Quick, what’s the first thing that comes into your mind when I mention the following cities: Pripyat, Fukushima, Detroit and Miami?

If you say nuclear fallout both literally and figuratively the short answer is yes, but that’s not the topic of today’s post. I was hoping you’d say something along the lines of cities that have a people retention problem?
Miami has a retention problem? What about all the models on South Beach Johnny Nyk, surely that must be a draw for peeps? Well yeah, it is to some extent but cute models, overpriced drinks and recent issues with weathermen and the Russian mob does not lead to a positive image.

Credit Bill Diggs, president and CEO of the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, who wrote about this in last Sunday’s Miami Herald for the inspiration behind this post. In his op-ed piece, Mr. Diggs shared his concerns about this problem and how our freshly minted graduates are moving out of town for more opportunities.

Diggs’ solution to the problem “Give them a way to communicate with our leadership…stop talking about how millionaires and affluent companies are spending their money and instead call for a local countywide discussion on the retention of our young people.”

Now before your cynicism takes over and you immediately shut this down, think about this for a moment, this is a pretty easy and powerful idea.

The cost to the company leadership is time during the workday. However, the long term rewards and goodwill well outweigh the hour of time spent making a difference and communicating.

Personally, I was lucky to experience something like Bill’s thoughts firsthand. Ironically, it was for my HR leadership class. The assignment was relatively simple, interview a community leader in healthcare space. One of my group members got us an hour with the very busy CEO of Jackson Memorial. Door closed, no phone calls and no questions were off the table. It was an awesome experience and one that still carries an impact.

Would conversations with CEO’s and other leaders keep graduates in Miami? Probably not in the immediate future, but it can’t hurt either. As HR leaders we should be using this as the perfect opportunity to do some quick community outreach and make a positive impact on not only possible candidates, but customers as well.

After all, even CEO’s have to deal with goals from HR.

Photo Credit:http://www.geekologie.com/2011/07/19/nuke-lamp-2.jpg

Today I want to take a moment to honor someone that I respect and admire, Mr. Tim Sackett

“Who’s Tim and why does he warrant this honor” you ask? Well, it’s really quite simple. Tim is something rare in today’s crazy world of HR blogs, twitter chats, and conference circuits. My dear friend, Tim Sackett is an influencer.

“Bullshit!” cries the teeming masses, “He’s not on any of the so-called influencer lists and if he’s not there, he’s not an influencer!”

Yes, you could make that argument. However, I want to share with you why I think he’s an influencer and say screw the lists they’re bullshit.

When you really take a moment to read Tim’s work on FOT or on his own blog you quickly realize that he earned it. Bit by bit, piece by piece, nothing was handed to him. His fresh and jaded opinion comes from years of work in the trenches.

I thought I knew a few things about business and recruiting, making partner, watching the bottom fall out, transitioning into healthcare and then into quick service restaurants. Lemme tell you that until I got to the restaurant side of business…I didn’t know how complicated the business model was and boy did I have to learn quickly.

In my opinion the business of foodservice covers every aspect of the business cycle AND it’s something that touches everyone. So when Tim tells a story from his Applebee days, I can see how it’s pertinent in today’s business climate. (Applebee’s folks… you know the one with the “we wish we had the same atmosphere as TGI Fridays but we don’t so we’ll still sell you the same crappy food” Yeah, that’s the one.)

Not that all pundits have to come from the trenches of foodservice for me to regard them as experts but with Tim it’s different. I relate because I know he’s won and lost deals. He’s had some of the same conversations that I’ve had with great candidates and horrible candidates. The same could be said for managers and companies. Hell, I know he’s stared down the barrel of a terrible req, with a bad manager at a company that’s got a horrible reputation and culture and he found someone to fill it.

That’s why he’s an influencer in my book.

So here’s to you Tim!

Your writing forces me to stop and think. Some days I find myself reading your work and shaking my head in complete agreement and muttering “YES!” Other times, I’ve stared at my monitor in complete disbelief shaking my head and wanting to cry out “You’re so full of shit!”

You’re one of the good guys, and I’m proud to honor you today. Cheers to you and keep on kicking ass errrr…influencing.

Photo credit: Twitter.com/TimSackett – yeah, I ripped it off, but hey you at least know what he looks like now

When I was in the seventh grade I was studying for confirmation. I found it to be annoying and difficult having already been subjected to the rite of confirmation immediately after being baptized as an Eastern Catholic. The nuns, lay teachers, and even priests didn’t understand my eastern rite and this caused me grief and confusion. Now compound that with being a teenager and you get a taste of what was swirling about my brain those years ago.

I remember we had to ask for gifts from the Holy Spirit upon our confirmation. I had no idea what to ask for because I had already been down this path albeit as a newborn. So in sheer frustration, I remember humbly asking for what was titled “The fear of God”. Seems I got that gift in spades.

Fast forward to today, I’ve just finished reading Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” and those feelings of fear, angst, uncertainty, and doubt have all come flooding back. However this time it’s different.

I never thought to tune into why I felt afraid at certain times. Never thought that my actions or at time my inaction all were part of a journey that I needed to undertake to truly understand me. At times I allowed myself to be carried upon the wind, afraid to realize my full potential.

I’ve had a few pointed conversations with people I’ve trusted. I’ve shared with them my hopes, dreams, desires and goals, and even my deepest fears.

My actions and inactions have now come full circle and smacked me in the face.

I can sense that there are several important events that will take place this year. I will reach an important milestone age wise (I’m afraid to turn 40), the love for my family and friends will grow deeper, my interactions with others will be critical, and the path that I am undertaking work wise will be under more scrutiny in the coming year.

And yes, I can say with certainty that I am afraid, but I’m not scared.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as I’m writing this there is one word on my t-shirt that is reflected in the screen of my notebook. That word is meaningful.

So here’s my public declaration for 2012. Even though I’m afraid, I know that everything that happens this year will be meaningful…

So here’s to the new year of meaning. 2012 will test me as much as it will test you. The question is, will it be meaningful or will you allow yourself to be swept up by the wind?

And just for good measure to hell with the Mayans and their stupid calendar…we all have got a lot to accomplish this year.

I received some sad news this week about a former colleague/friend who has fallen upon some hard times.

Now we’ve all been faced with challenges this year however this news is a bit tough to take because it’s taking place in a very public forum. I don’t care who you are but when you have to read about a former colleague/friend of yours unraveling in the press, well let’s just say there isn’t a page in the “How to deal with it” friendship manual.

That got me thinking about what more I could have done to help? Would they have been amenable to my offer of help? Did I truly do enough to intervene?

When I reflected on those questions, my heart was heavy but I realized that there was nothing more that I could do. Having seen so many issues as a young person as it relates to alcohol abuse and being on the receiving end of some of those issues has just exhausted me. Years ago, I made the conscious decision to seek help and I know I’m still a work in progress, but I realized that in order to get better I needed to do something.

Every Christmas, I always ask for/pray for world peace. It seems this year; I’m going to have to add some additional things to that simple prayer. I hope that they’ve finally hit the bottom and that they can dry out. I hope that soon, we’ll all be able to find it in our hearts to forgive them for their transgressions and their faults.

Peace to you and your families this holiday season.
-JP

Yesterday I had the pleasure of moderating a panel discussion with some current b-school students and recent alumni. Our audience was primarily composed of non business majors from around the university and the various business related affinity groups on campus.

Now usually when I moderate I mix things up for the panel. I don’t ask questions in order, I’ll move into an area that someone may bring up organically and at times, I’ll take a contrary position just to get a reaction from the panel. However, someone brought up this concept of “The Miami Bubble”.

Interested, I probed a bit more and asked the panelist for clarification. They explained that the bubble is formed or created while they’re in school, and that even though we may have a higher than normal level of multiculturalism and diversity in our classes and on campus, it’s vastly different once you leave the confines of “the bubble”.

This got me thinking about how we all are guilty of creating our own versions of the “Miami Bubble” within our organizations. You know, when we say statements that are along the lines of :“Yeah that’s OK experience, but it’s not really relevant to our company/culture/organization” or maybe something like “Well I just don’t see how someone that junior is ready to take on a managerial role”.

Call me full of hot air, but I think we’ve all been a bit guilty of this type of thinking.

My own experience with the “Miami Bubble” happens when I travel, especially to towns in the southern U.S., the Midwest, or even the west coast of Florida and the U.S.. I find myself getting nervous being around so many people that look and think the same. Now before you scream bull…err, shenanigans, hear me out. I’m constantly surrounded by multiple languages, dialects, political views, and religions (and that’s just within my immediate family only 780 feet around the corner). When I travel to a portion of the country where everyone speaks English and can understand me, I get nervous. I expect a mix of peeps and when everyone looks and sounds the same, I get confused (ironic for the gringo eh?) To me, the mix is normal. Too much of the same is abnormal.

Another interesting point is in how I greet friends of the opposite sex. Here at home it’s common for a quick air kiss on the cheek. It’s perfectly innocent and innocuous. However, when I traveled to conferences this year and did that with some peeps, the reactions I got were pretty funny. Granted, they didn’t run away, but they were confused when I invaded their personal space, touched my cheek to theirs and made a kissy sound. I distinctly remember a few confused looks and in one case was told that type of behavior made them uncomfortable and was unacceptable.

Kissing example aside, how many of us are guilty of creating our own “Insert town or Company culture here – Bubbles”? Is it a fair thing to do? Why do we as some pretty savvy HR folks still allow that thinking to prevail? I’m gonna chew on this one for a while.

And if the whole air kissy thingee bothers you, don’t worry. My wife, Laurie, and even Steve Boese can attest, Johnny Nyk loves all the pretty ladies!

Photo credit: http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com & Getty Images

I like to say a heartfelt goodbye to the 2011 Hurricane Season.

If we can be honest for just a few moments, I just want to say please don’t take this personally, but I never really liked you. I’m also very happy to see your sorry ass gone until next June.

Adieu, Adieu, Parting is such sweet sorrow (apologies to W. Shakespeare & W.Wonka).

Photo Credit: http://geology.com/hurricanes/hurricane-names.shtml

It’s been a bit of a rough week here in South Florida. My one year old bounced back from a small bit of pneumonia. She’s great now, but has decided that she wants to play at 3:00 am. This has been happening for the past five nights in a row.

Funny thing about putting a baby back to sleep at 3:00 am you get some really quit time to think and I realized that there were a few peeps I didn’t mention in my “thanks” post last week. Why? Well I thought the list was getting a bit too long and some people may not want to read that crap.

So while there’s a good chance random phone calls will happen before year end, here are a few people I wanted to mention directly and say that I’m genuinely grateful and thankful that we’ve had time to interact and spend time together this year:

Joe Gerstandt: We had a chance to interact a few times this year. When I reflect on those moments, I smile because I can recall you observing everything. Thank you for speaking truth to power and being a source of inspiration. If it’s within my power to help, then it’s done.

Teresa Morris: Our lunch in Vegas was legendary. I love the fact that we trade salsa/meringue/bachata tunes back and forth. You are an amazing, smart, and loving person (all that from a few conferences eh?) I appreciated the time we spent chatting, sharing music, and eating. If y’all drag your sorry butts to Miami, dinner with my family (including the French mother-in-law)!

Kris Dunn: Thanks for taking the time to chat and especially for the time at HRFL this year. Funny how some of the best conversations start with the funniest lines… “He’s on a plane to Nicaragua” will remain on of the best opening lines in my book for a while.

Ashley Newman: I’ve known Ashley since our days at university. She is an amazing and talented designer and an amazing mother and wife. Without Ashley’s creative skills, this blog would not look as awesome as it does, and I know I wouldn’t keep up with it. Thank you for being genuine, awesome, brilliant, and somehow still remain cordial to my sorry ass. Now if we can just work on that whole “Gator vs. Hurricanes” thingee….

OK, that’s it for the blog posts. Anyone else I think of is getting a phone call.

Today’s post was inspired by my recent trip to the Dominican Republic and some of the cultural nuances that I’ve experienced firsthand during my travels to Central America and the Spanish Caribbean.

I’ve always wondered about business professional who claims that they can think “globally”. I’d like to ask them if they’ve ever spent extended time abroad in a country where English is not the predominant language? Now don’t get me wrong, living and working in Miami has some of that flavor, but let’s be honest its still part of the U.S. I’m talking completely out of your comfort zone and full immersion in a culture and language where you have no tangible points of reference.

One of the first things I noticed was the fascination with surnames and how it may have an impact on how you’re treated. I didn’t realize it had much significance until I started dating my wife (waaay back in my university days). Her father, a military officer and instructor at his country’s military academy, wanted to know more about my last name. His questions were always polite but he wanted to know more about my family’s history.

This all made more sense to me when I had a chance to visit Nicaragua in 2009. My father-in-law briefed me on what to expect in country. He explained the social and political landscape and said not to worry but to follow his lead.

He introduced me to several of his friends, former colleagues, and extended family members. It always stared the same way “This is my son-in-law, insert name here, he works here at this corporation, and he’s also related to a former President of the United States?”

Now I’m incredibly shy about that small fact, but since I was completely out of my comfort zone linguistically and culturally, I had to go with it. I learned that it was a way of establishing a bastardized version of positional and referent power. Once that little fact came out, the tone of my interactions changed with people. Moving from an “Oh he’s just a gringo in the background” to a friendly tone. At times the interactions became more formal, and at others, incredibly informal.

Fast forward to last week and my trip to the DR. I found it a bit off being referred to as “Professor” but realized that it was a clear way to differentiate between instructor and student and again between position and referent power. When I was politely asked by someone about my surname, I kept it brief and didn’t mention the whole presidential thing. I then politely asked about his, and was met with the whole “I’m a PhD from Harvard-wrote a book about business education-teach across Central & South America” story.

My follow-up question about the business of education stopped Dr. Harvard in his tracks. He looked at me and said “Never thought about it from that perspective. You’ve given me something to think about.”

All due respect to my famous dead family member, but sometimes you gotta build the reputation all on your own.

Photo Credit: http://theangrytiki.com/2011/05/name-tag-enlightenment.html

I love the fall. Well what we call “fall” here in Miami is really an end to hurricane season, rain, and humidity. While the leaves don’t change colors, the tourists do, so it tends to even out in my book.

I’d also be remiss to not take a few minutes out to thank some of the people who inspire, motivate, push, cajole, and kick me in the ass when I need it (in no particular order):

Benjamin McCall: Thanks for the random calls and the great conversations. You always make me see things from a perspective that I never thought possible.

John Jorgensen: We may bust balls being from different Fraternities, but you keep me honest. I appreciate our calls, the conversations, and the random shots.

Mark Stelzner: Several Stellas deep my ability to count becomes virtually non-existent, thanks for helping me to count to 21. On a serious note, you taught me that boldness and action take guts and a twisted sense of humor.

Jason Seiden: The books are a huge hit when I conduct seminars and the note you included is tacked to my wall. When I get stuck it serves as a source of inspiration and a reminder to “Go Big!”

Charlie Judy: We had some great times this year. You call shit out and make shit happen. That motivates my sorry ass.

Frank Roche: There are days when I think “WWFS” just before I’m about to publish a blog post. I then proceed to freak out and then say “screw it”. I appreciate your candor, and like Mr. Judy, when you call out the bullshit in the industry and space, people listen and act. That makes you awesome in my book.

Matt Stollak: You are a scholar, a gentleman, and have one of the biggest hearts on the planet. Your hospitality and generosity were not lost on me and I’m still trying to find a way to repay you. Thank You!

Lance Huan: I’ve had some of the best dining experiences of my life with you and Matt. I mean how can one top In-N-Out burger & Lotus of Siam in Vegas? Thank you for driving and the culinary adventures.

Jason Lauristen: I admire you as a leader, a writer, and as a person. Thanks for being an inspiration.

Dwane Lay: Heh, heh (shakes head). You’re good people and we don’t nearly spend as much time together as we should. Maybe that’s a good thing. Having you on my wing when we ambushed Tony Hsieh this year was epic. Thanks.

Paul Hebert: I know we’re both passionate about our teams and that passion coupled with your writing is amazing. Thanks for putting up with my cheap shots, and for being a great blogger.

Steve Boese: You provide the forum for this crazy, extended (and somewhat dysfunctional) group of friends to interact. The sacrifice doesn’t go unnoticed by me. Thanks!

Paul Smith: I’m one of your biggest fans and cheerleaders. We joke, and laugh, but being serious for like 2 seconds, you’re poised to make a huge difference in others lives (like you did mine).

Tim Sackett: Screw the lists, you’re someone I admire and respect for the hard work you do in the trenches.

Jenn McClure: You’re one of the best and the brightest. You lead, and inspire all of us. Thanks for setting the bar so high.

Franny O: You keep me honest and grounded in reality. I’m convinced that you and my wife have been comparing notes. I’m thankful for the brief time we get at conferences.

Trish McFarlane: One day a random pair of Chucks is gonna show up at your door (shipped by Zappos nonetheless). You make it look effortless and that’s not lost on me. Thank you for being a catalyst.

Maren Hogan: You always managed to facebook me when I’m having my tempest in a teacup moments and make me smile forgetting the bullshit. Not an easy thing to do with me… Thank You.

The Starr Conspiracy: LZSFC QGM XGJ QGMJ ZGKHALSDALQ & YWFWJGKALQ SFV LZW SESRAFY WPHWJAWFUWK. OGO!

Steve Browne: Thank you for listening.

Laurie: Thank you for the text messages.

Victorio Milian: You’re an example of calm, cool, and collected at all times. Thank you for always making me smile.

Dan Crosby: Thanks for not taking my co-pay. Like our buddy Victorio, you’re an amazing example and a great sport too… Cheers to you “Don Carlos”!

James Papiano: You’re one of the good guys and I’m glad we were able to finally meet and interact. Thanks for also challenging me to think differently.

Eric Winegardner: Your passion is contagious, and your drive is unmatched. I’m just gonna say it here, you’re the living example of Willie Wonka for the HR space. Thanks for reminding me that “I’m a music maker and dreamer of dreams!”

Matt Charney: If you call me at 3 a.m. and ask to bury the body, it’s done.

OK this shit got way too long. Next time, I’m just gonna call people.

Had to work this weekend in the Dominican Republic (yeah, I know it’s tough when the country looks like the picture). Travel time is quick, just shy of 2 hours in a plane.

It’s an amazing place. The people are lovely and if you’re a history buff, well it don’t get much cooler than Christopher Columbus.

So I’m working on a few posts about international thinking, global HR, and just multiculturalism in general.

Short week, but inspired to get some stuff out into the ether. Stay tuned!

Photo Credit: http://www.destination360.com/caribbean/dominican-republic/santo-domingo