Steve.Browne

Steve.Browne's picture
Bio: 

Steve Browne, SHRM-SCP, is chief people officer for LaRosa’s Inc., a restaurant chain in Ohio and Indiana with 11 locations. The author of HR Rising!! (SHRM, 2020) and HR on Purpose!! (SHRM, 2017), he has been an HR professional for more than 30 years.

 

 

 

 

Screen Name: 
Steve Browne

History

Member for
11 years 1 month

Articles by Steve Browne

 

I spent the last week at the SHRM Volunteer Leader Summit in Washington, DC.  It is one of my favorite events because the attendees are some of the most active and engaged members that SHRM has.  It’s also very cool in that people come from all fifty states and also US territories.

November 26, 2014

 

When I look at the vast field of HR, I have to say that I am swayed to the power of Culture more than other facets.  I truly believe that people decide to either stay at a company or leave it because of its culture.

November 12, 2014

We’re getting closer and closer to another election season.  Even though this is a “light” year for elections locally, that doesn’t stop the candidates who are running for office from filling the airwaves with commercials. And, true to form, there are few candidates who say what they’re going to do.  Instead, they spend millions of dollars to smear their opponent.  People must feel it works because it gets worse the closer you are to the actual election day.

October 16, 2014

 

There are countless numbers of blogs and articles regarding culture.  I’m absolutely in that mix because I feel that culture is the most critical factor of today’s workplace.  The challenge I see though is that people continue to offer models of what will absolutely work for you.  I think this is an incredible presumption !!  I can’t come close to understanding what your company culture is or isn’t.

There are a few assumptions I can make that will be accurate:

September 16, 2014

I am a dad.  It has to be the greatest accomplishment I’ve ever had, or will ever have.  My kids are on the verge of being adults now so they are doing more and more on their own.  What I’m finding is how easy it is to take a small amount of information and blow it out of proportion if you are missing context.  I’m seeing this both from them spreading their wings and having to make bigger life decisions as well as my wife and I letting them fly more.  We don’t always have context around what their decisions are, and it’s hard not to want to step in and “fix” things.

August 27, 2014

Before you think this is a post about Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, it really takes a different twist (even though I’m a devout Python fan !!)

July 30, 2014
Tags:

Sitting in an airport terminal gives you a chance to jot down your thoughts if you build in a bit of time.  I’m trying to contain my excitement as I get ready to board my flight to SHRM14in Orlando !!  The actual conference doesn’t kick-off until Sunday, but I’m fortunate to head down early as a SHRM volunteer and member of the Membership

June 19, 2014
Tags:

Human Resources is often written about in vast layers and fantastic catch phrases !!  When I see posts about “harnessing the synergy of human capital” I start to twitch.  One of the shortcomings of what we do is that we try to make it harder than it needs to be.  I think that HR has fallen into the trap that if we sound like we’re more intricate, then people will give us more credibility.

June 12, 2014

In a few weeks, I will be heading to Orlando, Florida for the SHRM Annual Conference. To say that I’m Geeked would be an undersatement !!  It’s a chance to break away from the daily norms and be with 14,000+ of my HR peers.  Some may find that overwhelming while I see it as welcoming.

June 10, 2014

The conversation usually starts out like this . . .

“You’ll never believe what just happened!!  I have an employee who . . .”

May 21, 2014
 
This past week we celebrated a Team Member’s 30th anniversary !!  This is a rarity in any organization these days.  She truly is beloved.  When we sent out the notice that we were going to recognize her, many people, including several Executives and Senior Leaders, cleared their schedules to make sure they were present.
 
April 14, 2014
 
Have you ever been unemployed?  I have.  It’s happened a few times in my life.  I’m not talking about transitioning from one job to a new one.  I’m talking about not working in your profession.  It’s hard.
 
The reality of the financial implications hit first and you’re kind of taken over by fear.  You think that EVERYONE would want to hire you immediately, and that you’re sure to land your next job quickly.  That rarely happens. These items aren’t “new” and there are countless blogs and pieces of advice for jobseekers.
 
March 17, 2014
 
This seems to be a “bucket list” kind of year. I was fortunate enough to be elected as part of the Membership Advisory Council (MAC) for SHRM. I get to speak at SHRM National in Orlando this June !! And then, there was this past week . . .
 
March 10, 2014
Tags:
Something has been bothering me for some time now.  When did we realize that we have generations in the workplace?  Haven’t we ALWAYS had people from various generations in the workplace?
 
It truly is disappointing that we have taken to labeling people due to when they happen to have been born.  For instance, technically by my birth year, I am at the tail end of the Baby Boomers.  I more strongly identify with Generation X personally. But, I would have to say that, I have a touch of Millennial and whatever the newest generation is being called in me as well.
February 20, 2014
By now you’re aware that we’ve entered a New Year.  The flurry of posts that flood blogs encouraging resolutions, new attitudes, new approaches, etc. have died down.  I love to see the positive launch into a new year because I think people are eager to start clean and move forward.
 
January 14, 2014

My post title is missing its normal, and grammatically incorrect, double exclamation points ( !! ) for a reason this week. I had the most amazing experience and just had to share it with you !! (oops, there they are)

November 12, 2013

This week is truly a week I eagerly anticipate every year! That is because I know when September rolls around, so does the annual Ohio State HR Conference ! I get excited because it’s a chance to break away from the day-to-day and be with my peers. I know this sounds HR Nerdish but I’m unapologetic about it.

September 18, 2013
The majority of our days are spent with people in some form or fashion.  In the workplace, you encounter people in many situations and often with different outcomes.  Even though we spend the bulk of our time at work, we don’t really have “deep” relationships.
 
July 24, 2013
SHRM13 has wrapped up and it was honestly the best National SHRM Conference I’ve attended.  The vibe was cool and people seemed to be at ease and engaged at the same time.  Just prior to the Conference kicking off, my good friend, Mark Stelzner, put a challenge out on Facebook to see if anyone could come away from the event with 5 new ideas.
 
June 25, 2013

Recently, LaRosa's, opened a new location called Eastgate. I’m fortunate to be the Executive Director of HR for this iconic Cincinnati company, and we had a pivotal role in this store opening. HR interviewed every new potential Team Member because we were looking to add 70+ folks to this much larger pizzeria!

May 21, 2013