Volunteer Leadership Opportunities at ILSHRM!

2017 has been a full and busy year for ILSHRM. From our Legislative conference in April all the way through to the State Conference at the end of September our Board has been working hard throughout the year to keep HR practitioners in Illinois abreast of all the changes that this year has brought. As with any business, it is often the busiest and most tumultuous times that teach you valuable lessons in both organization and leadership. It is through that that we are excited to announce that we are growing our board and have new volunteer leadership opportunities!

We know, you have a busy schedule, but we want to encourage you to make time and get involved with ILSHRM. Not only does volunteering and professional involvement helps strengthen your skills, build your professional portfolio and create new professional relationships – it’s also fun and extremely rewarding.

By volunteering your time, experience and expertise, you can give back to the human resources industry while growing and supporting your own business and career. Effect change, gain leadership experience, grown your network, receive professional and personal recognition. Get involved today!

ILSHRM is currently looking to fill the following volunteer leadership positions:

Governmental Affairs Director  - Working in close cooperation with the SHRM Government Affairs Team, this individual will monitor and evaluate, on a continuing basis, pending federal, state, and local legislative, regulatory, and legal activities that may have an impact on the management of human resources. From there, communicate SHRM legislative affairs policies and goals to SHRM chapters and members within the state. 

Workforce Readiness Director – This position monitors and evaluates state and local activities concerning workforce readiness issues, and works with chapter workforce readiness advocates to plan and encourage chapter involvement and activities impacting the workforce readiness arena.

State Conference Director - Elect - Serves as a member of the state council responsible for managing all activities related to running the annual ILSHRM state conference.

SHRM Foundation Director - Educate, promote, and represent the interests of the SHRM Foundation and its activities to the chapter membership.

Certification Director - Promotes SHRM certification activities for the state council, SHRM affiliated chapters and their members.

Why Volunteer?

·         To become a stronger more diversely skilled professional

·         Build your knowledge and credibility as an HR practitioner

·         Develop your network and build on professional/business opportunities

·         Foster relationships with HR thought leaders

·         Be a part of the development and advancement of the HR Profession 

The Pilgrimage to #SHRMVLS

I haven’t gone back and counted, but I would bet that I have written at least 10 of these posts, “Headed to SHRM VLS.”

One might ask why do you keep coming back?  I guess the short answer is because I can. The event is a wonderful event for the fully engaged or want to be fully engaged SHRMies.  The conference is attended by chapter presidents, state directors and many of the other key chapter and state council board members.  In short, we come together and drink the SHRM Kool-Aid. 

For the long-timers, now it is like a family reunion or any other get together of those friends that only get to see one another once a year or so.

There will be many newbies, i.e. first timers in town for the event as well.  So, for the rest of us, it is our charge to get them as jacked up about this stuff as the old-timers are.

Early Thursday morning the event starts with trip to Capitol Hill. It is typically comprised of  400+ of the faithful going to The Hill and representing SHRM and the nearly 300,000 HR pros that make up the organization. I have made this trip numerous times, and I will tell you that it feels very empowering.  If you attend the event this year and did not go. next year, plan to do so.  As a SHRM board member you need to do this at least once.

Hank Jackson and me at #SHRM17

Back to the hotel for the opening event after The Hill visit, and it will be a special day. We will hear from SHRM CEO Hank Jackson for the last time.  Hank is retiring.  He will be missed. In my opinion he has done a stellar job leading the organization through good times and bad.  If we could I would like to dedicate Friday 11/17 to thank Hank.  So, if you tweet and you use the #SHRMVLS tag, on Friday also include the hashtag #ThanksHank as a show of support and thanks.  Hank is a quiet modest fellow and does not want much fanfare but at least us tweeters can salute our outgoing CEO.

So as the old guy leaves we are going to meet the “new guy” Johnny Taylor.  He is not new to SHRM or HR.  He has been the chairman of the board in the mid-2000s.  I was around then, and I can tell you he is a charming, witty, engaging leader. I will be most interested to hear from him and his plans for the organization.

Friday and Saturday are meetings and SHRM business. Enjoy this. This is the purpose of the whole event.

Other thoughts on the event.

·       Learn

·       Network connect with as many people as you can

·       Immerse yourself in the event

·       Share

·       Sleep as little as possible

·       Smile

And if you haven’t met my friend Steve Browne (SHRM Board Member and Pizza guy from Ohio) seek him out.  Steve always says he wants to meet EVERYONE at any event he attends.  He is not kidding.

-Dave Ryan Director ILSHRM

Day One of #ilSHRM17 is in the Books!

Well here we are. Day one of ilSHRM17 is officially in the books and we are all better for it. I will be the first to admit, I did not know what to expect today. It’s been 6 years since I’ve come to the conference as an attendee…  With fresh eyes and a new viewpoint I got to experience a day unlike any of the others in my past 6 years working on the ilSHRM board. If I had to classify today in one word – The only one that does it justice is IMPACTFUL.

Opening Keynote speaker, Mallory Weggemann was amazing; the perfect combination of personal story and professional guidance. Her story of perseverance and strength alone is inspiring enough to be noteworthy. Combine that with her subtlety interwoven message of what it takes to become a leader left the room not just in awe of her as a person, but also motivated to take her messages and apply them as quickly as possible. Her anecdotes and message applies to all areas of our lives and who can argue with such sage words as: “You” are only as good as the people you surround yourself with – it’s always about community,” “the only thing that can paralyze me is fear,” and my personal favorite: “the moments and circumstances in our lives don’t define us – our choices and actions define us. All of this before 10 am, so you can bet every session after was seen in a different light, with a different lens – and absolutely – a new perspective.

Mallory wasn’t our only stellar session though…  There was something for everyone here today. And that is a hard won accomplishment to be sure! Tomorrow, when you see our Conference Director Renee Hanning, and Lori Maher McCombs – ilSHRM’s Executive Director and Conference Planner let them know what a phenomenal job they did! Not to mention how easy they made it look!

With that I’ll leave you with where we started today. Mallory’s Top 10 Pointers

1.  Let the past be the past, cherish the memories, learn from the adversities, but in no way live in it. Move toward the future and allow yourself to simply let go.
2. Don’t allow yourself to get so caught up in the future that you lose sight of the present. Allow yourself to have dreams, goals and ambition, but don’t let them keep you from enjoying the here and now. The journey along the way is what makes the end goal so special, so enjoy it!
3. When you get overwhelmed remember, baby steps. Life is a series of baby steps. Just like you cannot recite the alphabet without everything in between A-Z, life is the same, and each baby step is a part of the journey so embrace them.
4. Remember in any situation, it isn’t the circumstances that define us; it is how we react to them that define us.
5. No matter how hard it gets remember that it can always be worse. Take the time you need to grieve, but then move forward and remember to be thankful for what you do have.
6. Love. Love yourself, find love in the things that you are passionate about, and love another. The accomplishments in life are gratifying, but what do they mean if you don’t have anyone to share them with? Don’t allow life to wedge itself between you and your loved ones.
7. Believe in yourself and allow yourself to hold onto the innocence of your childhood. Remember that time that we all believed we could be anything and do everything? Don’t let life wear that away, hold onto it and allow yourself to believe that anything is possible.
8. Give back, as a citizen of the world it is a duty we all have to give back, it is not only a good deed, but it also teaches you a lot about yourself and life in general.
9. Allow yourself to continue to learn. Whether it is a new hobby, learning something new at work, or simply learning something new about a loved one. Always continue to learn more about yourself, the people around you, and the world you live in.
10. Most of all… Live life with passion, heart, free of fear, hate and judgement. Be courageous, and know that in any given moment you can make a difference and you can change the world.

Don't forget to check out Dueling Pianos tonight and we'll see you tomorrow!!

Julie Rischmiller

Marketing & Communications Director

ILSHRM Looking for a New D & I Director

We’re hiring!  Yep at Illinois SHRM we have an opening.  Let me tell you a bit about the job.  It pays nothing and there are no hard dollar employee benefits.  We will ask that you perform at very high level bringing the latest thinking and creativity to a difficult job.   Sometimes it involves long hours. Still interested?

Here is the deal; we are the Illinois State Council (ILSHRM) of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). We do have an opening on our board of directors currently. We are looking for a Director of Diversity and Inclusion.  The position has been open since April of 2016.   Our board has been going through some consolidation due to changes in our business model.  But as we move ahead it has become apparent that this is an important position and needs to be filled.

Historically at ILSHRM, the way that open positions have been filled is through recommendations from current board members, or friends of those board members recommending their friends.  While that has worked in the past, it has not brought the level of inclusion to where it needs to be.  Said another way, when I look around the room at a board meeting, we all kind of look the same.   I understand that D & I means a lot more than race today. It includes religion, gender, gender orientation, sexual orientation, size, body types and with our organization it includes geography.  Thus, we will try to do better!

So being the Human Resources pros that we are, and knowing what we know, we are going to shake it up a bit.  We are going to recruit for a Director of Diversity and Inclusion.  Yes, we are going to post this opening on our website and ask for people to apply for this position. We also will ask all our Chapter Presidents to make this opening known to their chapter members who might be interested in sharing of themselves. And lest we not forget any of our AT-LARGE SHRM MEMBERS… that would be you 8000+ SHRM members in Illinois that are not currently affiliated with a chapter, you are welcome to become part of our organization as well.

Another change we are making is this. We are going to have a person on the board whose job it is to recommend to the board, qualified candidates to fill these positions.  The job title for this person is still somewhat in limbo, but things in place include, Succession Planner, HR Director, Talent and Acquisition Pro. We’re not sure where that is going to end up but these are some of the things in play.

We do have a job description for the position (because we are HR Pros) but being a member of a SHRM State Council involves a lot more that performing your singular board duties.  Check out some of the other content we have put out over the years on YouTube or Facebook, and if you think you would be a good fit within our board please apply.

 

If you have any questions about the State Council and our activities please contact me Dave Ryan via email and I will do my best to get back with you in a timely fashion.

-Dave Ryan Director Illinois State Council of SHRM

SHRM Regional Council Business Meeting

This is the conference hotel, and no we don't have access to any boats.

I first learned as a  young man that I enjoyed traveling. Going places I had never been, seeing things that I had read about, learning how people in different areas lived, what they ate... all of it, I found this to be very stimulating. As I grow older, I have maintained this love of travel and experiencing new things. Today though, most time I find not only am I doing all of the things I listed above but most times my travel has a purpose, one other than simply entertaining myself.


Today finds me in San Diego, CA at the SHRM Regional Council Business Meeting, or as I have designated it on twitter #SHRMBiz.  This is an annual gathering of the State Directors, the State Director-Elects, MAC Reps and typically another key state council member.   This year the Workforce Readiness Directors have been invited to attend.  Without a doubt SHRM will be putting forth an effort that is going to move the ball forward in this area.  We will learn more from today's meeting, but my inside information tells me it is going to have to do with hiring vets - a most worthwhile cause!


Including the SHRM Staff there are probably less than 200 people on-site for the meeing, which makes this a small meeting by SHRM standards. For me this has been one of the great things about the meeting - the size.  The relatively low number of attendees allows for some great networking opportunities, where state council peers can meet one and other and really connect.


In the previous meetings I have attended I have got to know my peers and learned from them. Everyone is willing to share and support one and other.  This leads to phone calls, emails, text messages and even other face to face meet-up - and ultimately into lifetime friendships. That makes it a pretty sweet deal.


So that's what we're doing here ar #SHRMBiz.  I have been challenged by #HR Zealot (and SHRM Board Member) Steve Browne, to light up the tweet stream while we are here, so we will do our best to do so.


Dave Ryan State Director of Illinois SHRM

Tiffany Kuehl in the house at ILSHRM Lead

This is the second blog post about our upcoming ILSHRM Leadership meeting which will be in Naperville this year.  I am excited (and frightened) to attend this year. I am excited because I know the event will be epic I am frightened because I am now the director and this whole deal rests on my shoulders.  I guess I need to get over it and revel in the comfort of being uncomfortable.

Tiffany pictured with Steve Browne (sort of) Steve is much taller.

In my previous post I talked about and introduced a good friend of mine who will be speaking at the event.  Today’s post is about our second speaker, another great friend of mine and the Director of Minnesota SHRM, Tiffany Miller Kuehl.    Tiffany too is an early adopter of social media and has been in the HR/Recruiting space for many years (although she only looks like she is 27 to me).

One of the things that I bring to the job of State Director is a vast network of connection so I have decided to call upon some of these people to help me out as the director.  Tiffany is one of those people. I have participated at a number of events with her and we share a passion for this conference thing and and the SHRM thing as well.

Tiffany brings a much different look at the world and things than does Steve Browne.  Tiffany is a working mother, a wife, a daughter, a blogger, a huge Minnesota Twins fan, a baseball coach and a volunteer, some of which must track with many of the folks who will be attending our event. 

Tiffany is going to talk about volunteerism and share her insight into the matter. This will speak to everyone who is attendance because if you are at our Illinois SHRM Leadership conference; we gottcha!

Tiffany will be with us most of the day on Monday, I would encourage you to connect with her prior to the event and then meet her IRL (in real life) as we say in social media.

Tiffany on Linked In    https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykuehl

Tiffany on Twitter https://twitter.com/TiffanyKuehl

Tiffany on Instagram http://instagram.com/tiffanykuehl

Tiffany on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=tiffany%20miller%20kuehl                                                                                                         

SHRM Blog https://blog.shrm.org/author/886

PIC Blogger http://www.performanceicreate.com/author/tkuehl/

Last year on Tiffany’s birthday a good friend of mine Chris Fields created TK Day.  This is a short video I put together for her on her birthday.

Be sure to check out her presentation at this year's conference, you won't be disappointed.

- Dave Ryan Illinois SHRM State Director

Meet Steve Browne at ILSHRMLead

If you know me at all, you probably know that I enjoy writing content and putting it on the internet.  I hope that some people read what I have to say, at least now and then. But I enjoy the writing part even more when it is about something or someone that I really like. Today’s post is about my good friend (and a friend to most everyone who works in HR in North America) Steve Browne.

I am writing about Steve because those of us who are involved in SHRM in Illinois are going to have an opportunity to visit with Steve again at this year’s Illinois Leadership Conference.  Steve joined us in 2015, and is coming back for what will probably be a standing bi-annual standing invitation.

Today’s post is written for those who are not in Steve’s tribe, although the rest of you are welcome to read through and see what I have to say about Steve.

In putting together this piece I was quite surprised to find content mentioning Steve from as early as 2006 out here on the interwebs.   Steve has been an early adopter on all social platforms on the internet and has been at the forefront of Human Resources matters everywhere.   Not only is Steve involved, he is making a difference.  Through all of his work and involvement Steve has been elected to a seat on the Board of Directors for the Society of Human Resources Management. 

While he has made himself kind of a big deal, you would not think so to be around him.  Steve is one of the most outgoing people that I know, who is game for just about anything. 

We rarely talk about this but, like so many of us Steve is a hard working HR guy working in the trenches of HR pretty much everyday.  Steve work for a Pizzeria Chain in the Cincinnati area called LaRosa's.  Don’t be fooled this is a pretty good size operation and is iconic within about 250 miles of Cincy.

As a family man Steve has done pretty well.  He has a lovely wife Deb, and two children in college.  So he has done pretty well in this part of his life too!

So we are going to have Steve speak to all of the leaders of Illinois SHRM, and enlighten us a bit about HR and how we can be better at what we do. That is what Steve is all about.  As I mentioned earliar I did quite a bit of searching or “creeping” on the net to really get a feel for Steve.  So without a lot of fanfare, I going to share a little bit more of Steve with you  - so if you have a chance to meet Steve and see what he has to say you won’t want to pass this up at #ILSHRMLead.

Find Steve on the web...

SHRM Board https://www.shrm.org/about-shrm/pages/brownebio.aspx

Steve’s Linked In Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveb5

Steve’s Blog Site – Everyday People http://sbrownehr.com/

Steve on Twitter https://twitter.com/sbrownehr

Steve on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/steve.browne.186

Here is Steve opening up OHSHRM in 2011

Here is Steve at the 2012 SHRM VLS Meeting

Here is Steve talking about membership at the 2015 Illinois Leadership Meeting.

There is a little bit about Steve Browne. Hope to see you at ILSHRMLead!

- Dave Ryan ISC Director