Getting Outside of Your Work. Right Into Your Own Backyard.

I read. A lot.

Every now and then I come across something that causes me to stop, think, reflect,and wonder- even when reflection was the last thing on my mind.

The culprit this time was Kris Dunn. In his post, How a Sucky Economy Makes a Professional Identity Outside of the Workplace More Important, Kris says,

"Don't let your job define you as a professional. . .be involved in conversations relevant to your profession outside of your work. . . use social media, write, get involved in local and regional organizations, volunteer, etc. - all with the goal of establishing a professional identity outside of work."

Geesh. Thanks Kris.

Getting Outside of Work

Getting outside of work is real challenge for me considering I never leave the office.I begin to "do" as soon as I get into work and do not stop until I leave. I am a train moving forward picking off tasks, issues and problems as they come,never taking the time to get outside.This way of being makes for a very small world (and a very conflicted, often crabby,Lisa).

I started a blog a few years ago to branch out.Beginning With absolute anonymity, Progressed to having my name and picture on the front page. I discovered I enjoyed writing. I added a blog roll, linked to blogs, and joined an HR social network. I began to broaden my reach.

Broadening the Reach

In November 2008, I (finally) joined the conversation on Twitter and set up a Facebook page for friends and family.While the initial rush was all consuming (read: dreaming in 140 character sound bites) I am better able to balance the rush while continuing to connect with others at my own pace. I consider myself fortunate to now know the people I do and am honored to call some friends.

I follow coast to coast,across time zones and in many zip codes. The one zip code I am missing, however,is my own.The local SHRM chapter is Central Minnesota SHRM and I am not connected to the members of my local HR community.

Bringing it Back Home

When I recently heard the President of CHSHRM was establishing a LinkedIn group, I was one of the first to sign up. Soon after, I invited members of the group to connect with me on Twitter. Ever have a party and worry no one would come? Well, that's what happened to me.I invited CMSHRM members to connect with me on Twitter and no one took me up on my offer.Not one. Hmmm.Why would they?

I have not been to a state conference or a monthly membership meeting in over 6 years. I look forward to attending the Christmas Party each year, but never seem to get there. Quite simply, I am not getting it done locally.

Getting it Done

Like the person in Jason Seiden's post, "While y'all are chatting, I'm gettin' it done." Surprise! That's a career ender" who works without getting to know his colleagues, I am working without taking the time to get to know my local HR colleagues. I am not making the time to build professional relationships locally nor have I Developed any local social capital to make an impact -but I can make a difference.

The CMSHRM LinkedIn group is growing. I invited a few members to connect with me and will invite more (maybe all!). I searched Twitter locally but did not find the statistical 3% of HR professionals that should be on.I will get it done with the other 97%, face to face, beginning at the May membership meeting.

I will get it done right in my own backyard- one hello at a time.

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Comments

[Creative Chaos Consultant]

Your post was spot on Lisa. The beauty of social media is that it makes the world seem smaller. The problem is that it makes it even more difficult to connect with your immediate surroundings. It reminds me of people who can spend hours in their cars, travelling from place to place, yet complain when they have to walk a few blocks to go pick up some milk!

For me, I've started making it a point of scheduling lunch with current and former colleagues every week. I also schedule phone calls to a least one friend or family member every day. It sounds sad, but it's necessary. The economy's got everyone hyper-focused and these small routines help me to stay connected.

Good luck!

[Patrick]

I have the exact same problem. I have a very good local SHRM organization here in Atlanta that is big and very active, but I never seem to do much beyond pay my membership dues. I know I should be engaged with everyone at a local level, but just struggle to find the time with all of the other family and work commitments. But, you've inspired me a little bit and I'm going to try to go to the May meeting as well. I hope you come back and update your blog on the results of the May meeting.

[Steve Boese]

I have had some similar experiences with some local networking events in my town. The couple of times that I have attended, it definitely seemed like the 'in-crowd' of folks that already knew each other did not seem to be that interested in actually 'networking' with other folks. In a strange way it has been much easier to connect with and learn from folks from all over the country and the world via the new popular social platforms. Anyway, I really enjoyed the post and keep up the great writing.

[RMSJr.SPHR]

Very timely post. I've been a member of the HRASMaine for nearly ten years now. (Is the Air Force really that far in my past?) Anyway, after ten years of dithering, I recently applied for and accepted a position on the Board of Directors - Marketing Chair and am in the line of succession to become an officer - The Treasurer. One of my first marketing acts was to get a Linked In group established. Informally, or in social networking'ease, 19 members found the group with only three direct invitations sent out. Today, announced it at the monthly meeting and have more to get interconnected with. Only to find that several of them do not yet have LinkedIn presences yet. Working it.

[Margaret Murphy]

I am always so happy, really almost giddy, when I come across a post like yours - one that opens a dialogue of value. So many posts and tweets are like the people we all know at work who "piggyback" on someone else's comment or thinking just to get air time.

I am new to Twitter and am rapidly becoming intoxiicated with online conversation, discovery, etc. - it's so much easier (can do it in my pajamas) and less stressful (can just get up from the computer if it gets too intense) than actually interacting with other people. Thanks for a thought provoking piece of writing.

[Amy Sutton]

Thanks for this great post, Liz. I work HARD. So hard that I had to meet my husband on the internet because I wasn't getting out enough. But this post (and Kris's) are spot on. Thanks for bringing this into the dialogue and provoking additional thought on my part. After all, isn't that one of the great things about Social Media. Keep up the good work, online and off!

[Crystal Peterson]

Great post, Lisa. I have the same issue and I recently decided that I would get more involved in our local SHRM chapter. Connecting with HR professionals on Twitter had been great, but like you, I haven't connected with very many local HR folks (haven't been able to find many on Twitter yet). Here's hoping that will change soon!