The last time you hired* an employee, did you realize you both signed a contract? You say, wait, what? My company is an at will employer. We don’t do employment contracts. That may be true, but there’s this thing called a “psychological contract”, which is a “set of beliefs about what each party is entitled…
Personal Effectiveness
The Carnival of HR – Fall Colors Edition
Welcome to the Carnival of HR. I’m pleased to be this week’s host. Here in the great Mitten State, we’re being treated to a spectacular display of fall colors, courtesy of several hardwood tree species. The human resources function has a lot of “local color” as well, so I’ve segmented our Carnival into four main…
Ignite the Leader Within You
Leadership is a tough gig. I’m not talking about being in “management”, although that is a really tough job too. What I mean is leading – stepping up, making the tough calls, doing the right thing even when nobody’s looking. Are you a leader? Even if you don’t have an official leadership title, I bet…
Leadership Assessments – Self-Scoring vs 360 Degree
Chances are, at some point in your career, you’ve been asked to complete a leadership assessment – either for yourself, or rating someone else’s leadership abilities. Based on your experience, you might have found the exercise enlightening or a waste of time not-so-great. People are naturally skeptical about assessments and for good reason – I’ve…
Chili Cook-Offs and Blogging
Every year, our neighbors host a Chili Cook-Off. Now in its 10th year, word of mouth has turned this event into a giant extravaganza. Sometimes random strangers show up – “I heard from so-and-so, who heard from your neighbors that you do an awesome chili event.” Our Cook-Off hosts have a “the-more-the-merrier” attitude, so it’s…