Jason's Blog

A few weeks ago, I discovered this sign hung above the toilet in the men's room at a small cafe where I was having breakfast (email subscribers may have to open this post on the web to view the image).  The original sign was apparently created by management of...

I've been thinking and talking a lot about HR strategic planning lately.  And one of the common issues that comes to the surface when you get into planning discussions is control. Here's an example of how it usually plays out.Through the planning process, your...

Over the past six months, things have been changing in my life.  Professionally, I made the decision to transition from corporate HR executive to full time consultant and speaker for hire.  Personally, my family and I have moved to a new house in a new small...

Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and it annoys the pig. -- Folk sayingI was gearing up to share another round of my favorite quotes with you this morning when I stumbled across this one and it stopped me in my tracks. This is one of those...

Go to Gapingvoid.com for other cool stuff like this cartoon.I was reminded again yesterday how hard it can be at times to stand alone as the lone voice for change in a sea of people who would rather preserve the status quo.  As I shared lunch with one of my...

The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) launched a new website earlier this year called We Know Next.  They describe the site as the leading resource for business executives, policymakers and human resource leaders to explore and discuss the latest...

Do you love your work enough to put your job on the line to do it the right way?  Here, I react to some comments made by Bill Conaty, former Sr. VP HR at GE and author of The Talent Masters, in a keynote presentation he made last week at SHRM Strategy. This is...

Last week, I had the opportunity to be part of two very different events.  First on the agenda was HRevolution in Las Vegas.  Then, I was off to Chicago to present a session at the annual SHRM Strategy Conference.  Both events were very good in their...

This weekend, I had the opportunity to be a part of the fourth iteration of a great event called HRevolution.  I've now been to three of the four HRevolution events and it is always an energizing, rewarding and thought provoking experience.  If you work in...

Lately, I've have a lot of signals telling me that I need to figure out how to use video in my work.  First, it was a session by Johnny Campbell and his Social Talent team at #TruLondon talking about creating viral videos.  I'm not sure I will ever create a...

Last night, as I was watching Diane Sawyer give me the news, I saw a story that really struck me.  Yesterday, shoemaker Reebok agreed to pay a $25 million settlement to the FTC for a claim that they practiced false advertising related to their "tone up" shoe...

Quick post today to share something with you that you might be interested in if you are in the recruiting or HR space.  As you may remember, I participated in the TruLondon4 recruiting unconference earlier this month as a track leader. The fine folks at...

Through much of my corporate HR life, I made it my goal to minimize the use of external recruiters when possible.  I had decided that when I had to engage outside recruiting services, it was a signal that I was failing to deliver on what was expected from my...

Happy Friday!  As we wrap the week and look forward to the weekend, I hope these quotes provide you with a spark of insight or inspiration.  Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul. – Niccolo Machiavelli Victory belongs to the most...

"It's on me."That's what a leader says when things go wrong.Earlier this week, the Boston Red Sox lost an important game.  They had been in a position to win when they brought in their ace closing pitcher, Jonathan Papelbon to pitch the last 5 outs of the game....

This is one of my favorite short posts that I've written.  I originally published it earlier this year as my corp HR team was working on solving the performance appraisal problem within our organization.  I love talking about performance appraisals because...

I have, like many people, been watching with great interest the unfolding story of the firing of Carol Bartz, the recently former CEO of Yahoo.  It's been a really interesting story to follow because both sides have handled the situation pretty poorly, making for...

One of my blind spots as a manager is that I project my ambitions and work ethic on others.   I work pretty hard--not sure if it's genetics or growing up on a farm that caused it.  And I have always been motivated to succeed quickly.  As a result, I...

If there's one thing I know about corporate HR and recruiting, it's that money for conferences can be hard to come by.  Conferences can be such a great way to get energized, learn about what's happening in the industry and meet some great peers from around the...

We spend too much time hedging our bets, playing it safe, having a back up plan.  When we have a decision in our life that's really important, it seems wise to leave an escape plan, "in case things don't work out." Planning is important.  Commitment is the...

As I watched the first Sunday of NFL football yesterday, I started thinking about the fact that these grown men actually play a game for a living.  They study the game, practice the game, prepare to perform in the game, and condition to perform well in the game....

My Dad has taught me a lot of important stuff throughout my life: never let anyone compromise your integrity, better to be lucky than good most days, working hard will set you apart, etc.  But, yesterday over a coffee with a friend, I was reminded of one of the...

Some lessons are hard ones to put into actual practice.  I have a project that I've been working on the past several months.  One part of this project has been giving me fits.  The harder I worked at the problem and the more creative I tried to be, the...

I think one of the most powerful things we can do as leaders is to help people understand the disconnect between their intentions and their actions.  People will often talk a good game about what they will do or what they intend to do, but it's much harder to do...

As we enjoy a day off to celebrate the spirit of the American worker, I thought I'd share a few quotes to inspire us as we return to work tomorrow. There's no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love.  There is only a scarcity of resolve to make...

I am so excited to be joining Bill Boorman and  the fine folks at Jobsite in London this week for the TruLondon4 Unconference.  I love the unconference format and am flattered and privileged that they have invited me to join them as a guest track leader....

Last week, I had the opportunity to have lunch with a young woman who used to work on one of my HR teams several years ago.  It was great to sit down to catch up and share stories about our time working together. As you would expect, our conversation centered...