Birds Fly…Supervisors Die!

The title above is the outcome of critical thinking that occurred at the end of the SHRM Strategy Conference yesterday at the Chicago Fairmont as Don Tapscott delivered and ended his talk with an analogy that was extremely powerful.  Of course, we are not talking about individual Supervisors literally dying.  Instead, focus your thoughts on the potential idea of “supervision” perhaps going by the wayside as we continue to move toward more collaboration in organizations.  Whereas, I see collaboration is people who work “together” and not “for” others to accomplish the mission of the organization. 

As you watch the video here that I found on You Tube (not exactly the one he used), listen to the author describing the way these birds join forces (as an organization) and what they are doing together in the first place (mission).  It reminds me of how I chunk the information presented in my Organizational Behavior class at UIS.  First we talk about the individuals (the bird), then the groups which are made up of individuals (listen for “groups” of birds), and finally the makeup of the organization and how the individuals, groups and organization itself affect organizational behavior (the swarm).  Notice that no one bird continuously takes the lead (supervisor).  Ironically, they don’t even collide (conflict).  The work together elegantly, swiftly, and precisely to achieve the organizational objective (in this case spotting their prey). I will forever see swarms of birds in a totally different way than I did the day before Don’s talk. 

This presentation, by far, was the most thought provoking of all those I attended this week.  I give credit to the SHRM conference planners for choosing some outstanding speakers.  My second favorite was the one I wrote about in my first ILSHRM blog Steve Cadigan.  Others I found insightful, educational, and inspiring where Bill Conaty, Bridget van Kralingen, Cynthia Worden Lee, and of course one of this year’s ILSHRM keynoters Jason Lauritsen.  If you are having a conference, I would definitely recommend any of these speakers above.

Other posts written about this conference are:  ILSHRM Represented at SHRM Strategy Conference  and CEOs Sit-Up, Take Notice, & Incorporate THINK DIFFERENT.

-Donna Rogers, Director 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

Talent Anarchy - You Love 'Em or You Hate 'EM

This year at the Illinois SHRM state conference we did things a little differently. We tried to shake things up, involve a lot of social media and just generally break the mold.  We did.  Donna Rogers our State Director castigated the Tuesday lunch audience for not being attentive enough as Charlie Judy tried to announce Wowie winners. She made reference to the book "The No Asshole Rule" -  need I say more?

But probably one of the most irreverent moments occurred during the Talent Anarchy presentation. If you are easily offended please do not watch the video. Fortunately when this occurred I just happened to be capturing video.  Enjoy!






-Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

Jake & Elwood Lookout...Here Comes Talent Anarchy

If you don't know these guys Joe and Jason...check this out


Less than a week... See you at #ILSHRM11!
- Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

Another Reason to Attend ILSHRM11

As a middle-aged white guy I seem to cringe whenever the topic of conversation turns to DIVERSITY.  Given what I am. I have this guilt that I carry around, that me and all of  my middle-aged white guy buddies are at the root of the problem,  Now I know that this is not the case, but it is easy to feel that way. I have taken it upon myself to become more well schooled in ways of diversity and now I can confidently say this,t diversity is not solely about issues of race, sex or religion regardless of those who would like it to be!

One of ways I have tried to better myself in this area is by attending seminars and other events that discuss the matter of diversity. Earlier this year I had a chance to see Joe Gerstandt speak on the subject at a conference called HRevolution.  I must tell you that I was wowed by Joe.  He also hails from the white guy club and speaks on diversity.  To me, that is refreshing.

Until you have seen him speak you have no idea of the passion that this guy brings to the subject. In fact his passion runs so high, and over the top it can often become “R” rated (for adult ears only). 

Now you can see Joe this year at the Illinois SHRM State Conference in Oak Brook.  He will be speaking as part of the Talent Anarchy duo, which includes Joe and his partner Jason Lauritsen. 

Jason on the left and Joe on the right.

While Joe is not going to be speaking directly to the subject of diversity I am sure it will enter into the comments at some point.  Joe and Jason’s program is titled Strategic Relationship Management: The Breakthrough HR Competency.

You can check out their work on line but be sure to register for the conference and see the Anarchists!

-Dave Ryan ISC SHRM Director of Social Media

Third Keynote Address For 2011 Illinois SHRM State Conference

The Illinois State Council of SHRM is pleased to announce our third keynote address for our 2011 State Conference. The presentation is titled “Strategic Relationship Management: The Breakthrough HR Competency” and will be presented by Talent Anarchy.

Who is Talent Anarchy?

Jason Lauritsen is the corporate guy, the man on the inside. He spends his days in the belly of the beast as a corporate Human Resources leader where he has to actually “walk the talk” each day. Since his first management job as a corn detasseling team leader at age 13, Jason has been studying people and why they do what they do. Classically impatient, curious and well groomed, Jason’s early career was a rapid progression of sales and management roles including launching, leading and ultimately selling a small business in his mid-twenties. He’s a leader, sales guy, entrepreneur and corporate executive–all rolled up in one. You can find Jason on Twitter or on Linkedin 

Joe Gerstandt is the sage consultant. He’s a middle-aged white guy who is a national thought-leader on issues of diversity and inclusion–need we say more? He brings a unique and powerful perspective to everything he does. The core of Joe’s work is to help organizations solve issues of diversity, culture and innovation through consulting, training and speaking. Listening to Joe speak, you will hear tales of his days as a U.S. Marine and Gulf War veteran blended with his experience in sales, education, and community-building. To say that Joe is intense and passionate about his work would be an understatement. He is one part professor, one part philosopher, and one part “not quite right.” Be prepared. This is not your average HR guy. Find Joe on Twitter or on Linkedin.

About the Program

In summing up the program, Joe and Jason express to their audience that it’s not enough for an HR professional to just get the basics right. Becoming a strategic business partner in your organization is also about knowing the right people and being able to establish and manage key relationships. The most effective HR leaders understand the importance of alliances in influencing behavior and overcoming resistance. Could you use more influence? Join Talent Anarchy for this examination of relationships and take away practical approaches for Strategic Relationship Management.