Reviewing This Week on Make HR Happen – Times Are Tough But Life Goes On

This was a particularly rough week for many with ties to the Boston area. When tragedy strikes many people don’t know how to react. There are a few who immediately begin making tasteless jokes and at the other extreme there are people who totally lapse into melodramatic, tear-jerking drivel. Fortunately, many who “get it” can show their sorrow and anger, but then help to lead us back to the reality that times are tough but life goes on. I am a big fan of Steven Colbert. On Tuesday’s show, The Colbert Report for April 16, he made a fitting tribute to the people of Boston that crafted both good taste and mild humor together. Genius! Nothing can make the pain of the Boston Marathon bombing go away, but grief requires moving past denial and entering acceptance. Thank you, Steven!

In a planned “theme week” we began with a discussion of reflecting on our image and influence, followed by an article on use of that influence to enhance business communication. Then there was a summarization of mirrors and barriers on Wednesday that evolved into images of the problems job seekers have fighting the imagery of dragons on Thursday. On Friday, in the interest of respecting tough times and encouraging a move forward, the planned finale for the week was scrubbed in favor of an article on personal observations and an application of the lessons learned from tragedy to our daily work.

Comments are invited.

Note: There will be an opinion piece by me published on Sunday on the topic of Terrorism. Stay tuned.

Image credit: rtimages / 123RF Stock Photo

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April 15 - Mirror, Mirror on the Wall - The Brothers Grimm, Walt Disney and the Glass Association of North America would have you believe that mirrors never lie. That is probably true to a certain extent. As we learned from the first attempt to get deep space photos from the Hubble Space Telescope, sometimes a mirror can have hidden flaws that must be corrected to have a clearer picture of the objects we want to see. – more –

 

Apr 16 –Business Silo Cure and Prevention – CEO’s, CHRO’s, Engagement officers and other cultural Ninjas in the world of work are in a constant battle against not only the traditional way of doing things, but also need to overcome human nature. There is a passionate cry for some single entity to be in charge and this message must be filtered with reason in order to make progress. The building of walls around organizational units that extend vertically and not laterally may give a comforting feeling of being efficient, but in reality this idea leaves a lot to be desired. – more –

Apr 17 - What They Don’t Want You to Know  – We have all seen the infomercial lead-in for a miracle snake oil cure-all in which a white coated actor declares, “This is the secret formula that they don’t want you to know about!” Feeding the flames of paranoia and distrust of just about everything, the staged talk show format allows a contrived dialog that opens the way to believing that there is a magic elixir that only Dr. Whitecoat can deliver.  – more –

 

Apr 18 – Slaying Your Dragons in 10 Easy Steps: A Job Search Tutorial - Our images of dragons have two possible sources: Mythology or an actual incident that by the game of gossip has been exaggerated into the fire breathing monsters we see in movies. Contributors to Wikipedia give several possible sources of the story of Saint George and the Dragon. Looking for a logical explanation for the legend other than pure entertainment of the masses, the story from Wormingford in Essex, England sounds the most plausible. – more –