Why do I Look at HR differently?

Simple. For over 20 years, I've worked directly with and/or for world-class entrepreneurs. Over the years, it becomes clear that while they all may have different leadership styles and strengths, certain traits and behaviors are nearly universal among them. I didn't come to my current job via any sort of HR "indoctrination", and admit to bringing much negative HR bias with me. My background is as a business guy in software start-ups, working in private equity and also executive search. In the world of high-tech start-ups we moved fast, were pragmatic, and hated anything remotely resembling rules or bureaucracy. Then later, in the search business, I was typically retained by an investor, the Board, or the CEO; and HR was more often than not kept out of the loop, and was often seen as a hindrance to the important recruiting and assessment work that had to be done. The placement of a successful new executive was of strategic importance to any business, and we could not afford to be bogged down in trivial details that often seemed to preoccupy HR leaders.

In the 5 years since being thrust into the HR leadership role, I've adapted this kind of entrepreneurial thinking wherever I could, and it's paid off. I'd put us up against nearly anyone you can think of, in nearly any measurement you care to name. In the coming weeks and months we'll talk about what's worked and what's not worked. Your feedback and questions are very welcome!

Let's get this rolling

Seasons Greetings! Part of my 2008 New Year's resolutions was to get the blog started, and I've beaten the goal with 4 days to spare in the year! My intent as we move forward in this experiment is to share experiences from my world as a VP of Human Resources for a successful, forward-thinking, super-fast-growing company. I can't share who we are, or who I am, as my goal is to share real experiences, and thus must protect the innocent. LOL. Welcome aboard!