Jason Lauritsen is a former human resources executive turned consultant and keynote speaker. His company with partner Cy Wakeman, Bulletproof Talent, helps organizations to develop accountable leaders and employees who are bulletproof to their circumstances. Their Reality-CheckTM employee engagement survey is changing the way companies measure and manage employee engagement by introducing personal accountability into the process.
Jason is the co-author of the book, Social Gravity: Harnessing the Natural Laws of Relationships and is half of the dynamic and provocative speaking duo, Talent Anarchy .
Jason is also frequent writer on topics of talent and leadership and has written for ERE , TLNT , Human Capital Institute , and the Monster Thinking Blog . He regularly blogs at www.TalentAnarchy.com . His blog was selected by Monster.com as one of the eleven best HR and Recruitment blogs to follow in 2011. You can follow him on Twitter at @JasonLauritsen.
When you start to understand work as a relationship, it starts to raise some interesting questions that you may not have asked before. For example, how does our comfort with being vulnerable impact how willing or able we are to “engage?”
When I reflect on the relationships in my life and all of the stories I’ve heard from friends about their own relationships, a common barrier I notice to a healthy relationship is the fear of getting hurt.
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Over that past few years, I’ve been hearing the idea floated more frequently that employees should be accountable for their own engagement.
Talent is the most critical ingredient to success for most businesses. We’ve progressed to where we don’t even have to argue this point with most executives. The lights have been turned on. But, the practice of talent management is still struggling to meet the needs and expectations that an enlightened organization requires.
Should.
I should have said something.
I should go back to school.
I should have just said I was sorry.
I should have stood up for myself.
I should talk to my boss about how unhappy I am.
I should have spent my time with my kids when they were smaller.
I should have told her how I feel.
Should is where hollow intentions, unrealized dreams and regrets live. Striking this word from your vocabulary is a great start towards achieving great things in your life.
It’s that time of year again. The annual opportunity to plan, scheme, and build a budget. Generally, this is the time of year when we think about what new programs or technologies we could add in the upcoming year. We dream of slick technology or powerful new programs that we could implement if we are lucky enough to be given the budget to do it. It’s a fun time of year. Planning and thinking big thoughts is important.
But, this year, while you plan and dream and budget, set aside a little time for another powerful exercise that we often overlook.
Can you do for others that which you have not done for yourself?
This is a critical question when we think about the health of our organizations and cultures.
As a leader or manager:
Who would you say are the best rock and roll lead singers of all time? I'm guessing that a bunch of names come to mind for you. In fact, we could probably have a spirited debate over who is the best, even if you aren't a big music fan. Now, name the best back-up singers of all time? You know, those people on nearly every album who provide the harmonies and the depth to the songs. Nothing? The list of the best backup singers is a lot harder to come by.
Joe,
Great question: How do we avoid jobs and companies that suck?
It is heart breaking to me when I see talented people trudging away in jobs that either they don’t love or at companies where they don’t fit. And, as you hint at, in almost every situation when you talk to someone who is in this kind of predicament, they almost always say something like “This isn’t at all what I thought it was going to be.” They were toast before they even showed up to new hire orientation.
For being a profession with heavy detail and conformity requirements, I’ve always wondered why we aren’t better at using the rigor of science within our work in Human Resources. It would seem to me that the structure and process of the scientific method would appeal to us since we spend much of our time working with structure and process all day long.
