Today, I lead a corporate HR team of thirteen people at a regional bank based in Nebraska.  My team is responsible for everything from processing payroll to succession planning, from recruitment to corporate wellness.  If it has to do with the people side of our business, we are involved.  My role places me at the executive “table” in my organization, so I can speak to what it means to sit in the “seat at the table” that we like to discuss in our field.  My responsibility and accountability to both my organization and my profession is to live up this role.   

So, now to the reason for this blog.  There are a lot of great HR blogs out there.  My belief is that maybe I can bring a little different perspective to the discussion of HR.  My goal will be to share ideas, create conversations, and provide any resources I can to help the “practice” of human resources to evolve as it must if we plan to be relevant in the future.  In particular, I want to illuminate the reality of what it means to be a senior leader in HR and what that reality means for how HR pros must change how they think and behave.  

So, why is my perspective unique?  Here’s a few things you ought to know about me:

• The qualifications noted by my boss (the CEO) when hired for my current role were the following three things: sales skills, strategic ability, and a powerful and broad professional network.  I was chosen over a dozen other HR professionals who had much more impressive and lengthy HR credentials.  My organization “gets it.”  But make no mistake that this will become more of a trend in the future.  
• I don’t have a PHR, SPHR, or GPHR nor do I plan to get one.  If you have been in HR for a while, you probably have deeper technical knowledge of HR than I do.  I value HR technical knowledge, but it’s not what has helped me succeed.  My strengths are deep in interpersonal, influence, strategy, and communication skills.  Plus, I ask important questions and am unafraid of conflict.  
• In my world, HR is a business practice.  We exist to help the business be successful.  HR is not social service.  If that’s the kind of work you want to do, there are a lot of places who need your talents that aren’t HR. 
• I am a Talent Anarchist.  In full disclosure, besides my formal career in HR, I am also a paid professional speaker with my colleague Joe Gerstandt.  We call ourselves Talent Anarchy.  I have a passion for speaking in front of people about ideas. 
• I’m not much of a conformist and I don’t much care for rules.  I know that structure is important, but my disdain for unnecessary rules makes for some interesting tension in HR.  
• I’m a proud member of Gen X.  Read into that what you will.