Such a Seemingly Small Step
Thursday, October 16, 2008In the midst of redesigning my department, a few people (my boss included) have suggested that I create an Assistant HR Officer position and add a level of supervision. Add a level of supervision between me and some members of my staff? What?! They are my staff. Mine to develop. Mine to mentor. Mine to train. Mine until . . . . .well you get it.
I resisted the notion over the past 7 days. And then it hit me.
My daughter woke up this morning and needed a hug. Hug delivered, I went back to bed. I soon got back up, padded around the house in the dark so not to wake the puppy and decided to head into the gym. I walked in, greeted the front counter guy and noticed only one other person there. Could I really be only the third person in the gym? It is usually busier than this. Is it Saturday?! No, I am pretty sure it is Thursday. Then, as I slowly turned back towards the front door, I saw it. I saw the clock. It was flashing bright red numbers that read 4:36. Well, I had wanted to exercise and get to work a little early to finish up the last salary surveys. . . .
This was pure craziness. Maybe I did need some assistance. Maybe my staff would be better served by having a second person they can go to for assistance and direction. If I had an Assistant HR Officer that shared my vision (and workload) and could impact change, could I set my alarm clock a little later each morning? Could I send a few monkeys packing? Would I have more time to meet with staff and have quality conversations? More time to focus on and set the stage for our move forward? More time to influence others?
This seems like such an obvious, natural and seemingly small step yet it feels like a giant leap to me. For those of you who have made this leap, do you have any lessons learned or pointers to share?
Reader Comments (1)
Are you ready to share the success?
You are adding a layer - how will everyone react? What I don't know (and I love org design) is what areas are your people? Could you elevate a couple people SME to leads (rather than just one) and help develop them?
Will you be interviewing/discussing with your staff the changes? And their ideas?