Tag Archives: New Year’s Resolutions

January 1, 2013 · 4:30 am

HR’s 2013 “To Do” List

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I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions.  Everyone else, though, has their top ten lists of resolutions for 2013.  And for HR, everyone wants you to go socially mobile into the Cloud.

Me?  Not so much.

I am big on “to do” lists, though.  And, while there’s lots for HR to do in 2013, here are my top 4:

to-do-list iPad1.)  Have a tactical plan to stay on top of regulatory (pay particular attention to NLRB rulings and timetables for implementation of the Affordable Healthcare Act) and legislative changes coming from your city, your state house and Washington D.C.

2.)  Review your HRIS providers and products:

  • Can you move to the Cloud in 2013 to reduce software and hardware expenses?
  • If any of your providers have been acquired or are likely acquisition targets do you know what your options are?

3.)  Schedule a review of employee programs that are 5 years or older. There are more effective, next-generation solutions that are generally cheaper to deploy and more employee friendly. Likely candidates include:

  • Performance management systems
  • Rewards and recognition programs
  • Learning management systems

4.)  Get a handle on your Big HR Data. Explore some of the new products that gather all the employee data from your disparate HR systems and help you and your organization’s managers make more intelligent, fact-based people decisions.

That’s not a long list.  But it is a powerful list.

Just think how you’d feel at the end of 2013 if you implemented a new rewards and recognition program that actually incented engagement and productivity.

Just think how you’d feel if you installed a system that made getting accurate, timely employee data into the hands of front line managers easy.

Just think how you’d feel if you saved your organization thousands of dollars by moving essential HRIS programs to the Cloud.

It’s good to feel powerful and effective.  It’s even better to BE powerful and effective.

How’s that for a New Year’s Resolution?

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Filed under Annual Performance Reviews, China Gorman, Connecting Dots, New Year's Resolutions, Performance Management, Rewards & Recognition, To Do Lists

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January 1, 2011 · 7:51 pm

Every Day Is New Year’s Day

New Year’s is the time of year when everyone is writing about predictions and resolutions.  I count myself in good company with Laurie Ruettimann at TheCynicalGirl.com:  “I think resolutions are for wimps, suckers, and Valerie Bertinelli.”  Well, that might be a bit extreme (especially the Valerie Bertinelli part), but the fact remains, I don’t do New Year’s resolutions.

I haven’t made one in years.  Instead, I try to live my life in a way that encourages me to change and grow whenever I face new challenges and have new experiences.  I don’t limit those opportunities for growth to one time each year.  Because real behavioral change is hard.  Really hard.

Let’s face it.  New Year’s resolutions are about making a change in our behavior:  making our lives better by quitting smoking, losing weight, going back to school to get a degree, repairing a relationship, and more.  And since changing behavior is really hard, just deciding to “change” on one night of the year doesn’t work. 

When I think of the times I really focused on changing something about my behavior, I needed more than just deciding to change.  I needed to accept that change was required so that I could achieve my desired outcome.  In other words, it takes more than desire to change – especially if you’re evaluating the current behavior as less than positive.

That’s where the Kubler-Ross grief model becomes relevant in understanding how to make change happen.  I think of it more as a model to create personal change.  You know that the five stages are: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. 

Most New Year’s resolutions get quickly off track at the Anger stage.  And for many, it only takes a few days.  But to really change behavior, you must have a plan that helps you move through all the stages to positive action…and sustained change.

For example, when I finally realize that in order to lose weight I must start to live a more balanced lifestyle including healthy eating and regular exercise I go into denial:  “I can lose weight and not change what I eat.”  That doesn’t last long because I slip right into Anger.  “Dammit! I like eating chocolate and French fries and I’m not giving them up!”  That stays for a while and then, weasel-like, I begin to bargain with myself:  “Well, if I just exercise more I can still have ice cream every day.”  Then the cold hard realization sets in that I can’t be the healthy me without really changing my behavior as it relates to what I eat.  And that’s where most New Year’s resolutions stop.  Depression or avoidance set in and we’re done.  Finished.  No change.  Just the same old same old.

But Acceptance is where the rubber meets the road.  It’s the place where resolutions become action and change starts to happen.  And it’s accepting that change must happen in order to achieve a better outcome.  Like losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle. 

Personally, I think that having a plan gets us through Denial, Anger, Bargaining and Depression and into Acceptance more quickly.  Maybe not, but that’s how it works for me.  Because a plan keeps me focused on the future and what I want to achieve.

So that’s how I think about making change happen in my personal life.  Works for my professional life as well.  And that’s why I don’t do New Year’s resolutions.  My new year starts whenever I tackle something that needs to change for the better in my life. 

So, really, every day has the opportunity to be New Year’s Day.  And I like that.

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Filed under Change, Kubler-Ross Grief Model, New Year's Resolutions, The Cynical Girl

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