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james-pottr · 5 years ago

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{ 𝔦 𝔴 𝔞 𝔰 𝔯 𝔞 𝔦 𝔰 𝔢 𝔡 𝔲 𝔭 𝔟 𝔢 𝔩 𝔦 𝔢 𝔳 𝔦 𝔫 𝔤 𝔦 𝔴 𝔞 𝔰 𝔰 𝔬 𝔪 𝔢 𝔥 𝔬 𝔴 𝔲 𝔫 𝔦 𝔮 𝔲 𝔢 }

𝖖 𝖚 𝖔 𝖙 𝖊 𝖘

i solemnly swear that i am up to no good j k rowling, harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban if people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. the world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. but those that will not break it kills. it kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. if you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry. ernest hemingway, a farewell to arms being brave doesn't mean you aren't scared. being brave means you are scared, really scared, badly scared, and you do the right thing anyway. neil gaiman, coraline witty, self-deprecating, sometimes uproariously funny and sometimes unbearably sad new statesman i wonder which will get you killed faster—your loyalty or your stubbornness susan ee, angelfall

𝖇 𝖆 𝖘 𝖎 𝖈

NAME: james fleamont euphemon potter NICKNAMES: prongs, jamie AGE: 19 BIRTHDAY: march 27, 1960 GENDER: male PRONOUNS: he/him SEXUALITY: disaster bisexual, somewhat demiromantic

𝖋 𝖆 𝖒 𝖎 𝖑 𝖞

MOTHER: euphemia potter, nee valez ( deceased, aged 73 ) FATHER: fleamont potter ( deceased, aged 80 ) SIBLINGS: none biological, several unofficially adopted

𝖕 𝖍 𝖞 𝖘 𝖎 𝖈 𝖆 𝖑 𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖇𝖚𝖙𝖊𝖘

FACE CLAIM: alberto rosende BUILD: tall, defined, built like a brick shithouse HAIR: naturally disheveled and messy, often flopped over his forehead and particularly mused at the back. despite hi HAIR COLOR: jet-black EYE COLOR: hazel SKIN COLOR: tan DOMINANT HAND: right ANOMALIES: a scar on his left hip, another on his right knee and one across his left cheek from snape’s curse beside the lake. james’ hands are calloused from years of quidditch and he has a smattering of other small scars and marks from full moons and particularly violent quidditch matches. SCENT: broom polish, clean soap and something almost oaky (ya boy smells like a forest) ACCENT: british ALLERGIES: all forms of seafood DISORDERS: james has shown symptoms of mild depression following the deaths of his parents and regulus black. the revelation regarding lily’s pregnancy as well as the curse has also led to some anxiety, although james is unsure if this is natural stress or something more FASHION: whilst james still owns quite a few pairs of robes, his everyday clothing is an eclectic mix of both wizarding and muggle, quite often stolen from his friends. james likes to say that he and lily don’t have seperate sock drawer because he just steals hers on a regular basis. NERVOUS TICS: tapping his foot or drumming his fingers on things. if he has it on him, james will often play with the snitch he stole from hogwarts when he was fifteen, letting it fly away and catching it. a true indication of james’ uncertainty and nerves is just how deep into his own hair his hand is. chances are, the messier james’ hair is, the more stressed he is. QUIRKS: constantly playing with his own hair or adjusting his glasses. james is a very physical person, so if he’s speaking to someone, particularly someone he is close to, he will often lean heavily on them, or fling his arm around them.

𝖑 𝖎 𝖋 𝖊 𝖘 𝖙 𝖞 𝖑 𝖊

RESIDES: godric’s hollow, west country, england. here he lives in a cottage purchased as a wedding present for himself and lily BORN: st mungo's hospital for magical maladies and injuries RAISED: potter estate, located outside of godric’s hollow in the west country, england CAREER: auror-in-training EXPERIENCE: while the auror program has offered james considerably training and experience in both offensive and defensive magic, his role within the order of the phoenix continues to hone those skills EMPLOYER: the ministry of magic

POLITICAL AFFILIATION: aligned with the order of the phoenix BELIEFS: strongly anti-dark magic, pro-muggle and muggleborn MISDEMEANORS: a multitude of detentions whilst attending hogwarts, many of which were for jinxing or pranking other students FELONIES: one motorbike chase with two muggle policeman, is an illegal stag animagus DRUGS: none SMOKES: only when he is particularly stressed. upon finding out that lily was pregnant, despite it remaining between the two, james has banned cigarettes in their house. ALCOHOL: occasionally. james is a very overzealous and affectionate drunk, however since the deaths of his parents, he has been far more mournful and therefore tries to avoid drinking as of late DIET: while he lacks the full skillset of his mother, james often tries to emulate the traditional colombian and cuban meals that he grew up on. otherwise, he is fairly unpicky and will eat most foods.

LANGUAGES: english & spanish

PHOBIAS: being truly alone HOBBIES: playing quidditch, collecting chocolate frog cards, drawing TRAITS: { + }: stubborn affectionate loyal self-sacrificial dedicated { - }: stubborn arrogant boastful self-sacrificial rebellious

𝖋 𝖆 𝖛 𝖔 𝖚 𝖗 𝖎 𝖙 𝖊 𝖘

LOCATION: anywhere that his friends are, hogwarts SPORTS TEAM: puddlemere united GAME: quidditch MUSIC: most things playing on the wireless, james just likes the background noise MOVIES: james is admittedly, fascinated by muggle films and television, so he does not have a favourite as he just likes watching them in general. FOOD: his mother’s pastelitos and empanadas, moros y cristianos BEVERAGE: butterbeer, firewhiskey if he really needs it COLOR: dark red, burgundy

𝖒 𝖆 𝖌 𝖎 𝖈

ALUMNI HOUSE: gryffindor WAND (length, flexibility, wood, & core): 11", pliable, mahogany, unicorn hair AMORTENTIA: pastelitos, lavender and vanilla, old books and something musky PATRONUS: a stag BOGGART: the corpses of his family and friends, dead at his own hand

�� 𝖍 𝖆 𝖗 𝖆 𝖈 𝖙 𝖊 𝖗

MORAL ALIGNMENT: chaotic good MBTI: esfp ( extraverted, observant, feeling and perceiving ) MBTI ROLE: the performer ( vivacious entertainers who charm and engage those around them. they are spontaneous, energetic, and fun-loving, and take pleasure in the things around them: food, clothes, nature, animals, and especially other people and their wellbeing ) ENNEAGRAM: type 8 ENNEAGRAM ROLE: the challenger ( the powerful, dominating type: self-confident, decisive, willful, and confrontational. they use their strength to improve others' lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring ) TEMPERAMENT: sanguine ( fundamentally spontaneous and pleasure-seeking; sanguine people are sociable and charismatic. they tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be boisterous. they are very much people persons; talkative and not shy. sanguines generally have an almost shameless nature, certain that what they are doing is right. they have no lack of confidence. ) WESTERN ZODIAC: aries ( hopeful, active, energetic, honest, versatile, brave, adventurous, passionate, generous, cheerful, argumentative, curious, impulsive, naive, self-willed, belligerent, impatient ) CHINESE ZODIAC: rat ( wise, unique, intelligent, crafty, determined, inventive, intense, acquisitiveness, ruthlessness, and nervousness ) PRIMAL SIGN: piranha ( fearless, aggressive, and get what they want every time TAROT CARD: the sun, the wheel of fortune & the magician ( there an air of earned and learned success with the wheel of fortune and magician cards, and an added dimension of peace, contentment and inner harmony ) TV TROPES: team mom ( there needs to be someone to hold this ragtag bunch of misfits together before they kill each other or wander off into the woods ) feeling oppressed by their existence ( because there is a certain kind of people that he doesn't like, and they... exist ) screw the rules, i'm doing what's right! ( helping someone out when the rules say that you shouldn't ) jerk with a heart of gold ( a person you would expect to be a big jerkass has some redeeming qualities behind their tough demeanor ) SONGS: run away - ben platt nine - sleeping at last lily and james - imogen heap young and in love - ingrid michaelson 5805 - the classic crime

𝖎 𝖉 𝖊 𝖔 𝖑 𝖔 𝖌 𝖎 𝖊 𝖘

abhors the dark arts and believes that anyone who partakes in them should be stopped

refuses to wear shoes indoors

disgusted with any form of prejudice against someone for their blood-status or other things they are unable to change about themselves

his privilege should be used to help others: he is rich and from a fairly respectable pureblooded family and he should use that to help those who are not

when it battle, it is his duty to protect those around him, even if that means sacrificing himself

stopping harm from coming to others is the most important thing

#dulcetask #i didnt spend all day doing this whut #𝔯𝔢𝔤𝔞𝔯𝔡𝔩𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔢𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢: 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔧𝔞𝔪𝔢𝔰 𝔭𝔬𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔶 { 𝔟 𝔦 𝔬 𝔤 𝔯 𝔞 𝔭 𝔥 𝔶 }

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zipgrowth · 6 years ago

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Is Creativity a Skill?

Are you creative? How would you know, or convince your boss? According to a new LinkedIn analysis of member profiles, creativity tops the chart of soft skills that employers are looking for.

A skill is loosely defined as the ability to do something well. The word traces back to Old Norse for “power of discernment.” In the early 13th century, the word was also used to describe one’s “sense of ability, cleverness.” Skills can also be taught, improved, measured and defined—and be done with some consistency and reliability.

Does creativity check those boxes? Is creativity a skill? Can it be honed through practice and repetition, in a similar fashion as, say, practicing shooting free throws? I posed this question in the office—and got a hung jury. Respondents to a Twitter poll leaned slightly in favor of “yes.”

From personal experience, the most creative moments rarely happen on a conference call, in a meeting, or with sharpies, sticky notes and a whiteboard. They spark unpredictably, in the most mundane of moments—riding the train, running, watching football or washing dishes. There is serendipity in the spontaneity. (Of course, not all creative ideas are good ones.)

Creativity is one of those things that’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it.

Jaime Casap, chief education evangelist at Google

To get a broader perspective, I also posed this question to professionals from different industries, working in film, writing, teaching, museums and technology companies big and small. Here’s what they said.

Is creativity a skill? Why—or why not?

Esther Wojcicki, journalism teacher and author of “Moonshots”: Creativity is a mindset. It is a way of looking at life. If you look at life the standard way, then there is no creativity involved. It is copying.

Creativity means thinking outside the box; thinking in ways that requires you believe in yourself enough to take a risk. It is not a skill; it is a mindset.

Chris Bennett, CEO of Wonderschool: Yes, it is a skill. Like most things, I believe it can be learned and honed.

George Anders, book author and senior editor at LinkedIn: Creativity has picked a clever, infuriating spot, right in the middle of the continuum between very teachable skills at one end, and practically unalterable traits at the other. It combines elements of both.

Lynda Weinman, founder of Lynda.com: Creativity is a soft skill. Other soft skills include critical thinking, collaboration, and negotiation. It is a skill because it can be learned. It can also be sucked dry out of people when there is too much emphasis on rote learning and standardization.

Alex Davis-Lawrence, filmmaker and producer: It’s a skill in the sense that it can be taught, developed, and honed over time. But “skill” isn’t really the best way to think about creativity. Creativity is best seen as a practice, or perhaps a perspective—a way of looking, thinking, living, seeing and being. It is the context and perspective that allows you to make the best use of your skills, rather than a skill itself.

Carol Tang, executive director at Children’s Creativity Museum: Creativity is a set of skills, behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs—more akin to a mindset than a discrete skill. For example, there are specific skills that would encourage creative thinking—both divergent idea generation and convergent selection between ideas. However, without having agency or self-efficacy, you may not apply those skills.

Jaime Casap, chief education evangelist at Google: Yes! But it’s not the most important skill. I would put it fifth on my list, behind problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration and ability to learn.

Creativity supports these other skills. It’s embedded in problem-solving, for example. You must use creativity to think of new ways to define and solve problems. Creativity also separates us from machines or robots. For example, an algorithm is a prescribed process, a pattern of commands a machine (or technology) follows. A human can look at issues from a variety of angles—in a nonlinear way! Creativity can be the “how” part of problem-solving.

How can creativity be taught or learned?

Lynda Weinman: Creativity is taught by open-ended problem solving. Problems that teach creativity have no one right answer.

[Creativity] can also be sucked dry out of people when there is too much emphasis on rote learning and standardization.

Lynda Weinman, founder of Lynda.com

Jaime Casap: The best creative solution usually comes from collaboration. So, you can build two skills at the same time: collaboration and creativity. One of my favorite books is “Orbiting the Giant Hairball.” Every time I feel like I need a creativity push, I read that book.

Carol Tang: Here at the Children’s Creativity Museum, our logic model and theory of change are based on one aspect of creativity, “creative confidence,” which we refer to as creative self-efficacy or creative self-agency. With creative confidence, children (and adults!) are more like to use their creativity skill set and continue to practice and improve those skills.

Chris Bennett: By trial and error—and the younger the better. There are tactics to be creative and foundational things you can do to develop creativity. It depends on what you want to create. For art: create it, present it, try to sell it, get feedback and repeat. Do this a lot. And the earlier in life the better. Traveling, going outdoors and having conversations about the things you’re creating can also enhance creativity.

Esther Wojcicki: It cannot be taught in a traditional classroom that is focused on doing everything right. It can only be “empowered” when kids are not afraid to take a risk and when they believe in themselves. Children are innately creative, and it is educated out of them.

George Anders: We can teach some elements, to some extent. We can coach people to consider more alternatives when they approach a problem. We can tell them that it sometimes helps to rethink fundamental assumptions, which may not be as confining as they seem. We can encourage people to brainstorm together in a relaxed group setting, where a “yes, and” mentality prevails and people don’t tense up for fear of saying something wrong.

But people’s receptiveness to absorbing these messages varies hugely. Some people barely need to be told how to be creative. They’ve known it all their lives. For others, trying to adopt a paint-by-numbers approach to creative thinking takes them nowhere.

Alex Davis-Lawrence: Any approach to teaching creativity has to incorporate a combination of theory, practice and time. “Learning” creativity has to be experiential to a certain extent—it’s inherently tied to how you “learn” in the first place (how you interpret what you see and hear, etc.), so it has to incorporate types of teaching that go beyond the classroom.

To use a possibly silly but I think appropriate metaphor, think of the classic “I know Kung Fu” scene in The Matrix. The skill of kung fu can be downloaded into Neo’s brain, but it’s only when using the kung fu in a fight with Morpheus—when being faced with direct, real-time problem solving related to that skillset—that he begins to actually learn. And it’s only when those lessons have unfolded over time (over the course of various emotional states, different opponents, different goals) that Neo is able to fully realize the potential of his abilities.

How can creativity be measured or assessed?

Jaime Casap: Creativity is one of those things that’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it. It’s a unique perspective or a unique way to solve a problem. I would look at what is produced at the end of a problem-solving process—as an individual or as a team—and rate the solution on a creativity scale. I would also put communication skills into the creativity bucket. Students need to be able to tell a story in unique and creative ways.

Esther Wojcicki: Assessing creativity is tough because it has to be done individually and that is costly. Providing the environment for creativity to bloom is key. I would give kids credit just for being in what I call the “20 percent time,” and I suggest that schools should be changed to include 20 percent time for all students where creativity is encouraged. The other 80 percent of the time can be devoted to the traditional curriculum.

Creativity is best seen as a practice, or perhaps a perspective—a way of looking, thinking, living, seeing and being. It is the context and perspective that allows you to make the best use of your skills...

Alex Davis-Lawrence, filmmaker

George Anders: For a long time, we’ve relied on subjective methods. What is “creative writing”? We could try to create rubrics that score James Joyce’s writing on imaginative word choice, unusual sentence structure, etc. But such mechanical systems seem very gameable. I could ape superficial elements of Joyce’s writing and produce something that would be quite murky but not very creative at all.

If we’re determined to come up with assessment methods, we could try to use neuro-monitoring techniques to gauge audiences’ reactions to creative versus non-creative work. Presumably creative content evokes more feelings of happy surprise, or “aha!” moments. It might be easiest to track people’s reaction to creative music, and see if there’s a difference.

In terms of tracking creativity in the workplace, we’re back to “we know it when we see it.” Steve Jobs was extremely creative throughout his career. But it’s hard to break that down into contributing, measurable factors. And some Jobs habits, like wearing black turtlenecks, have been emulated by people who would like to be seen as creative but who don’t really pass the test.

Alex Davis-Lawrence: Offering problems with strictly limited toolsets—thus requiring students to recontextualize or think beyond their expectations of the tools—could be helpful in understanding a student’s creativity. In most industries, the fundamental form of creativity is problem-solving. Every industry has limitations, in terms of tools, technology, money, regulation, and resources, and the people who do the best work tend to be those who can find new ways to work within or around those limitations.

Even though film is clearly an “art form” to a significant extent, I think the question of problem-solving still outweighs the other forms of creativity people usually associate with the arts (creativity of vision, of idea, of performance, and so on). A creative filmmaker, to me, isn’t just someone with creative ideas, but someone who has the creativity to execute something unique and powerful within the (incredibly oppressive) confines of the medium.

Carol Tang: We are not good at this for many reasons. Because creativity is hard to measure! Because children are not good at articulating or reflecting on their attitudes and growth. But parents have to understand the importance of open-ended and child-led activities if they are to continue promoting creative confidence.

Having worked in the informal-learning sectors of museums, afterschool and summer camps for almost 20 years, I really do believe that this focus on creativity is not just good for workforce development, but it can also help us diversify our thinking of what children need to be successful in life and how learning happens outside of classrooms. I worry that the focus on measuring and standardizing creativity will actually take us away from the social-emotional learning and whole-child educational approach that would best nurture creativity in kids.

Is Creativity a Skill? published first on https://medium.com/@GetNewDLBusiness

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thehrisworld · 8 years ago

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Getting Tomorrow's HR & HR Technology Leaders to Actually Listen, Reflect, Aspire, Lead... Serve...

New Post | Getting Tomorrow's HR & HR Technology Leaders to Actually Listen, Reflect, Aspire, Lead... Serve...

About The HRIS World Transformational Leadership Series™ #thwTLS

Leadership needs to change with change -- and yet still discern what and which principles should not be forsaken.

The HRIS World Transformational Leadership Series™ takes both a high-level as well as up-close look at what it takes to inspire commitment so to achieve the vision of a preferred future, the very definition of Transformational Leadership.

Hashtag for The HRIS World Transformational Leadership Series™ is #thwTLS

For more information about this series, feel free to click the blue contact us button on the lower right of your screen to let us know how we can assist -- or if you are reading this by our newsletter, then hit the reply button to get back to us!

About The HRIS World Millennials Series™ #thwGenY

We are going to summarize a video provided by Simon Sinek, who has said and shared a lot of things we have already discussed in our newsletters and blogs...

Born 1984 and after, Millennials are accused of being entitled, narcissistic, unfocused, lazy. They do, however, want to work with a purpose, they want to make an impact, they want free food and bean bags (not necessarily the last two, just seeing if you are paying attention!). Yet, give them everything they want, and they are still not happy (truthfully, has anyone really been happy about getting anything, never mind everything, when always easily gained?).

This unhappiness has roots in their upbringing, in their use of technology, their impatience, and our environment...

The failed parenting strategies in which they were raised provoked more long-term problems than resolved. Let's face it, the parenting styles used to raise this generation tried to circumvent several principles everyone knows is true, some of which are: You reap what you sew, you can't sharpen a knife on a sponge, facing the pain you are going through today will minimize an even greater pain later. Instead, the parenting styles that were chosen focused heavily on issues that mostly could have been resolved over time that would have provided lessons learned early on in life. Those early lessons would have provided opportunities to build character which would have prepared their children for life after school, for the real life. This costly mistake has resulted in a generation that has, as far as we know, the lowest self-esteem than any previous generation. This means there are a sufficient number of Millennials, who are now the largest portion of the workforce, are going to need direction and guidance in overcoming an inhibiting lifestyle from what has essentially not been their fault.

Next on the list of root causes of the Millennials unhappiness is the lack of balance in using technology. This imbalance has allowed Millennials to filter nearly everything around them. This filtering process has kept them from really conversing which would lead to developing meaningful relationships, has kept them from learning how to work in teams, and has kept them from learning how to develop trust. They do this filtering via technology as it feels good. A Harvard study, completed in 2012, has shown that dopamine is released anytime one talks about themselves through social media (if not familiar, dopamine is the same chemical released when we smoke, drink, or gamble and the release of dopamine forms an addiction when it is not tempered). As the use of social media can provide a high level of dopamine, it makes social media and cell phone usage highly addictive. Truthfully, it is comparable to being provided all the smokes, alcohol, and gambling they wanted at a very young age. Yet, we have restrictions on smoking, alcohol, and gambling and none on the smartphone and social media usage. As a result of what amounts to a full access to a quick fix during the childhood and adolescence, what has been permitted in their childhood and adolescence has created an entire addictive adulthood generation that is numbed by a chemical called dopamine. And they are addicted in their personal lives, their work lives, their social lives, every level of their lives. Like ANY addiction, this dependency has deprived them of learning how to form deep meaning relationships as well as how to cope with stress that comes into their lives. Like ANY addiction, they are not turning to a person but to a device. This has lead to a higher rate of depression in a young generation. These addiction traits, however, can be stopped when one sees the value of a life outside of their addiction -- only now there is a higher level of pain involved as a habit needs to be broken, and new disciplines formed to develop new habits. The good news is they will be all the better for it.

Millennials are an impatient lot. Any time they want to do something, it is almost always immediately available for their participation - watch a film, read a book, ask someone out on a date, even ordering something on Amazon. This results in the failure to learn the life skill of being patient. This has minimized the social coping mechanisms all previous generations had to learn. Everything is instant gratification... except for job (or career) satisfaction and strength of relationships. Millennials have not learned that social coping skills are slow, meandering, messy processes. They have also never been taught that the most treasured and valuable things in life are arduous, long, and difficult in gaining. All this amounts to never having learned how to build joy into their lives.

Lastly the traditional company environment of short-term gains and funneling employees into positions where they either sink or swim will, with Millennials, result in a labor shortage never seen before. As Millennials want to learn, want to perform, want to make an impact, the traditional environment is not only unnecessary but minimizes the honing and growth of these desires. And their willingness is half the corporate battle, as many who have the hard skills do not have the proper soft skills that are necessary to carry out the hard skills successfully and fully. Companies need to learn how to teach Millennials how they can build confidence, how they can learn the skills of co-operation, how they can learn to overcome the challenges of a digital world while also finding a sense of balance, how they can learn to overcome instant gratification. All this will provide everyone -- the older generation, the businesses, the Millennials, the joys, impacts, fulfillments, and trust that one gets from working on something for a long time. We can not correct the problem we have created with the Millennials by using the same thinking that created the problem in the first place -- we have to think differently, which means actions must be different as well.

How can we, as leaders for the Millennials, do all this? Well, we ourselves have to relearn, and in some cases learn anew, the principles, laws of life, and the means that builds character. This is not something that should ba balked at -- there is a blessing to be had by us as people, businesses, as well as the Millennials as all will become stronger as a result, and that blessing will be in direct proportion to the effort put forth. This is a principle of relationships that transcends cultures, generations, genders, even IQ levels.

If you are interested in seeing the entire conversation by Simon Sinek, just click here and you will be taken to our youtube channel.

Feel free to reach out to us if you wish to contribute some of your thoughts via a post by clicking the contact us button on the lower right of any page. Feedback, debates, discussion, collaboration and conversation are always encouraged in the comments section below... For more information about this series, use the blue contact us button on the lower right of your screen to contact us -- or if you are reading this by our newsletter, then hit the reply button to get back to us!

Better yet, are you, as a current leader, listening? reflecting? aspiring? leading?

If not, then how can we mentor and request tomorrow’s HR & HR technology leaders of tomorrow to do the same?

If yes, are they instilling the necessary skills while they are mentoring those who will lead in the future?

The Millennials are unique and their mentoring will have to be different to focus on what the deprivation they experienced from failed parenting and the failed authorities who guided them until they were 18 years old or even older.

Let’s step back a bit to share the genesis of this post before getting into its purpose and I am going to focus on the older generation first.

Not out of accusing guilt — but to bring focus on the trickle-down effects of poor leadership.

Real Life Example

In our content collection The HRIS World Project Insights Series™, our post “Would These 2 Things Make a Difference in Your Projects?” focuses on the early phases of an HRIS implementation project — specifically, the phase before and during the acquisition of a new system.

During negotiations in hiring the services, my previous consultancy company (CGServices USA Inc.) would present plans and steps needed for a full needs assessment for client approval.

The needs assessment process followed Best Practices in gaining full knowledge and awareness of the client’s current situation before diving into the looking for a system- and we did this be following the 4 areas of knowledge awareness…

Discovering the things we know we know

Discovering the things we know we don’t know

Discovering the things we don’t know we know

Attempt to discover the things we don’t know we don’t know before they discover us

If they already had a system in mind, performing the assessment and presenting the findings were kept totally separate so to eliminate any preconceived beliefs as well as biases.

Performing a full needs assessment was usually a tough sell as it placed a lot of resources, time and energy up front — this is not what most are comfortable with as they are accustomed to minimizing the number of resources, the amount of time and energy in the early phases of any project for various reasons so to ‘save’ the budget for the more demanding tasks later in the project.

Information from these assessments was collected for their first 10 projects, providing a full range of data from implementations small (250 employees) to large (more than 100,000 employees).

From this, they created a model that would provide scalability, sustainability, as well as reassessment, training, and maintenance recommendations — with an eye on what the future technology was thought to be bringing to the table.

We discovered after a full and properly performed needs assessment, clients would be far more knowledgeable of their weak points as well as what was missing and were better equipped to assess what needs to be addressed before diving into purchasing a new system.

Clients that elected not to have a full needs assessment always resulted in resources needing to change their plans and direction to accommodate their predicament, which would result in sliding the timeline to accommodate the new path the project took on – which inevitably led to budget overruns and late deliveries.

Those that elected to have a full needs assessment would find their project less prone to surprises and more focused on the task at hand — which resulted in fewer and smaller slides, if at all, in the timeline.

In the later scenario, the collective magnitude of the surprises and unexpected discoveries were so small that shifts within the project didn’t impact the overall timeline and the budget.

Selling the client on a full needs assessment was usually a lot of work, however, it never failed to pay off in the long run as long as the client listened and reflected on our findings which in turn allowed them to inspire and lead their own people effectively.

Is This Real Leadership?

The point of all this is not the failure to perform the needs assessment out of ignorance, but the failure of leadership to make itself available to learn, to reflect, to reflect…

In my experience in all cases that, without exception, ignored this crucial step saw very challenging implementations as compared to those that chose to focus on this step.

The excuses varied — but there really was not any reason not to do a needs assessment given its benefits.

The 3 most important organs any leader has, any person has, is his or her heart, brain, ears…

Words affect what we believe, which affects what we believe is true and not true — ears allow us to engage the brain and heart in discerning wisely when the person is listening – by the way, hearing is not listening, it is appeasing.

Discernment should be a character trait of every leader – unfortunately, this is very low or non-existent priority in the skills many companies seek of their future leaders as well as in their programs to hone future leaders.

Knowledge is a great thing but look around you, better yet observe what you are seeing — without wisdom, knowledge can and does make the greatest intellect look like a fool.

And fools never do very well in the trust department, especially with those that already wiser.

The HR and HR technology industries are not the only industries to see a slow deterioration of leadership standards, best practices, servitude, and efficiencies in the last few decades – this has happened to the point that many leaders do not even realize they are their own cause for their problems and failures.

If it hasn’t, then why do Lolly Daskal, Tony Robbins, Simon Sinek have such a solid following?

By solid, I mean having followed them for years, even decades, that can provide testimonies to the effectiveness of the principles and laws these thought leaders share…

To the credit of some leaders, there has been an improvement in recent years — but the consensus and the results say this is more the exception than the rule.

Meanwhile, when the crap hits the fan once everything falls apart in a project, executives are usually pointing at the vendor, the consultants, the project team, even the previous leadership – is this real leadership?

Or is this just scapegoating by deflecting the blame via bypassing accountability and responsibility?

A true leader knows humility is the best means to deal with a problem and will do so by serving others along the way — and there are times when addressing the problem sternly is needed, especially either not adhering to or completely ignoring instructions in the first place.

Leaders should also accompany all this with a consistent and steady stream of questions with very little sharing of opinions.

When was the last time your leader did this?

If you have a leader that does do all this, be sure to honor them — they are indeed a rare breed.

If you are a leader then when was the first time you did this?

If you have followers that need motivation, nothing will do it any faster than humility.

The seeds we plant in anything determines what we have in the future for everything — if believe our leaders today suck, we have only ourselves to blame, not the younger generation, not the consultants, not the vendors. We are either contributing to the problem or we are doing something to solve the problem in everything we do – period.

Why?

When we take on the attitude that what happens around us is FOR us and not to us, we have taken the first step to resolving our leadership problem — that includes non-leaders as well!

You will, once you have full realized this, be able to fully empower not only yourself, but those around you as well — and not just in work.

There are no victim cards to be handed out when accountability and responsibility are owned and exercised with humility.

82 Years of Change Management Success with Just 12 Ideas

Most are familiar that AA has a 12-step program, one that has a long-running success in using change management within people for 82 years.

The 12th of the 12 step program AA is the most powerful of them all — you can do all 11 steps beautifully but if you do not get involved with the 12th step, you will definitely fall off the wagon and have to start from Step 1 once again…

The 12th step is to sponsor someone into sobriety – to mentor, guide, listen, and above all, serve…

It is a very powerful of a step as it sets you free from your past and plants seeds of compassion, love, knowledge, and hopefully wisdom, into others.That action alone will set you free and very liberating from your past – it is also something for everyone to think about for anyone troubled by something they had not control over in their past…

That action alone will set you free and is very liberating – it is also something for everyone to think about for anyone troubled by something they had not control over in their past…

‘Nothing worse than returning home from a trip and never unloading all that baggage…’ – my grandfather talking about his own troubled past…

Same for Millennials and their upbringing – they have formed dependencies that trigger dopamine, the same chemical that is released when you drink, use drugs, gamble… the same chemical that is released when you get a message or a like on facebook or other social media platform.

Break Millennials of that dopamine kick and you will empower them to do what needs to be done instead of what feels good — and they will set themselves fully free by mentoring others to do so as well.

Control Things, Manage People

Too many leaders — and followers — control people and manage things…

As leadership is all about serving, who are they serving? The vendors? The machines?

To serve at any level one must control things and manage people.

People that love liberty reject being controlled, reject controlling people.

Remember Aldous Huxley?

“The end cannot justify the means, for the simple and obvious reason that the means employed determine the nature of the ends produced.“

Simply put, controlling people and managing things means the leader – or person – is treating people as the means and things as the ends.

People are the ends that utilize things as a means to come to an end: a finished product of quality, a completed project on time and within budget, a service that has been delivered to the satisfaction of the recipient.

Where Is Your Focus?

We are in the people building business, even when skills and talent are focused purely on machines — hermits aside, there is hardly a human alive that does not want to form a connection.

Connection means relationships — and relationships require building, maintaining, attention, focus, energy… mentoring, leading, serving…

History has provided enough examples to show during hard economic times, much of the quality of leadership deteriorates.

Many leaders make the mistake of blaming the economy instead of seeking ways to be effective as well as efficient with their people.

The faulty thinking of these leaders is with the thought that they will correct that problem later and will just have to live with the problem for now.

Granted, sometimes this is necessary – but not very often and not for very long, even in the worst of economic times.

The pain we endure today lessens the pain we have to face later, all of it resulting from appeasing the situation — whether you are a leader or not.

Most military leaders will tell you to it is critical to contain a problem immediately and provide blocks that prevent the problem from being included in other circles — that is, you control it, never let it control you.

The mindset and beliefs that accompany all this have to be tested at all times, not just when circumstances say they should — both mindset and beliefs are the result of the voices we constantly listen to (and eventually agree with) without so much as standing back, assessing, and properly identifying just what is the real problem.

Most of the time, we find ourselves focused on the symptom, not the problem – that’s where we always, always, always get into trouble.

Where We Focus is Where We End Up

In the quest for resources with accredited and certified skills, one ability is nearly overlooked by many – an ability to manage time, people, efficiencies, and services effectively.

Being accredited or certified with certain leadership skills just means the person knew how to answer correctly on a test.

There are still to questions that have yet to be answered that only time and experience will provide:

Are the tests for certification reflective to the current business needs and demands of today (usually yes, but dangerously no too often)?

Can this person effectively translate what he or she knows in content into the context of a situation?

Or are they reflective of just the theory and hypothesis being presented in the classroom?

How many times have we seen someone build context around content so to look good, only to fail miserably as everything comes crashing down like a house of cards?

Leaders usually get into trouble when they start failing to discern between efficiency and effectiveness, between leading and servitude, between people and things — they may start out great but eventually they lose that focus and that discernment fades as their focus shifts from leading from the ears and heart to leading from the head.

When Focus Is On Effectiveness

When there is a disorder, there is pain – when there is order, there is little if any pain.

What may have been effective yesterday, or even this morning, may not be effective today or this afternoon.

Listening, asking questions that focus on their focus, on what they found to be effective, on why they are doing what they are doing will get your followers motivated.

Why is not ‘what’ or ‘how’ and you may have to point that out to them.

If they do not know why offer suggestions that instill empowerment and stay away from anything that instills enabling.

This is effective leadership – it results in inspiring your followers.

Why Great Leaders Are Orderly

Everyone’s decisions are affected by experiences, knowledge, emotions, who we listen to, who we do not listen to — even fatigue has an effect.

Most bad decisions are made when tired – this is known by most.

Pain is the presence of disorder – there will always be those that love disorder and those that love order.

If you love disorder in your life, then all the more power to you.

But many are standing back and assessing why all the pain.

They are looking for guidance as to how to reduce this pain and they have some very good ideas.

They also are willing to listen and become the leaders of tomorrow.

If you keep getting the feeling you are looking at the tail lights of someone or something, if you are constantly in pain with a project, then you are not the leader…

The people asking the right questions are leading, my question is this: do you like where you are standing or where they are going?

Age has nothing to do with wisdom – we all know very wise children of 7 years and very foolish adults of 70 years…

Nor does certification have anything to do with wisdom, though it does have value.

If you are using Microsoft or Apple software or machines, then you are using the innovations of two men who never completed their education.In my 20 years, I have consulted

In my 20 years, I have consulted for many people who have gained their advanced degrees from college yet I have only completed a couple of years of college.

I am no Bill Gates nor am I a Steve Jobs.

I am, however, very capable of seeing what is not working and what is working without a textbook telling me what to do, or by listening to a professor that has never worked in the field.

There are a lot of great professors, but these almost always the great professors have a life outside the classroom and have been involved extensively in a practical manner in what they teach.

In both the real world and the world of academia, it is widely known that there is a huge disparity between what is being taught and what the business world needs from recent graduates.

I am not condoning the education industry – the education system is due for a change as well, and many know this as well.

What am I saying?

There are many young workers that are discontented in the way things are managed, taught, and utilized today – and many of those are tomorrow’s leaders.

The least we can do is hear them out AND listen to them – then let them have their time in leadership.

They will make mistakes, like anyone doing something for the first time will…

Like you did when you first started leading.

We need to cultivate their future by giving leadership to those that are sensitive enough to listen, strong enough to lead, wise enough to reflect, and big enough to provide aspirations…

If we cannot inspire them, then what incentive do they have to inspire their own?

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