HR Like a Boss
By Tana M. Mann Easton, Lead Efficiency Engineer
I love to read books. I read a couple hundred books a year. This week, I read a book called HR Like a Boss: Your Guide to Amazingly Awesome HR by John Bernatovicz. Why does this book stand out among the hundreds this year? Here are some of the reasons:
First, I was quoted as an expert in the book. It’s a pretty fun experience to read a book and see your name and words reflected. I presented a training session to a local SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) chapter a couple of years ago. John (the author of HR Like a Boss) attended that training session. The presentation hit a chord with him, and he invited me to speak on his podcast and to coach him on how to use his Outlook email system to help him do his job. And now he quoted me in his book. We all want to feel like our work matters. Through each of our interactions, John reminds me that my vocation is making a difference for the better in people’s lives, and for that I am supremely thankful.
Second, I’m no HR professional, but I enjoyed this book. I’ve never worked in HR, but I’ve dealt with HR in almost every company I’ve ever worked for. In this book, John talks about why so many people dislike HR. He says that after asking many people this very question, the answer is usually because people perceive HR as a department of rule enforcers that you want to avoid because interactions with them mean you’re either in trouble or fired. John is on a crusade to change this perception. He doesn’t want people to think of HR and immediately fear they’re getting fired. Instead, he wants people to wonder how they will be inspired when HR is part of the conversation. John sees HR’s chief function as “connecting people with the purpose of their organization.” He claims, “The ‘it’s better for the company’ approach is so 1990. Employees work best and excel when they are aligned to a company’s purpose, know what impact their role has on the business, and understand how they fit into the team and culture.” These definitions and guideposts for HR are traits that I always wished were present back when I worked in corporate jobs. It heartens me to know that John and his cohorts are on a mission to make work better for every stakeholder in a company, and not just the executives and shareholders.
John also offers a lot of himself personally in this book. He uses many stories from his own experience to highlight suggested ways to move in a positive direction, but he’s also vulnerable enough to share the stories of times when he acted in ways that should be avoided. He has decades of HR experience under his belt, and he generously shares much of what he has learned in the pages of this book. If your company has a book club or if you’re looking for a good holiday gift for your HR department or your company in general, consider HR Like a Boss. And if you’re an HR professional, this is a must read. It’s a deep dive into what aspirational HR looks like and the steps that can take you and everyone in your company there.
If you or your team, like John, would like to sign up for our 2 hour Balance and Productivity training to instantly double your meaningful output and find the feeling of lasting flow and optimized work life balance, please email me at tana@focustoevolve.com and say hello!
Sincerely Yours,
Focus to Evolve Team