Articles by Kevin W. Grossman

Opportunity Cost Be Damned

Two middle-aged men walk into an elevator. The taller and heavier of the two points to the other’s t-shirt. It’s an Saturday Night Live t-shirt with a silkscreen silhouette of Will Ferrell in the “More Cowbell” sketch. “Very nice,” he says. “Classic.” The other guy, the one with a mostly white goatee beard wearing the […]

With the Effectual Stretch in Recruiting, You Can’t Lose

“The end cannot justify the means, for the simple and obvious reason that the means employed determine the nature of the ends produced.” –Aldous Huxley Indeed. This quote was shared with me in a comment on my Who Cares As Long As We’re Still Hiring article. The commenter conveyed that it does matter what we […]

New Day HR Drives the Next Gen Fire

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Doc. Ah…Are you telling me that you built a time machine…out of a DeLorean?” “The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” On October 21, 2015, Marty McFly and his girlfriend Jennifer will travel back […]

With the Warming Heart of People Pools

“And I don’t care, go on and tear me apart And I don’t care if you do ‘Cause in a sky, ‘cause in a sky full of stars I think I see you…” —Coldplay, “Sky Full of Stars” The statement’s context bummed me out. Not because my father-in-law and his wife didn’t know what I […]

As Long As We’re Still Hiring

“Ain’t that the way that it’s always been? Standing at the water’s edge waiting for the fog to clear Tackle or touch, you sink or you swim And hoping that he’s really got the power to save us from these sins Everybody sitting around waiting for the sun to come again They’re waiting for the […]

Why More Social And Less Stupid Are Music To My Ears

“You’re a big music fan, aren’t you?” We stood there talking among other parents who mingled while kids ran around celebrating our Little League T-ball season. “Yes, indeed,” I answered. “You heard about B.B. King?” “Yes, what a loss to the music industry. A living legend whose impact will live on and on. In fact, […]

The Benefits Of Success Measured By The Effectual Stretch

It wasn’t exactly the romanticized version of backpacking through an exotic land, especially if you consider a cheap roller suitcase a backpack, which unfortunately I did. But that was me then in 1998, when my then girlfriend (now wife) had bitten me with the travel bug. Prior to that my travel was limited to North […]

True Diversity Is Much More Than A Drive By

“For you and me, sex is not a competition For you and me, sex is not a job description For you and me We agree— But that’s just us Reaching for the alien shore…” —Neil Peart (writer and musician) At the tail end of my run, I walked engrossed in my cool down, my music […]

#TChat Live from Ireland: The IT@Cork European Technology Summit

We’re very excited to announced that the TalentCulture #TChat Show will be live from the IT@Cork European Technology Summit in Cork, Ireland on Wednesday, May 6, 2015, from 6-7pm GMT (1-2pm ET, 10-11am PT). This special #TChat will focus on the impact of gender diversity on technology business performance around the world. A University of Cambridge study […]

For The Sake Of Social Reciprocity

“Hangin’ out Down the street The same old thing We did last week Not a thing to do But talk to you…” —Cheap Trick, “That 70’s Song” When I saw it for the first time, my heart filled with love and faith, and my spirit transcended the atmospheric sensitivity of childhood scarring. “Chewie, we’re home.” […]

When the Social Collaboration Magic Happens

Mercy me, my MySpace experience is one I’ll never forget. It was my first foray into social media beyond simply blogging, online groups and forums like AOL, and sharing collaboratively via email. There I was early in 2007, in front of my computer setting up my MySpace profile. I filled it out, not sure of […]

People Quality Makes For Picture Perfect Business

“All I know is that sometimes the truth is contrary — everything in life you thought you knew.” —Neil Peart (Musician and Writer) Without doing the math and coloring them in, you can still tell what most of them are. But that’s no fun when you’re six, just learning addition and loving to color pictures like my oldest […]

Be An HR Technology Software Myth-Buster

It’s amazing sometimes that we actually ever progress beyond wishful thinking and myths perpetuated by us. I’ve been in the HR technology space for almost 16 years now, and we never fail to fail. Meaning, we never fail to hypothesize and perpetuate that most HR and talent acquisition practitioners hate their tools and technologies are […]

These Are The Moving Recruiting Money Shots

I played Patrick the recruiter in our customer conference general session skit. It was less than 15 lines and shouldn’t have been a problem. But it was, mostly because I’m a ham at heart and like to improvise whenever possible. Forget the fact that there would be a floor monitor and a laptop showing the […]

That Magical Mindful Presence of Candidate Service

“And with all your magic I disappear from view…” —Coldplay She stopped in the middle of the hall and met my gaze. We shook hands. Other customers, partners and peers streamed around us on either side like a river around rocks. “It was a pleasure meeting you,” I said. She smiled. “Likewise.  This was a […]

Diversity and Inclusion Drive the Road to Remarkable

“Half the world is Half the world was Half the world thinks While the other half does…” –Neil Peart (writer and musician, “Half the World”) The nightlight burned brighter. It didn’t make any sense at the time because it was the same nightlight we always used in the hallway for our girls, and it was […]

Brave The Flaming Bullseye With Total Talent Acquisition

“It is the fire that lights itself But it burns with a restless flame The arrow on a moving target The archer must be sure of his aim…” —Neil Peart (writer and musician, “Cut to the Chase”) He hated driving. And yet, he drove me home from the airport. Nice guy. Personable. Articulate. Cleanly shaved […]

HR Isn’t The Needy, The Nerdy Or The Girlie

Cool spring morning. Grade-school recess. A group of boys and girls gather on a damp field. Captains are called out. The usual suspects. The strongest players. Each picks his own number two. The second-strongest players. The ones they’ve done battle with before. Sometimes a girl but usually a boy. The number twos call out names […]

Our Storied Lives: One Little Melodic Career Tale at a Time

“Begin the day with a friendly voice A companion unobtrusive Plays that song that’s so elusive And the magic music makes your morning mood.” —Neil Peart (Rush, “Spirit of Radio”) The Viennese composer from London had vanished. For the nearly two years he worked for me prior to that, he had raised thousands of dollars […]

The Body Language Business And The Now of You

“You’re sharpening stones, walking on coals To improve your business acumen…” — R.E.M. (“Exhuming McCarthy”) Look at me. Eyes right here. Watch my face, my arms and my hands as I talk. In fact, watch my entire physical demeanor. What does it tell you? Now, imagine that you’re on your way to a job interview. […]