Jason's Blog

Last week, I wrote about letting go and the challenges inherent in that for me.  I got a number of really great responses to that post that indicated that I'm not the only one who has some struggles with letting go at times. One response, though, stopped me in my...

Learning to be a leader can be hard.  A lot of us have had to learn the skills of leadership on the job.  We weren't really trained to be a leader before we found ourselves in our first role that required us to lead.  We just had to get started. The complicated part...

I'm struggling to learn a profound lesson in my work that clarity and control sometimes can't be gained until you first let go.  My mentors and others keep pointing me towards this lesson, so I know it's one of great significance.  But, this isn't an easy one for me....

We have a tendency to over complicate things when it comes to management. When I speak to groups about talent, a question that will often come up in Q&A is: "How can we retain the best people at our company?" This is a really important question.  Our best people...

The seven day countdown is on at my house.  One of our favorite shows, Big Brother, debuts a new season on July 12.  Judge me if you must.  I know that there are some of you out there who look down your nose at reality television as some sort of substandard type of...

As a sales guy joining a corporate HR team back in 2003, I remember how struck I was by how little my HR peers seemed to interact with their peers within the organization.  Because I was a trained sales guy and I'm hardwired as an extrovert, I immediately got out and...

In too many organizations, HR has become the "Department of No."  We write the policies that box people in.  We create the guidelines the define what is appropriate and inappropriate at work.  We make sure managers tow the line of the law when it comes to employee...

It seems that lately, I’ve been experiencing moments where other people are providing me with the gift of an unexpected positive experience.  Last week, it was the flight attendant on my Delta flight home after a couple of long days of traveling who apparently...

During my corporate HR career, I found the amount of information we prepared and pushed out to the organization to be overwhelming and, often, ridiculous.  We published HR newsletters, HR updates, and reports on all nature of things that were sent out regularly. Every...

If you want transform human resources within your company as an HR leader, here’s a really powerful tool for you to use that can have major impact overnight. For everything you do, ask this question: How does this {process, procedure, action, initiative, project,...

Wasteful. A colleague recently asked my opinion on employee exit interviews.  I told him that I thought that they were a waste of time--one of those activities that HR departments spend a bunch of time on without understanding the why. There are a lot of reasons why...

Let's do a quick quiz.  Write down the answers to the following questions.  If you aren't going to write them down, at least pause to reflect on the questions for a moment. What is talent? How do you measure talent? How does talent directly impact your company's...

Last week, I wrote a couple of posts on feedback that prompted a friend to send me a note.  She asked that I add to my rant about feedback that crying is not okay at work, particularly when you are being given some feedback.  She then asked me for my opinion and...

Once upon a time, I was charged with implementing talent management for the company where I worked.   I eagerly took on the task and, with the help of a crafty consultant; we built an elegant competency-driven program. As with any good talent management program, this...

I’ve been getting a little twitchy lately about a few things.  And most of them come back to a general conclusion that we seem to have lost all common sense when it comes to how we treat each other at work.  One thing in particular has been really getting to me lately...

Do you speak your truth? Let that question sit with you for a minute. When was the last time you gave voice to your dreams or fears? How often to talk about your beliefs? Or, what about just speaking out loud about how you feel about where you are in your life? I’m...

There is a lot of talk about the impact that social media is having on business.  And there is no question that it has changed business in both large and profound ways. For me, the most important way that social media has changed business is that it's made the walls...

Being a leader is easier than you think.  If you are in a group that isn't sure which way to go, by taking the first step in any direction from the group, you become a leader.  Actually, the decision to take that step is when you become a leader.  Taking the step is...

The human brain is fascinating.  And, if you are a student of human behavior or you desire to be a great leader, studying the brain and how it works is a great (and critical) practice.  The brain is essentially the computer system that controls our bodies, behaviors...

Work-life balance is one of those concepts I love to hate.  Here's why. The notion of work-life balance is artificial at best and at worst it's a false way of describing a very serious problem that exists in our workplaces.  Work is part of life.  No work, no money....

One of the most common mistakes I see as people strive to make change and find support for new ideas is that they get too hung up on what others "should" do and not on what they "will" do.   This is particularly true with my colleagues in human resources.  I...

This week, I celebrated my one year anniversary of self-employment (this time around).  For the previous decade, I spent my days leading human resources and recruiting teams for corporations and I'd gotten pretty used to the warm embrace of the corporate paycheck....

A few weeks ago at the Universum Employer Branding Conference, I had the opportunity to hear Brian Rolfes, Director of Global Recruiting and McKinsey and Co. speak about some of the ways that his organization develops "the best talent in the world."  It was a terrific...

I need a favor--two favors actually. I am leading a research project to investigate employee and manager feelings about the effectiveness of employee surveys, specifically employee engagement surveys. And, I know that if you've ever been a part of one of these...

Over the weekend, I caught a little bit of a piece on one of the morning news shows about whether or not it's a good idea to be friends with your boss.  This is one of those conversations that has been going on as long as there have been bosses and it appears that we...

I love change.  Okay, maybe not all change, but I do love to initiate change.  Change represents a new opportunity, a new start.On Monday of next week, when you visit my blog, you will find a new site design.  I decided early this year that it was time...

Perhaps the most powerful four words in leadership are "I believe in you." As I reflect on my journey in life, the people who stand out in my mind as those who transformed me weren't necessarily the best teachers or communicators.  Some of them weren't even very...