If there's one thing I learned at the SHRM Leadership conference last week it's that these people, these wonderful volunteers, don't do anything half way. They're away from work but still check their emails on route to a session and tap their laptops like they're cracking code all while networking, learning and engaging for the betterment of their chapters and for SHRM. They know to take full advantage of the SHRM Leadership opportunity, so they meet, mingle and Tweet. Those from Illinois, even do it in matching red shirts. It's the ultimate show of supreme multi-tasking. It's also the absolute example of dedication.
And SHRM has dedication. Every year, the SHRM Open House continues to be an enjoyable, light-hearted kickoff to the weekend. These guys were ready for us and are ready for Atlanta 2012. There were Coke vs. Pepsi challenges, Atlanta trivia, an HRCI birthday party complete with cupcakes, and We Know Next swag. Did you get your custom made luggage tag? The best moment, for me personally, was when I ran into those dedicated SHRMies, Lisa Horn and Michael Layman. Have you had either of these two to your chapter? You should. If you didn't go, you missed out. If you did go, and didn't feel a renewed energy and purpose, you still missed out. I would imagine it would be hard to find a SHRM volunteer who wasn't motivated to lead after that night.
But really folks, how can you not get motivated? With an entertaining and enlightening line-up, including my personal favorites RyanEstis, Pam Green and Joe Gerstandt, you have no choice but to get pulled in by their passion (that's for you, Ryan). All fluff and prose aside, there were sessions for everyone and for every purpose. Need guidance to lead your chapter? Check. Looking for ideas for membership development? Check. Want real, concrete methods and instruction on chapter practices? Check. Check.
Now just so you don't think I'm a complete pom-pom wielding cheerleader, there was room for improvement. I love a good motivator, but the butterflies on the screen were a bit much for me, but that's just me (ask me about that off line). Many of us wanted a good, hands-on development lab for working on our chapter websites. There was no conference wi-fi (thank God for my mi-fi). And yes, there's just never enough time to ask every question and meet every person. Regardless, I am a crusader for the cause and of SHRM. I believe in HR. It's a strong, invaluable component to bottom-line results and of positive employee work life. And yes, it's a necessity to organizational success.
So, drink the SHRM Kool-Aid. Get on board. Learn your craft. Maximize your ability. Share what you know. Volunteer.
If you're going to go, go all in...and introduce yourself to someone in a red shirt.
Amy Dillman - President Elect for the Central Illinois Human Resources Group (Champaign. IL). You can find Amy on twitter as @RhumbarFan and on LinkedIn.
It happens every November in Alexandrea, VA. It is the SHRM Leadership Conference. This annual event is put on by the mothership to help spread the word about the SHRM mission and message. If you attend you will find: many first time attendees, many veterans of 10 or more conferences, and many of the SHRM staffers. The event usually offers up the annual Pinnacle Awards which are awarded at a luncheon, it also includes a trip over to SHRM Headquarters with some excellent food and drink.
It is also a great place to network and meet other people. But over the years some folks have become concerned about sharing their contact information with other attendees. Those of us active in the social media are internet extroverts, we want to share and meet new people make new connections, and meet-up in real life (IRL) with people we have met on line.
So having said that at Illinois SHRM we would like to coordinate sharing of contact information for those who wish to do so. You do not have to participate, but if you do you will be given access to all of the others who sign up to share thier contact information. This is somewhat of an experiment in using Google Docs integrated into the blog post.
If this works like we plan, we will share with anyone who is interested how to very easily gather data as we are doing here. If you would like to be included simply fill out this form. Via email you will then be given access to view the spreadsheet so you may see who all wished to network in somewhat of an open fashion.
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.
Sorry for the delay in posting the day two wrap up from our 2011 Conference. We owe a big thanks to Curtis Midkiff from SHRM for putting these together. Think of this like fine wine - it is worth waiting for.
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:
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
The conference season is upon us. With the SHRM BIG SHOW coming up at the end of June, and many of State conferences (like ours on August 22 & 23) on the horizon, this got me to thinking about conferences the other day. I have been fortunate to get to attend a number of events. I was recounting these in my mind and trying to think what was the most memorable conference/event that I have attended. Of course, many people would think the best stories from an HR conference might be those of drunken debauchery – in the vein of Hangover or Cedar Rapids. And I could go that way but it would embarrass good friends, and me as well, so I will take my post another direction.
I attended a SHRM Leadership Conference last year in the D.C. area. I had planned to go for a while and my travel and accommodations were being funded through my SHRM affiliation and position. I was staying at the conference hotel and planning on having a good time, meeting up with some old friends and making some new ones.
After signing up for the conference, it had come to my attention that a younger colleague of mine was interested in attending but his chapter could not finance the entire trip. Well, since I already had a room – paid for- with the caveat that “I snore” I offered up a bed and shared shower and toilet. So to make a long story short here – if you have complimentary accommodations (especially the $200+ a night rooms) and are attending a conference, it might be a most enjoyable experience to offer up free room to a younger HR pro who might not otherwise be afforded the opportunity to attend.) It was in fact for me, one of the most enjoyable conferences I attended.
And if you are in the giving mode too – you might want to buy them a meal or two or a drink – depending upon their fancy. Keep in mind that if you got there for free, and staying for free; doubling up on a couple meals won’t break you.
At many conferences, hotel rooms are usually nothing more than a bed and a shower, so for $200 a night you are getting double the value if you use two beds and take two showers. You might also make a new friend for life, while you enjoy some communal living and share stories of the other conference happenings.
For the record I made the same offer to another colleague to attend HREvolution with me as I had committed to going and paying for a hotel room. Sadly he declined.
Moving forward, as these events continue to cost more and more to attend – it is a way more of us can enjoy and share the experience. I hope others can at least think about this and maybe put it into action a time or two in the upcoming conference season.
The Winning Team From Purdue L to R Jeffrey Brent Pett, Kijae Moonha Kim, Jo-Mei Wang, Robert R. Gee, Maricela Suarez Fuster and Matthew Olsen
(Click on the Picasa tab to view all of the pictures from the event.)
Right about now I am feeling really guilty. I am volunteering at the SHRM North Central Student conference. It is taking place at LewisUniversity in Romeoville, IL. Why am I feeling guilty? Because I am now realizing, that I have not done enough to help the younger folks and students in Human Resource, and that I am resolved to doing more.
These young folks they ALL LOOKED SHARP today, Guys and girls in suits, and ties with shinny shoes and awesome hair styling. I don’t even know these kids and I am proud or them
The games are taking place on the weekend, so the students here have made a conscious choice to be here, forgoing their weekend. Along with the students, I met and visited with some committed college educators like Matt Stollack from St. Norberts, Jeffrey Walls from Indiana Institute of Technology, Joseph Goodman from IllinoisStateUniversity, and Donna Rogers form UIS who also have forgone their weekend to help educate these young folks.
As long as I am throwing out the accolades, I should mention the SHRM folks: Pam Green, Chuck Salvetti, Maureen Flaherty, and Laurie McIntosh who have been giving up their weekends for several weeks in a row to get all of the regional sessions completed. And we owe a big thank you to our own Martha Ramirez who is our North Central Region Representative.
It is so cool to these students studying and consuming the stuff that makes up the SHRM exams. And they are learning it to apply it, just as I do everyday in my work. As I write this my group is trying to understand whether or not an internship should be paid, and how they can defend their position. This is a rather timely matter, given DOL’s new take on internships
I have enjoyed getting to be a part of the event and watching tomorrow’s HR Trencher’s slugging it out. Having a chance to be around the “youngsters” is invigorating and exciting. I have resolved to more work with the young folks, going forward and if you are passionate about HR you should too; they are our future!
Congratulations to all of the teams for a great event.
I am attending a conference this weekend. It is a SHRM Student Conference for the North Central region. I am going to be a part of this. I don't know why, but when these things get close I feel like a kid in candy store. I guess the best way for me to express how I feel was summed up by Flounder in Animal House
Silly isn't it? Not really. Most of the conferences I attend have to do with things I feel passionate about, with HR being one of them. So then when I get to hang out with a bunch of like minded people the energy and excitement gets taken to the next level - and I really enjoy that.
SHRM is bringing together 11 teams from the North Central Region to test their Human Resources prowess against one and other. Exciting stuff... you bet! It is going to be a day and a half of hanging with these folks with young minds and high energy levels. That always charges my batteries just like getting to hear SHRM's Membership Chair Pam Green speak. She doesn't just talk she demands and gets audience participation.
If you want to tweet about the conference, or follow the tweet stream, the Duke Street Mothership (otherwise know as SHRM Headquarters) tells us the correct hashtag for the event is #SHRMNCStudent.
Parking For the individuals who drive to campus, you can park in Lot F or G.
Attire
Conference participants typically wear business casual attire to the event. Remember that you will be networking with HR professionals, and it is important to make a good impression.
Students competing on a case competition team must be in business professional attire on Saturday.
Weather
The preliminary forecast for this weekend is mid to high 60’s on Friday and Saturday isolated thunderstorms and a few showers on Saturday. As we move closer to the event, you can check the weather forecast at http://www.weather.com/weather/weekend/60446.
Please plan accordingly as we are in a few different buildings for the case competition.
Registration
Conference registration will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 8 and last throughout the evening. Registration will be in Building 12 – Academic Building Room AS158A. Please follow the SHRM signs leading to registration. Conference attendees, advisors, and volunteers must check-in at this area.
Tentative Conference Schedule – a full agenda will be provided on-site
Friday, April 8
4:30 p.m. Conference Welcome
5:00 p.m. Backpack to Briefcase
Pamela J. Green, SPHR, Chief US Membership Officer
6:00 p.m. Networking/Dinner
Saturday, April 9
8:15 a.m. Conference Welcome and Day Ahead
8:15 a.m. Team Case-Competition Check-in Begins
8:30 a.m. Educational Session #1
Social Media from College to Business
Dave Ryan, SPHR
9:45 a.m. Educational Session #2
How to Create a Great Elevator Speech
Jodi Harmeyer, SPHR
10:30 a.m. Judges Training
11:15 a.m. Educational Session #3
Volunteerism for Life: Making a Difference While Building a Valuable Skill Set
Donna Rogers, SPHR
11:30 – 1:30 p.m. Boxed Lunches Available
12:30 p.m. Group #1 and #2 Present
1:00 p.m. Group #3 and #4 Present
1:30 p.m. Educational Session #4
Your Career in Human Resources
Carolyn Sperl, JD, SPHR, GPHR
1:30 p.m. Chapter Advisor and College Relations Volunteers
Roundtable Discussion
Chuck Salvetti
1:30 p.m. Group #5 and #6 Present
2:00 p.m. Group #7 and #8 Present
2:30 p.m. Group #9 and #10 Present
Today’s blog subject is employee engagement. In search of a succinct definition I turned to Google. The third return is from Wikipedia and the first thing they tell us is… “This article needs attention from an expert on the subject.” So it would appear that even Wikipedia is searching for a great definition just like the rest of us in HR. While there is a lot being said and written about the subject, most of that is in the employer/employee realm.
Let’s move into the volunteer realm, say for example a local SHRM chapter. For the old HR hand, the old joke is this; we pay them don’t we – there’s their motivation! Well in this instance the answer is no. So as a chapter leader (PTA, Boy Scouts, Church club – you pick the organization) leader how do you engage your staff, when money is not one of the tools in your tool box. Now it gets more difficult.
Hopefully your volunteer joined the organization because they wanted be a part of the group – not because their boss/spouse/co-worker goaded them into joining. They may have a special connection to the group, or their motivation may be somewhat obscured.
But in the long run, the volunteer is not all that different than the employee who needs all of the things that a good employer would be sharing with their top employees.
So to get the most out of your volunteers here are some, oh so simple but effective concepts …
Treat them like paid staff
Make them feel appreciated
Share the organization’s mission and goals with them
Get to know them
Be passionate
Be organized – don’t waste their time (remember we’re not paying them)
Make sure their efforts are not taken for granted
Celebrate their successes
This won’t guarantee a successful volunteer but it will help. Just because they are not being paid doesn’t mean that they don’t want to be treated respectfully.
First, let me say that I am so excited to be joining this distinguished team of guest bloggers. Dave Ryan has done an outstanding job of assembling a top notch group of contributors. Hats off to you, Dave!
As the Marketing/Communications Director for ISC-SHRM, I am looking forward to digging into a wide range of projects this year to better brand and position our group. From solidifying our mission, vision and core values to spreading the word about our 12th annual conference, there are several truly exciting things on the horizon.
One major initiative that we are exploring for 2011 is a new partnership with a media firm that has the ability to, among many other things, provide us with a high-quality ISC-SHRM magazine produced in both digital and traditional form. Many of our fellow state councils have already headed down this path and have turned out some very impressive pieces.
Since ISC-SHRM is really all about you, my fellow HR gurus, forward motion on this initiative will be contingent on two factors: interest in reading the publication and interest in contributing to the publication.
I understand that you may be wondering what the benefits of a magazine would be to our Council. First, it should be noted that the magazine and all associated expenses are paid in full through advertisements. So, this professional piece is completely FREE to our Council! With the instant gratification of social media and other modes of rapid communication, we look to this publication as a way to complement our existing efforts by focusing on less time-sensitive, more in-depth HR commentary and research. In addition to the core group of HR professionals we serve, the magazine will attempt to reach other business professionals and educators to further build the ISC brand. We also envision the magazine to be a springboard for a host of other future media endeavors.
Like so many initiatives, volunteerism is key to the success of this project. So, State and Chapter leaders (and anyone else out their willing to roll up their sleeves), we are interested in hearing from you! In order to make this idea a reality, we will need a strong team of volunteers willing to commit to one quality semi-annual submission (one-time guest columnists also welcome!).
If you have interest, please let me know ASAP. I will also be sending an email this week to State and Chapter leaders. This is an awesome opportunity for any aspiring columnists or for anyone with an interesting HR story or perspective.
Until next time…..
Heather Hammitt - Marketing/Communications Director for ISC-SHRM
My dad was a pipeliner. For those of you who have never known anyone who worked on a pipeline, there are, or were (circa 1965) when father worked there, hard working, mean, tough, foul mouthed, whiskey drinking, ornery hooligans. Due to political correctness and changes in labor law they may have changed a bit over the years.
My father, Richard or Dick as he was known to his friends was a field superintendent with his Company Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Company. This Company moved natural gas via pipelines from Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana to the Midwest selling it all up and down the line. As a supervisor Dick was involved with managing about a 100 mile section of 36” to 48” metal pipes buried underground transmitting gas at outrageous pressures. If you look at the map you can see the pipelines as a couple of lines. All up and down the line they were taking gas off, putting it on and putting pressure back on the line.
Without going into all of the particulars this is dangerous work requiring skill and a great deal of communication. In the 1960's company vehicles had two way radios, like the police. They also used microwave communication to talk via a private phone system amongst themselves. Every morning all of the field supervisors would call in on some number.
They would have a party conversation, 20 to 30 people on the phone talking about what was going on, problems they had encountered, situations that others could learn from, and probably some other stories that we would not have wanted to hear about.
My point is this in 1965 the visionary leaders of this Company saw a need, purpose and a benefit for their supervisors throughout the heartland of the country to communicate and share ideas and information with each other daily. They had the technology available to their company to facilitate this.
Fast forward 2011; communication has changed, and improved dramatically. Many of us involved with SHRM as volunteer leaders at all levels have seen the value in this. Imagine having a tool where you could communicate with 500 other H.R. pros, by just making a comment about something on the internet. We are working on an effort to share information up and down the line (just like the pipeline) where different chapters, state councils or members can share information thought web-sites and blogs. This effort is being coordinated by everybody’s friend Ben Eubanks from the UpstartHR blog.
For those of us in Illinois SHRM we applaud Ben for this effort and will do what we can to help and support him. So let’s open up all those lines of communication from Alabama and Louisiana to Wisconsin and Ohio and share what we know with one and other. Whether it is a way to help recruit or retain SHRM members or a new software application that can assist Human Resources, or a blog post sharing some great information – let’s share it with one and other.
Be watching for more posts and links back and forth between all of the chapters and state councils that are participating.
In 1997 when I first joined the largest HR organization in the world (now approaching 300k members), I really had no idea what an impact that organization would have on my life. The organization is the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). My best friend since Kindergarten actually recommended I join since I was doing HR work in addition to training employees. She had been a member of the local Central Illinois Chapter of SHRM (CIC-SHRM) for years and highly recommended that I join to network and develop my skills. Boy did that ever happen in a big, big way! I had previously been an active member of the local and national American Society of Training and Development (ASTD). Active in ASTD was nothing like active in SHRM. From that day forward I have grown as well as the chapters and state council within Illinois. Of course, all this did not occur without some very active, hard working, and dedicated volunteers along the way.
Now I am heading to Washington DC to lobby congress about HR related issues that affect long term strategic success and livelihood of business (Education Tax Credit & Paycheck Fairness Act). Not only that I am attending the National SHRM Leadership Conference with a delegation from Illinois of 30 plus. The reason that is such a big deal is when I joined the organization I had no idea what the Illinois State Council of SHRM was or even that it existed. Over the years, I heard the same thing from so many others in the state. Although the organization, which acts as a liaison between the national association and all of the chapters and at large individual members, was in its infancy back then little did we know just how much progress would be made in such a short time.
When I first started attending this conference at the start of the decade we only had a couple people from our entire state. I remember meeting and seeing delegates from other states gather in droves. Texas and Indiana seem to jump out from memory. They all had matching shirts and pins to show off their team spirit. Little by little each year the awareness grew and our chapters began to become more active partly due to our encouragement. They were always invited before but we really helped them understand that their roles are bigger than what they do locally. We gave the chapter presidents voting rights at the state level as well as began to share profit in our growing state conference. Last year Illinois SHRM had its biggest conference ever with more than 750 attendees. Prior to that year our norm was 300 to 400 and our max had been around 500.
We have made progress in other ways too primarily by reinstituting the position of District Director and traveling all over the state to conduct an ISC Road Show and the latest SHRM Foundation DVD roundtable program on such topics as Succession Planning, Recruiting & Retention, Ethics, and much more.
With over 59,000 HR professionals in the state and over 10,000 of them belonging to the largest HR organization in the world—we are proud to be representing all of them. So to say I am proud to be in the company of 30 other highly respected and valued volunteers throughout the state is an understatement. I am ecstatic! Thanks to our director we are going to be showing our team spirit too like the other big states for the very first time. All in “Cardinal” red (representing our state bird) sporting our fairly new logo! HR has a presence in this state and we mean BUSINESS! ISC-SHRM is a resource for all things HR and we do know “NEXT” for business of all sizes. Call us anytime!
The Welcome at theDrury Lane for the Illinois 2010 SHRM Conference
The Conference – most of us like attending them, whether they are directly related to what we are doing, indirectly related or not at all related to our daily job. Sometimes you will attend a conference for something that is not your job, whether for a volunteer activity, or some pursuit other than your job. Nonetheless, most people that I talk with seem to enjoy attending. In attempting to create a better conference experience for the attendee, I am curious as to what it is that people enjoy the most about “the conference”.
Is it simply getting out of the office or traveling to some exotic location?
Is it the learning that is supposed to take place at the event?
Is it the social aspects i.e. networking?
Is it presenting and having an audience?
I know that there are more reasons than this to attend a conference and I know that we don’t always attend each conference for the same reason, but I think there is an underlying reason for each of us as to why we like attending.
I ask the question because I want to learn this so that we may incorporate that into our Illinois SHRM State Conference strategy for next year. We will be making some announcements about the 2011 IL SHRM Conference in November.
So if you dare--- leave a comment and tell me what trips your trigger about attending conferences?
I used to worked with a gentleman who would often say, “If you don’t blow your own horn, ain’t nobody gonna blow it for you.” I am sure he did not make the quote up and it contains bad English, nonetheless I have often found it to be appropriate. And such is the case with ISC SHRM State Director John Jorgensen. (John won’t blow his horn – so contrary to the quote, I am going to blow his horn for him.)
The Illinois State Council of SHRM has been fortunate to have the services of Mr. Jorgensen for nearly a decade. The last two years have been as the Director of the State Council of SHRM. Recently William Tincup interviewed John, and that interview is posted on the blogsite Fistful of Talent. If you know John or have been involved with him, and many people have, by all means read the piece, and leave a comment on the site.
