up the bulk of your workforce and good solid leadership in your industry is at a premium, sometimes you have to create a system to grow your own coaching culture from the ground level. <br />
I hate to break it to many of the experts out there, but in most companies, even some rather successful ones, little to no coaching actually occurs. When you are starting from ground zero it is useful to start a formal process for a supervisor or manager to record coaching and development efforts over the last year. If done correctly and with the right oversight, this process can introduce some basic skill sets that HR people take for granted. Such as: <br />
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1. Performance reviews should not be a surprise <br />
2. Discipline matters (If they have formal discipline during the review period they are, by definition, not meeting expectations)<br />
3. Give credit where credit is due (Specific examples of high performing behavior)<br />
4. Don't play favorites (halos and horns) <br />
5. Words and clarity matter (Do not be afraid of the conversation)<br />
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The goal is not to create a perfect performance evaluation, but to begin to exorcise all of the demons that a poor coaching environment creates. Let's face it, people are going to be pissed, surprised, and shocked. But you just forced your supervisors to take a stand on his employee's performance that they cannot back away from. They are stuck with it and now they have to deal with it. That, my friends, is where the money is made. Now that they know that they will be forced to confront each employee they have an obligation to that employee to resolve the issue. Hopefully, if you are maintaining a solid relationship with your leaders, you can help them to prepare for this in a healthy way (please god, not the "The HR guy is making me give you a 2")Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-85488547856632252282011-04-14T22:28:00.000-07:002011-04-14T22:44:44.967-07:00Two Types of EmployeesLook, I am all about being honest. This especially comes to my high potentials. I am not going to BS them, and in return I hope that I am the first one they run to when they start getting the eventual offers from the outside. So here is the deal, there are two types of employees:<br /><br />1. Employees with options<br />2. Employees with no options<br /><br />Nuff said, that is all there is to it. I don't care what industry you are in or what your "niche" is. Employees with options reap the rewards of "choosing" to stay with their current company (until they inevitably leave) and employees who have no choice but to stay get nothing (or less) than their counterparts who have options.<br /><br />Cold you say? I am definitely putting on the Darth Vader Mask here, for sure. But do the mental exercise for me just for fun. Which of your employees have options and which don't? Then adjust your retention efforts accordingly. I was at the BCHRMA conference today and had a speaker say that younger people don't expect to work for a company for 35 years anymore. I found this amusing because I don't expect people to work for me for more than five years (I think I can keep people around for that long) after that I expect them to move on without a promotion or significant change of some sort. <br /><br />Keep it fluid my brothers and sisters.Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-27092082771716588412011-02-21T18:55:00.000-08:002011-02-21T19:10:16.111-08:00Just Letting People Know Etiquette of Applying online<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFRycB92u1gaRjF5ZW9m9PAfUHrHjOJhCF8P-EkK-mPL-KxeD1Ft-LYpeI9EYC-8N_HwAHJj9jDbSSvntQD1yG3x9lfC6mDdM2AzknwAOoH_1SzCPXu-8AE4HmIiq2c2OMj9MQ2I2zUA/s1600/professional_etiquette_picking_nose.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFRycB92u1gaRjF5ZW9m9PAfUHrHjOJhCF8P-EkK-mPL-KxeD1Ft-LYpeI9EYC-8N_HwAHJj9jDbSSvntQD1yG3x9lfC6mDdM2AzknwAOoH_1SzCPXu-8AE4HmIiq2c2OMj9MQ2I2zUA/s320/professional_etiquette_picking_nose.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576345919704898706" /></a><br /><br /><br />I know that navigating company websites to apply can be a daunting task. I also know that many of my readers (all 10 of you or so) will have no patience with people who do not intuitively know that someone has to navigate through multiple resumes and cover letters to decide on a group that is "best qualified" to be sent up to a interview. Here is the truth of the matter, on the administration side of things cut and pasted resume's and cover letters are extremely hard to read. In fact, while there may very well be a person whose qualifications are so "right" that I can decipher a resume that is cut and pasted into a little box erasing any formatting that helps me to zero in on experiences that could help my organization, I have not found one yet. I have to try very hard to decipher these and reading them is not easy.<br /><br />Bottom Line: The site gives you the attachment option for a reason, use it.Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-78996767815158250452011-02-17T20:30:00.000-08:002011-02-17T20:56:09.662-08:00Dealing with a Union Environment: "There is no Spoon"<object width="320" height="130"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/x3b0zo?width=320&theme=denim&foreground=%2392ADE0&highlight=%23A2ACBF&background=%23202226"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/x3b0zo?width=320&theme=denim&foreground=%2392ADE0&highlight=%23A2ACBF&background=%23202226" width="320" height="130" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3b0zo_matrix-the-spoon_shortfilms" target="_blank">Matrix - The spoon</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/Deepsound" target="_blank">Deepsound</a>. - <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dailymotion.com/us/channel/shortfilms">Full seasons and entire episodes online.</a></i><br /><br /><em>"Do not try to bend the spoon...That is impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth"<br />"What truth?"<br />"There is no spoon."<br />"There is no spoon?"<br />"Then you will see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself."</em><br /><br /> When dealing with a Union environment there are two types of organizations. The type that is wringing their hands and wondering what the Union will say about every decision they make and the type of organization that has won all of the policy battles and is actually managing their employees performance. This is what it is all about people. The more you pretend the Union does not exist the more you win. This is more for the line supervisor. Don't get me wrong, good Union reps will get you second guessing yourself all over the place, but that doesn't mean you roll over. Keep fighting the fight. Keep doing the right things for the right reasons. You have to drive the business and in the end they want that too. <br /><br />All of the policy battles are just white noise. Policy is fine and it certainly makes it easy to make decisions on attendance and other such nonsense that should be taken care of already. But the real holy grail (the part that is in the management rights section of every contract), is the fact that you have the right to manage employee performance. The problem comes when you actually have to measure and have some sort of semi-objective means of evaluating that performance. But seriously, why else are we here?<br /><br />I will tell you right now, you have no idea how many organizations have not made the leap to actual performance management. They are stuck just trying to get people to show up to work or complying with some other kind of basic policy. If you are doing this type of thing you are failing. That stuff should all be black and white. The real work starts when you raise the bar and say "Who is doing a good job and who is not." That is when your talent level really starts improving and that is something that, as long as you can back it up, the union has absolutely no say over.<br /><br />"There is no spoon"Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-83189549388943709132011-02-05T11:39:00.000-08:002011-02-05T11:56:28.418-08:00Super Bowl Sunday in the Real World<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nhB-vjeohyphenhyphenwUXdpR7SgPX5DpeO_-3eXpV4bhgkpjg6lAuRtPTM-HDdSPb2TSMKT7OwjGL9aLRUboxmsS-1vtg0eddo0dEH0lz8G2bdCfkcuU3SYy4l6WQXNO9kQTD4M5BGbwiCZfKUE/s1600/RU-51391.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570296375004481730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nhB-vjeohyphenhyphenwUXdpR7SgPX5DpeO_-3eXpV4bhgkpjg6lAuRtPTM-HDdSPb2TSMKT7OwjGL9aLRUboxmsS-1vtg0eddo0dEH0lz8G2bdCfkcuU3SYy4l6WQXNO9kQTD4M5BGbwiCZfKUE/s320/RU-51391.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>When working in a 24/7 operation sometimes your shift workers miss things.</div><br /><div>For instance<a href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_721398.html"> Steel workers in Pittsburgh having to miss the superbowl</a>.</div><br /><div>The memorandum that was circulated through the management ranks has all the trappings of a Jedi Mind Trick. I have not seen their collective bargaining agreement, but I assume attendence is addressed. Most people will tell you it is hard to deviate from any attendence practice and terminate for one missed day or even two. </div><br /><div>Unless you want to call it a wild cat strike, work stoppage, or some other kind of unfair labor practice, in which case well played sir (you will never win, but you get style points). Scorched earth approach to labor relations is always an interesting lifestyle choice.</div><br /><div>The problem is that most of the arbitrators will probably be Steelers fans (Hmmmm do you think you could sneak an Eagles fan in there?). </div><br /><div>You have to put this kind of stuff on your line supervisors to create a sense of belonging and responsibility to each employee's fellow co-workers. Healthy crews do not have these kind of issues.</div><br /><div>1. Supervisors work with employee's to ensure everyone gets a fair shake.</div><br /><div>2. One someone does get the shaft they have the knowledge that they will get a fair shake in a future scheduling because they are taking one for the team.<br /></div><div>Honestly, if I want to see who my good line supervisors are at US Steel, I will see who works with a fully covered shift on Superbowl Sunday. If I want to see who my best supervisors are, I see who can work a fully manned shift without overtime on Superbowl Sunday. </div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-14588419402117632762011-01-20T20:46:00.000-08:002011-01-20T21:20:41.641-08:00Hazards of Being New<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53XAoi9u2qa52Egw5hrCf3FOvurPIszyw6hWcF75gBRWluZmM6aDPsCHh4OzxQlBifHrgScOCGp692BkApHzl5uEEDRk7085PWYnm__VC41c_oZ7jFxn78edmyKR39flVNfwchpx_TAY/s1600/Demotivational-lost-cause.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53XAoi9u2qa52Egw5hrCf3FOvurPIszyw6hWcF75gBRWluZmM6aDPsCHh4OzxQlBifHrgScOCGp692BkApHzl5uEEDRk7085PWYnm__VC41c_oZ7jFxn78edmyKR39flVNfwchpx_TAY/s320/Demotivational-lost-cause.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564503601765331730" /></a><br /><div><br /></div>HR people new to an organization have a double whammy of hazards. First of all figuring out the plethora of new processes and ways of doing things is difficult. In addition the hows and why's are an unknown. Everyone would like to think they are a No BS HR person who <a href="http://www.cakemusic.com/songs/comfort/short_skirt.mp3">uses a machete to cut through red tape </a>. But every organization has their own politics and drama. Sometimes it is very hard to figure out the dramatics (also paranoids or people who view risk takers as some sort of leper) from the people who are just trying to help you out ("You know the COO is the approval authority for that and he is specifically looking for..."). Until you figure the political atmosphere out you have two choices:<div><br /></div><div>1. Take refuge in the protective embrace of corporate HR and become the operational spy that narcs and circumvents your operational leaders at every turn.</div><div>2. Trust your operations guys and go along for the ride, make mistakes learn (maybe get thrown under the bus), but learn with your operations guys (you know the guys that actually make stuff and drive profit) and hopefully bond with them to create a solid relationship for the future.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course I choose #2. I see no problem going on an early ill advised jihad against corporate with your operations guys support, even if you know you will lose. It is call team building people and OPS guys need to know that you are no pansy that you wont be the one to constantly nag and harass them out of any out of the box idea they try to implement. Once they see you don't mind bleeding a little for them you would be amazed at the respect you get from them. This you can cash in later when you are coaching them to have more patience before they terminate that person who hasn't had a below average performance evaluation in his life and no write ups in his file ("Don't you think you should tell him what he is doing wrong in a formal setting before termination?"). </div><div><br /></div><div>I have always been an all or nothing type of guy and, in the end, I don't mind sacrificing a little bit of my early credibility with the corporate types to solidify my position within my team of people who actually drive profit.</div><div><br /></div><div>So my advice, be prepared to bleed a little or go home.</div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-5107413912149864372011-01-09T19:15:00.001-08:002011-01-09T19:28:35.401-08:00But...Sometimes You Take the Money<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtK2KZjOikDM5KFZNYdaoh9RtjhpydKiuqL6mqD8HJfEveZTGw9UCdHUoS6jDF91XdQ4V5f4a5EioAh4KQKdXH7Cfi7e8dLHag-iAFkuiRmlduuYzfkcTs88z5MbccOlPqUKzWDXdbSV4/s1600/2103112795-stanford-coach-jim-harbaugh-talks-reporters-during-news-conference-hollywood.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 296px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtK2KZjOikDM5KFZNYdaoh9RtjhpydKiuqL6mqD8HJfEveZTGw9UCdHUoS6jDF91XdQ4V5f4a5EioAh4KQKdXH7Cfi7e8dLHag-iAFkuiRmlduuYzfkcTs88z5MbccOlPqUKzWDXdbSV4/s320/2103112795-stanford-coach-jim-harbaugh-talks-reporters-during-news-conference-hollywood.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560393961544478738" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>In my last post I talked about how Jim Harbaugh would stay at Stanford because of the ownership he has of the Stanford team. Later that day, It was announced that Jim Harbaugh would be taking the head coaching position for the San Francisco 49er's. </div><div> So what does that say about my previous analysis? Well, it says that I have never been faced with a choice that had personal earnings of seven or more zeros attached to it, for sure. However if you look atmost of the news stories Stanford was always in the running. Jim Harbaugh was negotiating out of a pure strength position. He was happy at Stanford, but was open to other opportunities if, and only if, it was the perfect opportunity for him. Notice some of the earlier NFL teams were turned away. My guess (although no contract terms have been specified as of yet) is that Harbaugh was looking for the grand slam and, if he did not find it, would have been content to stay at Stanford until he did. </div><div>So Stanford, being the most prestigious academic school on the West Coast and not only landing, but making a good play at keeping the most sought after football coaching talent in America we salute you. It means you have something going very right in your athletic department. You don't win them all, but my guess is that Harbaugh will set you up for success and even help you with the search for his replacement. </div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-59259224656817899572011-01-07T10:25:00.000-08:002011-01-07T11:15:07.322-08:00Employee Loyalty and Owning a Team--A Hidden Retention Tool?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdh-pNN_Isd3FSXuyLcFhQNMw3kUlxsn5KM-BMwozx_BLU5gu9lgyUCGfEvHZWuK5Hn0jtWE8QUjZvj5xY-Uhx5_yfPDsQHqDU0bVWl3aqyBDOIIkEJ5e_QZML1sSgQKrRheOChHnxefY/s1600/luck-harbaugh-story-getty.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559524481753112290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 272px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdh-pNN_Isd3FSXuyLcFhQNMw3kUlxsn5KM-BMwozx_BLU5gu9lgyUCGfEvHZWuK5Hn0jtWE8QUjZvj5xY-Uhx5_yfPDsQHqDU0bVWl3aqyBDOIIkEJ5e_QZML1sSgQKrRheOChHnxefY/s320/luck-harbaugh-story-getty.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Jim Harbaugh is the kind of talented up and comer that makes corporate America drool. Certainly ready for the next step his accomplishments at Stanford speak for themself. He has taken an institution that was nowhere in the BCS discussion and high academic standards that probably have their own recruiting issues (no dummies at Stanford) and put them in the discussion their one loss is to either the national champion or the runner up. He has also mentored and trained the premier quarterback recruit of the 2010-2011 season. So when is Harbaugh going to make the jump to the NFL? He certainly has plenty of options with the Dolphins, 49er's, and Broncos chomping at the bit to sign him. Money, fame, and power are all within his grasp. Why would he stay at Stanford with so much to gain on the outside?</div><br /><div>Andrew Luck.</div><br /><div>Relationships matter. Often in business when someone is given the opportunity create their own team and has been recognized for success with that team a true leader wants to play out that success till the end. Very few people have so little ego that with the pinnacle of accomplishment (BCS Championship) so close they would give it all away for monetary gain or simple external rewards.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Andrew Luck is coming back to Stanford and so will Harbaugh. Ownership is the most powerful retention tool you can use in any organization. Harbough owns his success at Stanford, no one will dispute that he is the single most dominant force behind their success. Andrew Luck is giving up millions of dollars by coming back to Stanford next year and so will Harbaugh, just simply to finish what he started. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Let someone build there team and taste success and they will find it very hard to leave it behind for the unknown, no matter what is offered to them.</div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-62068056348790847592010-12-27T20:33:00.000-08:002010-12-27T20:52:24.776-08:00New Role, new challengesMan, being new to a organizations is a pain! I was once told that no company is perfect and I accepted that on face value without really thinking about it. In reality, there are two types of companies. Companies that are can change course easily and companies that can't. I think one of the worst things about HR is that the first 6 months is spent learning all of the transactional procedures that get stuff done. Really, to me, this is a necessary but painful evil in an HR career. You need to be the expert on how an organization moves forward on a daily basis, but your job is not to provide transactional support for the operational guys. I just feel like I am wasting time learning this stuff however necessary to get to the good stuff like changing attitudes and processes toward talent and development. If <a href="http://www.hrcapitalist.com/">Kris Dunn</a> has taught me anything, it is that every minute you spend on transactional work is a waste of time. But, yet you must learn, so that you can teach others.<div><br /><div> Part of my problem with the new organization (which is great, really), is that they are growing so fast they seem to be going overboard to create some semblance of organization as they rapidly expand. The result is a heavy handed attempt at an extremely hierarchical structure from a former marine (Oh, how I want to say ex-marine just to piss you guys off...Marines and military folk will get this). </div><div><br /></div><div>As an HR guy who knows where his paycheck comes from, my number one goal has always been to increase my operational boss's authority. I firmly believe that the more decision making you push down to the lowest level the more flexible and effective you will be as an organization. However, I now find myself in a position where the organization is going the opposite way.</div><div> So, I now find myself in the role of insurgent. I need to convince people who get paid more and have worked for the organization longer than me that their path is wrong, and while structure is important, it is not what has made them successful in the past.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, the question I have been pondering this week before the new year, in a two month old job is how ballsy should I be, and who can I afford to piss off to make my point.</div></div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-1784530795062903582010-11-18T19:03:00.000-08:002010-11-18T19:43:58.152-08:00Overtime and the Hourly Employee<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTC1u5vGGjEE1rR5vR4KcfCXJfc79MDGDaVF4L5kofNS0nQqVGnD5LSqS1q6orxFpylrobh_BrOKzDV50c2ZRkmzEqEAM7xkepamDnvFvEnCW1fE4O9FNQfGpM-wsmOxfSmLHFfc9hB0/s1600/roustabout.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTC1u5vGGjEE1rR5vR4KcfCXJfc79MDGDaVF4L5kofNS0nQqVGnD5LSqS1q6orxFpylrobh_BrOKzDV50c2ZRkmzEqEAM7xkepamDnvFvEnCW1fE4O9FNQfGpM-wsmOxfSmLHFfc9hB0/s320/roustabout.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541101465124114658" /></a><br /><br /><div>Hours in a growing industry is always a challenge. In established industries it is simply a math problem where a certain amount of overtime equals another full time employee. In a high growth company, it is much more difficult. Employees become reliant on overtime pay for their daily expenses. A person who should only be making $2.5K a month starts bringing in $3.5k a month and their lifestyle becomes dependent on making that kind of money. However, in the end people who are putting in that kind of overtime will only want to put in that kind of time for so long. Once you realize that you have employees putting in 300+ hours a month you have to realize that these peoples lives are not "typical". Retention is also an issue over the long term. People do not want to work those kind of hours long term. While with the economy the way it is you can get away with it for a while, after a year or two employees will even take a pay cut to get a more family or lifestyle friendly schedule.</div><div><br /></div><div>Really these type of situations should never happen. While their will be time frames of a month or so where increased hours are necessary in a production environment, if you go more than a quarter with this type of overtime you need to seriously consider adding shifts. The danger you are facing if an hourly workforce gets used to gross amounts of overtime is a complete change in the demographics of your hourly workforce. If you are looking specifically for guys who will work 200+ hours a month, they will never be happy when told that they only get to work 180. They have car payments and mortgages based on the high hours. They will leave and you will be forced to find people who have more realistic hour expectations. While you always want to hire people who will work a high amount of hours, too many of those and you create a situation where it is an entitlement. A proper mix is needed. For retention purposes you need at least a 70 percent hourly workforce that is happy to work 40 hours a week. Then you can leverage the other 30 percent to fill in the gaps. There will always be employees who will take whatever hours they can get, but creating workforce that is entirely composed of "hour whores" is a recipe for failure. In a Union environment you also get people that are on the watch for percieved seniority violations as it pertains to overtime.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bottom line: Create a sustainable production pace and find a metric that tells you when to add people. For people in a more static and established industry you need to get with your controller and figure out what those metrics are.</div><div><br /></div><div>Talk to a safety guy about the myriad of safety issues associated with long hours as well.</div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-64086820623555260992010-11-16T19:40:00.000-08:002010-11-16T19:58:43.002-08:001st Step in a new Blue Collar HR job: Who to make Friends with<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCb7RPkxcNPHZWQ7iP27GkJMhRXRmPXP77tG7zZrBW24WsXudMyVS0mSIO_7TiTV-NOFoowE-wgJX05UOad_otYpGGWZZSq9dxJRt4r6oGY6ui0XplDyz9-5UyOv0KkhG9P-oUhL6Z9Xg/s1600/WhiteAndNerdy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCb7RPkxcNPHZWQ7iP27GkJMhRXRmPXP77tG7zZrBW24WsXudMyVS0mSIO_7TiTV-NOFoowE-wgJX05UOad_otYpGGWZZSq9dxJRt4r6oGY6ui0XplDyz9-5UyOv0KkhG9P-oUhL6Z9Xg/s320/WhiteAndNerdy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540362807310731266" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>While I haven't had too many changes in jobs there is one truth that I am sure of in the line blue collar HR field. Make friends with your finance person. While in the white collar world with a proven structure this may seem anathema, the comptroller, controller, accountant, or whatever you call it, is an extreme asset in the management of an hourly workforce. Look, I have to many employees to be absolutely groundbreaking in everything I do. Maybe that is admitting defeat. But in my world simple victories stand out. Victories like making sure labor gets charged to the right account so that the proper supervisor or manager can be held responsible. Also, when you are looking at big picture, assessing manning levels and adjusting using overtime as a metric doesn't work when your maintenance account is getting not getting charged because of the production people they are using on overtime for fire-watch. </div><div>The person who knows all of these things is your financial guy (gal). Their frustrations are your frustrations when it comes to managing 200+ employees. Simple oversights or errors over the long term can hose you big time when you try to do that "big boy" analysis to actually better your organization. First step when you enter a new Blue Collar HR job is to ensure that labor is being charged to the right account ever time and employees are classified correctly. The easiest ally to that purpose is the finance person. They almost always feel under-appreciated and they already have a long list of issues about how labor is charged (without full perspective) that will make you look like a star.</div><div>Solve that issue and the finance guy will come to you with issues rather than suffering in silence. Which for some reason is what they tend to do without acknowledgment.</div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-80657765461672363672010-11-08T21:04:00.000-08:002010-11-08T21:26:46.034-08:00Admin Recruiting....Where it's At<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dJaQhY9JrkdKyK8cH8MYPgKhL2iIAUmWEvAg-JV7BSMeSOLx89QwntJXHPj088B1uW7FGWEN1tkPOAS4nM9gt9uTz2CTyQbDeCLQjoG-NVa9v5SZMbZ5Zr2RMjdI3EibFOMmehND6Wc/s1600/926986.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dJaQhY9JrkdKyK8cH8MYPgKhL2iIAUmWEvAg-JV7BSMeSOLx89QwntJXHPj088B1uW7FGWEN1tkPOAS4nM9gt9uTz2CTyQbDeCLQjoG-NVa9v5SZMbZ5Zr2RMjdI3EibFOMmehND6Wc/s320/926986.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537416720703374098" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>While it is certainly a daunting task to have multiple admin requisitions come to me within my first few weeks at a new job, I am appreciating the challenge of building a staff from scratch so much. While I have had some experience with building the hourly ranks with solid performers and feel that I am successful at it, salaried employees have so much more complexity and fit means so much more to the organization. The human resources function feels so much more rewarding to me now that I have sole control of who to show my operation guys and can control the how applicants are recruited so much more. While I don't think I could ever become a recruiter without a master, I really enjoy building organizations from the ground up. I have always liked buying into a vision and then selling other people on the promise of an organization that I belong to. Especially when I am given a free reign to go ahead and experiment with raw talent as well as seasoned professionals. While there are a host of other aspects of the HR generalist role I enjoy, the recruiting part seems to be the lynch-pin between running a successful organization and building a successful organization that makes you feel more responsible for organizational outcomes. There seems to be so many good hires around the corner right now in this economy. It is truly exciting. Now if I can just find the time to learn how to write status reports correctly I may just make it into my second month. Google "Terrible" Terry Tate: Office Linebacker.....the horror....Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-68265458597017123362010-10-15T16:11:00.001-07:002010-10-15T16:33:06.723-07:00Geneology More Than Your Wife Discovering Herself<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJVFXyNo-aOe14rIjjuSm7XLbHfmYHK4EuvzOpuJguiCIrI_ObxS_VJp2S45DO4NePhRxjxXuGPwobzSwzPxVElIzOeTQdSrOUJZI23LttIpEuK5GG7t9XTn23OVKWXLOArVog5m3N-A/s1600/funny_family_tree_squirrel_stickers-p217879355348865995qjcl_400.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528419461175500290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJVFXyNo-aOe14rIjjuSm7XLbHfmYHK4EuvzOpuJguiCIrI_ObxS_VJp2S45DO4NePhRxjxXuGPwobzSwzPxVElIzOeTQdSrOUJZI23LttIpEuK5GG7t9XTn23OVKWXLOArVog5m3N-A/s320/funny_family_tree_squirrel_stickers-p217879355348865995qjcl_400.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>Let's talk skilled craftsmen. Not just mechanics or Millwrights, but the ones that are truly hard to find. I think every blue collar industry has one or two of these type of jobs. Take Sawfiling, in the sawmilling industry it is a specialty unto itself. It is not millwright or electrician, it is a mix between machinist and voodoo (it is, indeed, often referred to as black magic....no joke). It is a craft that is so specific in it's skill set that very few people choose to do it and, as a result, the few people that choose Sawfiling as a profession, are good at it, and show a spark of leadership ability become well compensated very quickly.</div><br /><div>Normally, the answer to a lot of problems in finding leaders for this type of niche craft is to grow your own from within. If that fails you find yourself having to decide if your geneology has gone wrong. I am not talking names, ethnicity, or what royal family members you may or may not have been related to in the past thousand years. I am talking about a line of training that puts niche craftspeople into a school of thought, philosophy, or overall attitude. </div><br /><div>Specialized craftspeople operate in tight circles. Rumors fly quickly through these groups and almost everyone knows everyone, at least by reputation. If you are looking for a change in philosophy, technique, or ability pay attention to where your current craft philosophy is coming from. You can often trace who was trained by who until you get to some common denominators, that can show you the true differences. Of course, individual ability still comes into play.</div><br /><div>I am truly curious if anyone has come into contact with searches of these kind. It has been one of the most interesting searches I have ever done, because of it's complexity and difficulty. Any niche crafts I need to be aware of? </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-9250667437850627332010-10-12T09:04:00.000-07:002010-10-12T13:15:30.269-07:00Do You Know Who You Are?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJmD0G9GWbNWGWpMdNY-OBNQZxJcDFN03eJGNXEhZA-AwtU491KZFVdK0CCTRazEGQYgYPSaQZSIFjAgHL1e1EvUOrnsCxJTpSvLEEKAzQJoXy9mXppsIqrhvLXS1hQh_wlAUTX51-_M/s1600/21-Bragging-final.gif"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527197842499713810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJmD0G9GWbNWGWpMdNY-OBNQZxJcDFN03eJGNXEhZA-AwtU491KZFVdK0CCTRazEGQYgYPSaQZSIFjAgHL1e1EvUOrnsCxJTpSvLEEKAzQJoXy9mXppsIqrhvLXS1hQh_wlAUTX51-_M/s320/21-Bragging-final.gif" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>I am going to brag a little in this post. The struggle will be to not get annoyingly egotistical. But, I believe that my experience will give people something to learn from.</div><br /><div>The economy sucks, there are no job opportunities, especially in manufacturing...Dear God I hope you don't want a job in Manufacturing.<br /></div><div></div><br /><div>WRONG!</div><br /><div>I am a Manufacturing HR guy with only two years of industry experience. I recently started testing the waters to see if there were other opportunities out there. I stuck with large manufacturers of various products and started submitting resumes via the SHRM website. At one point I was in the middle of 4 different searches only six months after submitting my first resume. I was picky, I told companies I wasn't interested after learning more about the job/organization. I declined offers. I did not take a job until I felt it was the absolutely perfect opportunity for me. No compromising, no regrets. I know there is more to it than that, and there was a lot of hard work along the way, but my main point is that there is plenty of opportunity oout there.</div><br /><div>How? I know who I am and what I want to do with my life and can articulate it clearly and concisely to hiring managers. I do plenty of hiring and the amount of wishy washy answers I get to the simple question of "What do you want to do with your life?" is insane. Par for the course would be: "I hope to be successful in [<em>insert position you are hiring for here</em>] for x amount of time and hopefully have an opportunity to move up in your organization." Ok, that gets you through the question without follow ups, but I am going to forget you the moment you walk out the door. Here is my answer to that question:</div><br /><div>"I love HR (I actually do). My long term goal is to become an expert in manufacturing/industrial human resources issues. For me, that means that I would like to spend some time as an HR Director and move into a VP level as quickly as possible (important to note that those are not the positions I am an applicant for). I work hard because I love what I do. I do HR for fun. Long days don't matter to me because I have found my calling in life and it is good.</div><br /><div>Amen.</div><br /><div>If you don't like me because I won't be wasting space in your office for 5 to 10 years adding little if any true value to your organization then I will not be the right person for your job. If you can't keep me challenged I will move on...fast. OK enough crowing, I will get back to the issues.</div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-18907247364502429052010-10-07T10:31:00.000-07:002010-10-07T10:58:45.957-07:00When It's Time to Move On<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD9vZLMGUZGGBMZUFQkYfj2Yk3k51ALk2x5E14nIap7yjU6aweh-VXJTZMYYffyjiN-gFXep3IsK588pXivmf9HGCW5_fvSkd2lEN4Nfr0BYXc7B_0JK7CfRFcH2JqPGHbHS6K78EajA/s1600/Changes_next_exit.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525365092020909474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 251px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD9vZLMGUZGGBMZUFQkYfj2Yk3k51ALk2x5E14nIap7yjU6aweh-VXJTZMYYffyjiN-gFXep3IsK588pXivmf9HGCW5_fvSkd2lEN4Nfr0BYXc7B_0JK7CfRFcH2JqPGHbHS6K78EajA/s320/Changes_next_exit.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>I am starting a new adventure. For the last two years I have been learning manufacturing HR from the school of hard knocks at a Lumber Mill in Dillard Oregon. The experiences and development I have recieved from the many great people I have worked with are too many to count. The reasoning for my leaving is relatively simple:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>1. I have an inherent love for the HR functional area and wish to specialize in this area (Currently I cover safety and environmental compliance which for development purposes has been good, however is becoming more and more of a distraction to where I want to be).</div><br /><div>2. I looked at my goals for the upcoming year and realized that I wasn't invested in any of them (Namely all safety and environmental goals and no HR goals)</div><br /><div>3. The culture of my organization is based on "putting in your time". This permeates everything from compensation and benefits to how you are treated on a personal level. I have worked hard over the last couple of years to become an expert on this organizations HR processes and feel that those skills really are not valued because of my short tenure.</div><br /><div>4. About a year ago I started getting a sneaky suspicion that I could get paid more to do less work. Now, if you are a 12 hour a day guy you can't just become an 8 hour guy, but my wife and I have made the decision that she would stay home with our two small children and focus on my career. If I am going to be missing that much time with my family there is a compensation number that needs to be reached for me to be comfortable.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Having said all that I really do like my current organization. If I was the type of guy who wanted to wait around for my shot and "put my time in" this would certainly be the place to do it. Good people both in the managerial and hourly ranks. However, I also chose this company because I felt that I could make an immediate impact that would better my organization. Lately, due to economic conditions and managerial changes I have felt less and less like I have the ability to impact my organization for the good. I probably could have kept the plates spinning for another couple of years, but in the end, I want to be fully engaged in what I am doing. I am proud of the achievements and projects that I have worked on here, but it is time to move on.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>A note to people in the same boat, you would be amazed what opportunities are out there at this time. I was in the fortunate position of being pursued by three different organizations. I believe the key to this is that I truly love my chosen profession of HR. Good people always have choices. I chose to move on.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I also hope to be restarting blogging regularly. stay tuned. </div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-4614908046525190312010-09-20T12:16:00.000-07:002010-09-20T13:14:53.748-07:00Mom...Can you find me some Candidates<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3D0fvOdDSE1BNjNdlg3WhfZBtTlabvgrI9APuCLGkL8ZAgt0isxL6ufhUkHRODlhlBZa74lY8TrccO1LFbYpJp6KagejLkcrME6qpr-ZHdU_b-ZUr2hyphenhyphenGh6E3pqbowsddt9c9hNnH90Q/s1600/funny-ads-mothers-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519091559601271506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 222px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3D0fvOdDSE1BNjNdlg3WhfZBtTlabvgrI9APuCLGkL8ZAgt0isxL6ufhUkHRODlhlBZa74lY8TrccO1LFbYpJp6KagejLkcrME6qpr-ZHdU_b-ZUr2hyphenhyphenGh6E3pqbowsddt9c9hNnH90Q/s320/funny-ads-mothers-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>My parents live elsewhere now, but the often return to the ancestrial homeland (Puyallup, WA.--don't try to pronounce). It is easy to get caught up in a conversation about Billy, you know your younger brothers friend who used to live across the street, and what he is doing now. Usually it is focused on the normal stuff like how many kids he has, or where he is living etc. Normally I pay about half attention to this stuff and move on. However, here is a recent phone conversation I had with my mother:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Mom: So do you remember Billy?</div><br /><div>Me: Kinda (Staring at the computer screen)</div><br /><div>Mom: He is expecting his third kid.</div><br /><div>Me: Sweet...good for him (spacing out on facebook).</div><br /><div>Mom: He works for a sawmill in Colorado. <em>Summary of what I hear: He is specializing in this ultra niche craft that you have been banging your head against a wall to fill. His organization is in trouble and he is really looking for something different. He would also like to be closer to family in the Northwest.</em></div><br /><div>Me (yelling): What's his NUMBER!!! GIVE ME HIS NUMBER!! </div><br /><div>Mom: Oh?! I don't think I have his number. Ummm, I suppose I could give Julie (Billy's mom) a call and get an e-mail or something.</div><br /><div>Me: That would be awesome, thanks mom. You are the best mom in the whole world.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Never mind that I had not spoken to this guy since he was in Jr High. He was about to become my new best friend.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I think more than anything the above...very sad yet telling scenario, shows how hard it is to find people wanting to take a risk in this economy. Organizations who aren't willing to pay 90th percentile or above are having a hard time filling key roles within their organization. People are stuck in their homes. Mediocre seems ok right now until the economy gets going. I have been extremely underwhelmed by the responses I have gotten to my openings. This is even with the assistance of various recruiter types. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>In the end (with all due respect to recruiters out there), nothing beats having the HR manager or Operations guy call up someone out of the blue and sell a passive candidate on a opportunity. It is unfiltered and it starts or restarts a relationship that will prove very valuable during the selection process.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-39803808061769704962009-10-27T09:06:00.000-07:002009-10-27T14:33:16.470-07:00Wanna Take a Risk on an Up and Comer? Don't throw them under the Bus at the First Sign of Failure<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPn9JxEQE_TA1juFMwwLwBaI9QPicY0HdpgkF__oGQkDvZsCjdDHMo8ZGXqDj0Leyvsp32FbHI7zUe8KnHDhip2ezTDD-dPrBCp6edhDqycdLOIFrOzt184XiwXyvw_v71bSq3jK5JC-c/s1600-h/zorn11.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397312303500116370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPn9JxEQE_TA1juFMwwLwBaI9QPicY0HdpgkF__oGQkDvZsCjdDHMo8ZGXqDj0Leyvsp32FbHI7zUe8KnHDhip2ezTDD-dPrBCp6edhDqycdLOIFrOzt184XiwXyvw_v71bSq3jK5JC-c/s320/zorn11.jpg" border="0" /></a> For anyone who is not familiar with this saga you can get a good refresher <a href="http://www.seattlepi.com/moore/411527_moore26.html">here.</a> The short version that applies to HR pros is this: Up and comer gets the next step up from supervisor to middle manager with a boss to be named later. He knows that there is some <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/redskins/2009-10-22-daniel-snyder-jim-zorn_N.htm">C level dysfunction </a>in the organization, but figures that he will be able to just do the job and make the most out of the opportunity. Manager search goes bust. Many of the top level candidates are bailing because of the dysfunction within the organization. Many decide to stay where they are at in lesser positions with only minor incentive from the potential losing organization. Warning sign? The CEO is frustrated, and since his options are limited, rather than look desperate he hires the up and comer already within the organization to the big spot. The season begins, everyone had low expectations and many people both within and outside the organization doubted the wisdom of the hire. As those expectations start to become a reality the CEO does:<br /><br />a) Supports new hire with references to "Rome wasn't built in a day" etc.<br />b) Stays silent on the topic while pushing/allowing his intermediaries to support the new manager.<br />c) Stays silent on the topic, hires an outside consultant to take a major role in the organization stripping the new hire of much of his authoriity. When intermediaries attempt to support the new hire puts out a strong message that their job may be on the line as well.<br /><br />If you picked C then you could very well be Dan Snyder the owner of the Washington Redskins!<br /><br />Look, if you choose to take a risk on someone who shows promise, has the personality, but just not the resume you have some obligations to set clear limits on when you are going to bail on him. I am not saying you just resign yourself to failure, but a little due diligence at the outset would go a long way in minimizing the chaos this has caused in the Redskin's organization (For instance why the 5 year contract if you were even a little bit unsure you think they would have gone a little shorter). The press is now starting to catch on that Jim Zorn is a scapegoat for many larger issues going on in the mediocre football team.<br /><br />I think many of us have had a chance to "step up" beyond our normal progressive career path in our lives. Usually, I have done it because a need was there and I felt that my leaders had faith in me and would support me and aid me in tough times. That is the obligation that leaders have in these circumstances. If I thought for a second that they would pull the rug out from me as soon as a little heat starts coming I wouldn't volunteer for anything.<br /><br />Good luck finding your next Head Coach Mr. Spencer. You thought it was tough last time, you haven't seen nothing yet.Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-29478747657009352962009-10-26T12:08:00.000-07:002009-10-26T17:28:10.865-07:00Why Blue Collar??<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOzh6JXm8glJTvX_FHwjrzbUHKBzEfRxzevTrJK4hEtRHtLS5uAsGeNK0VwhYhP8x8aPUINbyK_9Lwt5FAPDG0y32rjhQ1IdVrFxKfrikZgZm7f9Ff2Pl4TPd3udUnTa8OFFH7VzOziE/s1600-h/Larry2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397005783747410930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 299px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOzh6JXm8glJTvX_FHwjrzbUHKBzEfRxzevTrJK4hEtRHtLS5uAsGeNK0VwhYhP8x8aPUINbyK_9Lwt5FAPDG0y32rjhQ1IdVrFxKfrikZgZm7f9Ff2Pl4TPd3udUnTa8OFFH7VzOziE/s320/Larry2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>As I try to start blogging again, I thought I would begin with the back story to my adventure in blogging. A good way to introduce myself again to the blogging world at large and also to inform HR types in the blogosphere why you NEED me.</div><br /><div>I am blue collar HR. That means that HR is only part of what I do. If I were to put all of my titles on a business card it would not fit. I am HR Manager, Safety Coordinator, Environmental Coordinator, and Training Manager. If it has personal liability as a punishment for incompetence I am usually waist deep in it. I either report or take direction from 4 different upper managers (Plant Manager, HR Director, Environmental Affairs Manager, and Safety Manager). My rating and goals only involve 2 of the above titles, however, I know that a failure on any of them would most likely be a terminable offense. </div><br /><div>I deal with a Union. Every personnel decision I make is filtered through a document of which is more about what is NOT included rather than what is specifically written down. The first six months of my job I was told where to find it in the contract (with only a slightly condescending tone). The next six months of my job involved interviews with various union and non-union personnel to find out if indeed there is a "past practice" which invariably leads to a grievance in which the VP of HR (3 step grievance process for the uninitiated, no binding arbitration in the contract) may or may not support me based on what he had for breakfast or larger picture issues of which I have no visibility. Good ideas once filtered through this prism often turn to mediocre or bad ideas. I still love the struggle.</div><br /><div>We are at the ground level of many processes that larger businesses have been doing the last decade. Modern performance management system? Employee/Supervisory Training? I feel included in all of the discussions and if I choose to be a part of or even spearhead an initiative I can. While frustrating that these things are not in place I get to shape the future based on how I want it to look. </div><br /><div>I deal with REAL people. People I would like to drink beer with. People who have real problems. I have a heartfelt belief that what is best for my company is best for my community and vice versa. The community I live in is small, but that makes the business decisions that I am a part of take that much more importance. Relationships are important here. While we don't have much a system for developing people, it tends to happen just because of the many good people around which is why we have excelled up to this point. This is an hourly union workforce the "heartbeat" of America. </div><br /><div>There are many issues that are important to me that do not seem to be covered in the HR Blogosphere. This stuff isn't rocket science, but it is where the rubber meets the road in our economy.</div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-17599453554920516682008-11-13T21:33:00.000-08:002008-11-13T21:44:40.934-08:00Everyone is a staffing professionalJust a thought since I haven't posted in a while. The market is down and will be down for a while, so that means boomers who where going to retire in the next year and a half or so will be holding off while their 401k or IRA recovers. This means that instead of a gradual transition of workforce replacement we will instead have a mass exodus of boomers retiring once the market comes up again. I would put the clock at two years for organizations to invest in training, outside recruiting and succession planning before you start to feel the pain. Even then old succession planning models will not be enough. You wont just be able to plug people into slots like before and slowly work to get the right people in the right spots, instead you will need to be two or three people deep as the quick movement upward will cause some of your <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">personnel</span> to fail and you will readily need a bench for the bench as people move in and out of positions, also outside recruiting will boom as some companies who have not prepared for this scenario will attempt to "buy" their way out of the problem stealing YOUR talent. I don't care what your niche is in HR you will be focused on training, recruiting, and retention whether it is compensation, benefits, or training. I admit this is a nightmare scenario. However, I am preparing. How prepared are you? More to come on this; I need to think on it more to post more effectively. Might be time to move into the recruiting feild though.Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-37870710110909632102008-10-13T17:29:00.001-07:002008-10-13T17:57:30.124-07:00On Discipline<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpB64KW1dOJAI6-zmxFxTZ9Iaq1R0NEGRPr-FO4tyHfUVoXI5laEgxhA6OZwHQhQfHTA8jK9eKo1nbt43GGmfMCPDJ0vMZ8x-iyDIPCtyvI7Awr_uD1lgtKEhr6iILfTzr9mqNugrksU/s1600-h/fired.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256807144123393762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpB64KW1dOJAI6-zmxFxTZ9Iaq1R0NEGRPr-FO4tyHfUVoXI5laEgxhA6OZwHQhQfHTA8jK9eKo1nbt43GGmfMCPDJ0vMZ8x-iyDIPCtyvI7Awr_uD1lgtKEhr6iILfTzr9mqNugrksU/s320/fired.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>As I was moonlighting as a manufacturing supervisor an interesting issue came up. Often times union contracts will have supposed "deadly sins" usually there is a number associated with them i.e. 8 deadly sins (we have 12 I think). Supposedly these are violations of company policy, law, or simple good conduct that would not have a requirement for progressive discipline. Usually fighting on company property and harassment are on there as well as others depending on your company culture. </div><br /><div>There is a fine line between being a jerk and harassing people. I am not sure many people would even be able to define where that line is. My definition is when a person's behavior creates an intolerable/unsafe/hostile environment for another employee. When someone has been talked to about being a jerk to more than one person, it should shoot up red flags in supervisors minds. Maybe he gets one get out of jail free card (they should still record the incident though), moves and acts like a jerk so much that again it is brought up to a supervisor. Now, I would say you probably have harassment of some sort going on. When you throw in employees moving to different shifts or crews this can become infinitely more complicated. Honestly, I would hate to tell supervisors to not use disciplinary discretion with their employees. If supervisors believe it is a one time thing or just a bad mix of personalities I can see some coaching going on to fix the situation. However, if it happens over and over with different supervisors you are asking for trouble as an organization in the form of broad harassment claims from multiple people. </div><br /><div>So there you go blue collar supervisors. Some form of documentation allows your brethren to put the pieces together later if they need to while no documentation may keep a jerk on the job longer than necassary. I personally like problem discussion forms. They also help organize your thoughts before you talk to the employee. Get over the fear of "putting something in his/her file". In the end that is what it is there for...to tell you the past of the employee. In other words CYA.</div>Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953017878554059589.post-4001481756266875022008-10-06T18:00:00.000-07:002008-10-06T18:12:36.912-07:00Development ObsessionI have been absolutely submerging myself in development and training literature for the past few days. I am wondering if I am getting a little <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">obsessive</span> about this program I am creating. Today I created a draft leadership competency model for my organization and began to create a developmental model using a mix of 360 degree feedback, goal setting, mentoring, and classroom curriculum. Right now, I think I am at the point where I can shop this for input from various leaders. Then it is just a matter of figuring out how to sell this thing.<br /><br />Part of me is wondering if I am getting too into the details. I am so new to the organization that I don't feel like I can create those lines that get specific decision makers ears perked up. I also need to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">re look</span> at the proposal and decide what the most important parts are to include in some sort of future presentation to the executive team. That is all after I see if it is even <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">feasible</span> for the local community college to get involved as <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">facilitators</span> of the classroom part of the curriculum. If you have any questions about my whole process at this point let me know. I might post the whole plan once it is complete just for kicks.Dan Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09643849745324894539noreply@blogger.com2