I recently had the opportunity to speak with leaders from Pinstripe Talent about something they are passionate about…. a talent mindset.  

As a Human Resource leader, one of the key roles I occupy is that of helping shape and set the way the organization approaches talent. It’s our company talent mindset.  The same goes for me personally as well as all the other leaders in the organization.  Since “talent” is not a commodity, recruiting and retaining talented, skilled employees is everyone’s job. In order to be successful, you have to have a talent mindset so that you understand what motivates people to stay and what makes them feel valued.

Pinstripe is sharing their ideas about talent and having a talent mindset.  I was fortunate to hear a presentation by Angela Hills, Executive Vice President from Pinstripe at Talent Net Live.  Angela then sat down to answer some of my questions about a talent mindset and I’ll be sharing those here with you in a two-part series.

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What is one thing an individual can do to help a fellow leader identify his/her talent mindset?

Well, one thing? Ask the question. Tell people what your Talent Mindset is and ask others to share theirs. Ask your CEO or leadership how they approach talent. Ask them what they are most proud of when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent. Ask them what motivates them and why they stay? Ask them what their top talent priorities are. Their answers will clue you in to which Talent
Mindset drives them, but it will also get Talent on their radar by talking about it. You’ll get them thinking and you might even influence them to focus on it more, just by getting them to talk about it!

What are a few of the benefits of knowing your talent mindset and potentially the talent mindset of your team or colleagues?

More than anything, I think it helps you to focus on what you do best.   Knowing your core approach to talent can help you realize why you’re so good at certain things and what others value most about it. It affirms the way you typically approach things. It can also highlight areas you may want to focus on (i.e. maybe you review the summary of another Talent Mindset and really wish you were more like that….), but more than anything, it will help you do more of what you do best.

Knowing the Talent Mindset of your entire team can be very useful. Staffing a project with a variety of Talent Mindsets ensures that you’re looking at an issue from multiple angles. It can also spur conversation and as noted above, I’m a firm believer that the more we talk about something, the more it is on our minds, and then the more it shapes our behavior. Talking more about talent should lead to colleagues focusing more on talent and that is good for business!

*Stay tuned for more discussion about Talent Mindset.   Thank you to Angela Hills, Pinstripe Talent and Talent Net Live for starting the discussion. In the meantime, do you have discussions with your leaders or team about their approach to talent?  Share with me in the comments.

Engagement is not something the company can “do” to the employee, it is a set of behaviors an employee must embrace in order to make the connections that will be lasting.

As I look at the list this morning, I notice it is a summary of ways we can be a better team member, a way to make a department better and even a way to address problems when you are not properly aligned with the expectations of a leader.

Ways to foster your own engagement

• Volunteer to do more
• Be more active (in the group, the topic, etc.)
• Look for ways to improve, then implement them
• Take ownership for what goes well and where you need to improve
• Get “fired up” and use your passion
• Be loyal
• Build trusting relationships

The take away for me, and maybe for you, is that many of the things we can do to foster our own engagement in a workplace or some other activity we pursue are the very things that will help us build relationships and work better with people.

What do you think?  What would you add to the list?

“Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.” ~Kenyan proverb

Today, I am thankful for all the sticks in my bundles and teamwork is on my mind.  There are a couple things in my life right now that are reinforcing the importance of a strong team.  One is work, the other is personal.  From a work standpoint, it is my position at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.  The teamwork my colleagues demonstrate inspires me every day.   Never before have I felt such a strong pull of a team.  Sure, we all hear the lip service about being on a team, but have you ever REALLY experienced it?  I’m not sure I have.

Until now.

What are the elements I view as critical to being a team?

• Mission- Working with a group of people who have clear mission and who actively keep each other on track by ensuring we provide service that clearly links to the mission
• Communication-  Open lines of communication and knowing your opinion will be heard
• Respect-  Acknowledging the experiences of individual members and embracing them

The other team I am on is personal….my HRevolution team.  Working with Steve Boese, Matt Stollak and Ben Eubanks is wonderful.  Each of us volunteers our time to work together toward the common mission of pulling together an event for you~ the HR and recruiting professionals we want to interact with.  If you’re reading this blog, HRevolution is for YOU.

And, much like a work team or athletic team, the HRevolution team is focused.  We’ve got our goal, we communicate every day, and we have the utmost respect for each other and the strengths and abilities each individual brings to the table.  It’s a great feeling to be part of that.  And, we want YOU to be part of that.  Be sure to check out the HRevolution registration site and register for the event on October 2, 2011 in Las Vegas.  Tickets are going fast and who can pass up a conference for $150?   And this year you have two options.  Come one day for HRevolution OR stay on for the HR Technology Conference.  We’re partnering with them to bring you a great discount for both events.  

Registrants for HRevolution – Las Vegas will receive the largest discount code good for $600 off the onsite registration rate of $1,795 that can be applied to the HR Technology Conference registration. That’s the biggest discount available, so register for HRevolution today and we’ll send you your discount code for the HR Technology Conference!

Well, I actually was as a young girl but I quickly determined that I am not the “type”.  I thought that being a cheerleader meant putting on that fake smile, making sure I had proper cheerleader form and basically doing something that I was not sure that anyone really appreciated anyway.  It just didn’t feel like me.  I did it for a couple seasons then, put my pom poms down forever.

Until now.

Turns out that I’ve learned I’ve been a cheerleader all along.

You heard it right.

I was recently asked to be a cheer coach for my daughter’s squad of girls ages 5- 11.  I accepted even though I was worried because the last time I performed a cheer anywhere was in 1982.  I am working with two other coaches, one who was a championship cheerleader and one who, like me, is not.  After talking with the other coaches, we determined what strength each of us brought to the team.  Then, we used that strength to coach our girls.  My strength is organizing, helping break down training into the most manageable size for the person learning, trying new techniques of teaching and finding a way to make each girl feel special.

I realized that I am THEIR cheerleader.

And, isn’t that the real role of a coach?  To teach and to let the learner try out the new skills.  To encourage all along the way.  These are the same ideas and principles I apply at work each day and the same role I try to play in projects I am part of like HRevolution.

I wish you could have seen our practice last night.  Girls standing in near-perfect formaton, working on sharper hand and arm movements, huge smiles on their faces.  I started by naming a “mini coach” for each cheer so that the girls can help teach and encourage each other.  I worked with my brilliant instructional coach to support her as she taught the team new techniques and cheers.  The girls kept practicing even after our normal practice time had ended.  They were feeling a sense of pride.

So, if you had asked me 24 hours ago if I’m a cheerleader, I would have said no.

Turns out I was wrong.  Go team!

10.  HR can be impartial-  Sure, some may confuse this with being “cold” but we’re not invested in the relationships as much as people working in the department.  We can come at a situation with a fresh set of eyes.

 9.   HR can teach the soft skills-  Many leaders go to school to learn how to be successful in business or whatever industry they choose to work in.  They don’t spend time in classes that tell them how to listen, how to be nice or how to show empathy.  That’s where HR comes in.  We can teach this all day long.

 8.   HR believes employees are unique individuals-  HR helps managers and leaders recognize it.

 7.   HR teaches how to give feedback, even if there isn’t a perfect performance tool-  The point is not to teach leaders and staff how to use the latest and greatest performance feedback tool.  It’s to encourage open communication.

 6.   HR Departments are flawed-  It’s true.  We’re just like other departments.  We have good workers and people who could do better.  HR pros have good days and bad days.  Good HR teams admit it and work to improve.  And, we’re not afraid to use our own performance or experience as an employee as an example with an employee or leader who may be struggling.  We’re all in this together!

 5.   HR helps document-  We help our leaders and even staff document incidents that occur.  This cuts down on the risk of something getting out of hand, or someone being treated unfairly or discriminated against.  Documentation can be a good thing.

 4.    HR can save the organization money-  We can cut your recruiting expenses down, reduce your training time and expense, teach you management skills to help retain good workers, negotiate great offers and promotion rates.  We may not generate revenue but we can sure supplement with cost savings.

 3.   HR is not for the faint at heart-  We do all the dirty work and get all the crazy stories under our belt early on.  Believe me, I’ve faced employees with weapons, I’ve been cursed at, spit at, yelled at, cried to, you name it.  I have so many stories I could never even share in print. Who else wants to take this on?  Raise your hand…. nope, didn’t think so.

 2.  Few do it well because….

 1.   It’s hard work! 

*Thanks to Paul Smith for letting me piggy back off his idea.  Be sure to check out his blog.