Carnival of HR # 34

The 34th Carnival of HR is posted at the Pennsylvania Labor and Employment Blog with a compliment of excellent postings on interesting topics. This carnival offers good stuff for all of us to consider as we address today’s challenges. So, what are you waiting for?

HR Carnival

The carnival is back in town at The Career Encouragment Blog - check it out!

Carnival of HR 30

The HR Carnival is up at Fortify Your Oasis. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger!

HR Carnival #27

The HR Carnival is up at Three Star Leadership. Great posts, fun tips and a few new blogs to read. Check it out!

HR Carnival

Welcome to the First Anniversary Edition of the HR Carnival.

It would not be fitting to start this Carnival off with anyone other than the founder of this gathering of sorts. So, first out of the chute is the Evil HR Lady with her thoughts on business planning. What if we worked to anticipate problems? What if HR did it's job and analyzed how people were working and what things were really necessary? 

The organization is on many blogger minds. Many organizational cultures have great opportunities for growth and improvement. Consider the long term view, visit the Maximize Possibility Blog to be sure you don't throw the baby out with the bath water! Is pay for performance as simple and easy as saying "bad dog" for jumping on the sofa and "good dog" for heeling?  Not necessarily says Trusted Advisor  as he posts on how just paying people for "performance" often doesn't work out very well. Looking for a way to keep employee engagement on the front burner for supervisors? Interested in measuring basic needs, confidence, belonging, growth and retention? Uncle Joe's Leadership blog has a way.

Leaders learn to lead by leading. They don't learn to lead in a classroom. They don't learn to lead from a book. Great leadership development programs provide tools and support to help developing leaders learn faster and more effectively. Got your interest? Three Star Leadership has much more on this topic! Looking to reduce the time that it takes a new leader and his or her new work team to begin to communicate more openly and freely, and build trust, inclusion, and collaboration? Check out the new leader integration process at Great Leadership.

Calling all ISTJs out there. Enjoy the comfort of e-mail recruiting? Reluctant to make that call? Hesitant to break the ice and call that applicant directly? You can do it. Really. The HR Capitalist did! Hmmmm. Would this make The HR Capitalist a planner or an impromptu? Pop over to Execupundit.com to join the discussion about two types of performers in the organization: planners and impromptus.  Knowing which camp is yours can be very helpful.

Whoa, there's more to wet your whistle. Read about penny-wise, pound-foolish employment practices at the Ohio Employment Law Blog, congratulate Nurse Ratched on her new job, and the results are in - polka dots can be a contributing factor to painful headaches! Check out the HR Wench to see why one Swedish school went monochromatic. Typos got you down? Visit Fortify Your Oasis and join the rant. Better yet, join the push to raise the bar on "truly horrible sentences."

Is differentiation really important in people management? What types of differentiation are relevant? What are the implications of differentiation? Is it worth the trouble and effort?  Simplicity at the other side of complexity takes this one on. Don't stop thinking yet! Just in, the MIT Club of Northern California and SmartSilvers sponsored an event on The Emerging Brain Fitness Software Market: Building Better Brains to explore the realities and myths of this growing field. Want to know more? Check out Sharp Brains - Your Brain Fitness Center. Hmmmm. Wonder if they can help me with sudoku puzzle #57. . .

Finding out you didn't get a job is always disheartening news. But if you are committed that you don't want a job unless it is a good match on both sides, you'll be able to move on with grace and calm. This post at the Career Encouragement Blog is a definitely a keeper. 

Do you seek balance and insanity? Click on over to 8 hours & a lunch to see what one amazing person, committed to living in this world doing something that inspires, uplifts, and invigorates her, is up to. 

This edition of the carnival ends with a blast from the not-so-distant past. This is where it all began.

HR Carnival Submissions

I will be hosting the next HR Carnival here on February 20th. Please e-mail me your submissions by February 18th and have a great day everyone!

HR Carnival #26

The 26th Edition of the Carnival of Human Resources at Three Star Leadership points you to posts on engagement, predatory employees, how to get a job you're not qualified for, legal issues related to workplace bullying, and how to be culturally aware when planning a meeting. There are eleven other quality posts to delight and amaze you. Check out the Carnival, then tell your friends!

I am hosting the next HR Carnival so gather up your best posts and send your submissions to me by February 18th.

HR Carnival

Step right up! Come on, come all to the HR Carnival hosted by Deb at 8 hours & a lunch. Go, right now and check this out!

HR Carnival #24

The first carnival of the new year is up and running at Ask A Manager. Wondering why the Girl Scouts think HR people hate them, what to do with Queen Frostine, what to do when you make a mistake at work or anything in between? You will find the answers at the carnival! Check it out.

HR Carnival

We close out 2007 with the latest installment of the HR Carnival at Compensation Force. Take a few minutes to click over and check this out!

HR Carnival #20

The latest and greatest HR Carnival is up at Guerilla HR. Summon the clowns and pop on over!

HR Carnival #19

 November 1, kids back in school and trick or treating complete. Now you can take a minute to check out the HR Carnival at HRO Manager for the lates. Just look for the pumpkin!

HR Carnival #18

Batter up, it is the top of the ninth and the HR Capitalist  is up with the HR Carnival. Take it from me folks, this one is outta the park!

HR Carnival #17

Take a quick trip to the UK to join Natalie at the Work Clinic for the latest installment of the HR Carnival, "HR Carnival, Global Friendships." Happy Wednesday and enjoy!

HR Carnival #16

You are late! Not really, but make your way to the "Evil" conference room for this week's staff meeting. Agenda? HR Carnival #16. Never did find the donuts but a fun, and very worthwhile "meeting" overall. Don't miss it!

HR Carnival # 15

Grab some popcorn and start clicking. When you see this, you will know you are there. Where? The Carnival of HR, of course, hosted this week by Rowan Manahan at Fortify Your Oasis. Enjoy the "veritable cornucopia of ideas, approaches and wake-up calls!"

HR Carnival #14

HR Carnival  #14 is up and running at Three Star Leadership. To take the words right from the mouth (post) of our host, "Read them for wisdom. Read them for fun. Read them for new blogs to add to your regular routine." Whatever you do, just read them. You will not regret it!

Rowan Manahan will host the next carnival in 14 days at Fortify Your Oasis.

HR Carnival #13

Are you one of the lucky ones? Check out the 13th HR Carnival at Compensation Force to find out. You won't regret it!

HR Carnival #12

Interested in a little bit of this, a little bit of that and a whole lot of great stuff? Check out the HR Carnival at Ask a Manager. The carnival opens around a meeting table (you are awesome and you are at the table, take a prominent seat) and moves through spots on rewards, career proofing, career changes, setting goals, leadership, supervision, future of work, and loving HR, as it winds down with Ask a Manager musing over an employee's private blog post about, well ... her. 

#12 and still going strong!

HR Carnival # 11

In HR, we manage the employment relationship from start to finish. You can say that it all begins with an attractive work environment, leading to recruitment and then selection. In the face of tough competition and a very mobile workforce, we strive to retain. We develop systems to support retention, to encourage behaviors that support long term business goals, to provide learning opportunities, to leverage technology, to develop organizational leadership from within, and to address poor performance. And then, we network. With that, the Carnival begins!  Hint: popcorn and peanuts may not be such a bad idea. . . .

Work Environment as a Reward Element  

People spend much of their time at work and it is not all about the work. Ann at Compensation Force reminds us that work environment does matter. The physical and psychic aspects of the workplace can be a very significant element of an organization's total compensation package. Don't underestimate the value of air conditioning in the summer time or the attraction of a collegial and team oriented culture. 

When a job is NOT just a job

Differentiation occurs at the organization level yet it can also occur at the individual manager level. Remember, people leave supervisors, not organizations. Anna at The Engaging Brand offers a SENSEible way to differentiate yourself (or your company) from others through the 'experience' of working for you. Hmmmm, take a look in the mirror. How do you stack up?

Job Search Rule #15 - Follow the Application Directions

You found a company you are interested in working for and you are applying for the job. Great. The company's position posting asks for electronic resumes but you think you can do one better so, instead of e-mailing, you decide to "fed-ex, fax, or send via snail-mail on lovely white resume paper." Think again! You didn't follow directions. Check in with Peggy at The Career Encouragement blog to see your fate. Dismissed!

Title Mania

You are developing your resume. "What do you do if you have an extremely ambiguous position and non fitting job title?" Well, the Evil HR Lady says, "titles don't matter as much as you think they do. Granted, it's an easy way to figure out what someone did at a quick glance but any competent recruiter will know to look beyond title." Title, schmitle. 

i really don't want the job (what not to do during the hiring process)

"Treating people you don't even know like they aren't worth your time will definitely keep you from moving forward in the hiring process."  Deb at 8 hours & a lunch starting thinking about things to do if you do NOT want a job. Pop over for Deb's take on behaviors that will take someone off the short list and derail their chances of receiving an offer. What can you add to the list? Also, thanks to Deb at for the carnival graphic :)

Sales Performance Management - Are You Big Picture or Activity-Driven?

Is tracking behavioral activities that drive results necessary for sales organizations? Kris at The HR Capitalist would "love to see a performance management system where Sales Reps get the annual review and if they make the annual number they are at least a 'Meets.' The rest of the structure would formally emphasize the behaviors that would help them become an 'Exceeds.' " What do you think about that? Let Kris know.  

It is how you develop and learn that is important

Often we hear comments from employees focusing on what development they have not received. "You are your own barrier.....if you want to succeed you can, if you think you won't, you won't." Tuck these inspiring words of wisdom from MabelandHarry away to share with others (or maybe yourself) at just the right moment. 

The Changing Face of Learning and Development

"With the continued rapid increase of global teams which often operate virtually, the way learning and development is delivered is also changing." The impact of technology "is fascinating" to Jennifer Britton at Business Toolkit - The Biz Toolkit. Join her as she contemplates technology, learning and intergenerational management.

How long, oh CEO?

Development is not limited to front line employees. Even at the CEO level, development is critical. "There's a perception that CEOs are not staying as long as they used to.  Is that true?" Wally Bock concludes at Three Star Leadership that there are lots of lessons you can draw from studies of CEO tenure but the most important one is that you'll usually do better growing your own.

Employee Performance, Sacking Poor Performers

"What happens when someone on your team isn't performing well, but you're feeling the brunt of it as you or even other members in your team are picking up the slack? Not sure what to do?" Natalie at The Work Clinic  shares top tips to maximise employee performance to help you to assess your current staff and compare their skills and aptitude against the organisation’s requirements.

Tools that make your life easier #1: Social Networking

"Allow me to let you in on a little secret here - employers H-A-T-E hiring. It is a difficult, time-consuming . . . and it rarely results in the perfect appointment." So, how can your increase your odds that the person you are hiring today is not going to be one of the problems you deal with tomorrow? The answer is social networking. What? Yes, "people are slow to give recommendations unless they are fairly sure of the person they are talking about." Check in with Rowan Manahan at Fortify Your Oasis  for a social networking primer. Awesome!

In closing and in honor of day 5 of my vacation, I leave you with peace. peace. it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work, it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. (unknown)

With that have a great week and don't forget that the July 25th Carnival will be hosted by the Manager at Ask a Manager!