Hello Lancaster SHRM! I don’t know about you, but I feel like April has flown by! Personally, it has been a busy month of competing priorities and healthy tension, sun and rain, and mastery and discovery. While I have been thoroughly enjoying the ride, phew, I am tired!
I thought I would share a few highlights from the month that may be beneficial for you. I just finished Adam Grant’s latest book, Hidden Potential and it altered my thinking about success and progress. Grant opens the book by pointing out the seemingly obvious, we have all heard the stories of about the habits of superstars who accomplish great things, but the simple fact is not everyone is a prodigy. He says that admiring people who begin with natural advantages or talent can cause us to overlook our own abilities. We often miss the distance we can travel, underestimate the range of skills we can learn, and how good we can become.
Simply put, Grant says, “We can all improve at improving.” Whether you call it resourcefulness, resilience, grit, or fortitude, Hidden Potential explains that progress depends less on how hard you work than how well you learn. Growth is not about the genius you possess—it’s about the character you develop.
These lessons were percolating through my brain during the LSHRM Spring Conference. As our keynote speakers and panel presenters shared their insights, I listened intently and furiously scribbled notes. Once I had some time to digest the material, I could see a correlation arising.
If you missed it, the conference focused on workplace culture and as an HR leader, what you can do to improve, enhance, and influence the culture, even if you do not have the top seat in the department. Our presenters provided poignant questions for audience members to consider and delve into more deeply at their workplaces. Questions such as:
– Are your organizational values an experience or merely words on a wall?
– Does your team trust you to be their leader?
– Who is missing from the table? (Meaning which perspective are we not getting)
– What are the side effects of working for your company?
– Do employees know why their work matters?
Statements and quotes that resonated include:
– The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior leadership is willing to tolerate.
– Your budget (whether shared or not) or how the company spends its money, identifies what the company values.
– The “Sunday Scaries” – Culture is how employees feel Sunday night at the thought of going to work on Monday morning.
– “If there is no laughter, there is no trust.” Mitzi Perdue
– Your brand is not what you say it is, it is what your customers and employees say about you.
As I thought about Adam Grant’s book and the lessons from the conference, I feel our role as HR professionals in enhancing our workplace culture is not about holding positions of power; it’s about empowering every position in the company. By embedding the values we espouse into every action and decision, no matter where you sit in the organizational chart, we have an opportunity to cultivate an environment where trust flourishes and fear recedes.
So here is my ask – let’s strive to create workplaces where laughter is abundant, values are lived experiences, and every employee can clearly see the significance of their contributions. In doing so, we will not only enhance our culture but also pave the way for sustained organizational success and personal fulfillment. Let’s keep moving forward with a renewed commitment to continuous learning and genuine leadership, ensuring that our work environments are not just places we go, but places we grow.
Thank you for joining me on this journey of reflection and learning. Here’s to making May a month of meaningful action and dynamic growth! I look forward to seeing you on May 14th!
My best,
Jen