(Wikipedia)
Batman is the secret identity of Bruce
Wayne, an American billionaire, industrialist, and philanthropist.
Having witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, he swore revenge on
criminals, an oath tempered with the greater ideal of justice. Wayne trains
himself both physically and intellectually and dons a bat-themed costume in order to fight crime. Batman
operates in the fictional Gotham City, assisted by various supporting characters including
his crime-fighting partner, Robin, his butler Alfred Pennyworth, the police commissioner Jim Gordon, and occasionally the heroine Batgirl.
Lesson One: "Be Original"
Some say that there is no longer a new
story. Instead, they are simply the reworking or repackaging of older stories.
And, if I think about it, that might be true in some cases. It is not, however,
true with YOU. Each person is an original with our own thoughts, voices,
opinions, etc. I believe we were given that originality for a reason. Don’t
compare yourself to someone else and think you are less than they may be.
Instead, compare yourself as you are now to what you could be.
Lesson Two: "Embrace Technology"
We live in an age of technology more so than any generation to-date.
HR should not run away from HR but should embrace it. It’s not going away unless
something happens to cause a natural disaster or something of that magnitude.
Maybe we should take a cue from Batman’s playbook. If you ever heard of the BatMobile? The BatPlane? The Batarang?
Lesson Three: "Adapt to Change"
DC Comics loves a Crisis. It’s true. The
greater the crisis might be...the better. Some might say that a crisis for DC
Comics has, on occasion, expanded to infinite proportions. It is inevitable,
just as it is in the real world, that the aftermath of a crisis brings change.
Batman’s origin has changed - or “retconned” in comic book speak - over the
years due to a variety of reasons.
The children of the 1940s-1950s who grew into young adults still
reading comics changed the writing style of the 1960s-70s. The Batman TV show in
the 1960s brought a lighter style of storytelling to the comics; however, the
reverse occurred in the 1970s and brought Batman back to grim and gritty. Any
comic book character who has remained relevant has been adapted to the times by
the writers and artists.
Have you ever heard of Captain Flag
or Golden Girl? Perhaps,
they didn't adapt to change as did Captain America and Wonder Woman? Change is inevitable.
Would it not be better to embrace
change rather than to fight it?
Lesson Four: "Be Observant"
A true detective must be observant. This is essential and is a key
element to the make of Batman’s character. Isn't that also true for
HR? Must HR not also be observant? Would those skills be needed when
reviewing a resume? How about during an interview?
Lesson Five: "Be a Team Player"
The casual reader might think that Batman
would be a loner; however, this is not the case. Batman has been a member of
several teams over the decades and has a network of operatives. This teaches us
that no one can reach his/her true potential as an island. Instead, we should
learn from others and teach others just the same.
Lesson Six: "Accept failure"
Accept it. Every one fails at something. Failure is often seen as a negative but that isn't always true.
Failure is inevitable. But, just as with change, would it not be better to
embrace it? There is a lesson to be learned in every failure.
So, if a failure brings a lesson, would it not be to our advantage to
consider failure as an opportunity to become something better?
It is what we do when we fail that
matters.
Lesson Seven: "Be Your Best"
Batman is a human who has honed his skills -
both physical and mental. He is a master fighter in hand-to-hand combat and is
a brilliant strategist. He is not a super-powered alien from a destroyed planet.
He isn’t an intergalactic space cop with a ring that can do anything he
imagines. He is just a simple human being.
Yet, this simple human being has the knowledge to stop Superman,
Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern and many others. He has strived to be
the best no matter the cost.
Would this not be what we want for
ourselves? No, I don’t mean be able to take down Superman. I mean to be the best
that we can be.
Meanwhile.... Back at the Hall of Human Resources
One's can't escape the idea of comics and heroes since that's the theme
of our 2014 Mississippi HR conference. It's a great theme on several layers for
me but, mainly, due to my history with comics. So, I challenge you to find the
HR Hero - or whatever type of Hero you choose to be - within.
Will you save the world from a crisis of infinite proportions? Maybe.
Maybe not. Will you become better HR managers
if you follow the above? Maybe. Maybe
not. Will you be encouraged to strive to
be better people by the information given in the seven steps? Its certainly
hope so.
Be great! Be FANTASTIC!
Team,
Scouts HR