Vulnerability – True Stories at Work: fresh from HR

Ahoy HR! Take a Journey into Human Resources on a Cruise Ship: Lauren

By fresh from HR | 2024-02-27

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live with your coworkers on the ocean for 8-months each year? In this True Stories at Work episode you get to meet Lauren. Who wanted to be a pirate, astronaut and is now an HR leader on a cruise ship.

Michelle Aronson hosts Lauren, who aspired to be an astronaut, however ended up in HR after a health issue crashed her aerospace engineering dreams. Lauren talks about her practices in addressing HR issues and the unique challenges she faces living and working on a cruise ship, including dealing with staff from 30-40 different nationalities, overseeing personal issues that become HR matters, and handling romantic relationships on board. HR is personal, as Lauren recounts a heart-wrenching incident of an immigration scam involving one of her potential hires. The episode wraps up as Lauren shares how she changed her approach to HR after laying off an entire hotel staff at the beginning of the pandemic… and how she makes HR personal and connected to improve her workplace.

00:00 Introduction

02:09 Lauren’s Story

07:19 True Stories at Work

36:25 Workplace Confession

40:05 Haiku for Lauren

Resources

Curious about cross-culture challenges + how to connect more deeply with colleagues at work, here are some links to get started:

How Cultural Differences Can Impact Global Teams

Forming Stronger Bonds with People at Work

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Host: Michelle Aronson

Editor: Bella Hutchins

Haiku for Lauren

Lauren is not a pirate.

But achieves her HR dreams…

as she sees (seas(;)) the world.

Navigating Growth, Fear, and Humility in HR: Adam

By fresh from HR | 2024-01-19

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What happens when you choose to face your fears and be vulnerable at the work? This episode of True Stories at Work shares how well these tactics worked for Adam, as he moved from a $10/hr contractor to running global programs in the London headquarters of a multinational insurance company within 8 years! Adam shares the importance of honest communication, sharing your half-baked ideas, and taking risks at work.

We discuss vulnerability, mentorship, radical candor and managing your fear at work. Adam shares his journey of falling-out of a PhD program and into human resources. You’ll hear great stories of humility, risk-taking, continuous learning, and the importance of open communication. The Workplace Confession is from a coworker of Michelle’s who used his knowledge from a sexual harassment training to avoid her investigation!

#CareerGrowth #AuthenticLeadership #Vulnerability

Timeline:

00:01 Introduction

01:22 Adam’s Story

16:05 Stories at Work

33:09 Workplace Confession

38:50 Haiku for Adam

Curious about vulnerability at work or writing better job descriptions, here are some links to get started:

Want To Write A Better, More Effective Job Description? Follow These 14 Tips (forbes.com)

How to be vulnerable at work without spilling everything, from Brené Brown | (ted.com) </li>

HBR: How to Build Confidence About Showing Vulnerability

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Ask a question+ make a suggestion

Haiku for Adam

Adam knows that growth…

Comes with fear, risk and sharing…

Uncomfortable truths.

Host: Michelle Aronson

Editor: Bella Hutchins

HR is Artistic: Lauren Part 1

By fresh from HR | 2023-11-10

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Have you ever had to handle a rift in your department?

In this True Stories at Work episode you get to meet Lauren, who hit “all the desks” in HR to grow her expertise… but nothing prepared her for the mistake of rehiring a former employee, creating a “scorched earth” moment and a lot of leadership growth. We also talk about boundaries, and how you we keep them with our teams and employees.

Lauren shared so many stories that I had to split her stories across 2 episodes. In this episode, you’ll learn about Lauren’s background and how her career aspirations to be creative are fulfilled by working in HR. ”HR is artistic because you have to literally be able to handle things at the drop of a hat unique situations.”

For the Workplace Confession, you will hear a story from a former coworker, who wants to share some stories that still make him laugh and cringe from working with me. This one is from a leadership coaching conversation where he gets distracted by a squirrel… and I pulled the coaching recording to find out how that squirrel entered our coaching session.

Additional research on topics discussed in this episode:

Should You Rehire an Employee Who Left Your Company? (hbr.org)

How to Be Friends with Someone Who Works For You (hbr.org)

I need your workplace confession, so if you have every done anything wrong at work, please share your story with me by going to physicsatwork.com/podcast and leave me a voice message (anonymously and easily) from your phone or computer.

Make a Workplace Confession

Stories are what we remember and how we connect, so please share yours with me!

Let’s talk about your people strategy

Tell a story!

Words Matter, How Someone Leaves Feeling Matters… So Sweat Those Details: Kelly

By fresh from HR | 2023-04-04

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Today you get to meet Kelly, who emphasizes the importance of kindness in Human Resources and the fragility of company culture. Her stories demonstrate how Human Resources can be the crisis hotline for leaders. The first call they place when they don’t know how to handle a challenging situation. We discuss the everyday decisions that leaders make that shape culture, and how much communication (and words) matter at work. You’ll hear stories of Phantom Crappers where poop rolls down hill and into HR, a passive aggressive behavior which could be improved with better leadership.

At the end, you get to hear a workplace confession, this one offers a compelling reason not to eat the candy from your coworkers candy dish.

Curious how to increase kindness in your workplace? Here are some links to get started:

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Kindness at Work

Corporate Culture is Everyone’s Responsibility

Visit my website to:

Tell a story!

Make a Workplace Confession

Ask a question+ make a suggestion

Join the email list, follow me on social.

Listen or subscribe to the show

Join the private True Stories at Work Linked In group to connect with guests and listeners of the show

Haiku

Poop at work is an

Indication that you need…

Leadership training!

Vulnerability Improves Leadership: Cynthia

By fresh from HR | 2023-02-24

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Cynthia is a preacher’s kid, a performer and a Human Resources professional with more than 15 years of experience including employee relations, leadership development and diversity + inclusion.

Cynthia has witnessed the worst of people at work, yet remains hopeful “I really like people, so I’m always looking for the best in people, but I have like built a lot of cynicism in, people, but I, I feel like I’ve ebbed and flowed and I’ve finally come back to, having more faith in people….. so, you know, I’ve learned that people suck, but I also think that there’s hope for them.”

On today’s show you will learn about Cynthia’s journey into HR. We talk about vulnerability + how making and owning your mistakes will make you more respected by your team, and not less. You’ll hear a story about a CEO at a start-up who screwed up, owned up, and then you’ll learn how it all ended up.

At the end, you get to hear a workplace confession, something that happened at work that never made it through the doors of HR. This one might give you pause before you grab for that next pot of office coffee.

Curious about vulnerability + authenticity at work, here are some great places to start:

Brenee Brown, The Power of Vulnerability

Everything on Brenee Brown’s website

Herminia Ibarra, The Authenticity Paradox

Come on the show + tell your story!

Record your Workplace Confession…

Ask a question?

Join the True Stories at Work Linked In group to share your stories and connect with other listeners.

Haiku for Cynthia

Cynthia knows that…

Vulnerability does

Improve leadership.