Five things I think I think, year-end 2017 edition

Winding down 2017 with five quick observations, (not predictions), about HR, work, tech, basketball, or whatever comes to mind in the 21 minutes I have allotted to complete this final post of 2017.

1. Workplace- Matt Lauer. Robert Wilmers. Harvey Weinstein. John Skipper. All really powerful execs/talents (and I can name dozens more), that seemingly out of nowhere were here one day and gone the next. If 2017 will go down as the year of #MeToo it will also be remembered by many as the year when organization's lack of planning for the future was severely exposed. There is no doubt that in 2018 we will see more of these abrupt terminations and separations - many from high-profile well known leaders, and many others involving people lesser or unknown, but important to the organization's operations. If I were the Chief HR or Talent Officer of any reasonably sized company, I think I would start 2018 working on my organizational talent depth chart. When your COO or CFO suddenly resigns (or is terminated), on Jan 7, will you be ready?

2. HR and HR Tech- I am going to have to try really hard not to get too overboard with my recent 'Voice interfaces are the next disruption' take, although I really believe it to be the case. I caught a recent video of an 85 year-old grandma learning to use her new Echo/Alexa device her grandkids gave her for Christmas and I couldn't help but think of the power, accessibility, and reach that voice UI make possible. I still think this will be the story in HR tech in 2018 and 2019. As for 'normal' HR, the tightening labor market shows no signs of reversing as we close the year. 2018 will (hopefully), finally be the year when wages (more broadly), begin to increase meaningfully as organizations chase scarce and powerful talent. Your compensation analysts, (ironically), have become much more valuable to your organization.

3. Media and content- I have to admit, I have missed, (and probably still will miss in 2018), the idea of the 'pivot to video' that many media companies have made in the last couple of years. Maybe it is because I do have the proverbial face for radio or maybe it's that I still prefer to consume 'real' content in writing. And I still think that most HR, tech, and business professionals are not spending their days at work or on a plane or during their commute watching a stream of short videos instead of reading longer form pieces, (and listening to podcasts, but more on that next). I could be wrong about this. Maybe. But the most compelling piece I read about this pivot to video theorized that it is happening not because it is what consumers/audiences want, but rather because it is what Facebook decided it could sell more expensive ad products against, and thus has prioritized video content in user's news feeds. Sounds plausible.

4. HR Happy Hour- The HR Happy Hour Podcast is now heading into it's 9th year. It remains my favorite creative exercise and (hopefully), the most valuable contribution that I make to the HR, HR Tech, and workplace communities. And it was cool to think that we (myself, Shauna Moerke at the beginning, and Trish McFarlane now), were on to 'the next big thing' before it was even a thing. Sure, I am shilling, but I am really proud of what we are doing. Shamleess plug - HR Happy Hour Show.

5. Blog- The blog here is now about 10 years in. At the beginning, I started blogging for the students in an HR Tech class I used to teach. Then, when blogging became much more mainstream in the HR space, I wrote for the increasing numbers of readers, (and for the attention, I have to admit). Now, with attention completely divided up into bite size pieces, spread out across thousands of sites, social networks, apps, and new media, (like podcasts), I think now I mostly blog for me. It still is a mentally valuable exercise, gives me a sense of 'At least I got something done today', and keeps me from getting lazy. In a lot of ways the blog has turned back into what the first (web) blogs were created to do - provide a forum for sharing the blogger's personal thoughts. That still is valuable to me and why I still keep up this blog after all this time. The blog is about what I think is interesting, which is the only way I can stay interested in the blog.

As always, thanks for indulging me and many thanks for reading in 2017.

I hope you have a fantastic end to the year, and that 2018 brings you everything you hope it well.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013! Time to let something go

Happy New Year and many, many thanks for spending a part of your New Year's Day here!

The new year figures to be another challenging, interesting, and hopefully succesful one for all of us, as we continue to navigate the demanding and always changing waters of the workplace, of talent management, of technology, and the thousand other things that will keep us occupied in 2013.

These last few days I have been re-running some posts from 2012 that I liked, were popular, or for one reason or another felt to me like they deserved another shot - maybe a newer reader or two missed them the first time and would find them appealing, that kind of thing.

But there was one more post from 2012 titled 'Carrying Costs', that I did not re-run, probably because I simply overlooked it last week, but that actually sums up almost exactly the kinds of things I've been thinking about heading into a new year.

The entire piece is here - but I'll save you a moment and re-state the key idea, that the burdens of what we carry with us from the past (professional, personal, doesn't matter), can be a kind of yoke that we can't easily shake, and that our inability to accurately and honestly reflect on our history holds us back to a degree that we often underestimate.

In 2013, if there is any one idea, theme, or goal I have in mind it's this - to be more honest with myself, to evaluate ideas, practices, technologies, habits, and progress more rationally, and to know what things to keep and what things to let go.

Have a wonderful, happy, safe, and productive 2013!

Farewell 2010

Last day of 2010.

Time to look back, to look forward.  Time to sum up the year's events, either personally or professionally, and to assess the prospects for the coming year.  Despite the change in calendar affording none of us sudden and remarkable new perspective or insight.

I suppose for me, like many, 2010 was not the best year, certainly not one that played out as expected or desired. But I am not sure that it is really all that important or necessary to sort it all out, to evaluate or interpret the events that transpired within the boundary of an artificial construct of the calendar.

I think sometimes we do ourselves a disservice with the need to summarize, to compartmentalize, to decode the events, relationships, or desires of our lives using externally devised deadlines.

Sure, it is the last day of 2010. But today, I am not sure I want to attempt to decipher 2010 and plan 2011.

Today I think I want to watch the snow fall. (Email and RSS subscribers may need to click through)

For the folks that have spent some time here in 2010, I offer my sincere thanks. I am very appreciative and grateful that you have decided to spend some of your valuable energy and attention here with me. 

I wish you a 2011 that is everything you dream it will be.