By Chris Ferdinandi on January 31, 2011 - 2 Comments
Several years ago, Josh’s grandmother was in the hospital recovering from the debilitating effects of a stroke.
Most of the nurses went about their jobs, checking charts, administering medicine, and monitoring vitals. Two nurses, though, took a little extra time each day to put lip balm on Josh’s grandmother, or apply blush. Small, insignificant details that brought a huge amount of comfort to the family.
And caused Josh to go into nursing.
Today, Josh is a nurse in my optometrist’s office. He has the best bedside manner of any nurse I’ve ever met, and he credits those two nurses for inspiring him to go into the profession himself.
Does the way you perform your work inspire others to enter the profession?
By Chris Ferdinandi on January 27, 2011 - Comments Off
So many people in the US, myself included, take for granted the immense amount of freedom we have to say and do things. Watching this video of the protests going on in Egypt right now was a moving and not-so-subtle reminder.
If you don’t want to sit through all three minutes, jump to the 1:25 mark and watch protesters stand down Egyptian riot police and water cannons.
It’s amazing to think that just a generation ago black people in this country were blasted with water cannons because they understood that separate is never equal. It’s amazing to think that right now gays and lesbians in this country still don’t have equal rights under the law.
And it’s amazing that in countries around the world, people don’t have the freedom to say what I’m saying right now.
Is everyone treated equally in your organization – not just as a matter of policy, but as a matter of practice?
By Chris Ferdinandi on January 26, 2011 - 2 Comments
It was 8 degrees out on my way home from the dentist the other day. The Weather Channel had actually issued a frostbite warning, because with windchill, the temperature was below zero.
And he stood on the corner in nothing but jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.
No hat. No gloves. Just a cardboard sign that read, “Willing to work. Homeless. Please help.” He was about my age, give or take five years. His hands and cheeks were bright red from the cold.
And I just drove by.
Actually, I was stopped at a light, so I avoided eye contact for 30 seconds. Then I drove by. And I felt like absolute shit about it.
Homelessness is an issue I’m really, really passionate about. It’s also one I always feel completely powerless over, because the problem is bigger than just giving someone food. They have nowhere to escape from the nasty weather. No where to sleep at night. No permanent address or phone number to list when they apply for a job.
Nothing.
And here I was, with the ability to directly impact someone homeless. And I did nothing.
A few thoughts swirled through my mind. “What can I do for him? Should I buy him a coat? Should I buy him food? What if he tries to rob me? What if he’s on drugs? What if he’s not really homeless?”
As I got on the highway, I thought about turning around to buy him a coat. There was a Target right there. Then I thought about how he was looking for work, not a coat, so he wouldn’t want to leave his corner. And I thought about how I was already on the highway, now, so turning around would be a big hassle.
And I thought all of this in my warm, relatively new car, with my iPod plugged in to the stereo.
By Chris Ferdinandi on January 24, 2011 - 9 Comments
Do Amazing Things is a collection of short, actionable ideas – things you can do in 2011 to become a better HR professional.
I asked 21 of HR’s leading thinkers and doers to share their ideas and insights. There are some clear trends: Collaboration. Innovation. Passion. Growth.
I hope it inspires you to do amazing things this year.
But it’s pretty damn interesting and entertaining, right? Unlike about 98% of the webinars and trainings we make our employees sit through.
Maybe you don’t have a talented animator at your organization, but you can still do something like this with one basic step: Stop talking at people and start telling stories.
Humans are naturally storytellers. It’s what we do. It’s how we learn. In their fantastic book, Made to Stick, brothers Dan and Chip Heath postulate that stories offer a proxy for real life experience, which is why people are so drawn to them.
By Chris Ferdinandi on January 17, 2011 - 3 Comments
The other day on the HR Farmer, Keith McIlvaine wrote…
This may seem like an over discussed topic but it is amazing at how many companies, employees and external agencies ignore HR and Recruiting professionals in [conversations about social media]….
If this sounds at all like your company and social media is a space that you have identified as a place you need to have a presence, make a social media “wish list” for your HR group. Make a lofty list and push the boundaries of what you want to implement but make sure you know the 3-4 initiatives that are critical sites to have a presence.
Now, after you have created this list and the business reasons HR needs them, schedule a meeting and invite the existing stakeholders (often Marketing, PR, Legal) and present to them this vision. Be prepared for push-back and embrace their feedback. Then sell them on why you must have the 3-4 tools you identified.
While I applaud the desire to collaborate and gain business support, I’m not really sure that’s the right approach.
HR needs to get out of the habit of asking for permission.
Have a great idea? Execute it and ask for forgiveness later. That’s how you really earn the respect of the business.
PS: Looking to implement social media awesomeness at your organization? You may want to check out my book, Culture Convo.
