Engage or Leave...

Last week was OHSHRM. It was a baseball theme, so you'll have to pardon the puns!  In case you missed the Tweets from the conference, here are a few folks that I was able to engage with.  

The conference lead off with Steve Gilliland.  Steve brought some reality into my life when he told us a story about coming home from a long roadtrip for work, saying hello to everyone and then jumping onto his computer to answer emails.  Totally missing the fact that his wife and son had cleared their evening to spend with him. Steve told us of how he purposely turns off his cell phone.  Yikes.  Can you still do that?  There's an off button on those things?

Then, in the Talent Anarchy general session, Joe and Jason reminded me that online "friends" are not about the sheer number of people, but the relationships and overlap you have with folks.  So, I purposely made it a point to introduce myself to Joe and Jason.  I wanted them to know what an impact they have had on me.  I am purposely choosing to take a deeper dive into my "connections." If you haven't picked up a copy of their book Social Gravity - what are you waiting for?

Our closer was, Jeff Havens.  Which, if you know me and my family, he could be my brother's twin.  His satire on what to do to "Unleash Your Inner Tyrant"  made everyone laugh.  Well, almost everyone.  There's always a few HR folks who won't dress down or laugh at a conference.  Jeff pointed that out too!  Jeff was able to remind us how ridiculous we could be when faced with leadership challenges.  It was great to end the conference laughing.  We truly don't laugh enough in HR.

For those of you that attended OHSHRM.  I hope you were able to engage in the sessions, the networking, and the amazing Resources Partners at your fingertips.  Fred Eck and his team put on a great conference.  If you haven't had a chance to connect with Fred, you should.  And...tell him thank you for hitting it OUT OF THE PARK!

In closing, I leave you with these thoughts.  There was a lot of discussion around relationships, family, and priorities.  Have you disengaged with people at home or work?  Do you have priorities straight?  Sometimes, you have to change the lineup in your life. Batter up!

Efficiency vs Effectiveness

There is a lot of chatter on Twitter around data points.  What is the most effective way to recruit.  What is the percentage of folks living paycheck to paycheck.  How many people will vote for Obama or Romney.  Those are a few headlines I saw today.  Everything is about the numbers.

This week I had to travel for business.  So, I spent all weekend catching up on emails, prioritizing the tasks for the week, and finishing those last minute business processes that must be completed so payroll can be processed.  Tasks...I caught up on my tasks.

I went into work on Tuesday briefly before flying east.  When I was at the office, I had a list of "things" I had to accomplish before I left.  I cancelled a conference call, I ignored an incoming phone call (I have caller ID), and I short changed a very important person in my life that just needed help and guidance on some HR things.  This very important person never short changes me when I need his time.  BUT... my desk was clean and I was ready for the trip.

In the end, the guilt eats me alive.  I was totally efficient - isn't that what every boss wants?  I was not effective.  It was more important to get the numbers out than it was to deal with the human side of the business.  How many times do you short change those people in your daily life strictly to get the numbers out?

We are in the Human Resource Business.  Human being the key word here.  So, all I can do is say, "I'm sorry, Boss" for short changing our conversation on Tuesday.  It's time to step back and remember why we are in the field of Human Resources.  Clean desks and empty inboxes are important, but the relationships we build are more important.

Who have you short changed this week?  We all have shorted someone.  Call them, and say you're sorry.  After all...we're all human. 

 

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

Well, it's time. OHSHRM is finally here! September 19th-21st at the Beautiful Kalahari Resort in Sandusky Ohio.  After months and months of anticipation, there will be over 500 HR Professionals under one roof.  That should scare some CEOs.  Just kidding.

Have you taken a look at the Grand Slam Line Up for this event?  You can visit our website here. But let me tell you what I am looking forward to! Getting to see some of the folks I met at ILSHRM12. 

Dr. Daniel Crosby (@incblot) will be speaking at an early-bird session.  While I met him at ILSHRM12, I didn't have the opportunity to hear him speak.  He's first on my lineup of sessions with "Becoming A Strategic Five Tool Leader!" 

Then there are the Talent Anarchy (@talentanarchy) guys!  Jason Lauritsen and Joe Gerstandt.  Remember, I didn't get to meet them at ILSHRM12, but I heard them motivate!  Can't wait to introduce myself to them.  I might even ask them to hang out at our chapter social hour - that's the introvert in me.  Can't wait for Joe's inning on "Freak Flag Flier!"

Besides the folks I met at ILSHRM12, there are two folks I am excited to meet IRL. 

Meredith Soleau (@LifesCrazyJoke)  is a resource in my own outfield (about an hour away) and I have never met her.  I am looking forward to her session on "Recruiting Your Designated Hitter Using Facebook and Twitter."   


The last guy I want to tease you with is Tim Sackett (@TimSackett).  I have followed him from the start on Twitter.  He is speaking on "What Your CEO Wishes HR Would Do." Who wouldn't attend that inning???

So, if you haven't registered, it's NOT TOO LATE!!!  If you are coming to OHSHRM, give me a shoutout on this blog or Twitter.  I'd love to have you join us for our chapter social hour!

BORN or MADE

While at ILSHRM I was able to participate in a conference session from a local Ohioian, Benjamin McCall.  Benjamin is from the Cincinnati area and can be found at his blog www.ReThinkHR.org. 

Ben's session was on how to develop a leadership training program.  He started the program out by asking us one simple question, "Do you think leaders are born or made?" My initial instinct was to say, "Duh...they are born with it." Being the introvert that I am, I said nothing.  Neither did anyone else!

So he had us all ball up a piece of paper.  Those folks that thought leaders are born, were to thrown their paper towards the left side of the room.  Those folks that thought leaders are made, were to throw their paper towards the right side of the room.  There weren't too many of us throwing our papers on the left side of the room.

The next statement sounded so simplistic that I almost was embarassed that he knew which side of the room I threw my paper on.  Ben said, "If leaders are born, then why do we have tons of consultants teaching Leadership Development Programs?" Ok - so what had I missed.  He was right.  We as HR professionals tend to look for the quick fix. We want to find that next leader that is ready to go so we can move on to the next firefight. 

My challenge to you today is simple.  When you are looking for your next leader, look at the potential to make someone a leader.  Don't just look for the natural born ones. You never know what introvert is waiting in the wings!

I am a Dancer!

Did you know that I am a dancer?  Well, I didn't either until I went to ILSHRM12 last week.  Here are some adjectives that I would have used to describe myself BEFORE I went to this conference:

• Organized and Schedule Driven
• Socially Introverted
• Not a Risk Taker
• Not a Dancer

Here is how I would describe myself AFTER ILSHRM12:

• Still Organized and Schedule Driven
• Less Socially Introverted
• A Little more of a Risk Taker
• A Dancer

Ok, so you can't change me that easily overnight.  The point being, there are a couple of guys from Talent Anarchy named Jason Lauritsen and Joe Gerstandt that spoke at the conference.  I have followed these guys on Twitter for quite a long time.  I even tweeted about being geeked to meet them at the conference.  Sadly, I didn't introduce myself to them (See note above: Socially Introverted). When they started talking about Happiness Matters when it comes to life, I thought, "Yeah, it does - but who really is happy."  Jason asked the crowd how many of us were dancers.  About 1/4 of the room raised their hands.  Then Jason asked us why the rest of us didn't raise our hands.  There were tons of excuses. 

Then, it happened - Yep FLASH MOB!!

So, Jason said, "Everybody up. I'm going to teach you three dance moves.  Then we'll put it together and you'll all be dancers." And...he did.  We were all dancers for that brief moment in time. 

In fact...here is a link to a video of it shot by Donna Rogers. I fully admit, I am in the front row in the orange dress with black sweater dancing my heart out.  Why? Because someone told me I could dance. 

So, my challenge to you is - are you holding yourself back because you haven't told yourself that you can accomplish something?

Guess what else I am going to do?  When Jason and Joe are at OHSHRM in September - I am going to fly my freak flag and intentionally hang out with those amazing guys. 

Are you a Dancer?

ILSHRM12 - THE FINALE!!

I had the amazing opportunity to attend 2 days of the Illinois State SHRM conference this past Sunday and Monday. First, thank you to Dave Ryan (@davethehrczar) and John Jorgensen (@jkjhr) for the hospitality.  They were amazing hosts and treated my like royalty.  I am so blessed to have had the opportunity for this experience.  They helped make that happen!

There were so many people I met IRL.  Remember, it's not about the number of Twitter followers or friends you have on Facebook.  It's about the relationships you build with those friends.  I had the thrilling opportunity to meet Buzz Rooney (@thebuzzonhr).  She was at the conference on the Social Media Crew.  If you haven't gotten to know her, you can find her blog at www.thebuzzonhr.com.  We met on Sunday and she was my conference buddy from then on!  She introduced me to so many folks I had never met.  I appreciate her taking me under her wing and helping this introvert!!

I also had the opportunity to meet the ever so beautiful Susan Avello (@susanavello).  She is just as bubbly in person as she is online.  Susan wrote a humbling blog post about me on her blog, www.hrvirtualcafe.com.  I am so thankful for her guidance and support online. 

Here is a picture of Susan and Buzz as we were getting ready for TalentNetLive to start:

I also had the opportunity to meet another fellow blogger for the first time.  His name is Chris Fields (@new_resource).   You can find his blog at www.costofwork.com. Chris has been supporting me online and offline for several months. He is someone who truly cares about people and the relationships he makes with them.   

I can't even begin to list all the folks I met and hung out with.  But let's say I was able to meet everyone IRL  that I was hoping to meet.  I can't wait to share with you all my experiences and learning from this trip.  I'm still on the road...so here is a teaser to hold you over until next week's blog post.

I AM A DANCER...

ILSHRM12 Part 2

Last week I told you all about my reasons for going to ILSHRM12.  I also asked for feedback as to who else is going, so I have a chance to connect with everyone.  Here is a sampling of other folks that I am so excited to meet.  Remember - it's not about the number of connections, friends, etc...it's about building relationships with those folks. 

@incblot  - Yeah, he's gonna be there!
@thebuzzonhr - this makes me smile just thinking about it!
@victorio_m - Can't wait to see his smiling face in person!
@bradgalin - All the way from that Indiana State!
@JeffWaldmanHR - His bio says "Relationship Builder" - we'll get along just fine!

@johnphudson - I wonder if he knows the Deadliest Catch guys?

OK, enough about the folks I'm going to meet...although

the excitement is so hard for me to contain!!!

Programming...Can you say major league lineup?  Here is a link to the lineup if you want to see the entire thing: http://ilshrm.org/downloads/Conference/2012_speakers_ilshrm.pdf

Let's start with keynotes - Simon T Bailey, Joe Gerstandt, and Jason Lauritsen.  Enough said.

I had the privilege to hear Simon at OHSHRM last year, and am looking forward to it again.  Yes, my watch is still on the other arm!

Concurrent speakers like Ben McCall, Curtis Midkiff, Paul Hebert (another OHSHRM favorite), Trish McFarlane/Steve Boese, Brad Galin, Jason Lauritsen, William Tincup, and Jennifer McClure are some of the awesomeness that is ILSHRM12.

I only wish I could be there for the entire conference.  Sadly, I will be departing Monday afternoon.  Don't worry, I'll post plenty of pictures of my new #TWIRL (Twitter in Real Life) friends!

See you all soon!