Submitted by Jo Kelly , PHR , SHRM - CP 

 May 12 , 2011 

 Challenge & Selection 

 As a Human Resources Professional , employees often seek me out to discuss questions or concerns they   have regarding any number of topics – policies and procedures , compensation and benefits , hiring and   staffing , and everything in between – and what a viable solution may look like .   In many of these cases   there ’s a pretty straight - forward answer to their questions , but the challenge comes when there is n’t   and a more personalized response is required . 

 Over the course of my career , I have found that taking a moment to sincerely listen and empathize , not   immediately search for a “ one size fits all ” answer , goes a long way .   It has also proven most successful   for establishing trust and finding a mutually agreeable solution .   Often , I rather naturally gravitate to a   storytelling strategy ( sharing my personally inspiring experiences and / or those of others ) to support   the employee in defining a simple solution and compelling them to take positive and effective action . 

 Application & Insight 

 Recently , an early career employee requested some time with me to discuss our performance   management process and their latest performance rating , which was causing them much concern .    While the rating and subsequent feedback pointed to them being a solid performer , they believed their   work over the course of the previous year had been exceptional and thus a rating indicating the same   more appropriate . 

 After listening to the employee share their concerns and ask for my guidance , I opened with a story of   my own sharing how I ’d been in a very similar situation just a few years prior .   While I ’d done some   great work , I was also rated as a solid performer much to my disappointment .   After connecting with my   manager and gaining a better understanding of the rationale for the rating , distribution among the   broader organization , a detailed assessment that documented the work I ’d done favorably , and concrete   plans to partner with me to secure an exceptional rating in the year ahead , I left in a better place and   with a distinct plan for moving forward .   I also shared transparently that while I still believed my rating   should have been “ exceptional ” , after being open and honest about my position and hearing out my   manager ’s rationale , I was more confident about the road ahead – and encouraged them to do the same   ( share their position , gain clarity on the process , seek to understand , and identify a path forward ) . 

 In sharing my story , I found it most insightful to see how effortlessly we were able to collaborate on a   solution and how empowered the employee felt to act .   Before wrapping up the conversation , the   employee confirmed what I sensed was true – sharing my story with honesty and transparency provided   them with a newfound confidence and clear process for addressing their concerns . 

 Approach 

 As I think about this instance and others in which I ’ve used storytelling to communicate a compelling   argument , I will largely continue to do what I ’ve done – actively listen , be authentic and empathic in my   approach , and clear in my guidance to effectively inspire employees to act .   However , after this course , I   will now more intentionally and strategically leverage and encourage storytelling to advance the   initiatives within the innovation organization I support .   I believe doing so will allow us to more   creatively and passionately share our exciting work and successfully inspire our partners to join us in   executing on that which we believe will exponentially change the world . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Jo Kelly
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Submitted by Jo Kelly , PHR , SHRM - CP 

 May 12 , 2011 

 Challenge & Selection 

 As a Human Resources Professional , employees often seek me out to discuss questions or concerns they   have regarding any number of topics – policies and procedures , compensation and benefits , hiring and   staffing , and everything in between – and what a viable solution may look like .   In many of these cases   there ’s a pretty straight - forward answer to their questions , but the challenge comes when there is n’t   and a more personalized response is required . 

 Over the course of my career , I have found that taking a moment to sincerely listen and empathize , not   immediately search for a “ one size fits all ” answer , goes a long way .   It has also proven most successful   for establishing trust and finding a mutually agreeable solution .   Often , I rather naturally gravitate to a   storytelling strategy ( sharing my personally inspiring experiences and / or those of others ) to support   the employee in defining a simple solution and compelling them to take positive and effective action . 

 Application & Insight 

 Recently , an early career employee requested some time with me to discuss our performance   management process and their latest performance rating , which was causing them much concern .    While the rating and subsequent feedback pointed to them being a solid performer , they believed their   work over the course of the previous year had been exceptional and thus a rating indicating the same   more appropriate . 

 After listening to the employee share their concerns and ask for my guidance , I opened with a story of   my own sharing how I ’d been in a very similar situation just a few years prior .   While I ’d done some   great work , I was also rated as a solid performer much to my disappointment .   After connecting with my   manager and gaining a better understanding of the rationale for the rating , distribution among the   broader organization , a detailed assessment that documented the work I ’d done favorably , and concrete   plans to partner with me to secure an exceptional rating in the year ahead , I left in a better place and   with a distinct plan for moving forward .   I also shared transparently that while I still believed my rating   should have been “ exceptional ” , after being open and honest about my position and hearing out my   manager ’s rationale , I was more confident about the road ahead – and encouraged them to do the same   ( share their position , gain clarity on the process , seek to understand , and identify a path forward ) . 

 In sharing my story , I found it most insightful to see how effortlessly we were able to collaborate on a   solution and how empowered the employee felt to act .   Before wrapping up the conversation , the   employee confirmed what I sensed was true – sharing my story with honesty and transparency provided   them with a newfound confidence and clear process for addressing their concerns . 

 Approach 

 As I think about this instance and others in which I ’ve used storytelling to communicate a compelling   argument , I will largely continue to do what I ’ve done – actively listen , be authentic and empathic in my   approach , and clear in my guidance to effectively inspire employees to act .   However , after this course , I   will now more intentionally and strategically leverage and encourage storytelling to advance the   initiatives within the innovation organization I support .   I believe doing so will allow us to more   creatively and passionately share our exciting work and successfully inspire our partners to join us in   executing on that which we believe will exponentially change the world .
### Output: 