Sunstone HR (HR Consulting)

By: Rod Lacey,  Sunstone HR I have always been convinced that hard work wins . I believe that each of us falls short of perfection, even in our areas of specialty, but generally speaking, he who works the hardest tends to come out ahead. It's the will, not the skill . Having had accountabilities for large employee bases throughout my career, I’ve had countless discussions with company leaders about talent. Without exception, effort and energy (aka ‘hard work’) is a critical point of differentiation between ‘champs’ and ‘chumps’. Even if there’s a gap in an employee’s current performance, having a reputation as a hard worker seems to magically fill that void. WHAT ABOUT THOSE THAT ARE GIFTED? Given the choice to be regarded as ‘gifted’ or a ‘hard worker’, my preference would be known as the latter. That may be because I’m not a natural, or gifted at much and have had to work hard for everything I’ve achieved. It may also be because that’s the example my father set f...

Make sure you like what's on the menu! "Before you aspire to sit at the executive table, please confirm that you like what’s on the menu!" By Rod Lacey, Sunstone HR I was involved in an acquisition of an organization in southern Switzerland. Stories from the executives first exploring the purchase described the lakeside city of Lugano, on the border of Italy. Not only did the location sound beautiful (palm trees?!) but they also described these incredible multi-course feasts that lasted for hours! When it was finally my turn to visit Lugano and meet my HR team there, I was excited to experience first-hand the amazing feasts that had been discussed. There’s no doubt that my first and second night meals lived up to the descriptions! The food was a blend of Switzerland and Italy, and the courses just kept coming . . . It would have been a foodie’s dream, but it was a nightmare for me. For someone like me, who is lactose intolerant, the never-ending cheeses a...

When things go wrong in an organization, people see very quickly what the leader is made of. Leaders are generally given the benefit of the doubt when things are going well and the assumption is that the leader created those successes. There’s an interesting change in mindset of the organization when things are going poorly. The organization often doesn’t immediately fault the leader, but looks to the leader to proclaim what the source of the problem might be. How a leader responds when results are poor is a great test of her character. A good leader will remember that accountability flows uphill, while credit flows downhill. Judge Smails, from the classic golf movie Caddyshack shared a witty poem about this leadership attitude: “ It's easy to grin When your ship comes in And you've got the stock market beat. But the man worthwhile, Is the man who can smile, When his shorts are too tight in the seat .” ACCOUNTABILITY FLOWS UPHILL Here’s a few stor...