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President's Message
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February 2012
Reading and Learning - An Ongoing Need
by Jennifer C. Loftus, MBA, SPHR-CA, GPHR
Reading and continual learning are essential elements of being a successful business and Human Resource professional. I will be the first to admit, however, that I allocate far less time to reading than I should. While reading is always on the agenda when I travel by rail or plane, work, school, and personal pursuits often take precedence over picking up a book.
When my business slowed down just a touch for the 2011 holidays, I took the opportunity to order several new books to dive into during 2012. For me, increasing my time devoted to reading is not a New Year's resolution, but rather a happy coincidence. Positive change should happen at any time of the year, not when an arbitrary date appears on the calendar.
Three new books appeared on my desk on December 30th, just in time for the long holiday weekend - StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath, The Introvert Advantage - How to Thrive in an Extrovert World by Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D., and What's Keeping You Up at Night? by HR/NY's own Stacey Jerrold, MBA, SPHR, CBC.
Jennifer Patterson, our Vice President of Programs and Education, had been nudging me for several months to read StrengthsFinder 2.0 and to discover what my personal strengths are, so I opened that book first. The online assessment was fun to take. At the end of the 30-minute quiz, I learned that my "Top 5 Strengths" (and the shared aspects of each strength) are:
1. Competition: People who are especially talented in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.
2. Achiever: People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
3. Significance: People who are especially talented in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.
4. Learner: People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
5. Command: People who are especially talented in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.These findings were not entirely surprising, although I am confident that the interpretations provided in the book will provide me with both additional insights into myself and more ways to work effectively with others.
Have you taken this assessment and utilized the results to make positive change in your work environment? If so, what are your "Top 5 Strengths?" Please email me--I'd love to hear from you!
As Human Resource professionals, we must continually learn, to stay abreast of new legislation as well as trends and theories in our industry and the external environment. Reading is an effective way to learn, but it is not the only method. Some of us learn best with short bursts of information. HR/NY Connections, HR/NY's newly renamed monthly newsletter, can fill that need. Others learn best by interacting, talking, and doing. For those individuals, HR/NY's seminars, meetings, and webinars are perfect! We have a rich calendar planned for 2012, including morning and evening presentations, webinars, and multi-day events! We will also be holding our second annual "Laser Coaching Night," in partnership with ICF-NYC, on Monday, February 6th. Last year's participants found the evening "life changing" and "powerful." Why not experience that for yourself? You can register for the Laser Coaching Night, and all our upcoming educational programs, at our home on the web - www.hrny.org.
The entire HR/NY team looks forward to helping you achieve your learning goals in 2012.
Here's to learning more about ourselves and the vast world around us this year!
Jennifer C. Loftus, SPHR-CA, GPHR
President, HR/NY
National Director, Astron Solutions