The CEO Question HR Fears Most

The long list of pressures HR leaders are under is well documented. It's as if every organizational ailment somehow finds it's way to the human resources department to either get fixed or take the blame. 

There is a new issue lurking however, that most HR leaders, particularly those in the healthcare industry, are ill-prepared to address. That issue comes in the form of a question directly from the CEO.

The Context
Let me set the stage...

Traditional CEO, accomplished, bright, and driven is paying attention to the radically changing labor market. The stress they feel from the Board of Directors, Physician and Nursing leadership to solve the staffing shortages are now becoming an all too regular topic in meeting after meeting.

It feels a bit odd to the CEO. She's always been able to figure out some sort of new pay program or engagement play that keeps the positions filled while not completely blowing up the salary line in the budget.

But the world is just...well...different now. 

The Nightmare Question for HR
During the next routine one-on-one meeting between the CEO and the CHRO they get on the topic of labor, talent, and staffing shortages across the organization. It's at this point that the CHRO's world caves in.

CEO: "So, tell me what you're doing to ensure we are viewed as a viable employer? What are we doing with millennials? Are you current on all of these social media and content strategies I keep reading about? Where exactly are we on this?"

CHRO: "Um....well...we, uh."

CEO: "We are doing something on this, right? I mean, the whole world is getting into this stuff."

CHRO: "Well, Marketing...and Legal...they, uh..."

CEO: "You've got to be kidding me. Those departments don't have anything to do with recruitment. We're not doing anything? Do you even know how to use these things yourself?"

How About You
What's your answer? I want to help you not only give the right answer, but look like the most contemporary leader in the world while doing it. It only takes one thing...

...the courage to start.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Making Payment

"The important thing is this: to be ready at any moment to sacrifice what you are, for what you could become." 

- Charles Dickens

Entitlement

It seems to me the world is filled with a sense of entitlement. It's not just the wave of younger employees in our organizations that desire some sort of reasonable balance in their lives (oh, the horror!) And, it is certainly not just the old guard that feels like they've paid their dues and for some reason need to do less simply because they've been breathing longer (give me a break...)

While both groups are well-intended, they have missed the mark.

Words and Effort

As a leader for many years I have learned to quickly see the difference between someone (regardless of age) who talks about their work, and the ones who do the work. While you may be thinking to yourself that this is a simple task, you might want to consider the variable of motivation.

Sure, true slackers are easy to see. Yet other productive members of the team may say they aspire to bigger and better roles with expanded responsibilities; yet, their effort does not reflect their intention.

They simply can not, or will not, make the payments necessary to earn that opportunity. 

Often times the only thing holding them back is the view they have through their own narrow lens. It's such a shame. As we know, feedback, particularly thoughtful, direct, constructive feedback is essential to moving past our own self-talk about leadership behavior, and opening our eyes to the larger world in which we desire to lead.

How About You

Are you willing to truly listen...and make your payments...as you push your career forward? 

Once you process the fact that humility is an essential part of leadership, you will be astounded at what comes next.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

Millennials Scare You Because You're A Weak Leader

Enough is enough.

You are embarrassing yourself and your organization. You are proving to everyone that you don't deserve to lead because you sound like you are still wondering why Pickett's Charge failed.

Is this really the first time in your career you've had different generations of employees working for you?

Stop whining about millennials.

Forever.

You Are Not A Contemporary Leader
It seems I can no longer get through one day without hearing "leaders" lamenting about millennials and how to manage them in the workplace. Are you kidding me? There have been multiple generations in the workforce since the first row of corn was planted thousands of years ago. 

The problem has nothing to do with the birth date of the employees we are all hiring. The problem is 100% the responsibility of leaders who use Gen Y as an excuse to avoid their own failings.

It is 2016. Have you kept as current with new communication / branding / and social tools as you do with your "monthly professional journals?" Good Lord, I hope you aren't actually waiting a month to stay "current!"

If you are afraid to jump into the 21st century that is not the problem of your younger employees. Admit you are afraid...that you have no idea what is going on...and start learning! 

Haven't you all proclaimed that you lead a "learning organization?" How about you start backing up your empty jargon-filled-HR-speak and catch up to the rest of society?

The Secret to Every Generation
Here are a few insider tips to help you get started on your new journey:

1. New generations bring energy, fresh perspectives and new ideas to the workplace.
2. Every generation wants a good job, a good boss, decent pay, and a chance to have a life outside the cube.
3. These haven't changed since the dawn of time.

Unfortunately you're still trying to position yourself as leader by describing the challenges of millennials, instead of just leading. It's as if they are a protected class all of a sudden.

How About You
Am I being too harsh? Don't care.

Should I stay quiet and follow the classic leadership approach of always being positive about others in leadership?

No. Freaking. Way.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Death Squad

Personal and professional transformation are phrases that often sound inspiring, yet are rarely achieved. Why is that? In a world that has changed so rapidly in the last five years, it astounds me that more leaders have not taken a long hard look in the mirror and recognized that something had to change.

Just so you know...my look in the mirror was long...and very, very humbling.

Safe Is Death
I've spent the last twenty years in an industry that prides itself on not taking risks. Slow and steady avoids bad PR and other external forces with nefarious intent. So how does one "raised" in that environment decide to reinvent himself?

The answer for me was quite simple actually...the modern world of work demanded that I change.

Sure, I could try to play it safe for the next few years...and as my friend Ted Coine
likes to say I could "get comfortable with obsolescence."

Quite simply following a risk-averse hide in your comfort zone leadership style means professional death. No one will believe you are current. No one will believe you understand how the world works. And by the way, all of those millennials that will dominate your workforce in the next few years will never trust you to lead them in any way.

"The modern world of work demands that you get current. It doesn't matter if you don't like it. It's no longer up to you."


It Won't Kill You
As it turns out, transformation does not end your career. It creates new opportunities. Transformation does not hurt your credibility. It takes it to a place you didn't think you could get to. 

Transformation does not put you at risk in your "play-it-safe-until-I'm-useless" world. It changes you into a leader that others wish they could be.

Isn't it time you pushed yourself beyond processing paperwork and answering emails faster and faster and counting that as progress?

How About You
Staying with your status quo crowd is the real threat. The death squad you're so afraid of is the one you already belong to. It's time to break free and jump into the modern world of work. Remember, real leaders recognize they no longer have a choice. 

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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