SHRMStrat Day 2

The second day of the SHRM Strategy Conference was packed with incredible takeaways from two awesome keynotes David Novak and Aaron Dignan.  Both of these gentleman had very unique and interesting ideas for engaging, motivating, and driving performance in the organization.  Not only that they were excellent speakers and I would personally highly recommend either one of them for any conference.

David Novak who is honored as the worlds 30 Best CEO's according to Barron's sported props during his presentation such as a rubber chicken, cheese hat, and standing teeth.  His point with these crazy looking props was that regardless of what it is you use in your organization you should reward employees for doing a good job at work.  Positive reinforcement is key in driving performance and he used the 3 R's to emphasize this point (RECOGNIZE, RECOGNIZE, RECOGNIZE).

Aaron Dignan will be a leader my son's generation will support in a heartbeat because he totally supported the positive side of what our younger generations are getting out of gaming.  I have always recognized what he has been learning while gaming even at his early ages.  He is only 11 now and has a very strong understanding of geography, history, and random facts that I am constantly learning from him.  Aaron suggests that we think about how gaming affects our brain activity, drive, and desire to compete and design jobs in the same way games are designed that are not boring or don't become boring to the employee.  He used examples of cashiers at Target who are scored on the level of speed that they can check someone out.  I personally appreciate this because I have been through check outs before and been frustrated that the employee didn't have any respect for my time and just took their sweet time checking me out.  I wanted to give them a grade as a frustrated customer.

All in all both of these keynotes both inspired me and taught me ideas to take back and incorporate in my teaching, consulting, and inspiration of other aspiring HR professionals.  The concurrent sessions reinforced information I already knew as I attended a session on Metrics and Engagement.  Finally, I had the opportunity to see what was new with both SHRM HR research where Mark Schmit talked about the results of the 2010 Job Satisfaction Survey.

 

On a lighter side we ended the day with a closing party outside by the pool which was spectacular with music and lighted palm trees.  It was a fabulous way to network with other HR professionals but the most  interesting outcome was that a SHRM staff member met a conference attendee earlier in the day in a session and later connected at this evening event.  Both are from the east coast and having randomly met in the west coast they discovered they both graduated from the same high school within a couple years of each other and knew several of the same people having grown up in the same town.  So for them the closing party turned into a high school reunion conversation for at least a couple of hours.  How awesome is that!  It truly is a small world!

Finally, I also had an opportunity to hear Jon Pon, SHRM CHRO, who is also the conference emcee talk about the future of HR.  Enjoy!

by Donna Rogers, SPHR, ILSHRM Director

SHRMStrat Day 1

The first day of the SHRM Strategy Conference went off without a hitch!  Several hundred HR pros gathered at the Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa to hear first from none other than the CHRO of SHRM, Jeff T. H. Pon, PhD who is referred to on Twitter as SHRMJeff.  He is our emcee for the week and I'm looking forward to hearing more from him as he tries to avoid suggestions from 260k members about how he should handle HR at SHRM (his comment not mine).  The board chair, Jose Berrios, followed with the state of the workforce before the highlight of the entire day to took the stage, Linda Rottenberg, CEO and co-founder of Endeavor.

My overall reaction to Linda's keynote is "she gets it"!  That is not because she praised the HR profession more than once, but because she explained many specific experiences of both her own and the entrepreneurs that her non-profit organization, Endeavor, works so hard to assist that demonstrated her thorough understanding of how HR has a huge impact on the bottom line of any organization.  The organization that started with inspiration that came from three cab rides.  It was her third cab ride where the driver shared that he had a PhD in Engineering but had taken the job because he couldn't find anything else due to the economy.  She thought to herself, whey doesn't he start his own company, and realized resources were limited for individuals who may have a desire when the economy doesn't support our working for others.  As an entrepreneur myself for 11 years now, I totally understand the cab drivers predicament and was inspired by Linda's drive and determination to make a difference.

Aside from the details of running a worldwide organization and sharing all the HR and general business related experiences and challenges, we learned she was very human and not just super woman.  She shared a personal story about having to tell her staff about her commitment to her husband and family values when he was initially diagnosed with cancer.  The staff let her know that they appreciated her humanness after years of seeing her go nonstop and had gained a new found respect for her as a person.  The lesson she learned from that experience was invaluable.  She ended with a powerful statement about how we get a chance to make a difference in our profession for a short part of our lifetime but she is a mom forever.  Family values are extremely important and work flexibility is not just a generational issue it is a workplace issue and we all need to do what we can to make it ok for people to take care of what matters most.

I had a chance to interview, Vince Caldwell, who shared the book store highlights related to Strategic HRM which you can watch here:

There where four afternoon sessions to chose from and I chose a table at the front of the Using Social Media to Increase Collaboration, Productivity and Engagement session which was unfortunately a disappointment because it was simply too basic.  However,  I didn't feel comfortable enough to leave having been right up front.  I was not the only one as I discovered during the presidential debates later in the evening.  The reason I felt this way which is really a message to all conference speakers was because she didn't know her audience or perhaps she assumed from the low online participation up to and during the conference that everyone in the room was needing the basics.  For me I was looking at the title and description thought we would get into some case studies about how companies were actually using it to collaborate and engage employees.  We heard from Linda Rottinger earlier that her company uses Chatter.com internally to increase productivity, collaboration, and engagement and that was not even her topic.  I was expecting more examples and software ideas.  However, after reviewing the description there was one word that answered my misunderstanding of expectations (LEAP).  It says "by taking the leap and introducing social media into your organization".  She focused on that one word by "selling" all the reasons for using social media in the organization.

Getting back to knowing your audience.  I get that this group is on the trailing end of actually using social media which is evident online and by what one of the participants stood up and mentioned about how more of the attendees should have been there.  They should have been in there indeed to hear the basic message she had but for those of us who already get it and was in the room I believe we were looking for more.  The lady sitting next to me was using a program similar to chatter to engage all 800 employees all over the country.  I be the group would have liked to hear more about here experience implementing, etc.  With all this said she absolutely was engaging and well spoken.

Finally, the evening could not have ended any better than seeing how important the social issues in this country are to the HR professionals in attendance by the turnout for the big screen debate showing and cash bar with appetizers that each participant paid for themselves.  Personal commitment to staying informed as a voter was evident by e approximately 100 person turnout between both rooms.

by Donna Rogers, SPHR, ILSHRM Director

SHRM Diversity and Inclusion Conference Access Denied

Conference Planners the Game has Changed: Get on Board or get off the Sinking Ship

The theme for this week's SHRM Diversity & Inclusion Conference at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel is "Game Changers". This inspired this post as I assert that the game for conference planners is "the conference" itself. You could also include seminars, programs, education, etc. as the game that has changed.

The point is we soon will have 5 generations in the workplace and our newest generation is being referred to as the "always on" generation. In some circles, this "always on" mentality is wholeheartedly embraced and in others, they are not embraced at all. How can one be "always on" when conference centers, generally hotels, BLOCK access to what folks want to be "always on"... The Internet.

This conference is not the first SHRM conference to deny my access to “get on" during the conference. However, SHRM is not the only organization I have attended where this has been a problem.  I can think of my own Chamber of Commerce function where there were all kinds of businesses from all types of industries trying to get on the internet. My second point is it doesn't matter if you’re a conference planner within the HR space; this is probably an issue at other conferences all over the world. If we are going to consider marketing conferences to the "always on" generation we should consider their needs. Not only that, there truly is a real benefit to your organization to promote, drive and encourage live communication from the conference. It can drive future attendance. Just like employers should really rethink their ban of internet access on the job, the same goes for organizations and business who want people to frequent their organization. I can imagine a time when people will choose a lunch location based on free wifi or not. Even if you don't have free wifi, if you ban it then you will lose. I already chose hotels for vacation based on whether or not there is free wifi. If lunch is the next decision, conferences will be right behind.

So, conference planners are most likely saying the hotels charge an arm and leg for it. We have the power to increase demand and negotiate for what we want and our member's need. I know I will have comments that say we tried and it's easier said than done. The point is why these conference centers not cater to what the customer needs. If they start losing business because of it, they will eventually listen.

The game has changed. Participants do not want access blocked. Get on board with this demand or it can have an effect on future attendance. Do you want a sinking ship or to go forward full throttle?  Full throttle is catering to the "always on" generation.

-Donna Rogers, Director ISC SHRM 

Ohio SHRM 2011 - Thought About Attending?

The Final Countdown is here. The Ohio 2011 SHRM Conference is soon.  It promises to be great event starting Sept. 21 and running through Sept. 23. Here are some details from Conference Chair Steve Brown

I was running over the program details and compiled this list of people (in no particular order) who will be speaking at OHSHRM11.

| Mark Stelzner | Mike VanDerort | Benjamin Mc Call | Paul Hebert | William Tincup| China Gorman |Stephanie Thomas | Bill Boorman | Jennifer McClure |

And that list is just the people that I know.  There are a number of other presenters as well. And just because I am not familiar with their work means nothing. They may, in fact be the best presenters of the conference.

This conference, just like the Illinois conference is put on by ALL volunteers.  Steve tells me that I am going to meet a fabulous group of volunteers in Ohio.  He should know. The event currently has over 700 people from five states and Canada registered.

Ok, so why are we trumpeting what is going on in Ohio here on the ILSHRM Blog Site? There are two reasons.  First, I was born in Ohio – Toledo/Lucas County to be exact so I am forever connected to Ohio.  Secondly and probably more importantly, at least two of us from Illinois SHRM will be attending to learn, observe and share at the event.  John Jorgensen and I (Dave Ryan) will be attending.

As the Director of Social Media for ILSHRM, I had certain obligations at the Illinois Conference, albeit far less than my fellow traveler John.  I know I speak for both of us when I say I am excited to be attending as a participant, a blogger, a tweeter – someone who gets to attend and take in the conference, learn from the sessions, see some old friends and make some new ones.

Watch for out tweets from the event and we will see you at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, OH.

-Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

ILSHRM11's Social Media Press Corps

THIS JUST IN

We are pleased to announce one addition to the ILSHRM Social Media Press Corps.  Trish McFarlane (@TrishMcFarlane on Twitter) aka The HR Ringleader will be joining the social media group covering the Conference, giving her unique view on what to look for, what is being said there and her analysis after the event.  She was one of our original social media participants last year and we are thrilled to have Trish back this year.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Last year at the Illinois State SHRM Conference, we experimented with using social media by inviting some well known HR bloggers and social media personalities to attend and report on the Conference. It allowed letting those who couldn’t attend follow the excitement and what was happening at the Conference. It also allowed conference goers an opportunity to “hear” what was happening in other sessions that they couldn’t attend. We were one of the first state conferences to test out using social media as a tool and based on reports and comments it was a success.

This year, we are expanding our use of social media as far as numbers involved and hopefully in creating pre and post conference excitement as well as a method to document what happens at the Conference. Many of our speakers have a powerful presence in social media and we are taking advantage of that to create our Social Media Press Corps, while adding a few other social media reporters to the mix. In addition to the written blogs and tweets, we have several noted social media pros coming to video what goes on at the conference as well as interview speakers and attendees alike. Finally, the only daily internet talk radio show dealing with HR practitioners, Drive Thru HR, will be working from our Conference.

We have added a social media track to the conference to teach HR practitioners how to use these new tools and in order to help HR professionals understand social media and how to use it, the Illinois State Council of SHRM is sponsoring a Social Media Boot Camp, being held on Sunday, August 21 (the day before our Annual Conference) at the Drury Lane Theater in Oakbrook Terrace, the same location as the Conference. This how-to program was a highly requested item that came from our first presentations on social media at last year’s conference.

Below is the roster of our Social Media Press Corps, along with their blog/web site and Twitter handles:

Bloggers

Blogger                         Blog Site                                    Twitter Handle

Robin Schooling           The HR Schoolhouse                 @RobinSchooling

Jessica Miller-Merrill     Blogging 4 Jobs                          @blogging4jobs

Jennifer McClure           Unbridled Talent                         @cincyrecruiter

Joe Gerstandt                Joe Gerstandt                             @joegerstandt

                                    Also Talent Anarchy

China Gorman              China Gorman                            @chinagorman

Dwane Lay                  Lean HR                                       @dwanelay

Mike VanderVort        Human Race Horses                     @mikevandervort

Jason Seiden              Jason Seiden                                @seiden

Ryan Estis                  Passion on Purpose                      @ryanestis

William Tincup           Drive Thru HR                               @williamtincup

Charlie Judy              The HR Fishbowl                           @HRFishbowl

Video

Maren Hogan          Marenated                                    @marenhogan

Geoff Webb            Radical Events                                @radicalrecruit

Internet Radio

Bryan Wempen       Drive Thru HR                             @bryanwempen

William Tincup        Drive Thru HR                             @williamtincup

In addition, follow our "house" crew of social media folks of Dave Ryan (@DaveTheHRCzar), Donna Rogers (@DonnaRogersHR), John Jorgensen (@jkjhr), Cathy Plouzek (@smiling26.2), Jeff Williams (@_JeffWilliams) and Sabrina Baker (@Sabrina_PHR) among others who will be using the #ILSHRM11 hashtag.

For the Press Corps members pre-conference thoughts, on-site posts and post-conference wrap ups, follow their blogs and to follow what is happening at the Conference if you are on Twitter, follow our hashtag of #ILSHRM11.

- John Jorgensen SPHR Conference Director ISC SHRM

Why are you here?

As the preparations continue to provide a little social media flair at the ISC HR Conference, I got to pondering this. Many people, over 500 so far will be in attendance, but why are they coming? There are probably as many reasons why people attend, as there are people who will be in attendance, although my long since past college statistics classes tell me there will be one answer that will be most repeated.

This has become one of my SM projects for this state conference. With my new flip video cam in hand I will be asking attendees; what is your name, where do you live, are you involved with a local SHRM chapter, AND most importantly why are you attending this conference?

This should edit easily, and create a nice montage of attendees. It should also be a way for attendees to revisit and it may be even be a way for the IL State Council to learn as to why people attend conferences. Perhaps a prize is in order for the most unusual or even lame reason to attend the conference

So look for me at the conference, the big guy with the little camera asking what brings you to the conference this year?

Blog Post # 1

This will be known as blog post # 1. Coming on the heels of the 2010 SHRM Annual Conference is the 11th Annual Illinois State Council Conference. This year’s conference is August 2nd and 3rd in beautiful Oak Brook, IL. The conference features some keynote speakers on a wide range of topics. It promises to be an exciting event with more than 450 registrants and 55 exhibitors at the time of this post.
In addition to the conference ISC board members are working to make this a social media event as well. Perhaps not as was done on such a grand scale in San Diego by the SHRM mothership. While we may not be the mothership, ISC does have its Captain- SHRM’s own Curtiss Midkiff (a.k.a. SHRMsocmeguy)who will be in attendance. Curtiss along with SHRM National’s help is going to dial up the transparency of this event as there will be lots of live blogging and tweeting going on at the event; the likes of which many of you may have never seen.

Also to make sure there are a number of good blog posts coming out of the event, the council has confirmed guests and Blogging Icons Trish McFarlane (who blogs as the HR Ringleader), Mike Vandervort ( who blogs at The Human Race Horses) and Sarah White (who blogs at I’m So Sarah). No doubt they will have some thoughts on the conference and the speakers. They will also be around, in the event that you would like to meet or speak with them during the conference.

The ISC will also be hosting a tweet-up on Monday evening. This is going to take place at the Hilton Hotel, adjacent to the conference. Unfortunately this will be an invitation only event.

So if you have not made your plans to attend the conference, it is time to do so NOW!