Employee volunteer programs (aka employee volunteerism, corporate citizenship) have been getting a lot of attention lately. Changing consumer expectations, increased attention to corporate social responsibility, and the demands of a new generation of workers have left many employers looking for ways to satisfy this new contract. Employee volunteer programs are proving to be a popular solution because properly executed they provide good fodder for P.R, can be part of a larger CSR strategy, and have been positively linked to employee engagement and customer loyalty. But should employees be allowed to volunteer for whatever efforts they choose?<< MORE >>

The question “Can you hear me now?” in our technology-driven information age has a whole new meaning. Outside of being a brilliant marketing campaign for Verizon Wireless, it is coming to be a symbol of our inability to authentically communicate and connect with each other. Because being heard is about capturing someone’s attention long enough to get them to actually listen. To be heard. In this world “full of distractions” it is getting to be an art in its own right. << MORE >>

Reading through the paper this morning it struck me that today more than ever we seem to have trouble doing the right thing – the right thing for our global community, our organizations, and ourselves. Is it because the choices have become more complex or because our decisions have become more visible? In sorting through the pros and cons of some hot issues from the headlines, you tell me – what’s the right thing to do? << MORE >>

I’ve been on the road this week, stretching a one-day business meeting in San Francisco into a grown-up version of Spring Break, starting with a long overdue visit to Napa Valley. Driving into Napa there is a turn-off point where Highways 12 and 29 converge, and the road veers ever so slightly that if your eyes were closed, you wouldn’t even notice your body shifting in response. So it’s always a welcome surprise to suddenly see the Valley laid out in front of you, like peering into one of those sugar Easter eggs we got as kids – where you look into the icing-laced opening and discover a whole different and beautiful world. I always wanted to crawl inside those eggs when I was little, and every time I turn that curve to Napa, I feel like I am doing just that. This visit it hit me that I have a thing for valleys. I started recounting my favorite places to visit: Napa Valley in California, Mission Valley in Montana, Loire Valley in France… Heck, I have even made my home in the Valley of the Sun! Valleys are always the places that seem to bring me the strongest sense of connection and renewal and peace. So why is it then, that when we speak of our lives in terms of peaks and valleys, valleys get such a bad rap? << MORE >>

Enjoying a nice walk along the Arizona Canal the other day to soak in our perfect March weather, I noticed an unusually tall 70-something-old man approaching. He was dressed a bit like Gilligan and looked nice enough. (Now that I think of it, can anyone really look threatening wearing a skipper’s hat?) Either way… “Good morning!” I greeted him with that level of enthusiasm you can so easily muster on the perfect day. “Actually,” he sneered back at me “it is afternoon.” My first thought was that perhaps I had been strolling a little slower than usual, so I dialed my I-Pod to its clock: 11:04. My next thought was “Seriously? A stranger gives you a heartfelt hello, and your best response is to correct them?” And an incorrect correction at that, mind you. We are a Nation obsessed with perfection. Starbucks is even building their current marketing campaign around it. Right and wrong, correct and incorrect – just think about all of the words and phrases we have at our disposal to describe all the ways that something or someone isn’t quite up to par. We look for the perfect job, the perfect spouse, the perfect schools, the perfect house… Judging shows like “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars” top the ratings and feed our need to critique. But in our search for perfection, we are ignoring a conundrum of sorts. Because isn’t the truth that by its very nature, perfectionism itself is a flaw? << MORE >>

I spent Wednesday morning glued to the television watching the McNamee & Clemens hearing on Capital Hill. It was a classic case of “he said – he said.” Watching these former co-workers and friends adamantly defend their honor against the other’s accusations, the partisan questioning from the committee members, and the inevitable dragging in of family, friends and the institution of baseball, well… it left my stomach so knotted it felt like I had swallowed a brass porcupine. To top it off, Thursday morning’s newspaper recaps kicked off my day with a heavy heart. What a gloomy way to start Valentine’s Day! Now I have been accused of “wearing my heart on my sleeve” on more than one occasion, mind you. I attribute my sensitivities to my ability to empathize to a greater degree than most people. It is what makes me gifted with improving organizational dynamics and teaching, and what makes me uneasy with employee investigations and office politics. But other than mourning the state of professional baseball, what on earth would allow me to empathize in this scenario? It’s not like I have ever been called before a congressional committee, taken steroids, or even had a personal trainer for that matter. Replaying the hearing debacle in my head, I tried to figure out why it had such an impact on me. I realized that the familiar sensation I was feeling in my gut was the pain associated with betrayal. << MORE >>

Perusing the USA Today earlier this week, one headline in the money section caught my eye: “Heavy packers will have to pay.” Now mind you that marrying a cheesehead has reformatted by brain to interpret anything “packers” to naturally refer to the Green Bay Packers, so the headline intrigued me. Are the Packers on a health kick? Won’t slimming down hurt their defense? And why is this in the money section? Reading further I discovered that rather than referring to the weight of players, it was instead discussing United Airlines new checked bag policy. Allowing my reaction fester for a few days, as I have a tendency to do, I think I finally got to the root cause of why this new policy has so many people up in arms. Consumers have reached the point with corporate America where we have a short fuse for short-term solutions.<< MORE >>

The Super Bowl and the FBR Open are upon us and my town is overrun with celebrities -- musicians and actors as well as the expected athletes. Not that that is a bad thing. I am enjoying the commotion and the buzz that these events generate and it has been quite interesting to watch the preparations. What has proven most interesting to me, however, is the reminder that in these days of instant gratification, great gratification can also come from good old-fashioned anticipation. So knowing there is something to be said for the excitement that anticipation can generate, how is it that we manage to suck the fun out of planning and execution when it comes to our corporate lives? I think we as leaders could learn a thing or two from these events and perhaps in the process solve some of those pesky HR issues we’ve manufactured, like employee engagement, commitment and productivity. Anticipation is a form of hope, after all. And who couldn’t use a little more hope? << MORE >>

Driving home from work late one evening a few weeks back, a bright light on the side of Camelback Mountain caught my eye. Looking more directly, I saw the light was emanating from a “HAPPY NEW YEAR” declaration spelled out in white lights on what must have been 40 foot high letters. Alright, so I probably don’t have the exact right dimensions, but the point is they were big. I am certain big enough to be seen from an airplane landing at Sky Harbor. And in all capital letters – like when someone wants to indicate shouting in an email. It gave me a sense that the lords of the mountain were casting a decree to the mere mortals in the valley below. “You will have a HAPPY year” is how it read to me. Which made me think, what if everyone who saw the sign did take it as an order? What if we all made the conscious decision to just be happy? How different would life be if in every situation I responded like a happy person would? I decided to experiment with that. For 21 days, with the sign in mind, I attempted to foster my new happiness habit. Here is what I found. << MORE >>

My husband’s company had their holiday party last night. It was after work, at a martini bar, and no spouses (or guests) were invited. The Human Resource side of me thought that was a recipe for disaster, but the Human side of me was a little bummed out. I always love having a good excuse to get dressed up and go out for martinis, and I would have enjoyed meeting some more of his coworkers. Seeing my significant other through the eyes of people who interact with him in a work capacity can be entertaining and heartwarming. And having the real face to go with the story about the 200 pound tattooed lady who saved the day when she cornered the coyote in the lobby would be priceless. So I did what any rational person would do, and went to the blogosphere to find others to commiserate with. It’s the one place where no matter how bad you think you have it, you can easily find 10,000 people who have it worse. What I found is that a lot of people have their tinsel in a tangle over the office holiday party scene. << MORE >>