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As a child of divorced parents, I experienced two radically different forms of Halloween. My dad’s approach was fully immersive, replete with gore, sound effects, and a small army of neighborhood workers funneling innocent candy seekers into a nightmare born from our collective imagination. My mom’s experience was laughably neglectful, including dropping me at a large haunted house that gave you your money back if you could escape in less than an hour — I was in there for three and a half, and eventually emerged hoarse from screaming while holding the hand of another similarly situated kid.
And thus we have 2020: A house of horrors we can’t escape from, AND, a nightmare of our own making.
With the benefit of decades of hindsight, I’m grateful for having experienced both of these approaches. My dad taught me how to plan, work with others, embrace spontaneity, apply unbound creativity, and leave everything on the field. My mom taught me self-reliance, fierce independence, complex problem solving, how to ask for help, and the need to trust others in high-stress situations.
That’s the workplace. That’s every boss, colleague, project, employer, partner, and client. That’s every objective, KPI, outcome, review, and performance improvement plan.
As for HR, this is the tradecraft we practice every single day. Notice I didn’t talk about benefits, or talent, or analytics, or tech. Instead, I’m talking about the uniquely human experiences and emotions that either thrill or haunt the paths of our individual journeys.
HR has the power to help shape a workplace that blends the best of all scenarios – one that encourages planning and foresight while still embracing the complexity of a rapidly evolving world. Like any good haunted house, this workplace should challenge us and leave us with a sense of accomplishment… and yes, include the occasional surprise and laugh.
So as we approach this Halloween, let’s embrace the fact that sometimes the only safe way out is to hold hands, feel our way through the journey, and thrive together.
With warm regards,
—Mark
Founder/managing principal/haunted house survivor, IA
We mean it – VOTE!
We said it last month and we are repeating ourselves. We are just a week away from an important election. We truly are fortunate to live in a country that allows its citizens to participate in democracy. We encourage you to raise your voice and let your vote be counted.
IA has designated November 3 (Election Day) as a paid company holiday because we want to give the team time to exercise their rights. We recognize not every organization is in a position to do this, but we encourage all leaders to support their employees’ desire to participate in the democratic process.
For more resources on voter registration, local laws, and polling places, visit Vote.org.
Where You Can Find Us
Normally, we would be presenting at HR Tech and a slew of other conferences, but 2020 definitely had some different ideas for us. That doesn’t mean we haven’t been able to participate in a number of virtual events and publications, including:
- October 6, 2020: As you may or may not know, Mark Stelzer is a member of the Forbes Human Resources Council and was recently featured in one of their articles. You can read it here.
- October 20-21, 2020: Mary Faulkner participated in a discussion around the role recruiting plays in changing culture at ERE.net’s fall conference, and facilitated a round table with participants looking to expand their recruiting skills.
On Our Radar
As always, the team at IA were intrigued by quite a few articles that have been written lately. These are a few that caught our eye:
- We’ve always supported organizations like Patagonia that do business in line with their values, but is it enough to hope that all companies will have the greater good in mind? This article from Fast Company argues that hope isn’t enough – the law needs to change to have real impact.
- More and more companies are accepting that some manner of the virtual workplace will persist into at least mid-2021, and they’re writing policies to support it. Microsoft’s approach caught the attention of Inc.com because of a simple 6-word phrase.
- The good news is that we aren’t all spending the pandemic just working and eating carbs. As reported by Good News Network, people are using this time to develop some healthy habits and routines.
About IA
As trusted advisors to senior leaders, IA supports strategic initiatives that transform the way organizations work.
Our seasoned team of professionals apply a revolutionary eye, deep domain experience, and flexible tools to accelerate the achievement of even the most ambitious goals. With a cross-functional, strategic perspective, we thrive on big, messy problems. Whether large or small, public or private, domestic or international, it’s our job to support leaders and their teams in achieving outcomes that are truly unique to their culture and objectives.
Every organization has a catalyst for change – learn more at iatransforms.com.
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