Creative Chaos HR: Reading is Fundamental, But So is Letting Go

It's time to let go of things.

Many years ago when I became a Human Resources professional, I realized that I had two significant obstacles to overcome in order to become a competent practitioner:

1. ?I was young.
2. ?I was stupid.

In the first instance, "young" is a reference to experience, not age. In the second, my stupidity was a mark of ignorance. As someone new to the game, I observed that there was a lot about the HR profession I didn't know. Labor laws and their impact, strategic planning, compliance--all these things and more I was familiar with, but not in a meaningful way. I was green.

And so I began my journey to HR enlightenment by immersing myself in the subject. I studied, both as an end to itself, yet also to take and obtain my Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification. I joined the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), which is the largest professional organization for HR practitioners. This gave me access to resources, human and otherwise, that would allow me to expand my knowledge. It also allowed me to connect with veteran practitioners who could help guide me, especially through some of the more arcane subject areas.

In addition to the above I started blogging. That and other social media related activities served to give voice to my thoughts and ideas about what the Human Resources profession meant to me. It helped me to articulate and defend my position on various HR and business related topics. It strengthened my communication skills. It also helped to broaden my worldview.

Speaking of blogging... A lot of my earliest interviews I conducted on my blog were my not-so-subtle attempts at learning from others. Disguised as interviews, these posts (such as the 'HR Rock Star' and 'HR 101' series) served to help me and hopefully some of the readers understand important or emerging concepts, such as finance, HR technology, and compensation.

I also read books. A lot of books. I was a frequent reader prior to becoming a HR pro, so it wasn't much of a stretch. Now I was devouring HR and business books to the point where my wife would roll her eyes at me frequently. "Business books," she would say. "Boring!" That may have been true for her (and for me on occasion), yet they provided me with the mental stimulation I needed to grow, professionally speaking.

It wasn't that I was just reading them. Oftentimes I would use them as study tools. I took notes on concepts and terms that I wasn't familiar with. I would use those notes to conduct further research on topics of interest or that I had difficulty understanding. I would try to connect what I read to my experiences, both past and current, in the workplace. I harassed colleagues and those that I perceived to be SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) into helping me. I pushed myself to absorb materials concerning subjects that were beyond my role, in what some may refer to as "punching above your weight."

Fast forward to the present... I'm now a well seasoned HR professional. Reading served as an important component of my professional development, my self-made training academy. And while I'm not an expert I'm well past my days of being a novice. I enjoyed a lot of the works I was reading, but now I read business and Human Resources related books far less often. Some of that is due to time constraints, some due to a shift in personal/professional priorities.

I now find myself in possession of several books that I believe deserve a good home. I want to throw them away. So I've come up with an idea that may be of benefit to the readers out there. Care to adopt a book?

Here are a few that may be of interest to you or someone you know:

• Who's Got Your Back? The breakthrough program to build deep, trusting relationships that create success--and won't let you fail - by Keith Ferrazzi
• Exploiting Chaos - by Jeremy Gutsche
• Getting More: How you can negotiate to succeed in work and life - by Stuart Diamond
• The Start-up of You: Adapt to the future, invest in yourself, and transform your career - by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha

I have more to give away, but for now let's start with these four.

It's simple--just leave a comment about which one you may want and why. The first to submit a comment gets the book requested. Spammers and trolls get nothing except my undying hatred. Only one book per person--don't be greedy! I'll be more than happy to ship it. What you do with it is entirely up to you, although I'd be curious to know what value you received from it.

It's time to let go of things. Who wants a book?

Source: http://www.victoriomilian.com/2013/02/reading-is-fundamental-but-so-is.html

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