OHSHRM Rock Star Brad Galin

I just returned from the Ohio SHRM State conference and was reflecting on the trip.  I had a lot of time to relect - 7 hours in my S10 to be exact.  The conference was in Steve Browne's words AMAZING, and I agree.    I was fortuntate to hear some talented people present on some pertinent topics (that is another post in and of itself). I also met a lot of nice folks from the Buckeye state.  And I also got renew some old friendships. 

The more time you spend with people the better you get to know them.  The whole program was themed with Rock | HR Rocks | and Rock Stars.  Well I hung out with a true rock star, and an HR guy. My buddy Brad Galin is a rock star.

 That's Brad with the shades on.  HR guy by day - rock star conference attendee at night. I have met Brad before but I got a chance to spend time with him at OHSHM as a fellow out-of-stater.  Brad works by day in the not-for-profit sector.  He is also active with the Indana State Council of SHRM.

It is alway enjoyeable to spend time with someone who is like minded, and Brad and I share a number of similiar interest. 

I plan to stay in touch with my neighbor to the east over in the Hoosier state, and look forward to catching up with him soon.  I plan  on attending thier State Conference in Indiana next year. Lastly, I had to put up the post so that I could make him the talk of the office with his rock star pictures.  There are a few more here.

-Dave Ryan Directof of Social Media ISC SHRM

On the Road at Ohio SHRM

I have the good fortune of attending my second SHRM state conference in about a month.  I revel in the opportunity to learn about my field of HR.  Not only am I learning about HR topics, but also about the task of putting on a Conference itself and all of the details that requires.

I am in awe to learn from two of the best in the business: John Jorgensen and Steve Browne. John is more of a behind the scenes guy and Steve is more of an out front guy, kind of like a say- lead singer of a band. So far, I have attended two sessions, and I am in the third as I write this. The first session was thought provoking and insightful. The speaker was Mark Stelzner. His topic was Social Media and HR policies. After lunch Simon Bailey addressed the group of over 700 HR pros and discussed leadership, leading change, being positive and assertive in your workplace. Simon, a former Disney executive communicated about his time at the happiest place on earth and it came through. Once a cast member, always a cast member.

But the real show stealer was lead conference organizer Steve Browne. Have a look



-Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

Strategy Equals Improved Bottom Line

Yes indeed!  In my professional opinion, strategic decision making, when it comes to company profit and how good or bad the bottom line is go hand in hand.  Having a military background I can appreciate the Wikipedia definition for strategy:

Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked. How a battle is fought is a matter of tactics: the terms and conditions that it is fought on and whether it should be fought at all is a matter of strategy, which is part of the four levels of warfare: political goals or grand strategy, strategy, operations, and tactics. Building on the work of many thinkers on the subject, one can define strategy as "a comprehensive way to try to pursue political ends, including the threat or actual use of force, in a dialectic of wills – there have to be at least two sides to a conflict. These sides interact, and thus a Strategy will rarely be successful if it shows no adaptability."^[1] Strategy has been extended beyond its traditional fields, military and grand strategy, to business, economics, game theory and other fields. Reference Wikipedia.

So looking back at the definition above, I would consider words like: plan, goal, achievement, action, engagement, adaptability, and success.  Strategic success, from an business & HR perspective, if the majority of your overall operating expenses is payroll and benefits (which is typically more than half), would be more than advantageous to maintain a strategic staffing plan at the very minimum.  However, don’t take my word for it!  In a few short weeks you will be able to hear from Bill Conaty, Former Sr. VP of HR at GE, Jeffery Garten, Juan Trippe Professor in Practice of International Trade, Bridget van Kralingen, GM at IBM, and Don Tapscott, Thought Leader on the Strategic Value & Impact of IT.

To top it off one of ILSHRM11’s keynote speakers, Jason Lauritsen, of Talent Anarchy is one of the concurrent speakers.  Personally I’d go just to see him!  He was awesome at our conference!  That’s not the best part!  We at ILSHRM have partnered with SHRM to bring you an improved bottom line as well when you register for this conference today.  How, you ask?  By using the following promo code:  SHRMIL2011.  This code will save you several hundred dollars on your registration.  So register today to move your company toward improved bottom line results!

The SHRM Strategy Conference is a signature event for top-level HR professionals and other business leaders who want senior-level sessions that focus on developing and executing creative, effective and scalable strategies.

Donna Rogers, SPHR @DonnaRogersHR - Chair ISC SHRM