I’ve had a great month of guests to celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of The Buzz on HR! Each one brought a fresh perspective and reminder for me on why I’m so devoted to this profession and its work.

• Thank you Julie Waddell for confirming again that HR’s duty is to balance business needs with employee rights/needs. Thank you for reminding me that strategic HR boils down to aligning HR goals and programming with the goals and direction the organization wants to go. And thank you for pointing out that, in the end, HR is just a job that pays the bills.
• Thank you Jane Watson for showing me that HR has the power and obligation to stop the organization from damaging itself in pursuit of its purpose. Thank you for reminding me to consider the individuals in the context of our plans and goals. And thank you for pointing out that HR is not sorcery!
• Thank you Sarah Miller for inspiring me with by saying good HR is about making “opposites cooperate to be both a successful organization and a good employer.” (BOOM!! #message). And thank you for reminding me that healthy skepticism is not — and should never cross over into — negativity.
• Thank you Keeya Majors for showing me that HR is the nerve center — the place that controls both positive movement and alerts or corrects us when things go awry. Thank you for reminding me that everyone wants really wants to be in HR and that being in HR means I’m awesome!

A year later, I’m in a different job and completely different role in my new organization. I am almost sick of hearing myself say how much taking on this new position has changed my perspective … but I have to keep saying it because it is my truth.

And because of my new truth, what HR is to me is a little different now … Today, for me, HR is about making sure that the organization walks its talk.

Now that I am in a more strategic role and I have direct reports whose performance and development I’m responsible and accountable for, I feel the dissonance of the seeming hypocrisy that comes when a function or department isn’t living up to the standards. Especially my own function and department because it is more of a reflection on me now than ever before in my career … And if there’s one thing I don’t like, it’s dissonance. So I’m more focused than ever on bringing accountability, balance, cooperation and integrity into the areas where I have influence.

It is no longer acceptable for me to just have things “look good” — I want them to “be good.” Sincerely and truly and deliberately good. That’s walking the talk. That’s what HR is to me … now.

In order to make sure HR walks the talk, we need to do a few things …

• Keep practicing. Our profession keeps growing and changing. HR’s tentacles stretch across so many disciplines. If you don’t want to learn all of them, that’s fine. But remain an active, enthusiastic and vocal practitioner in whatever discipline you choose.
• Keep timing. We all want our organizations to be the best and brightest using the most current techniques and technologies. But we can’t do that all at once because that costs money and time that we might not have — and HR’s priorities aren’t the only ones that matter. Proper timing in the planning and execution of our goals cannot be underestimated.
• Keep growing. Professional networking and development are crucial for HR. There is so much to learn, know and do that we have to look to and lean on each other. Those of us who have been in the profession for awhile have to help others learn — and we have to be willing to learn and listen to the newbies.

For the first time in a long time, I feel challenged in my work. And ironically, my challenge is to rise to the challenge of the 3 things I just mentioned. I’m excited about it — and I’m excited to share the journey and lessons with you in Year 3 of this blog.

Thank you for reading! Let’s meet these challenges together.