When sitting down to write this blog, the question came to mind, “Do we humans enjoy fear?” The question came up because we (humans) it appears keep piling the fears on, like the fear of black cats, spiders, the unknown, change, and now the future of work. Do we enjoy fear?
People have fears. Organizations are made up of people. People fear change. Fear surrounds efforts to create something new and different, even if it could mean something positive for individuals, organizations, customers, and other stakeholders. What has strategic thinking got to do with it? Wait, what?
Ahhhh the good old days. Job seekers would send their resumes either by mail or post them online, you would select the best two to three candidates out of the 200 and call them in for an interview. Sometimes the choice was difficult because most all the resumes were good, and the three candidates you bring in to interview are stellar .Finally you make your decision, you hire the best of the best, they prove to be a great hire, stay with your organization for 15 or 20 years and become an top executive. Well, you can toss that outdated VCR in the trash. Some readers will need to Google “VCR”. What’s different today?
When front line high performers receive recognition for their good work, it is frequently given through receiving a promotion to management as a first line supervisor. The premise is, of course, that because they are high performers, they are well equipped to handle the next step in a career. It is also true that when these high performers receive these promotions, failure is all too often the result. Why is this?
Long ago and far away, working in the hospitality industry, part of my job was conducting the Onboarding program. A group of enthusiastic, bright, and eager new hires would enter the training room. More times than I wish to count about midmorning, a security officer would enter the room and escort one or two of my attendees out of the room. Everyone was watching this activity, disengaging from the presentation. They were curious about what was going on, not about the program at that moment. Some people would understand what was happening. The new hires leaving had not passed their drug tests. A sense of gloom took the excitement and energy right out of the room. Is this any way to operate an On Boarding Program?
Back in the old days when everyone was working in the office, there may have been conflict, a need for empathy, and a call for understanding. However, we may have had it too easy in terms of having the ability to anticipate, observe, and solve issues. Current times have taken much of the ability for these out of our hands. But wait, we’re all in this together! So, shouldn’t we have an even greater ability to anticipate, observe, and solve issues?
You would be hard pressed to find one human on the planet today who has not been affected by some change – no, not just some change, but major changes to their life. Business is on the frontline of that reality. If anyone doubted the importance of humans to business, as consumers, employees, and other stakeholders, that doubt must be as dissipated as a morning mist when it meets the warmth of the day. The people in business who handle most challenges around your people are in Human Resources. Would you want to be the one handling all the changes around people in business today?
Anytime you have a plan in place for worse case scenarios, your people and your organization handle it better and the bounce back is quicker and higher. Some companies do have disaster plans in place. For example, there are plans for fire (domestic and wild), earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunami warnings, and oh yes, pandemics. Seriously, some organizations do keep such plans in place or at the least, watch the warning signs and get a head start. For example, Talking Rain Beverage Co., which took early warning signs seriously did get ahead of the curve in preparing their employees for the current crisis. What does this have to do with being a “Communication Hero?”