Recently I wrote a little post about hiring zombies. It was surprisingly popular, and I mentioned that fact to a friend. His response made me laugh, but it also gave me something interesting to think about. He said, “Zombies are to horror what bacon is to meat.” In other words, both bacon and zombies are the “cream of the crop” in the horror and meat categories. But what does that have to do with HR? Well, I think HR has a bit too much bacon and zombies already.
Zombie Trance
Are you like thousands of other HR pros out there strolling along your day-to-day business and trying to stay afloat? You keep your blinders on to the world around you, challenge few assumptions, and keep your head down. You are doing your best to ignore things that are going on around you simply because they are new or difficult to learn.
Bellyful of Bacon
If you’re not in a zombie-like state where you ignore things around you purposefully, you might do it accidentally. If your job is going smoothly, and you don’t have much stressing you out, it’s tough to make the choice to add some chaos to the mix. It’s comfortable. It’s easy. So why upset the status quo?
Wake Up and Drop the Bacon
What will it take to get you out of your zombie/bacon coma? I’ll give you a hint: it’s not more of the same. Willful ignorance only works so long before someone comes along who is smarter than you and willing to do what it takes to win. Find something to shake up at work. If work’s good, why not offer your help to train a nonprofit counterpart? There are countless possibilities that open up, but that only can happen when you wake up and drop the bacon.
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Ben Eubanks
Contact Ben via Email: upstarthr@gmail.com
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By Trish McFarlane on Nov 21, 2009 | Reply
Nice job on tying two things you love (zombies and bacon) into what is actually quite a serious message. I like that delivering it in a lighthearted way doesn’t diminish the message- that we need to keep challenging ourselves and not let complacency rule.
By Mackeran on Nov 29, 2009 | Reply
In truth, immediately i didn’t understand the essence. But after re-reading all at once became clear.
By working girl on Dec 4, 2009 | Reply
You go, Ben! I agree, shake it up a little. Instead of bacon, try chacon, which is chocolate bacon. Could be awful, could be the next wave. Could be both. ;-)