HR Possibilities

a genuine experience straight from the heart

2012-05-20T22:39:32.476-07:00

a genuine experience straight from the heart

I love the idea of calling on my creativity to inc...

2012-01-18T10:06:52.599-08:00

I love the idea of calling on my creativity to increase my sense of personal power, and especially the converse idea of using empowerment to fuel creativity. It's clear that organizations wanting to maintain innovation and solve tough problems need to cultivate both empowerment and creativity.

Great post Amy!!! Creativity: Enhancing Incubation...

2011-09-22T13:34:10.850-07:00

Great post Amy!!! Creativity: Enhancing Incubation is one of the featured workshops at the upcoming HR Possibilities Event on October 1. Register at http://hrpossibilities.eventbrite.com/!

When you try NOT to communicate for fear of being ...

2011-08-16T12:55:32.378-07:00

When you try NOT to communicate for fear of being any of the above it doesn't allow others to get to know you. I think the key is just being honest and ready for feedback if you DO come across as any of the above. The more genuine you are the more you allow people get to know the real you.

Everyone is going to do at least one of these per day, and the real value comes from either calling your friends/co-workers on the above, or realizing that it doesn't make them a bad person. They're just human. :)

Thanks Kelley! I'd love to see you do a post o...

2011-07-08T20:24:48.538-07:00

Thanks Kelley! I'd love to see you do a post on the same topic! =)

Such a great post! I'm reminded that everythin...

2011-07-05T12:42:14.590-07:00

Such a great post! I'm reminded that everything is possible, all that is required of me is to give up my story of reasons and considerations about why it isn't possible.

And I really want to watch Invictus now! :)

PS: I'm impressed at your courage to try hot yoga!

Horses and children are so innocent and absolutely...

2011-03-28T09:54:09.314-07:00

Horses and children are so innocent and absolutely brilliant. I love learning from both! Thank you for sharing this.

Oh wow. How I can see this in also having high per...

2011-03-21T11:47:07.912-07:00

Oh wow. How I can see this in also having high performance with my children! Such a perfect post at such a perfect time. Thank you!

To share a horse-related story: Livia & I were watching the movie "Secretariat" together. That horse was so incredible: he would hang back when racing, then at about the halfway point just go for it, and pass all the other horses. This wasn't just for effect in the movie, he really did this in his races.

I asked Livia, age 6, why she thought he was racing that way. She replied: "because racing is a game and games are only fun when there is a challenge. I think he was having fun when he was beating the other horses!"

I just love my kids. When they share their insights, I am the one who receives wisdom. It seems you can get that from horses too. :)

My heart is smiling.

2011-02-24T11:25:34.136-08:00

My heart is smiling.

Being vulnerable in a way sounds like rolling over...

2011-02-23T08:44:46.632-08:00

Being vulnerable in a way sounds like rolling over, showing your belly to the predator, we might even associate being vulnerable with being being submissive. There might be a feeling that we get thrown into situations that require us to open up, the feeling that the place we are currently in is out of our control and scary.

The reality is the actual experience of being vulnerable is more about excitement than fear.

There are two scenarios; surrounded by those looking to hear our voice, and learn from our experiences and welcome our ideas with open arms, OR standing in front of a room of people that are skeptical, biased and have offered little time to hear. There is a level of faith required to see success, faith in our own abilities, what we stand for and that we will in 99.9% of situations make the best decision we know how to make. That is exciting. Finding the excitement for the opportunity to share, express and stand up for our values and support others and their right to share when they have the opportunity is the real goal. Let’s forget about being afraid of the opportunity itself.

Appreciated every word you decided to share through this post. Nice to wake up in the morning and read something that triggers some real thinking. ;)

Brava my friend! Welcome to the awesome & exci...

2011-02-22T22:52:14.916-08:00

Brava my friend! Welcome to the awesome & exciting world of vulnerability (I'm a newcomer myself!) where you heart pounds, your breaths are accelerated, & your soul is open to contribution & love!! I'm so happy for this journey we are on together yet separately! Thank you for finding me an inspiration for you. You are also one to me!

<3 -Kelley

Thanks for your comment, feedback, and constant en...

2011-02-21T11:20:13.667-08:00

Thanks for your comment, feedback, and constant encouragement Kelley! Love your new blog www.acoolbluepearl.com!

It IS revolutionary! And no matter what people cal...

2011-02-14T12:05:26.066-08:00

It IS revolutionary! And no matter what people call themselves, who HR can BE for their employees is the difference. To me, it's the perceived inflexibility of HR that gives them a bad-rap, that they cannot be flexible & meet the needs of whatever happens moment-to-moment. There is a content of hard & fast rules, but the people behind how the rules show up in the environment are what set the context.

Karina, you've demonstrated (with measurable results!) at your current company that you empowered your team & yourself to not just "survive" the scary parts, but the whole company came out on the other side in a winning position!!! That is calm, quiet, & solid leadership, where people are really getting that the company *IS* them, not just their work.

Power in groups, that is what HR delivers when being possibility and being a stand for their "resources" having what they need to be successful. I'd be happy to be one of your resources any time!!

Thanks David! I appreciate your comment. What thou...

2011-02-02T17:22:03.717-08:00

Thanks David! I appreciate your comment. What thoughts did it provoke?

I enjoyed reading your blog of December 3, 2010. I...

2011-02-02T16:07:00.082-08:00

I enjoyed reading your blog of December 3, 2010. It was very thought provoking.

Alicia--I was just going through my blog and reali...

2010-11-27T09:33:36.468-08:00

Alicia--I was just going through my blog and realized I never responded to your comment. Thanks for helping me understand that feedback is not the truth about me AND that all feedback is valuable. Getting this has made a huge difference in my life!

I enjoyed a combined coffee cupping / chocolate ta...

2010-10-26T16:26:05.356-07:00

I enjoyed a combined coffee cupping / chocolate tasting event at Caffe Vita - in partnership with Theo Chocolate - several months ago that gave me a keener appreciation for chocolate and its sources.

More recently, I read an interesting article by Serita Cox in Harvard Business Review, How Chocolate Can Save the World, that seems relevant to the socially conscious theme(s) promoted by Theo Chocolates.

Congratulations on the great event! I still have r...

2010-06-17T17:14:27.733-07:00

Congratulations on the great event! I still have random ideas / thoughts / possibilities popping up in my head from Saturday. It was a great collaboration of minds, and I was thrilled to be a part of it. Now can we do it monthly? :)

ALL feedback is valuable even when the person has ...

2010-06-09T04:45:05.472-07:00

ALL feedback is valuable even when the person has an agenda. Feedback is the only clue you have to how you are occuring in the world. Here is the one thing to remember though. Feedback is not true. It is how someone is perceiving you or the situation. Listening to feedback in a neutral way can make a huge difference for ourselves and how we lead others.

Sue - Thanks for your comment. I agree! When I thi...

2010-06-02T21:55:13.402-07:00

Sue - Thanks for your comment. I agree! When I think someone is attached to the outcome, it doesn't feel very good. I do try to see what the true commitment behind the attachment is. Often, the person loves me, and I just don't like the way they are showing it! :) Feedback is best given to the willing!

A great post for contemplating Karina, thank you! ...

2010-06-01T22:37:56.949-07:00

A great post for contemplating Karina, thank you! I believe that great feedback depends upon the intention of the feedbacker :). What's their agenda? If it's to persuade, cajole, manipulate, or otherwise force their agenda on me, then NO THANKS. If it's to provide another lens, another possibility, another channel for dialog, then I'm all ears AND heart. Thanks for the question. Cheers!

Great post, Karina. I love that you've include...

2010-05-29T23:32:24.397-07:00

Great post, Karina. I love that you've included advice for both hiring managers and candidates and spoke to how both sides of the table can handle the topic of optimism and moving forward in the job hunt. Thanks for sharing.

I am currently enjoying a book entitled, “Change” ...

2010-05-23T20:47:03.537-07:00

I am currently enjoying a book entitled, “Change” by Watzlawick, Weakland and Fisch. They are essentially a group of psychoanalysts who decided to investigate change and how it is achieved. It is a brilliant book for anyone who wants to look at the system behind change. They focused their research around the platform of two mathematical principles, Logical Levels and Group theory. One interesting discovery that they explore is applying a solution to the solution, or applying a counterintuitive response to a problem. So Karina, in your example of the cupboard door, using this principle they might tell you to set out to purposely close the door every time you walk into the room. By setting the intention as the opposite of your solution you might find that you can overcome the problem. Another example is when they recommend that insomniacs do the opposite of what they typically do, namely to will themselves to sleep. Instead they instruct them not to close their eyes until they are actually asleep, thereby changing the focus from willing a spontaneous action to something within their control.

There is something elegant in their analysis which tries to examine why change often seems the result from weird, spontaneous or surprising sources…