Archive for April, 2009

A funny thing happened a few weekends ago.  I was working away, putting the finishing touches on a social media presentation I will be giving at an upcoming conference.  And while I was busy, I also decided to try out a new recipe for Parmesan & Prosciutto Muffins.  The house smelled terrific.

So, I did what any Twitter geek would do.  I tweeted about it.

Within minutes I had a couple of requests for the recipe.  A few more wanted to come over and join the fun (jokingly of course).  And one person asked about the type of prosciutto.  Pretty amazing.  140 characters about muffins and all those responses.

It made me stop and consider the purpose and power of Twitter.  Imagine doing the same thing with a human resources related message.  Like “I have a job opening.”  Or “Does anyone have a copy of a step plan they can share?”  And, getting multiple responses.  Within minutes.  What a valuable resource.

We’ve all heard the stories about people tweeting during the State of the Union address.  And, you might have seen Jon Stewart’s rant about Twitter on The Daily Show.  Or even laughed at Roland Hedley, a news reporter in the comic Doonesbury, who is now Twittering.  While some of those things actually do happen, they’re really exceptions in the grand scheme of things.

As HR Pro’s, it’s important to know that there is a HR community on Twitter.  It consists of hundreds of people from around the world who provide information, news, trends, data and most of all, support.  I hope my muffin example has peaked your interest in Twitter.  Join us…won’t you?  You can follow me at @sharlyn_lauby.  And, here’s a great article to get you started.

Oh, you want the muffin recipe that started it all?  Here it is.  See you on Twitter!

Parmesan & Prosciutto Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tb baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsps sugar

10 tbs butter, softened

1 tb Dijon mustard

2 large eggs

1 ½ cups plain yogurt

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup minced prosciutto

1 tb dried basil

Directions:  ADJUST oven rack to lower-middle position.  HEAT oven to 375 degrees.  PREPARE cheese and prosciutto.  Set aside.  MIX flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and basil in a medium bowl.  Set aside.  BEAT sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  WHISK mustard and eggs together, then beat into butter until pea-sized lumps form.  Alternating by thirds, BEAT in the dry ingredients and the yogurt until a smooth, very thick batter forms.  FOLD in cheese and prosciutto.

SPRAY a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable coating.  DIVIDE batter evenly among the cups.  The muffin cups will be full.  BAKE until the muffins are golden brown (approx. 20-25 minutes).  COOL slightly in muffin pans set on wire rack.  Remove muffins and SERVE.

Recipe compliments of Pam Anderson, author of “The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great”

I really thought that collectively, as a society, we had evolved beyond the Bully Boss.  I expected Bully Bosses were as extinct as the Dodo bird.  I credited the demise of these tormenters to a couple of things.

Reason number 1 (and the most personally gratifying) is that we HR Pros had succeeded in doing our jobs.  We had “trained” away the Bully Bosses.  During our elaborate supervisor and manager training we had revealed the error of their ways, demonstrated how effective a bully-free workplace could be and recommended a plethora of leadership books written specifically for their enlightenment.  This indispensable training had resulted in their repenting and vowing to bully no more.

Reason number 2 (and one for which we HR Pros can take no credit) is that the Bully Bosses have departed from the work place via retirement or death.

When I conjure up a mental image to accompany my recollection of bully bosses, I see a pudgy, bald-headed man, sitting behind a large mahogany desk in a high-back leather chair, puffing on a fat Cuban cigar and barking out orders to intimidated employees.  Does Boss Hogg come to your mind?

Thankfully, we now live in a much advanced business society-one where employees are respected for the value they bring to the organization-or so I thought.

Recently I was asked to advise a client on the appropriate handling of one of the worst workplace bullying scenarios I’ve encountered in over a decade.  And, get this…the Bully Boss is a woman.  And this woman has been in the work force for over 30 years.  When she began her career, women rarely held positions in management that she currently enjoys.

As I pondered that situation, I had to wonder, what made her this way?  How did she rise to this level of power and influence in the organization with such poor leadership skills?  How did she avoid all of our training? 

I believe without a sufficient desire to expand our management abilities, we will each manage others the way we have been managed.  So, there’s a chance that she is mimicking behavior that was once modeled to her.  Whatever the root cause, this emergence of the once-believed extinct Bully Boss has fortified me with a renewed determination to coach this beast completely out of existence. 

I also have examined my own behavior.  Could some of my end-of-the-day exhausted responses appear short and snippy?  Am I training up leaders and independent thinkers?  Am I modeling behavior that I would be proud to have perpetuated?  Early in my career, I was tagged with the nickname “Colonel.”  I would like to think it was because I was in command of a large, well-run unit of the organization, but I fear it was because I, too, was guilty of barking out my share of orders.  I have repressed that part of my persona and over the years have mellowed significantly.  I attribute that professional evolution to the hundreds of leadership books I’ve read; each of which provided a chisel to chip away at the Bully Boss I could have become.

Earlier this spring, someone asked me why they should pursue an SPHR or PHR certification. I was busy and my initial response simply paraphrased what is found on the HR Certification Institute website:

HR certification sets you apart from your peers; improves your opportunities for career advancement; increases your confidence; and in a world of ‘budget cuts’, makes you more valuable to the organization in which you work.  

The half-smile and head nod told me I wasn’t getting through.  I was going to have to get personal, so I continued to explain:

In a constantly evolving HR world, you certify to ensure you have the knowledge needed to be an HR professional in today’s market.  When you receive your PHR or SPHR certification, you have shown that you can apply that knowledge to be an HR professional in the 21^st century!  

Another nod and this one came with a “cool”.  I had their attention!  I continued:

Making the commitment to pursue certification offers you the opportunity to challenge yourself and more fully expand your knowledge of the HR profession.  When you receive that certification, you’ve shown you take your professional development seriously enough to invest hours and hours of study and class time to prepare yourself to sit for the exam. Knowing you have to recertify every three years, you are making a career long commitment to the human resource profession. 

When you participate in a Big Bend SHRM Certification Study Group, whether you take and pass the exam or not, you gain a comprehensive knowledge of HR that will allow you to better perform your job.  Additionally, you will get to know other HR professionals who will study with you, share experiences and support you throughout the process.  You will make friends who will celebrate with you when you pass the exam or commiserate with you should you fail.  You will have professional connections with whom you can network and use as resources. 

“Awesome!” they responded.   Yes it is.

If you would like to learn more about PHR and SPHR certifications, information can be found at www.hrci.org.