How Rudolph Got Hired

One of my favorite Christmas movies is the beloved holiday classic, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The undeniably lovable, wobbly legged reindeer with his shiny red nose. I was three when I was first introduced to Rudolph. Four decades later and after two decades in the Talent Acquisition industry, I’ve come to look at the story of Rudolph from a whole different lens. 

Rudolph had a unique skill set that set him apart from his peers. A talent that was not initially recognized as critical or valuable, yet, would become vital to saving Christmas. His shiny red nose. When Rudolph is seen participating in the annual reindeer games, Comet is aghast by the presence of his illuminating nose and dons him unfit for duty; despite Rudolph being able to fly higher than any of the other reindeer during tryouts. But Rudolph looked and behaved differently. In Comet's misguided assessment, Rudolph did not fit or look the "part" or  match the traditional job description of the role.

Too often I’ve seen hiring managers make the same mistake. They hire in a vacuum. They want to hire people that look, think and act like they, and the majority of their organization does. They refuse to look at candidates who deviate even a fraction from their preconceived notions of what the perfect candidate should look like. 

Today’s business world and social culture is changing at a relentless, frenetic pace. This is largely contributed to the need for social reform and the constant explosion of new technology, digital transformation, data, analytics and the like.  We cannot go to market with such linear, bias thinking about the talent we need to get the job done. If we want to hire innovative, creative and unique talent we need to toss out the cookie cutter approach to hiring and think more innovatively and creatively. We need to aspire to hiring people who look and behave differently when assessing talent. We need to focus more on the entirety of the individual sitting across the desk from us and less on the job description. Gone are the days of traditional hiring practices. Granted candidates should meet the basic requirements of a role and exude evidence they will honor and abide by your cultural and core values; however, we should not be quick to eliminate those that are risk takers, quirky, forward thinkers or who don’t fit into the status quo mold. We should challenge ourselves to seek out ways they could add value to our organizations. This will require us to boldly disrupt our systems, which is never an easy playground to show up on but with the right mindset and alignment of mission, could transform your organization.

If Albert Einstein were alive today I guarantee there would be companies that would immediately reject his candidacy. He was the epitome of quirky - that crazy unkempt hair, wearing fluffy slippers to work, and mumbling incoherently to himself when deep in thought. He was what left of center calls left of center, yet he was one of the greatest minds and influencers of the 20^th century. To hire such talent, we need to look beyond the resume and stale job requirements, look beyond color and race, look beyond our own unconscious bias and make bolder hiring choices.

Like many organizations who fail to see potential risk when making short-sighted decisions, no one at the North Pole foresaw the blinding snow storm that took place on Christmas Eve. I do find it surprising they were void of a contingency plan given it was the North Pole and snow was, well... their thing. They needed an immediate creative solution. Rudolph, for all intents and purposes, did not look the part or fit the traditional job description yet, in the end, his quirky, innovative skill set, that initially no one saw the value in, became the solution to saving Christmas that year. 

One of my favorite moments in the movie is when Santa readies the sleigh for take-off and asks, “Are you ready, Rudolph” and Rudolph enthusiastically replies, “READY SANTA”. He had always been ready even though the North Pole wasn't ready for him. He was very much ahead of his time. His passion, drive, determination and unusual skills propelled him from being rejected and considered unfit for duty to leading the pack and being the hero of the holiday.

Don’t make the same mistakes Rudolph’s leadership and hiring team made. Hire people who will best represent the direction your company is heading and are cutting edge thinkers and creative problem solvers. Hire people smarter than you. Hire people who look differently from you. Hire people who will challenge you to approach your business from a whole new paradigm. Hire the unicorn of an individual who is highly capable of getting the work done, but makes you scratch your head a little. They just might end up saving your company one day!

©2016 LoriAnn Boyer - All Rights Reserved

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Surrendering to Transformation

When I embarked on 2016, I determined that this would be a year of transition and shaking things up. I set goals to improve on the professional, personal, physical and spiritual aspects of my life.  My pastor once said, “If you’re not doing something with your life that shakes it up and scares you a little (in a good way), then you’re not doing something with your life”.  It was time to shake things up and venture into some scary, and, at times, daunting territory and push toward a greater purpose. 

 

On the professional side, although I was much endeared to the people I worked with at my former company, my role was no longer challenging or satisfying and the opportunity for upward mobility was at least two years down the road.  My job search led me to my current firm, where the first few months I felt like Alice in Wonderland when she fell down the rabbit hole. When you move from one job to another, everything in your professional universe changes. 

I swore I’d never work in downtown Los Angeles again and here I was snaking through its gritty streets with its onslaught of rude drivers, one ways, constant construction and/or streets being closed due to filming.  The latter a constant in LA.  I went from a company of 200 employees onsite to about 5-10 people in the office on any given day.  I had new leaders to become acquainted and partner with, new systems and processes to learn, a new team of recruiters to assess, develop and ensure they were providing value to the organization, begin delivering results, and, most importantly, know where all the Starbucks within in a three block radius were located.  As the weeks wore on I began to build new professional relationships, experienced a few quick wins and started to gain my stride, and was landing on a deeper confirmation that this was truly the right role and place for me. 

On the dating side, earlier this year I made a choice to come off of all online dating and take a much needed break.  I had experienced one too many shallow, go nowhere relationships and/or scary encounters.  I was becoming more and more jaded and knew it was time to get out from this cornucopia of broken men who, in theory, wanted to find their soul mate, but in reality were just looking for options.  If I had a dollar for every commitment-phobe guy I’ve met, I could retire today.  Where are all the “real men” with good godly values, are respectful, who know how to treat a lady like a lady and are not afraid to truly pursue a girl?  Really, where are these unicorns being held? I even asked Siri and she replied with raucous laughter.  Alright, alright… I digress.

The thought of being alone is never comforting.  There are nights I’ve woken up in tears over the thought of it.  We are not designed to be alone; however, I wanted to use this time to deepen my spiritual walk as well as get healthier physically and emotionally.

 

As a result, my prayer and meditation practices became stronger than ever.  Although I’ve always done daily devotionals and was listening to online sermons/teachings, I recently starting going back to church, after a three year hiatus, thanks to God’s pressing on my heart and reconnecting with a dear friend.  My spiritual walk is stronger than it's ever been and this would never have been possible if I hadn’t taken the time to bring it back to the forefront of my life.

 

I also got back to the gym and have lost another 15 lbs.  I’m loving the reflection I see in the mirror these days and am working towards getting in even better shape. 

I pushed through a serious depressive episode this summer, which in hindsight, I believe was my mind and soul taking out the garbage with all of the changes I was undergoing.  I am more grounded emotionally, physically and spiritually than I have been in a long time.

I also took stock of my friendships and those in my inner circle.  It’s not until you take the time to quiet the chatter in your life that you realize the need to do some friendship housecleaning.  I had unknowingly been in relationships that were very unhealthy, controlling, toxic and just outright hurtful.  In my desire to be needed or not be alone, I had allowed these relationships and their bad behaviors to manifest themselves in very unhealthy ways. By drawing a line in the sand and letting go of the wrong relationships I was able to make room for right ones to occupy the space they were cluttering up.  I have been beautifully surprised by those whom I now call friend and are part of my inner circle. 

 

This year of transition and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone has been rewarding in insurmountable ways.  There have been moments of tremendous fear and anxiety along the way coupled with great victory through the milestones I was able to reach.  I’m astonished at how amazingly adaptable we humans are when we finally resolve ourselves to the change.  We often distress or bristle during times of great transition; even though we know it’s exactly the direction we should be heading in.  Sometimes we make excuses as to why it’s not good for us or will subconsciously look for a way out. 

I often equate change to wearing a new pair of moccasins.  You’re drawn in by their newness, yet don’t feel their comfort at first.  They sometimes blister making each new step a little awkward and painful.  You want to reach for your old pair because they were familiar and made you feel good when you put them on; but they are tattered and torn and no longer serve their original purpose.  You are now forced to be temporarily uncomfortable in order to move forward.  Then something beautiful happens.  With each step you take forward, you begin to adapt and surrender to the change, and you realize the discomfort was meant to be in order to push you further down the path to your true potential.

 

As I reflect back over this past year, I’m thankful for all of the beautiful disruptions I had the courage to surrender to.  They, in turn, pointed me to the wonderfully rewarding and fulfilling life I am now living and have open the door to the untold possibilities before me. Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.  As such, I can hardly wait to see where 2017 leads!

My Giving Tree

My early mornings and evenings are spent outside on my patio in prayer and meditation. I sit under this beautiful tree that has become the centerpiece of my quiet time. Typically, I close my eyes to pray and mediate; however, tonight was different.  As I attempted to close my eyes, I was struck by the absolute exquisiteness of this tree that has been my silent prayer companion over the years. She has heard them all and seen me at my most vulnerable. The prayers of thanksgiving for all the wonderful blessings in my life. Prayers of love and protection over my family and friends. She’s heard the many tears I’ve shed when my heart was broken or I was pushing through a painful trial. And, been witness to the countless hours of meditation as I seek direction in my life and work toward refining myself. 

Tonight, I once again became fully aware of her powerful presence. We are similar, she and I.  We are strongly rooted, adaptable, unwavering and resilient and have weathered many a storm. If a part of us breaks, we heal and rejuvenate ourselves. We represent a life force, steadfast reliability and a place of solitude. 

As I pray and mediate tonight, I do so with deep gratitude for the beauty in front of me.  For the symbolic and sentimental nature this beautiful tree brings. God is always in the details, but sometimes we need to have our eyes truly open to wholly appreciate and see them. Tonight was one such night!