What’s the biggest change being out of the White House? Former first lady Laura Bush says, “George can no longer use ‘There’s turmoil in East Timor’ as an excuse to leave his socks on the floor.” She was the keynote speaker at SHRM’s Annual Conference and Exposition held recently in Orlando.
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The First Gentleman
To a big round of applause, in response to a question about how she figured out what the first lady should do, she said, “It won’t be long until you’re asking what the first gentleman should do.”
Clanking of the Gears
How did you stand the constant wave of invective and strange stories about your family? “You mean like our daughters are aliens?” she said. “I think that the management philosophy should be “treat people with dignity and respect,” but today there’s no civility—people on the Internet can be anonymous and there’s no filter. Americans can say what they want, and so that chorus of criticism is really a kind of sacred music, or at least the clanking of the gears of democracy.”
Literacy Is Essential
"I believe that every child in America should learn to read," she said. "I believe that literacy is an essential foundation for democracy. And from my own experience as a reader and a librarian, I know that books have the power not just to move people as individuals, but to shape our journey as a country."
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Don’t Bounce It
When George was about to throw out the first pitch in the World Series, Yankee Derek Jeter was prepping him. “Be a man, throw from the mound,” he said. “But don’t bounce it; they’ll boo.” Then she saw the president alone on the mound, and she thought, this is his job, and this is the job of every American—to stand on his or her own pitcher’s mound and throw. (“The first pitch was a strike,” she adds.)
We Don’t Need a Sniper
SHRM CEO Hank Jackson asked the former first lady, What can we in HR do to help with your causes? Mrs. Bush replied, “Help Vets find jobs. They particularly need your help in translating their military duties into civilian terms.
“Take one soldier who wrote on his résumé, “Special Skills: Sniper.” Most employers are going to pass over that résumé, thinking, Hmmm, we don’t need any snipers.
“Can you help that soldier translate that military skill into civilian terms like ’focused,’ ‘disciplined,’ ‘couragous’?”
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How about the day the White House was turned over to the Obamas? “That was a moment of solemn pride,” says the former first lady. “The Ship America tilts left or right, but stays on course.”
In tomorrow’s Advisor, we hear from Tom Friedman, another keynoter, plus an introduction to the guide many call the FMLA Bible.
Not trying to be popular, but here’s my viewpoint. While I understand the First Lady’s angle on vets, it’s not my job to find vets jobs. Nor is it my role to find anyone a job at my 9 to 5. It’s my job to manage staff recruitment FOR MY EMPLOYER, who I represent and work for. Vets have had many advantages that many of us haven’t had namely federal government employment opportunities they’ve not always been qualified for.
Mrs. Laura Bush, always the gracious lady. Even her comments about the transfer of command was respectful of not only the incoming President and the office, but the United States of America!
I so appreciate her asking us to all think outside the box when it comes to hiring our vets find jobs. We need to help our military continue to serve their country and begin to serve their families as civilians and engaged employees, who are also successfully serving any number of organizations. Let’s stand on our own pitcher’s mound and strike out unemployment of those qualified vets. Our country will be all the better for it.