Tag Archives: Change

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Putting the HUMAN back in Human Resources

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This is the third post in our series:  What does HR Really Stand For:  Human Resources or Human Remains?

Kevin KennemerAs I thought through this series, I reached out Kevin Kennemer because I knew that he had both the passion and the data to make the case that Great Workplaces enjoy a significant competitive advantage over their competition.  Kevin is a Great Workplace Advocate, and the founder of The People Group, a firm dedicated to transforming companies into winning workplaces. He works with CEO’s of small and medium sized businesses to create work environments built on trust, respect and dignity.  Kevin holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management.  This is what Kevin had to say:  

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…Need people that are skilled at managing & coping with change?

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goldfish jumping out of the waterLast year, The Institute for Corporate Productivity released a study listing the Top 10 Critical Human Capital Issues for 2013.  Numero Uno on that list was Managing and Coping with Change.  

One of the big reasons for this blog series about “The Real Housewives of Expat Men” is to share stories and lessons from real people that have become highly skilled at doing just that!

  • If your organization needs help Managing and Coping with Change – try hiring one!
  • And if your organization hires expats, please take a few minutes and consider the families that serve you and how they in turn serve your customers.

If you don’t know any – you’ll still love their stories. And if you spend any time thinking about them, you will discover ways to help the people in your organization and your neighbors at a higher level.

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We’ve walked into paralyzing fears and become stronger.

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We’re doctors, nurses, schoolteachers, writers, actresses, artists, musicians, hair-stylists, yoga teachers, economists, consultants…

We’re red, and yellow, black and white and every color you can imagine.

We’re in our 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and yes even in our 70’s!

Some of us are newlyweds, some are new mothers, some are raising teenagers, some have four-legged furry-children, and others have grandchildren.

We’re Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu…

Some of us have husbands home each night, while others navigate the new lands we live in while our spouses travel or are offshore for weeks at a time.

We’re not just “Trailing Spouses” – We’re real people that have been “Thrown In” and instead of being destroyed by the pressure of constant change and the unknown we’re transforming.

[Tweet “We’re The Real Housewives of Expat Men”]

Agents of Change iStockLast week I announced a new blog series about Expat Wives in this post:   

Uncommon and EXTRAordinary Agents of Change  

This is the first story in the series.  

  • It’s written to encourage anyone in the midst of change.
  • It’s written for everyone that loves an adventure.
  • It’s written to remind Recruiters and Hiring Managers that in order to find Diamonds you have to mine for them.
  • It’s written challenge companies that hire expats to evaluate their processes.
  • And most of all it’s written with a grateful heart and in honor of the women I’ve met on my journey.

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Uncommon and EXTRAordinary Agents of CHANGE

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Prior to moving to the foreign land I now live in, I read about expat wives.

  • I read about their maids and their drivers.
  • I read about how they filled their time with shopping and the spa and expensive vacations.
  • I read about women that became alcoholics or drug addicts from boredom.

Wow what a picture!  …Expat wives sounded spoiled, pampered, snooty, lonely and sad.

  • I didn’t read anything that highlighted their brilliance, their ability to adapt to change or how critical their role is in providing stability for their husband and children.
  • I didn’t read anything that highlighted the variety of situations they have had to navigate and how they were tested or how they grew stronger.
  • I didn’t read about their wisdom, their compassion or their grit.

But oddly enough every contact I made with experienced expats prior to my move was positive.  Complete strangers offered advice, encouragement, pictures, stories, recon, support, and hope.

In my first week here we had dinner with another couple that has moved 9 times in 12 years to 6 different countries.  Prior to becoming expats her background was in HR.  Immediately I thought of how often HR and hiring mangers frown on hiring people that have been out of the workplace for any period of time.  And then I thought about:

  • How often executives and hiring managers have told me that the biggest challenge to growing their organization is people.  …AND how often I’ve watched those same people pass up great candidates because they aren’t mining for towering strengths in uncommon packages.
  • How many organizations are in the midst of change and struggling.
  • How Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman taught me to mine for, develop and unleash strengths in people.   …And how those lessons helped to transform an under-performing group of individuals into a high performing team that exceeded all of their goals and lead multiple company-wide organizational development projects.

So today I’m launching a new series about “The Real Housewives of Expat Men!”  

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Help for Navigating Change: From Invisible to Making an Impact

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imagesOn November 29th of last year I wrote a post-titled Comfort or Magic?  Go?  Stay?  Stay?  Go?

What I did not say in the post is that the days prior had been filled with that question as we tried to decide if we had the courage to make a move across the world to a land that sounded stressful, backward, emotionally challenging and dangerous.

A few weeks later we “came out of the closet” and shared what we were doing and why. And for the past year I’ve included lots of our expat stories in this blog.

  • Yes – part of the reason was to share the adventure and the learning’s as they unfolded.
  • However, a bigger reason for sharing the journey is that CHANGE PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN OUR PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL LIVES and even though it is the only constant in our lives… People struggle with it all of the time. 

Did you know that CHANGE was listed in three of the top 10 Human Capital Issues for 2013?  And Numero Uno on the list was Managing and Coping with Change? (The truth of that statement was evidenced when we hosted a Lead Change Event In Tulsa Titled,” Leading in The Midst of Change” and we had our largest turnout.)