I Walked Alone Into a Fight

Community - a unified body of individuals

Team - a group of people with a full set of complimentary skills

Network - an association of individuals with common interests providing mutual assistance

Friends - one attached to another by affection or esteem

Colleagues - a fellow worker or professional

Family - all the descendants of a common ancestor

So Much, But...
We have lots of words that represent the resources available to us in life, and these resources come in various forms. 

Ranging from close family relationships, to our loosely defined networks (think 3rd level on LinkedIn) it would appear that we have an endless amount of support just waiting to be tapped when times get tough.

Untrue.

While we do have extensive connections across many places, platforms and people; we fail to appreciate one of the most obvious facts of our journeys. 

We ultimately travel alone.

Not Bad News...
Now before you click out of this post and move on, consider the following...

...there is a reason communities, teams, networks, friends, colleagues and families are in our lives

...there is a reason, that despite feeling alone, we actually are not alone at all

Are you with me?

When you feel the pressure of your corporate life dragging you down.
When you feel like your career has stalled.
When you feel like the personal stress and strain are too much to bear.
When you fee like it is all just...too much.

Remember that although we technically travel alone, we have been provided with an amazing group of fellow travelers to share our journey.

What do you think?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

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inspiration

That Time I Didn't Speak Up

Ah, if it were only one time. Maybe then I wouldn't feel bad...or, at least not as bad. But over the years I've had multiple examples of staying quiet.

Sometimes
Sometimes it was an executive far senior to me. I couldn't challenge them, right?

Sometimes it was my colleagues, and I guess I wanted to somehow fit in. Did my silence achieve that goal?

Sometimes it was a family friend. Although they never stayed friends once I finally got in their face.

Sometimes it was a classmate, and I'm sure I didn't want to be targeted since I was part of the "in crowd."

Every Time
Things are different now. I don't worry about losing friends any longer. When the crude jokes, sexist comments, bigotry or hate rises up, it's open season on them. The reality is that those people are showing their true colors and don't deserve my friendship...or even a connection.

So I'm at a point in my life (and have been for some time) for those that choose to be mean, should expect to be called out publicly. I don't care if it hurts their feelings. I don't care it if makes a situation very awkward. I don't care if it is not politically safe to do so. I don't care what they think of me.

The people I work with are watching me. The organizations I serve are watching me. My children are watching me. I don't plan on disappointing any of them.

How About You
When the sinister elements in our world show themselves, what do you do? Is it a personal affront to you and your legacy; or, is it "just their personality" and you've learned to live with it?

Remember who's watching.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Kinetix Update --> WE NEED YOU: Holiday Book Suggestions!

Calling all Kinetix employees, friends, clients, family and more!

The holidays are right around the corner and our gift wrapping supplies are set—all of this can only mean one thing: it’s time to submit your ideas for our annual holiday book.

Annual Holiday Wha…?

Our annual holiday book! If you’ve known us for a few years, you know what we’re talking about. If you’re new to the Kinetix crew, let us fill you in. Every year around the holidays, as cookies and swag gifts begin piling through the door, Kinetix’s elves get together to do things a little differently by sending off books to our friends all over.

But these are no ordinary books. These books have spunk. We’re talking titles like Fahrenheit 451, The Fountainhead, JPod, The Alchemist and, most recently, Company. 

With such a diverse collection, you may be wondering what all these books DO have in common. If you haven’t figured it out, there is one common trait: all of these books get you to think about talent in a different way. They encourage you to be better by opening your worldview to all the different ways we can perceive talent within and around us. And, honestly, what better way is there to finish the year off and kickstart a new one?

There’s just one thing missing for us to get the books from our wrapping tables to your desk…

Your Input!

In the past, our best books have been suggested by Kinetix outsiders—friends of friends, clients, vendors. But whether you proudly wear a Kinetix badge or not, we want you hear what books you’ve been reading that have given you a new perspective on talent!

There’s just two guidelines for book recommendations:

1. It has to make you think about talent. There should be themes that relate to bettering ourselves by expanding our points of view (just don’t call it a self-help book.) Talent doesn’t have to be the core focus of the book—and in most years past it hasn’t been—but it should relate to talent in some way. After all, that is our passion at Kinetix.
2. We don’t want best sellers. Maybe you read The Girl on the Train this year and thought about how it breaks down the walls of what we think we know; maybe you went for the nonfiction Alexander Hamilton biography that inspired the hit Broadway musical and considered employee relations in relation to Hamilton and the other founding fathers. Those are all valid points, but at Kinetix we like to break the mold. Your recommendation CAN have been on the bestseller list in years past, but if it’s a book everyone has read this year, we’ll pass it over.

That’s it—follow those two guidelines and your recommendation just may end up going out to hundreds of people.

Sound off in the comments below with your good reads, or send any recommendations to kweimer@kinetixhr.com to be considered. We can’t wait to see what you’ve had your nose in this year!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

Luckiest

I’m the luckiest person alive.

Because…

- I have an amazing family

- I have an incredible job working with very special people

- I have the ability to provide for those that I love

- I have many old friends that continue to “be there"

- I have so many new friends that I can’t wait to meet in real life

- I have survived despite many mistakes

- I have the ability to make a difference

- I have the privilege to speak to large groups of people about things that matter

- I can actually see the results of my work

- I have the courage to try new things

- I am no longer afraid

- I receive a huge amount of support

I’m the luckiest person alive because…

…I have you.

I bet you’re the luckiest person alive too.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Answer My Fall

So much of our online personas are filled with "exciting" projects, "beautiful" locations, and "fantastic" people.

...and those are just my updates!

Real Life is Different
All kidding aside, those posts that we share actually are exciting, and beautiful and filled with fantastic people. It's what we don't post sometimes that impacts our lives far more than what we are willing to share.

I'm Good at Falling
As I grow...ahem...a bit older, it is clear that stumbling, and candidly falling flat is part of  how I roll. You might falter once in a while too.

How About You
How do you get through it? What are the strategies you use to not let a fall define you? Who are the people that you rely on...who you know will simply come along, pick you up, and push back out into the world?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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No Shame this Season

"When I look back upon my life,
it's always with a sense of shame.
I've always been the one to blame."

Happy Holidays?
One of the most exciting times of the year is kicking off right now...the hectic, joyous, family-oriented and festive stretch from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. I love it...even though I know I can't see everyone that is important to me, it is still a great time of year. Plus, I will make sure I connect with those that are too far away for me to see in person.

But not everyone in our personal and professional networks will experience the holidays in this way. The burden of life's struggles, the challenge of broken relationships, the disappointment of a stalled career...can all build up to a very different view of "the best time of year."

We have an opportunity to make a difference in their lives.

Happier Holidays!
There is no simple solution to "help" our friends and colleagues. One thing is clear to me though, doing nothing adds no value. 

Here's a short, and admittedly woefully inadequate list of options available to us this year that might...if nothing else...bring a moment of caring front and center for those in need.

- call them
- connect via social media
- send a note (yes, an old school hand-written note)
- give a public shout out to let others know how special they are to you
- invite them to spend time with you
- encourage others to reach out to them
- purchase a small gift to show them you care

How About You
"So I look back upon my life,
forever with a sense of shame.
I've always been the one to blame."

Lets not have this be the mantra for those in our world this holidays season.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Repentless

I've had an amazing week. Now before you think this post is about rainbows and joy just slow down for a minute. Yes, my week had some really high points...but life isn't only about the good stuff. Right?

It turns out my eventful week had much more in store for me than I expected.

Live Fast

I attended two important events in nuclear-blast-hot Las Vegas this week: SHRM's Global CHRO Summit, and the SHRM National Conference. It was my second year at both events, and this year I had the privilege to be a member of the #shrm15blogger team.

I've been moving at a pretty fast pace for the last six months. My kick ass new job keeps me running. Hard.

Add to that pace my weekly travel schedule which sometimes has me trying to juggle a few too many things at once. That hit full force as I arrived in the desert.

Short story: lots of issues going on in my world...plus a long flight...and no hotel room when I finally (and I mean finally) got to the hotel.

In that moment I was ready to accept that I was getting a sign from above. I must be pushing too hard...moving too fast...trying to be everything for everyone all the time...and I probably needed to do a re-set.

Except I'm so competitive the thought of slowing down made me angry. So I strategized with the incredibly gracious team at the Encore Hotel...took a few deep breaths...figured it out...and got my game-face back on.

On High

The twenty-four hour CHRO session was terrific, capped off with a tour of the Zappos campus. Candidly, I'm not quite sure what to think about them....they have developed something very special at their company. I'll leave it at that for now.

Joining the big conference was also great. I attended some fantastic presentations (and live tweeted like a champ throughout). Here's the part that blew me away this week. Many of my friends were there and genuinely had an interest in how I was doing since I've made a series of big changes in my life.

I'm not talking about the casual 'hey, how's it going' banter. I mean a 'deep-I-care-about-you-as-my-friend' type of discussion.

And it happened again, and again, and again.

I'm not sure I even responded appropriately in those moments. The amount of support I felt...and continue to feel...is nothing short of incredible.

How About You

Coming in to this week I had a very short list of people I could share my 'stuff' with in an open and trusting way. They are absolutely amazing and know who they are.

Now, instead of feeling like I have done something wrong or tried to do too much; I know I have an all-star team beside me as I focus on taking my "live fast, on high" mindset to a whole new level.

Saying thank you seems to fall so far short of how I feel. But, thank you friends.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Diversity Is More Than A Talking Point

HR spends a lot of time (or at least should spend a lot of time) discussing diversity. This happens in part because we're supposed to, in part because it makes good business sense...but mostly HR should be talking about diversity because it is the right thing to do.

But sometimes doing the right thing is difficult.

Losing Friends
Many years ago friends would come over for an evening to visit. Our time together was usually fun...except when the husband would make a subtle racist comment here or there.

Damn. Why did he have to do that? It was an awkward position to find myself in because his wife was a long time friend of my wife; and, one of my absolute hottest hot buttons is racism. (I give my parents full credit for raising me in a way that finds racism absolutely reprehensible, and I thank them for it.)

 

Put Up or Shut Up

What came next was impossible to avoid. He opened his mouth, the racist comments came out, and I called him on it. It was obvious this was the beginning of the end of that "friendship." That's okay, because to be quite candid, people who are racist, harbor racist feelings, or choose to believe people are better or worse based on the color of their skin are not friends of mine. Nor will they ever be.

HR Needs to Call People Out
One of the privileges and joys of my work is that I can effectively use my authority to get rid of the blatantly racist people who work where I do. Yes, we are entitled to our opinions in this country; but once that "opinion" infringes on the rights of another employee it is HR's responsibility to do the right thing.

How About You
What do you do when confronted with racism in the workplace? Do you speak up and hold the bigots accountable? Or, is it easier to fall back into that nervous laughter that is so often heard when the narrow-minded souls among us believe they are being funny.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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