When people think of human resources, most will probably first visualize the the long-suffering (and insufferable) Toby from The Office. Some have predicted that the future of in-house HR professionals like Toby may be going the way of the show in which he’s featured--wrapping up and ending altogether.

The single most important thing any career professional can do is define their online brand.  Not taking a focused approach to the topic equates to burying your head in the professional sandbox while peers reap the benefits of building a professional reputation, leveraging the right connections, and positioning their company to hire the best talent.

We all know the story about the cobbler's children having no shoes - and that simile applies often and appropriately to HR teams.  HR professionals often go without timely and candid performance reviews, they don't have successors identified, development plans or measurable goals.  It would be amusing if it wasn't so ironic and pitiful.

In our (never ending?) quest to help build the credibility of HR and position HR incumbents as better business partners, we revisit this hot topic. As the newness of the year fades, and our hopes and goals are overshadowed by the pressures of each day, it's worth taking a moment to reflect on how we can add more value in 2013.

Think back to the last time you were standing in line or waiting in a doctor’s office. What were you - and the other people around you - doing? Undoubtedly they were on their phones, checking emails, reading, texting friends, or updating their status on Facebook. It’s undeniable that mobile phones have infiltrated our personal and professional lives to the point that, if lost, we are completely disoriented. Companies are finally beginning to understand that this is the nature of our society and are starting to jump on this bandwagon to engage job seekers and employees.

As the weekend sets on the tragedy which unfolded on Friday in Newtown, CT, it's impossible not to imagine those helpless children, horrified and confused, being murdered in a matter of minutes alongside the teachers and staff who loved them. We mourn them, we think about their families and we hold our own loved ones close.

PwC’s 15th Annual Global CEO Survey contains an important, encouraging message for corporate staffing leaders: the world has finally turned your way. Talent is on nearly every CEO’s agenda. To be specific:

Ready to assess your HR transformation efforts and impact? One easy way to begin is to gather a group of key HR thought leaders, influencers and stakeholders within your company - and simply ask them questions. Listen to what they say, and probe to understand the meaning behind what's being said.

Over the last few years, social and mobile technologies have proven to be powerful tools for sourcing and recruiting talent. More recently, we’re beginning to see consumer tech--social, in particular--being leveraged in other HR functions. But while research shows these next generation tools have the potential to improve communication and collaboration across the enterprise, business leaders are left with one question: “Who takes ownership of these tools?”

Back in 2006, a documentary film grabbed the attention of many in our country. It was called “Who Killed the Electric Car?” and exposed the fact that, a decade earlier, the technology and resources existed to power automobiles with electricity instead of gas. America was poised to reduce our oil dependent ways dramatically. However, as the story goes, a few big car companies and other detractors convinced regulators that there was no demand for such a vehicle. And, for many years, that was the end of the electric car.