Deloitte Wants to Kill Your HR Department

Deloitte wants to kill your HR department. I am not joking. It starts with a casual conversation. Deloitte has done work with your colleagues in operations, IT and finance. It’s not tough to secure a meeting with your CEO or CFO. They know your industry, and they’ve done research in HR — which is nothing…

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HR Doesn’t Innovate

Edward Binney and Harold Smith co-invented crayons in 1903, which doesn’t seem that long ago. Fortune cookies were invented back in 1918 — but I have to admit that I thought fortune cookies were some sort of ancient Chinese dinner ritual. (This makes me mildly racist. Sorry, guys.) John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry built the…

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Company Culture is a Myth

For years, I’ve been saying that your company doesn’t have a culture. You are incorrectly applying the word “culture” to a group of people who behave a certain way because their lives are dominated by a few powerful figures in your office. That’s it. Your shitty software company or little marketing agency doesn’t have a culture…

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Predictive Analytics

A few weeks ago, Bill Kutik asked, “Is predictive analytics for HR the greatest shuck and jive since social recruiting?” Is Predictive Analytics for HR, the greatest shuck and jive since Social Recruiting? Read this t.co/BVcUcMenCV #HRTechConf — Bill Kutik (@billkutik) October 27, 2014 I don’t know how to answer that question in a polite way. Instead,…

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Marathon Monday: It’s Over #runoaks

Happy to report that these Marathon Monday posts are over. I’m pleased with the day. I had a great time, and the course was beautiful. This is weird to write, but there is nothing big to report. As with most big things in life, it’s all about preparation. You get what you give, whether it’s…

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The Taper

I eased off my running, this week, because my marathon is Sunday. The methodology in which I back off my mileage and get ready for my race is called tapering, and it’s boring as hell. You can google it if you want to learn more. I tried a new taper strategy. I spent a week…

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“I Have a Large Gay Following”

I have the weirdest conversations on the road. A blogger and I were talking about tone, story selection and narrative. She told me, “I have to think about all the issues that are important to my audience, and I have a large gay following.” I said, “Wait, what does that mean? Do you measure your…

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Dunbar Number

Have you heard of Dunbar’s number? An anthropologist by the name of Robin Dunbar has a theory that the human brain only allows for so many meaningful and personal connections. He suggests that humans can manage about 150 stable relationships. Some people can do more. Some people can’t manage a number that high. (And “meaningful”…

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