Recruiting Animal! This year’s honoree for (the increasingly inaccurately named) ‘Tim Sackett Day’

You might think that all bloggers know each other. That’s not true.

We just act like we do.

Part of that is because we recognize that this world that we live in – particularly the HR blogosphere (yeah, I hate that word, too) – is a unique thing. We have a lot to say about a lot of different topics, yet ultimately, we acknowledge that all of these voices have a role to play and we love it when one of our own has a chance to be exalted by the masses.

And that’s where the annual Tim Sackett Day comes in.

Started in 2011-ish, Tim Sackett Day came about because Tim Sackett was (and is) a blogger and HR guy who couldn’t seem to get any love from the makers of lists. So the blogger community got together and recognized one of their own. This has grown into an annual tradition of giving a communal “shout out” to those who have greatness in their hearts, in their heads, and in their blogs.

This year, we recognize Recruiting Animal.

Obviously, the name alone is enough to get him on pretty much any list. I mean…seriously. That, and the hat.

But ultimately, we recognize Recruiting Animal because he is a true pioneer of social HR. Don’t believe me? Check out the timeline:

2004: Animal creates his very first blog.
April 2006: The Recruiting Animal Blog is born. The format is pretty much the same today as it was back then. Substance over style, baby!
March 2007: Not content with the written interaction afforded by the blog, Animal founded the Recruiting Animal Show – the VERY FIRST online call-in show about recruiting. It’s outrageous, funny, thought provoking, in your face, and damn good. It was at this time that Recruiting Animal joined Twitter. No one really knew what it meant, but Animal was appropriately wary of the belief that Twitter was the promised land for recruiters.
2009: Manifesto video created. Okay, not really a manifesto, but a witty, smart, realistic look at why social media doesn’t pay but still fricking matters. (The whole thing is worth a watch, but head to the 7:40 minute mark for the meat of it.)
The present: The legend continues…

If you are at all interested in HR blogs, then you probably know of Laurie Ruettimann (and if you don’t, you should!). Laurie had this to say about Recruiting Animal:

Animal blazed a trail on social media that allowed people like me (and you) to get on the internet without a lot of risks. And Animal provides you with coverage, whether you know this or not. He’s so outrageous in his big Canadian hat that he makes the things we say and do seem like no big deal…. His heart is as big as Toronto.

I don’t personally know Recruiting Animal. But I know of him. And I know people who think the world of him…and that says a helluva lot.

So (big furry Canadian) hats off to this year’s Tim Sackett Day honoree, Recruiting Animal! Keep doing what you do – we’ll all “get it” one of these days.

If you want to find Recruiting Animal online, you’ve got lots of choices:

When things go wrong, will your people do right?

Today was the kind of day that business travelers tell horror stories about.

I’m speaking at two conference this week (MNSHRM and WISHRM), and today was the first day of a week of travel. It was supposed to be easy. I had just gotten my TSA Pre-Check, so security wasn’t a problem. And I was flying Southwest Airlines with a good boarding position (A 31 – not too shabby).

How hard could it be?

My husband dropped me off at the airport one hour and forty minutes before my flight was scheduled to take off. I figured I’d drop off the bag, breeze through security and grab a little breakfast.

And then I encountered this:

A line to end all lines. And it was even worse inside.

Turns out, Southwest had a massive computer system outage today. They couldn’t print boarding passes from many of the service desks. They couldn’t print baggage claim tickets.

They had to do EVERYTHING by hand – check in, boarding, manifest clearing – everything.

And you know what? They did it with a smile.

The skycaps worked quickly. They had their process down and did what they could to keep the mood light. (I got through that ridiculous line in 35 minutes.)

The boarding gate agent was funny and handled the craziness with some humor.

The flight crew acknowledge the challenges, kept the passengers informed, and did what they could to ensure everyone on the flight made it – even when security was backed up (seriously…get TSA pre-check).

It wasn’t just in my hometown where the employees did what they could to make the best of a terrible situation. Check out these employees in Las Vegas, handing out cold drinks to folks stuck in the hot sun:

Was everyone happy? Of course not. It was stressful for everyone involved. Not everyone saw exemplary service from Southwest employees, but overall, they have handled the ongoing problems pretty well.

In the event of this kind of crisis, how would YOUR employees perform? And what can you do to best ensure you’re ready to respond?

Have a plan: The Southwest employees weren’t using sticky notes to process baggage. They had printed tags designed for manual checking. The gate agent had a protocol to process mobile and paper passes without computer access. If you don’t have a Plan B for your business process, you’ll have even more problems.
Hire the right people: Southwest is very explicit about their culture and expectations for their employees – but they also make a pledge to do right by their people. (The “To Our Employees” clause…) By taking time to find the right people to carry out your organization’s work, you increase the likelihood that they will be able to respond to a challenge the way you want them to.
Balance process with humanity: I can’t imagine the level of complexity Southwest faced with this system outage. Between the sheer number of passengers, Homeland Security requirements, and airport regulations, they could have chosen to approach this with a very command-and-control approach. Instead, I saw employees empowered to make decisions. I read examples of employees given the freedom to hand out cold drinks. I saw a flight crew take time to alleviate a passenger’s concern about a connecting flight when we took off late. Are you willing to let go in times of pressure and put the trust in your people to do the right thing?

They say that adversity does not build character, it reveals it.

What character will your people reveal?

[Disclaimer: I’m sure a LOT of people had a horrible travel day today, and many of them are annoyed and frustrated still. My experience may not be the same as others. If you had a bad start to your day, I really hope it got better!]

Victorio Milian, Master of Creative Chaos (this year’s Tim Sackett Day honoree)

The world of blogging might seem very large (and it is) but it’s amazing to see how communities and relationships grow within it.

Since I’ve started this blog, I’ve had the chance to meet talented, funny, intelligent – sometimes crazy – people that I never would have encountered otherwise. And that’s a darn shame. Because these people are truly special (not “short bus” special – like, cool people who will challenge the way you think and say good stuff).

And that’s where the annual Tim Sackett Day comes in.

Started in 2011-ish, Tim Sackett Day came about because Tim Sackett was (and is) a fantastic blogger who didn’t get any love from the makers of lists. So the blogger community got together and recognized one of their own. This has grown into an annual tradition of giving a communal “shout out” to those who have greatness in their hearts, in their heads, and in their blogs.

This year, we recognize Victorio Milian. Why? BECAUSE HE IS AWESOME.

I first came across Victorio through Jennifer McClure – a mutual friend. Since then, I have had the opportunity to read his work, follow his words, and get to know him a little bit better.

In the great tradition of numbered lists (’cause everyone loves those), here are 7 reasons why I admire the hell out of Victorio (and you should, too):

His unique point of view. Victorio’s writings on his blog Creative Chaos are brief, to the point…and stick with you long after you’ve read them. (Super jealous of the “brief” thing, man. Help me out.) He drops a knowledge bomb then moves on. Or he shares a quote, and challenges you to think about it. Or he asks a question that seems simple, yet has no simple answer. You cannot ignore Victorio. He dares you to use your brain.
He says good morning to people in fun ways on social media pretty much every day. One day he might call you a “funk fanatic.” Another time, he might call you a “master of mayhem” (that was a good day). Whatever it is, it makes you smile.
He speaks many languages. Or at the very least, convincingly posts in them. I don’t know how to type an accent over an e. (Don’t judge.)
His Twitter bio includes this – “Talk to me and I might surprise you.” That simple line says so much about how I see Victorio…and what I want to emulate – the invitation to talk, and the opportunity to surprise.
His obvious love and pride in his family. You can just see it in any post or picture shared.
The Unnamed Graphic Novel Project. Okay, bear with me. There was a Twitter conversation going on about blogging and how often you should blog if you have one, the importance of quality, etc. I made a reference to sharing your voice in any way that makes sense to you – including a graphic novel – and Victorio was ALL over that (and Paul Hebert is on board, too). THIS WILL HAPPEN. Be on the outlook for an HR Hero-based graphic novel coming near you!
His galactic swagger. Seriously.

So join me in honoring Victorio. The best way to do that? Get to know him. Connect with him. Read his stuff. Here’s how you can find him:

Seriously, Victorio. Happy Tim Sackett Day. So honored to know you.

YOU DA MAN.

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