Ethical Leadership and SHRM with Victorio Milian

Let’s Fix Work Episode 71

This week I get to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Victorio Milian. Some people refer to him as the most disruptive man in human resources. Is that hyperbole? Is that true? Well, on the surface, Victorio is a human resources consultant, a father, a husband, and a volunteer. He also is a hobbyist photographer. So yes, he’s got a normal life. But he is also the founder of a movement called #fixitSHRM. SHRM is the Society for Human Resource Management. Why does it need to be fixed? Well, that’s exactly what we’re talking about today.

What would you do if an association that represents you starts to behave in a way that you don’t agree with? Do you stay with it? Do you leave it? Do you speak up? What happens when you try to reach out to the leadership and they don’t respond? Victorio was faced with this dilemma, he made his choice and the #fixitSHRM movement was born. I will let you decide whether or not you believe Victorio is in the right or wrong. But this is for sure, our conversation is one worth listening to and worth having, without a doubt.

So if you’re interested in a conversation about ethical leadership and hearing about one man’s attempt to fix an organization he feels is misrepresenting HR, then sit back and listen to this episode of Let’s Fix Work.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Why people describe Victorio as disruptive in the world of human resources
Victorio’s definition of ethical leadership, what is it and why it matters
Leadership begins with us, it starts at a local level
SHRM and how Victorio feels about it
We discuss whether or not people need a seat at the table in Washington to truly affect change
Why Victorio feels his battle with SHRM is important
The HR workforce’s role and responsibility in the world of HR
Some parallels Victorio sees between the world of HR and the world of photography

KEY TAKEAWAYS

WHAT IS VICTORIO’S DEFINITION OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP?

Ethical leadership, much like HR, is contextual. In HR we like to say, “It depends.” There is no black and white situation where we can say that is a definitive answer one way or the other. And so with regards to ethical leadership, it means really thinking through the moral implications of a business decision.

WHERE DOES LEADERSHIP BEGIN?

I used to think that leadership begins at the top. Then I actually got into a position of power and realized the leaders are no different than anybody else. Now I believe that leadership begins with us. It starts at the local level, but that’s a challenge as well because we are only as big as our individual platforms. We only affect as many people as we can.

WHY IS VICTORIO SO PASSIONATE ABOUT HIS MOVEMENT #FIXITSHRM?

First, Victorio is no longer a current member of SHRM, but does have a very specific point of view about the association. According to Victorio, SHRM is in a position to offer guidance in and opinions to HR management. But the CEO of SHRM is aligning with, for lack of a better phrase, a cartoon villain (the current US president). He believes to align with this person as explicitly as they had, is a smack in the face considering this is an organization that has a very strong code of ethics that is listed on their website and they expect HR professionals to adhere to. So there’s definitely a disconnect between what is being said from the organization around how they value employers, employees, and anybody in the world. Yet, they are working with an administration that does not represent that in any way, shape, or form.

WHAT IS THE HR WORKFORCE’S ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN THE WORLD OF HR?

Here is some advice from Victorio: “I would say, do what you can. There’s a lot happening in the world and if you try to think about it all and impact at all, you’re going to freeze. But everybody can do something and not everybody can do the same thing. I know for myself, speaking out and being consistent around how I speak out, what I say, who my audience is, and my way of trying to move the needle is important. For other people, it may be something different. Maybe they look at their organization and say, “We have a problem as it relates to diversity and hiring.” So we have to dig deep in terms of how we do better around that. And of course, that means really getting uncomfortable. Having the ability to push forward and tackle these issues, see them to their conclusion, and recognize that there’s never going to be a definitive moment where we got that fixed right.”