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

SHRM VLS 2015 - Continued

Yesterday I posted about attending the SHRM Volunteer Leaders’ Summit (#SHRMLead) and talked about the Pinnacle Awards.  And while the Pinnacle awards are a big part of the event, there is another aspect of the event that continues to take place year after year.  I am going to call it SHRM Lobby Day.  Every Thursday morning on the week of the event the SHRM ATeam  (Mike Aitken and his most capable staff) very quickly turn HR pros into amateur lobbyist. 

SHRM trains and equips these folks for a trip to Capitol Hill, to talk to their Senators and Representative and provide them with SHRMs position on the Legislation d’jour.  Every time I have ever attended I share’s SHRM’s position on these issues to a tea.  What this does is it not only allows the HR pro to articulate SHRM position on the matter, but they can then embellish that position with stories from their state or HR shop – adding to SHRM’s credibility as the go to source on HR matters. I am convinced this impacts our legislators.

I have had the pleasure of making this trip six times.  Five times were as a part of the SHRM Leadership event and I attended once as part of the SHRM Legislative Conference.

The trips are empowering and make HR pros feel like you actually can have an impact on the going ons in Washington DC.   So if you are afforded the chance to go to Capitol Hill … do it, the experience will be most enriching.

Now for a different prospective on the event I want to share/recycle an older blog post written by someone I think very highly of, my son Danny Ryan.  Danny got to hang out with his dad for a couple of days at the event in 2012, and see what it really goes on at the event.  So for a different prospective on the event, please click through and check out this post called On Vacation at SHRM Leadership.

SHRM VLS 2015

I don’t know how many times I have written this post, and I don’t really care to go count them, but this week is the annual SHRM Volunteer Leaders’ Summit (VLS).  Previously this event has been known as SHRM Leadership (and the twitter hashtag remains #SHRMLead).  I have attended this event in many different capacities. And each time as I attended I felt a different set of responsibilities with my attendance.  This year I somehow feel like I am carrying a larger load, although I am proud to do so and it is of my own choosing.

To the best of my recollection the first SHRM Leadership I attend was when Johnny Taylor (2005-2006) was Board Chair. Mr. Taylor was quite an engaging fellow, and was very passionate about HR’s role in the workplace. He pumped me up and made me a proud SHRMie. I was also introduced to the Pinnacle Awards at my first Leadership Conference.  I recall being so moved.  The work these HR pros had done and continued to do brought tears to my eyes. They were amazing! I knew then I wanted more of that – whatever that was.

Today I have gotten more, a lot more. Ten years after my first leadership conference I was asked to be a one of the judges for the Pinnacle awards for 2015.   I was truly humbled, and accepted without question.   This meant I got to read about all of the work that fellow HR people were doing out in their world.  Upon completing my review of the submission, I was reminded of how awe inspiring these activates truly are. Most of the submission came in the areas of workforce readiness, assisting veterans and generally helping people better themselves for their jobs, their work or the task of finding work.

The part that resonates so with me is this.  Nobody told these people, to do this or how to go about it.  There were no specific templates to follow.   These HR pros in their chapter, saw a need and took the bull by the horns and with tremendous tenacity and grit they tackled these issues, in ways that worked in their communities.

So when the awards are handed out, sadly not every chapter will get an award, but this in no way diminished what they have done.  They are all winners as I see it because they had the guts to take on some tough problems.  If you do not know about the Pinnacle Awards I suggest you Google them and learn a little more, so when the awards are handed out, you really understand why the winners cry, scream, shout, jump and down and hug anyone within reach – because no matter what they have done, to even be considered for this award is nothing short of amazing!

Let’s connect in Washington DC

-       Dave Ryan ISC SHRM Director Elect