I’m sure you’ve heard a great number of reviews about this book, HROnPurpose by Steve Browne (@sbrownehr). I decided to make this my first book to read for the HRBook Review Spot on my blog. I’d started a few months ago when I originally got the book at SHRM17, but life got in the way and I didn’t finish it completely.
So for the last HRJazzy blog post of 2017 let’s jump into HROnPurpose.
1 – Starting with the obvious, Steve Browne is awesome! If you ever get a chance to meet the man in person, he will approach you even if you’re too nervous to reach out to him. His book is very honest about where HR is currently and why we have so many issues with our corporations, executives, and employees trusting our judgment. To get a great idea of what other HR professionals think of the book, check out the Amazon Reviews.
2 – Questions – my favorite part of the book, in the first few chapters, has to be on page 19. In this section, Steve asks you to answer a set of questions that he brings forward, and I think anyone looking to enter the HR field and anyone who has been in the field for a while, should be able to answer these questions honestly. In HROnPurpose, Steve even gives a little disclaimer about the questions and the answers, “Author’s note: The next set of questions don’ have a right or wrong answer, but they will challenge you to think about your role in and approach to human resources”. Check out the questions below:
- Have you sat back and wondered why you’re in HR?
- Is it something you chose or something you fell into?
- How do you personally feel about human resources
- How do your company and senior management view the functions of human resources?
- Are you geeked in your role in HR or exhausted?
- What is the reason WHY you’re in HR?
3 – Many great words of wisdom to write down and keep – One of the new things I’m doing for 2018 is keeping words of encouragement around me at all times. I have the horrible trait of allowing procrastination to take over my day, especially once I get home from work. HROnPurpose has provided me with a great number of quotes I’d like to place around my apartment and my office to keep me encouraged. Here are just a few of the great highlights I found throughout HROnPurpose:
“You have the chance to mold and define the culture of your organization. Culture starts with you”
“Keep it simple”
“Build the time in your schedule and your career for personal development. It makes you a strong professional, leader, and resource.
I’m not going to give you all of the goods, I want you to read the book and find the quotes that speak directly to you and what you might be going through or have conquered. Keep these around you to remember where you have come from or that others have gone through it before.
4 – Showing you care – Steve always has a great story you can read or hear directly from him that gives you a little piece of hope back. Just like those quotes above, these stories of how he made sure his employees were ok from the beginning is what keeps pushing me and what reminds me of why I work in HR. I love organization (well, at work) and I don’t mind the paperwork, I love training, but I am able to do all of these things because of my employees. Steve explains how he had to learn every single employee in a month at a new job he took and while my memory isn’t that great, I think more businesses can learn from this action. If we don’t show our employees that we care about them, we’re putting more strain on the relationship we are attempting to build.
5 – Proof of Words and Action – This book, for me, is proof that HR isn’t dead. That might sound crazy to a few of my fellow HR pros, but it’s true. Before I joined social media and got involved more in SHRM and my local SHRM chapter, I had no idea there are so many HR professionals who truly want to make a difference for the employees and the organization. This book has inspired me to create action in my life, my career, and go after what I want out of HR. To better myself, I must also invest in myself and into others.
2018 is a new year and a fresh start, I encourage every HR professional, and honestly business professional, to take the time out to read HROnPurpose. I don’t want to give the book away, but I want you to realize how honest this book is and take the time to answer those questions, take the time to figure out if you’re still in HR for all of the right reasons.
Read it once, read it twice, read it until you squeeze every piece of advice that will make your organization, your employees, and yourself better for 2018!
Thanks, Steve for an amazing book … I wonder what January 2018 Book Review will be, stay tuned to find out 🙂
Until Next Year …
HR On Purpose – Developing Deliberate People Passion by Steve Browne
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