Ex Libris

Today is a sad day for me and my family; we bid farewell to my Dad, Fred Boese, a wonderful father, brother, uncle, and friend.

Dad was to me, the rarest kind of hero, a man who did incredible things, acted as if they were entirely normal and typical; and never talked much about what he had done and what it meant.Easter, 1970

At 18 he left home in New Jersey to attend the University of Vermont on a football scholarship, four years later becoming the first person in his family to earn a college degree.

Shortly after graduating in 1965, he married his high-school sweetheart, and my Mom, Joan.

Shortly after that, he entered the US Army, and by virtue of ROTC training at Vermont, became an infantry officer. Dad served in action (that he never talked about) in the Vietnam War, and left the Army as a Captain. Dad left the Army reluctantly I think, but the pressure applied by a young Mom back home on the base with two infant children to care for, overcame his willingness and desire to continue to serve his country, and lead men even younger than himself, (he has maybe 25 at the time), in battle.

No, he had done his part for his nation, and now it was time to serve his family, a calling, with no exaggeration at all, to which he devoted the rest of his life.

Dad was a constant, reassuring, caring, and wise presence in our lives. 

Somehow, maybe it was a by-product of his military training and the understanding that comes with leading men in the most incredible, stressful, and intense circumstances that can be imagined, he always maintained a sense of perspective and balance. It was as if after seeing the worst that men can do, and surviving it, that the rest of life's more mundane trials and tribulations never seemed to knock him off balance, at least for very long. And while he developed a long and successful career as a professional in accounting, finance, and later information systems - he never let his work consume him, knowing that his real work, his calling and his duty, was to be there for his family.

Countless hours he spent teaching us, advising us, making us laugh, and often, just making sure we knew that he was there for us attest to how he consciously chose to devote his time and energy.

After his only love, my Mom, passed away in 2003, Dad's life shifted into what would become its final phase. But despite dealing with the heartbreak of seeing Mom taken from him way too soon, and later his own failing health, he never wavered from what remained his life's purpose - taking care of his family.

For a man who I never felt pressured by to do anything, and who supported all of us in whatever (occasionally foolhardy) paths we have chosen, sometimes it still feels like in some small way that maybe I've let him down. He was such an amazing example of the best of what being a man should mean - honor, duty, sacrifice, selflessness, caring. A testament to what we all should aspire to.

I think one of the marks of a good father, or any kind of leader for that matter - is that he never expects you to do things you are incapable of doing but still you want to try to succeed for them, and when you fail, or worse, if you fail to give your best effort, the guilt and pain lies more with you than with them.

The wise parent knows that they can only do so much for their children, eventually, inevitably, they rise and fall on their own merits.

When I look back one day, and think about my life as a father, son, brother, and friend, and think about how I followed my Dad's example, and (hopefully) honored his legacy, I know that I will fall short.

My Dad has set the bar so high I know I probably can't reach it. 

But in just the trying, in the probably futile attempts I make to be as good a man as he was, I will become a better man myself.

Farewell Dad -  you will be missed, you will never be forgotten, and I hope you and Mom are together once again.

Expectations and Surprises

Today I am on my way to HRevolution 2011, the 'Unconference', (I really don't like that word), for Human Resources professionals that I have had a small part in organizing, along with my colleagues Trish McFarlane, Ben Eubanks, and Crystal Peterson. The event will most certainly be fantastic, I am excited to see so many old friends and also to meet many new ones, as the event has grown over the years there always seems to be a new class of HRevolutionaries it will be my privilege to meet.

Today I fully expected to post about the event, to thank our generous sponsors, and to otherwise promote and recognize the many, many people that make the HRevolution event so worthwhile and special.

But on Thursday I received some surprising news, that changed both my short-term plans for today's post, and certainly my plans for the future.

On Thursday I was informed that my position, along with several of my colleagues, have been eliminated due to an organizational restructuring.

On the blog, and in the other social circles I travel, I have not talked very much about my 'day job'. That was a conscious decision - I never got the sense that what I did on the blog, on the HR Happy Hour Show, at any Human Resources conferences or events, and really anywhere that was not 'work' was understood all that much or really appreciated by the decision makers there. And that is perfectly understandable and acceptable, I never had the expectation or assumption that any employer would or should care about what I was up to in my spare time.

But unexpected changes and surprises are just that - surprising. And while I did have the sense that in the long run that I would likely need to move on to something more closely aligned with my interests, skills, and leveraging the strengths that having developed properties like this blog and the radio show have given me, I was not really prepared to commence that process on the day prior to the HRevolution event.

But the reality is I need to move on to the next phase in my professional career.

And it is kind of hard to think about that, mainly because of concerns about the team I am leaving behind. In my time with them, I found them to be extremely dedicated, competent, and a real pleasure to work with. I hope that I was able to help them, at least a little, and that whatever changes are in store for them will not be too difficult.

For me, I plan on flying to HRevolution, enjoying time with friends and colleagues, and sure, talking some about my next phase and potential career opportunities, but hopefully not dwelling on that so much as to detract and distract from the HRevolution event itself, one that myself and the team have worked on so much over the last few months.

When I get back from Atlanta, it will be time to sort out the future.

If you are interested in talking about what that future may look like, either at HRevolution or after, I would love to hear from you.

Find me at:

Email - steveboese@gmail.com

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/steveboese

Phone (I promise I will try to answer) - 585-317-7492

Twitter - @SteveBoese

or via the contact form on the right side of the blog.

Thanks!

New Year, New Beginnings

Folks that read this blog and listen to the HR Happy Hour show (hopefully) know that I don't particularly like writing or talking too much about myself. 

I much prefer assessing and writing about HR technologies, evaluating workplace issues and trends, and having the guests on the show express themselves and share their insights. Flickr - Roche Photo

But for today, for this post, I am going to get a bit personal, and I apologize for the indulgence.

Starting today, I am now a part of the Knowledge Infusion family as Director of Products, Community & OnDemand Services.

Knowledge Infusion, I think, is the leading HR Technology consultancy, and I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to work with such a collection of talented people. I do plan on sharing more details as time goes on about some of the work I will be doing, it is both exciting and innovative in the technology consulting space, but for now I just want to express how grateful I am for the opportunity and I do want to say thanks to Jason Averbook and Jason Corsello.

For those that are interested, I do plan on continuing teaching the HR Technology Grad course at the Rochester Institute of Technology, as in many ways the development and delivery of that course has opened up so many doors for me, while also proving to be immensely challenging and satisfying.

This blog and the HR Happy Hour show will certainly continue, and I expect that they will both evolve, and hopefully improve over time.  I think that the blog and the show both could use a bit of an injection of new ideas, and I anticipate the work I will be doing at KI will help in that regard.

So I thank you for the allowing me the indulgence of a purely selfish post, and I look forward to a exciting and productive 2010.