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HR Party of One is brought to you by BerniePortal.

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Do you ever feel like your boss doesn’t really know what you do

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to help keep your organization going? Admit it, you do. All HR people do.

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Can I give you a hard truth? If your boss doesn’t know

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what you do, ya got no one to blame but yourself! It’s up to you to tell them.

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Furthermore, it is holding back your career growth - and your organization’s growth.

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The good news? I’m going to tell you

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exactly how to fix it. When you do, you’ll get to start working on activities much higher on

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the HR Hierarchy of Needs - driving your and your organization’s growth to higher and higher levels.

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The first step is to create a Rhythms of HR Chart for your organization.

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In this episode, I’m going to review: What a Rhythms of HR Chart Is,

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The 5 Steps to Completing Your Rhythms of HR Chart, and

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How to Share Your Rhythms of HR Chart With Your Boss.

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Let’s get started!

What is a Rhythms of HR Chart?

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So What Is A Rhythms of HR Chart?

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The Rhythms of HR chart is a tool that allows you to get on the same page as your boss about what

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your priorities should be for the organization. This chart includes the following sections:

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Weekly/Biweekly tasks, Monthly tasks,

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Daily tasks, Other regular tasks,

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Quarterly tasks, and Projects,

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I’ve listed these in the order in which you’ll be filling them out, which I’ll get to in a

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moment. I’ve linked a template below for you to fill out yourself, so you can follow along as I

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show you how it works. You’ll see how completing this chart and positioning it to your boss can

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effectively catapult your career to new heights. Now, let’s go over these steps in more detail.

Completing Your Rhythms of HR Chart

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The Five Steps to Completing Your Rhythms of HR Chart.

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First—you will fill in the weekly and monthly tasks that absolutely must get

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done in a generic four-week month. You’ll write things that have to happen at the

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beginning of each month on the Monday or Tuesday of Week 1. Then, you’ll write the

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things that have to happen at the end of each month on the Thursday or Friday of Week 4.

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Now, think about tasks you have that recur weekly or every other week. Payroll is a great example.

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If your company pays every two weeks and you process payroll on Mondays, then make sure

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that is written on the first and third Monday of each month. If you process mail each week,

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add that to the chart on the day you do it. Do you calculate commissions? Put that on the

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day or days you do it. Are you responsible for closing the books? Communicating out to

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the organization the monthly financial results? Processing 401(k) contributions? Paying invoices?

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Once you’ve gone through and done the weekly and monthly tasks,

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you can move on to the second step—daily tasks. What things do you have to do every

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single day? Follow up on accounts receivable? Respond to employee emails? Deal with other

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specific employee-facing administrative tasks (EFAT’s)? If you missed the episode

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on EFATs in our HR Hierarchy of Needs, I’ve linked it in the description for you. It’s a

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very important component of your Rhythms of HR Chart, so make sure you go back and watch it.

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Once you’ve completed your daily tasks, it’s time to move on to the third step—“Other regular tasks”

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section. Do you interface with customers on contract questions? Process contract

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terminations or renewals? Manage licensing? Approve expense reports? Add these to the chart

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Fourth, go to the “Quarterly” section. What are the big projects you have on your plate

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each quarter? Q1 might be closing books from the prior year, assisting with a financial audit,

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tax preparation, IT security. Q2 might be property and casualty insurance

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renewals. Q3 might be the renewal of your organization’s benefit plans. Q4 might

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involve planning the company holiday party and assisting with the budgeting process.

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Once you have all of that down, it’s time for the fifth section - Projects. Under Projects,

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list all of the things that you have wanted to work on that you thought would add value to

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the organization but you just didn’t have the time. Put anything you can remember your boss

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has specifically asked you to do, but you just haven’t had the time, at the top of the list.

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Once you have the chart completely filled in, consider yourself only halfway done.

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Print what you’ve got out, put it in a visible place on your desk, and over the next four weeks

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whenever you find yourself doing something that you had forgotten to put on the chart,

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add it. You might be surprised how much you do that you had forgotten to include!

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Then, when you’re confident you have your Rhythms of HR Chart completely filled in,

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it’s time for the last step:

Sharing Your Rhythms of HR Chart with Your Boss

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Sharing Your Rhythms of HR Chart with Your Boss.

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That’s right! It’s time to schedule a meeting with

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your boss. When you schedule the meeting, position it this way:

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"I want to meet to make sure the things that I’m

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working on are prioritized the way that you want them prioritized. "

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Positioning it this way should be perceived by your boss as a deposit

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in their emotional bank account. You are saying that your boss’s

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priorities are your priorities. This will mean a lot to them.

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Bring two printed-off copies of your chart to the meeting. If possible,

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have the meeting in a conference room so you can sit next to your

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boss (on the same side of the table) when you review the chart together.

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Start with the first section, and just walk her through the recurring things

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you do - that have to be done - every week or month. Then, move to the daily, other regular,

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and quarterly tasks. Be prepared for her to ask how much time each item

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takes - it’s likely that at least for some of the tasks she has absolutely no idea. Or,

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they might want to understand more about what all of the EFATs are that you handle every

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day. They might learn that you’re doing some things that they don't want you to do - that’s

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great! Brainstorm together about how they can be handled differently so they’re not on your plate.

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Last, go to the “Projects” section. You should have projects that your boss has asked for

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at the top of the list. Here is where you’ll be asking very directly which project they’d

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like you to tackle first. Also be prepared to explain the projects you have in mind,

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including how you think they can drive value for the organization.

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This will be an energizing meeting! You’ll have

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a deeper mutual understanding with your boss about what you do. You’ll also have

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clarity on the projects she feels are most important for you to focus your efforts on.

Final Thoughts

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Each of those projects is likely an opportunity to drive new value for the organization - beyond

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the nitty-gritty tasks you do that can get taken for granted. As you knock these projects out,

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one by one, you’ll gain new skills, your organization will benefit,

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and to be perfectly candid - your boss and your colleagues will notice.

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As your boss and your colleagues notice the visible contributions

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you’re making with each project you knock out, your influence in the organization

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will grow. From that position of growing influence and respect,

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your boss will listen more carefully to the projects you think you should work on.

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Now back to that HR Hierarchy of Needs. The frustration you often feel because you’re

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stuck working only at the lowest levels of the HR Hierarchy will dissipate because,

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more and more often, you will be working on higher-level,

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more strategic activities. You’ll grow in your career while helping to grow the organization.

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Take the first step now, and download the Rhythms of HR template. Take 30 minutes to take the first

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stab at filling it out, and get ready to really level up your position. And don’t

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forget to share some of your experiences with other HR pros in the comments below,

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or in the HR Party of One community! And remember—Your role is as strategic as you make it!

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That’s it for this episode! Subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to

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get notifications about our newest episodes,

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which are released every Tuesday and Thursday! As always, thanks for watching.