Homestar Financial

Steve Lovig

As you grow in your profession, whether under the Human Resources umbrella as mine has been for two decades, as an individual contributor in a large organization, or as an entrepreneur charting your own path, don't worry about following blindly behind the herd. You might have a better solution, a more creative approach that more effectively defines and launches your vision.

Try your own idea for your own situation even if it isn’t thought to be the “right way” and others have yet to consider it a “best practice”. That vision you have been pondering for months could be a better solution for your unique circumstances and your business needs. In fact, it might be the perfect answer, regardless of outside influences.

Here’s an example from my experience: About four years ago, I began thinking about a "Year- One Specialist" role for my Human Resources team. After I thought it through and put the concept to paper, I searched others doing something similar so I could learn and improve on their solutions. I reviewed job descriptions on job boards, checked job titles on LinkedIn and searched dozens of whitepapers but did not find anything that matched my vision of what the role could accomplish. Since my company was challenged with retaining and growing our employees, I decided to create the Year-One Specialist role in my department without worrying if other organizations were doing it.

The Year-One Specialist handles dozens of issues, including drafting wording, then posting open positions, identifying methods and frequency of communications, determining which job boards and recruiters to use, developing interviewing guides, improving applicant tracking, managing recruiting budgets and ultimately overseeing each step beginning with the acceptance of the job offer through Day-1 Onboarding and Orientation. Once they’re hired, we implement a feedback loop that includes surveys, emails, focus groups, mailers to employees’ homes and even telephone conversations.

I hired an experienced Human Resources professional to lead the Year-One Specialist role for my organization. This former CHRO was perfect for the role, improving our onboarding process and along the way, the overall employee experience. The Year-One Specialist role has now morphed into several different people on the Human Resources team handling different aspects of the original role’s design.

I recently began innovating again, as yet another piece of our new hire process matured. Carving off a piece of the Year-One Specialist role, I am creating a new Employee Onboarding Experience Specialist role designed to improve all aspects of the new employee experience. While researching the options for that role, I discovered similar roles happening in other organizations, too. So, I encourage you to learn from others but to also trust your instincts. I’m glad I did while developing these roles so my new hires will have the best Day-1 experience in the industry.

"Your idea for your own situation even if it isn’t thought to be the “right way” and others have yet to consider it a “best practice” "

The next step to fully realizing your own ideas is collaborating with others for their help and opinions. Here are a few thoughts I used to help me turn concepts into value:

1. Find people in your industry.

This is the first crucial step. Then, once you find fellow industry professionals, find more individuals outside your industry to get additional fresh insights. Read bios and LinkedIn profiles. Introduce yourself and tell them why you want a few minutes of their time. Remember to tell them what you’ll bring to the relationship.

2. Consider joining a professional organization.

Several industries have trade organizations, within which you will find communities specific to a role or profession. For instance, accountants have the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), project managers have the Project Management Institute (PMI), lawyers have the American Bar Association and so on. I am a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and serve on a few HR Councils, both within and external to my industry. Within these communities, we have frequent bulletin board dialogues and both web- based and in-person meetings, as well as volunteer opportunities to be involved in both small and large projects and events.

Become an active member and ask questions to help you learn as you network. Describing your questions and concepts in writing, along with speaking to others directly about them are both great opportunities to float your thoughts and get feedback. And please - as you grow in the organization and in your profession, make time to give back to others through those organizations.

3. Grow your connections online.

LinkedIn is the top employment-related social network, and the best place to find professionals and learn about their experiences, their interests, publications, etc. If you find someone interesting, send them a connection request and add a friendly note that mentions why you are interested in connecting to them (sending that ‘note’ is how they know you’re not trying to sell them anything).

AND SO WHAT: In thinking about leading with your own original ideas, I'm reminded of the following quote often attributed to Thomas Edison: "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

I hope this article (and Edison’s quote) encourages you to trust your instincts and to keep moving forward with your own ideas. It's important to connect with other people whose opinions you respect. You’ll want to get insights from several perspectives, but it is up to you to find your own way in your profession and make your mark, by trusting yourself and your instincts!

Steve Lovig, also known as “Captain HR,” is a 25-year Human Resources Executive, whose background ranges from General Electric to Kaplan Higher Education, and from creating Human Resources departments from the ground floor, to leading Human Resources teams of 15 or more professionals, plus Consulting, and speaking at various Human Resources Leadership events. In a previous life, he was a disc jockey in radio stations from West Palm Beach FL to Knoxville TN, and from Birmingham AL, to Atlanta GA. Above all, Captain HR welcomes the opportunity to help others, so connect with him at Linkedin.com/in/SteveLovig