we can do new things
Howdy haters,
Really feel like that intro is starting to stick… what do you think?? Is it a yay or nay?
BTW HI FROM VEGAS. It’s hot in case you’re wondering?? It turns out late March in the desert is something… a heat wave incoming!! I’m trying to get some sun.
I’ll be at Transform this week but don’t worry - next week I’m giving you a behind the scenes look at what I saw / heard during this week. I wouldn’t want you to miss a thing!!
Another thing you cannot miss…
📺 Next week’s HR Therapy. What does it take to be a talent led organization? What does that even mean?? Questions we’ll get to during the session. And joining me to yap is cast of characters that has thoughts that I’m sure you’re dying to hear. Shoutout to Stacey Nordwall, Jess Winder and Kathryn Victory for making time in their busy schedules to drop important knowledge.
Now, onto today… a mindset shift.
Feels like I really wrote this for myself but hey, you might like it too??
NEW
A mindset shiftCopy anchor linkCopied
This entire quarter, I've been writing about all the new things reshaping the world of work. From new structures, new technologies, to new expectations from employees and employers.
If you've been reading along, you might be nodding, maybe even inspired???
A girl can dream.
But here’s the dealio: knowing about new things and actually doing new things are two very different conversations.
TBH I don’t believe most of us aren’t stuck in the ways we work because we lack information about the new things to try. No, one would argue we’re stuck because potentially there’s something underneath it all that we might not even realize…
It could be the quiet belief that we can only do things when we’re certain, or that failure isn’t an option, or that trying something new is scary and the risk is too high.
Before any tip, tool, or trend can actually land, there's something more fundamental that has to happen first…
We have to shift the lens we’re seeing through. Not just WHAT we know but HOW we think about what’s possible.
That, my friend, is called a mindset shift.
For a lot of us in HR, we’re holding the stability of the org together for everyone. And that means rocking the boat and trying new things can feel really freaking hard.
So this week, I’m talking about how to get your mind to a place where you can actually act on new things.
Three things to try to shift your mindset and embrace trying new things!
3 things to try: Copy anchor linkCopied
1️⃣ Get curious, like really curious about how you do things.
Okay, what a loaded piece of advice I know but how often do we stop and think about our work? Like really think? And ask ourselves “should I even be doing this like this?”
Sometimes it feels like I’m running from process to process and barely have anytime to actually process.
When you’re on autopilot it leaves little room to be curious about how you’re operating.
I want you to sit with these 3 questions:
- Why do we actually do this the way we've always done it?
- What's the thing that annoys me most about how we work right now?
- If I could change one thing tomorrow with zero pushback, what would it be?
Being curious about everything (and everyone) will help you open your mind up to new things.
2️⃣ Get comfy with failure.
When was the last time you failed at something? I’ll be honest for me, it’s been a minute. I’m at a point in my career where failure can feel very high risk and have serious consequences. Sometimes that fear of failure can make it harder to try something new.
So, let’s de-risk failure.
Here are places to try something new where the blast radius of failure is small:
- In a 1:1: you can test a new question, a new approach, even a new framework with one person before it scales. I usually bring these ideas to my trusted folks like the company’s co-founders and my direct report. There I can pitch the new thing and get direct feedback before I scale anything.
- Pilot with 1 team before the whole org: Not every new thing needs a splashy launch, sometimes you can mini-test with an entire team before rolling it out.
- Name it as an experiment: Tell everyone you’re trying something new as an experiment and you’re all going to experience it together for the first time. This takes the pressure off and brings everyone along for the ride.
And if your work place ISN’T SAFE for you to experiment with failure, look for opportunities in your personal life. Every year I try to learn 1 new thing to remind me to stay comfy with failure. Last year it was tennis. I thought I was going to instantly pick up the ball and be the next Serena. Yes, that is delulu. But the practice of learning something new reminded me that I’m not going to be successful at every single thing I do. It’s humbling and I try to bring that energy to applying new things at work.
3️⃣ Make a list.
Wow, what a revolutionary piece of advice I know. :) But in all seriousness, what’s on your wish list of things to try at work? It’s okay if you don’t have one yet, we’re sometimes too busy to dream.
Most of us have some sort of mental graveyard of ideas that we never acted on. Instead of those living rent free in your head or something you randomly reference in convos, I want you to write them down.
To be clear this isn’t a to-do list because I don't want you to feel the pressure to act on everything. This is inventory.
The list can just be new things you want to try at work from new processes to new tools even new benefits. ANYTHING can go on the list. And if you’re feeling like you want to be held accountable, reply and tell me one thing that’s on your list.
I’ll go first: I want to explore ICHRAs.
There, see? Easy peasy.
📣 Here's what I want you to take away from this: a mindset shift doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. There’s no sprinting at the airport with flowers and declarations of love. It’s not a resolution or a dramatic rebrand.
A real mindset shift will look like a series of small, quiet decisions to see things a tiny bit differently than you did before. Things don’t have to be all figured out, you don’t have to be bold or fearless. You just have to want to TRY.
Be willing to try is the key to everything.
I’m off to Transform!! But like I said, rest assured because next week I’m bringing you the freshest news straight from the conference floor.
If there’s anyone you want me to meet, interview, or yap with I’m all ears.
(HUMAN) RESOURCES
- Open AI hiring spree
- Remote work recommendation to deal w/ oil prices
- Checkr surveyed 2,500 HR leaders and honey, the findings are a lot*
- HSBC weighs deep job cuts
- Project Hail Mary slays at the box office
*This one is brought to you by one of my amazing brand partners
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
- 📚 What I’m reading: The Deal by Elle Kennedy. Remember that phase I went through where I read 12 hockey romance novels? Yup, it was this series. But the exciting part is they turned it into a TV show and it airs soooooon. So I figured it was time for a reread. If you want to learn little to nothing about hockey but a lot about romance, this is the series for you.
- 📺 What I’m watching: XO Kitty. The new season is back sooo soon!!!!!! My obsession with this show knows no bounds. Therefore I am rewatching the entire series for like the 5th time this year.
- 📱 What I’m hitting up the group text with: my tailoring experience. I took an item to be tailored because I loved it so so much but it wasn’t fitting just right. I was pretty nervous but now I’m convinced everything I own could stand to be tailored. BRB looking up if I can learn to tailor my own clothes.
SONG OF THE WEEK
🎧 Brace, Twin Shadow feat Rainsford Copy anchor linkCopied
Be still my synth pop loving heart!!!!!
I first discovered Twin Shadow because of a Haim feat on a song and then dove into this album.
At the first track on the album it didn’t make it hard to dive fully into the rest of the album.
I hope you enjoyed this, please let me know what you think and what other topics you'd love for me to cover. I'm allll ears.
Reminder: Take care of yourself and know that I support you.
