Edge - Check Your Sharpness

Every HR professional thinks they are on the cutting edge of something new. Well, almost everyone, there are the 60% who are in this field because they like people. The other 40% are in it for much more. So this is directed to the 40% group.

When I say, "have you checked your edge" I mean just that. How sharp are you today, and for that matter everyday. To be in the inner circle your "EDGE" has to be sharper than the majority of the other C-Suite members. How do you do that you say? Here are some thoughts for you to check your "EDGE":

• have you changed your thinking to reflect the current environment, and I mean, business, cultural, human capital, and external forces
• are you situated correctly on the right side of the CEO
• do you understand the meaning of thoughtware
• can you react correctly to a disaster (and I don't mean business continuity)
• can you execute flawlessly
• do you know your staff's abilities if you were absent
• are you on the same page that you should be with the C-Suite executives
• can you think freely - uninfluenced
• can you heard cats
• can you distinguish what is legitimate and what is not?

Think about these things and check your "EDGE" against them. If you cannot execute these effectively you are not as sharp as you should be and will get caught in a cultural and business crossfire someday.

EDGE is extremely important and should be evaluated daily to keep at the top of your game.

Communicating Effectively Throughout the Organization

I have continued to preach that you have to stay close to your CEO, communicate daily with him/her as well as have daily meetings. I am sure I do not need to tell you that it is equally important that you are able to communicate across the organization to be effective.

If you are a good communicator you should be able to portray a high level of self-confidence, self-concept, and project a positive external image to the managers you support up, down, and across the organization. There are ways to do this and the best way is to make sure you have established  trust and credibility. If you have these two(2) key elements you will have stronger working relationships with those that you support. These key elements are the foundation of your level of effectiveness in your organization.

If you have these two(2) building blocks you then need to make sure you are an effective influencer,that you provide a clear and direct image and knowledge base. You need to make sure you have targeted your audience and built a message that is clear and concise that people understand and not mistake or feel it is HR speak. If you can do this you will reap beneficial results for your project/program/initiative or whatever. This will also flow though to your subordinates.

I hope that this short message on communication is helpful especially to the mid-level HR manager, director. For those at the top, the CHRO, CPO you should already know this