H.R.'s Partnership Challenge: Mastering the Art of Not Being Everything to Everyone

By J.D. Bruce L. Calvin

You're a human resource professional, so answer this question-what's your role? The answer undoubtedly changes daily. One day, you may be a facilitator. The next, you could be a fact finder or a coordinator or an administrator. The situation is fluid and open to change at a moment's notice.

Human resource veteran Bruce L. Calvin, JD, arg

• Language: English
• Publisher: Calvin Associates, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9780692040270

Book preview

H.R.’S PARTNERSHIP CHALLENGE: THE ART OF NOT BEING EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE

By

Bruce L. Calvin, J.D.

Copyright © 2017

By Bruce L. Calvin, J.D.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means: graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any informational storage retrieval systems without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid.

The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional, when appropriate. This book is sold with the understanding that the author is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent, licensed professional should be sought. Readers are encouraged to seek legal counsel regarding specific policies and practices in their organizations.

The author has re-created events, locales, and conversations from his memories of them. In order to maintain anonymity, in some instances, the author has changed the names of individuals and places, in addition to some identifying characteristics and details, such as physical properties, occupations, and places of residence. to protect the privacy of individuals.

ISBN-13: 978-0692885253 (Custom Universal)

ISBN-13: 978-0692040270 (e-book)

ISBN-10: 0692885250

LCCN: 2017907558

Dedication

To all the dedicated and gifted global HR professionals who tirelessly handle and continuously shift with constant change while making it all look seamless: Thank you!

Acknowledgements

To my wife, best friend, and best critic, you kept my dreams alive and never said no. What a journey! To my children and grandchildren, thank you for keeping my imagination alive and creative.

To Steven W. Flannes, Ph.D., a friend and fellow journeyer who over the years gave me confidence in my numerous endeavors, including writing this book.

To Michael (Mike) Freccero, who over the years selflessly shared his time, wisdom, and guidance, and was always a great sounding board through the trials and tribulations of my work life journey.

To Linda Larson Usoz, Esq., a friend for over 14 years and one of the best legal minds I ever had the honor of working with who could so simply blend common sense into every equation.

To Robert (Bob) Blair, who showed me how critical knowing the details was to effectively driving change and growth.

To Bryon L. Brumfield Sr., who demonstrated and flawlessly showed the way in effectively dealing and working with fellow human beings.

To Philip P. Cunningham, who taught me the gift of debate. To watch the art being performed in such a clear and precise manner was phenomenal. First rule, do your homework!

To the late Ronald D. Kennedy, one of the best old school, real life, no holds barred individual I ever had the privilege of knowing and learning from.

To Kathleen Kline, my editor, for bringing something to life and making it seem so flawless (www.kathleenkline.com).

Table of Content

INTRODUCTION

What Do You Actually Do?

Why I'm Writing This Book

From Army Brat to CEO

Brief History of the Field of Human Resources

Human Resources Defined

How It Works

Why Our Job Matters

Dave Ulrich: Leading Authority on HR

HR Today: Who Are We and How Are We Perceived?

Our Differences

Who Do You Work for?

How Large Is Your Organization?

What Are the Key Organizational Foci of Your Department?

Our Similarities

What Is Totally Our Responsibility?

Our Challenge

Endnotes

I: COMMUNICATION

The Anomaly

What Exactly Is Communication?

What Happens When We Don't Communicate Well?

Clarification: It's Not a Bad Word

Lesson Learned

Managing by Walking Around

Maintaining Control

Your Toolbox

Conflict Resolution

Reflective Listening

What Is Reflective Listening?

The IRAC (Issue – Rule(s) – Analysis – Conclusion)

What Are the Issues?

What Are the Rules?

What Is the Analysis?

What Is the Conclusion?

Knowing Both Sides

Body Language

Silence

Should They Know Better?

Lesson Learned

Social Media

Legally, What Matters Is the Receiver's Interpretation

How Are We Perceived: Friend or Foe?

Clarification

Building Your Skill-set Toolbox

Final Words

II: PERCEPTION

How We Define Perception

We All Perceive Things Differently

The Key Is How We Respond

Perception Versus Reality

It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It

Setting the Tone

Keeping Emotions at Bay

Resistance to Change

Timing Is Important

Inclusion Is Important

Nemawashi

Perception of Availability

Being Responsive

Open the Door!

Increasing Efficiency

Technology: Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS)

III: WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT ANYWAY?

Is Anything We Do Solely Our Responsibility?

Let's Look at the Many Areas that Are Within Our Purview

My Definition of Human Resources

All of the Areas that May (or May Not)

Fall Within the Purview of Human Resources

Benefits

Compensation

Employee/Labor Relations

Old School Meets New

Morale Issues

Your Critical Role

Recruiting and Placement

Let's Look at a Possible Scenario

Training and Development

Performance Management

Legal Issues

Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS)

Core Competency

Change: Expect It to Be Hard

Now Let's Build Those Partnerships

IV: ADDING VALUE

Are We Perceived as Adding Value?

Evaluating Your Status

Step 1: Self-Evaluation

Step 2: Understand the Business

Step 3: Earning Trust

Step 4: Know When to be Cautious

Human Resources Is Easy: NOT!

You Can Only Change What You Can Control

The Bad Egg

What is the Role of Human Resources in Your Organization?

Taking Steps to Improve Counterparts' Perception of HR

Take an Assessment of Your Department

Make a Plan

Get Approval in Advance

Are We Flexible, Adaptable, and Responsive?

Being Flexible

Being Responsive

Personal Branding

Focus on the Positive

Changing Negative to Positive

Getting a Seat at the Table

V: CONNECTING

Creating Happiness

Shun Isolation—Make Connections

Safe Harbor Relationships

Connecting Through Sports

Achieving Goals

The Problem with Assumptions, Overentitlement,

or Unrealistic Expectations

Adjusting Our Goals

Handling Missteps or Setbacks

Recalibrating

Being Tested

Test 1: Removing a Hornet's Nest without Being Stung

My Plan

Test 2: The Golf Tournament

The Takeaway

VI: THE ART OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

What We Do Best

The Eighty/Twenty Rule

Communicate with Appropriate Counterparts

No surprises!

Working with Problematic Individuals

Continue to Keep in Contact with Counterparts

Never Get Comfortable!

Ongoing Learning and Training

Conflict Resolution

Mediation Training

VII: ENHANCING OUR SKILL SET

It's All About People

Setting Goals

Let's Talk about Opportunity

Have an Exit Plan

INDEX

INTRODUCTION

What Do You Actually Do?

W hat do you actually do? This is what my CEO asked me. We were talking about the overall responsibilities of the Human Resources department.

That’s a great question, I replied, but the answer depends on what day it is.

He gave me a quizzical look, somewhat taken aback by my response.

So, I clarified what I meant for him. First I reassured him, saying, You know that my number one priority and focus is Human Resources, but I also have other responsibilities with this company—my secondary focus, if you will. My responsibilities also include facilities, security, procurement, and so forth. What often determines my focus for the day and what I will prioritize depends on how hot the particular fire is at the time.

What fire? At this point, he really did think I was talking to him in riddles.

But I replied honestly and candidly, the ones that my team attempts to put out before they get out of control. I continued, "When we run into a little trouble getting the fire out, you will hear about it pretty quickly from others. And, in fact, when a fire is raging, the story that gets passed around and eventually ends up back with you has often been significantly embellished."

I then reminded him of our first conversation after I had joined the organization when I told him that if my team wasn’t doing their jobs, he would hear it first from me—I just needed to get it to him first before anyone else got hold of the story and put a spin on it.

He laughed. And that was that. He never again asked me what I was doing.

So, it goes: a day in the life of a Human Resource professional. We often wear many hats. We are perceived to be many things to many people. Some even presume that we’re everything to everybody—or the catch-all when it’s unclear who the responsible party is.

Why I’m Writing This Book

I was in Human Resources for 35 years. During that time, I worked in a wide range of industries, including Semiconductor, Healthcare, Financial, Aerospace, Chemical, and Transportation—and in all sizes of companies. The smallest organization I worked for had only twenty employees, whereas the largest organization I worked for had approximately 150,000 employees. In some of these jobs, I would meet with my staff in a large warehouse/distribution center (on the floor) where we were required to wear hard hats; in other organizations, we met in posh conference rooms in corporate office buildings.

Over the course of my career, I learned the basics in both employee and labor relations. I later gained corporate experience, assuming the roles of Senior Vice President of Corporate Services, Vice President of Human Resources and Administration, and finally, before transitioning to a consulting role, I was a corporate officer. I also served as compliance officer to two separate organizational Boards of Directors. In addition to having a BS in Business, I also acquired a law degree along the way, which proved to be helpful in my HR career, as well as a Private Investigator’s License in the state of California.

Like many of you who have been in the field for a number years and have worked for a broad number of organizations, I have experienced both the positive and negative that the profession provides. At times, our jobs are rewarding when we witness positive change in an organization or successfully put out a fire before it has a chance to gain momentum. At other times, we have been frustrated and disheartened. But we all take these good and bad experiences, and strangely, we keep coming back for more.

For those of you Human Resource professionals who have been lucky enough to personally experience positive organizational change, it’s an experience you won’t forget. It is both personally and professionally rewarding to witness the positive change that you have brought about through proactive initiatives to influence, drive, and implement that change. But as you know, this only works when the Human Resources team has built a solid trusting partnership with their peers and counterparts, as these peers and counterparts play a valuable role in influencing the real decision-makers (i.e., top management). This is a never-ending process in developing and managing partnerships within an organization.

Over time, I have observed and developed various techniques that have helped me enormously in doing my job more effectively, in developing positive relationships, and in ensuring that my team—and to the best of my ability the employees within the organizations I worked for—were treated with respect, regardless of their position. I hope to share what I have learned in this book: my tool kit as well as guidance in what I have found to have worked well and what hasn’t.

From Army Brat to CEO

I didn’t start out seeking a career in Human Resources. In fact, before graduating high school, I realized I wasn’t even ready for college, and so in my senior year, I enlisted in the Army (a familiar institution as I had been an Army brat growing up). This four-and-a-half-year stint in the military was a great training ground for me as I learned discipline, focus, and an ability to look at the real world in an objective way—in other words, to look at a situation with an unbiased viewpoint. I also got to travel, met my future wife (we just celebrated our 45th anniversary), completed my first two years of college, and began working in personnel (which, incidentally, was what HR was commonly known as way back then). When I left the military, I continued as a full-time student but also began working the night shift in the transportation industry unloading trucks. I soon had the opportunity to take a part-time position in Personnel for the distribution hub. When I graduated two years later, I began working full-time in Personnel. Thus, began my long and very rewarding career in HR.

There is one key takeaway that I learned from my years in the military that has served me well throughout my career. As we all know, the military has a strict chain-of-command structure. Thus, you quickly learn that you are not paid to like anybody, but rather, you are paid to respect the individual’s position. You might ask how exactly that fits in with our profession? Well, it’s emotion I’m talking about. It doesn’t matter whether you like a person or not. If you must work together, you’ll be most successful (and less agitated) if you remain calm and try to approach the subject/issue objectively. Too often emotion becomes the central theme or motivator of the conversation, sidetracking the real issues. You can better control the level of emotion in conversations or meetings by keeping the conversation focused, as best you can, on the specific issue or the individual’s position. For example, just using the individual’s name less in the conversation helps keep the process moving (i.e., less emotionally charged). This can be a very effective tool to use as we all know and have experienced the way emotion can get pulled into conversations, and the real issues get sidetracked. In a way, not using the person’s name works to de-emphasize the individual you are dealing with, depersonalizes the conversation, allowing for a more objective focus on the position or issue. For you Seinfeld devotees, you’ll remember whenever Jerry would meet Newman, he’d say Hello, Newman, using the same derogatory tone.

Brief History of the Field of Human Resources

Over my 35 years, there has been a vast change in the Human Resources field—not only in what we do but in how we do it. In most cases, our responsibilities have been expanded—often unclearly so. But what is clear is that Human Resources is always positioned in the fulcrum of the balance scales: on one plate are the needs of the organization, and on the other plate, the needs of the employees. I have worked in organizations that have been well balanced and run well and others that are not. Along the way, I have met and worked with many dedicated Human Resource professionals and other supportive personnel who have worked hard to find this balance between the needs of the organization and the needs of the employees.

Looking at the evolution of our profession will help us better understand the transformation of the field. Just to give us some perspective, the term Human Resources dates back to the late 19th century. The then pioneering economist John R. Commons used the term in his 1893 book entitled The Distribution of Wealth, but he did not elaborate on its meaning. The term became more frequently used during the early twentieth century when workers began being perceived as a capital asset. The term also became better defined due to misunderstandings between the employers and employees. (1) The term personnel first appeared in the US in the 1920s. This term was more narrowly defined as encompassing the hiring, training, and compensation of employees. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_resources)

Both terms began to be used in the context of how we use them today around 1960. The term Human Resources appeared in 1958 in a report by economist E. Wight Bakke. (2) Notably, the etiology of these terms from the early twentieth century to the mid- to late- twentieth century was impacted by the rise in collective bargaining as well as the tremendous shift in the world by the major events of the early twentieth century, namely, the two world wars, and the Great Depression. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_resources)

Human Resources concerns evolved further in the 1960s with the civil rights movement. At this time, equal employment opportunity (EEO), affirmative action, as well as diversity management all made a major impact on the field. Soon thereafter, the rapid increase of