What Bill and Hill Clinton Told Us About Being a HR Manager...

NOTE - This post is not orginal work.  It was done by a friend of the Capitalist who couldn't get through their own set of network censors... I'd been saving the picture of Hillary below, so it was perfect for me to post, because independent of politics, it's great content and thoughts for the upscale HR pro you know and love....

The conventions are done.  Thank god.  There are lessons to be learned from the conventions for HR and recruiting pros though, and here's one for you that Ron Ulrici wrote about: you might not get things your way, but in the end, for the sake of the team, you've got to show a united front and become a champion for the cause.

Let's break this down a little further and talk more specifically about Bill and Hillary. Many were waiting with baited breath for their speeches. Would they come out fully supporting Obama? Would there be hints of disappointment for not winning the nomination? And then they came out full force, on Team Obama. Whether you believed the words coming out of their mouths is a different story. They are now Team Obama.

Flip this into your world. Think about the times you've disagreed with a decision your hiring manager(s), clients or executive team made. You advocated for a different solution. You had a bright idea for what course of action should have been taken. And probably, you were right because you're damn good at your job and you know what's up. Yet they didn't listen to you.

If we are to take a cue from Bill and Hillary at the DNC, this is what should have followed. You could have sat and stewed over the stupid decision made. You could have slipped in a snide remark about how they might regret the decision.  You wouldn't dare be that passive aggressive, would you? Instead, you made like the Clintons. You accepted the decision. And you began to own it. Then you supported and carried it out because, after all, it was what the organization willed. You sucked it up and moved on because you subscribe to living in a democracy. In other words, you trust in the process, you believe that what the will of the people is will be, and so you accept the end result and show a united front. Tough to do? Absolutely. Sometimes policies exist that you don't like. Sometimes decisions are made that go against what you advised. But hey, HR pro - you?   You aren't a rule monger. 

You are a consultant. You advise. You make recommendations. And you hope through influence that you are able to steer your hiring manager or client in the right direction. But you won't always win, and you may have to clean up their mistakes. You might want to say, "I told you so!" And in the privacy of your home, you just might. But for the sake of the greater good, for the team, you won't fuss. You won't pout. You'll come out on Team Obama or Team McCain, so to speak. So yes, thanks to Bill and Hill, for reminding us that sometimes, for the sake of the team, you've gotta just suck it up.

Hat tip to a friend for the thoughts represented in this post...

Comments

[Lisa]

Great post. Hard to do but necessary. Once a decision is made, it is time to line up and make it happen. The behind the scenes, water cooler, what the heck are you doing conversations with peers, colleagues and subordinates can be tough. Personally for me, it is much easier to do when I am able to talk through the decision with the decision maker and get down their reasoning. At times it may be, "because I said so" and other times there really may be another perspective I had not considered(surprise).

[Jessica Lee]

yes... sometimes, you've got to just suck it up. still trying to do that one with grace and humility. stubborn 'ole me sometimes has a hard time accepting that my way isn't always the way we're going to go. : )