Have you ever interviewed a new grad or spoken to a college-age family member about business or job hunting and been surprised they were unaware of what seemed like basic information to you? The problem isn’t that these young adults are lazy or foolish. Rather, what I’ve found is there are some really large education hurdles blocking our kids’ race toward careers. Each and every one of us in business – and especially in HR – needs to help change this. In short, we need these kids in our future org charts. read more »

It is so important to find people that fit the culture of an organization. Our employee base is quite eclectic, both in their job tasks and in their personalities. When thinking about my response for a journalist the other day, I found a strong thread that is the underlying success of our hiring/retention at our company. Beyond hiring really smart people, we hire people who share our core values. read more »

A local Dallas radio station* had a great line today: “The more we listen to you, the more you will listen to us.” I love that! If we are good leaders, it pertains so much to our employees. The line fits the advice of “listen twice as much as you speak,” but has more power to it. If we talk to our employees and truly listen to their ideas, they are more likely to engage when we discuss our own ideas or information. I’ve come up with six key times that are most critical to listen to your employees. read more »

As we watched the weather obsessively throughout Labor Day weekend, it was reminiscent of, but not as scary as, the Katrina weekend of 3 years ago. However, like during Katrina, our cousin was ‘locked down’ at the Mississippi gulf coast hospital where she works. Evacuation is not an option for those people keeping much of our infrastructure operating in times of need. read more »