Passion. Energy. Intention. HRevolution.

If you are losing faith in the overall smartness of the HR community, you need only spend 36 hours with the people I did this weekend and your faith will be restored.

I was part of HREvolution on Friday and Saturday. This was the 3rd HRevolution ever and I've attended them all. Why? There's simply not enough hugging going on in my HR world these days.

Seriously? Yes. Really. HRevolution has become the time for me to meet and reconnect with people I read, follow and think about often. Starting out with a connection as simple as a tweet, a blog comment or a Facebook like, many of my online connections have become my friends. 

HRevolution wasn't all social. There was a business side to the weekend with wonderful presenters and sessions throughout the day. I attended a few and the one I missed that I really wanted to attend was Paul Hebert's session, Designing for Influence. I was engaged at the time with the HR Slam consulting challenge with blue team cohorts in crime Bryan Wempen, Rob Lockard, Beth McDonald, Sophie Lemieux and Robin Schooling and I couldn't leave them in the lurch. Yes, there was a $50.00 Amazon gift card on the line for each of us but that didn't impact my decision to stay. No way, no how.   

As great as the presentations were, I did not look for, or find, my value there. Value for me was in all of the face-to-face, so great to meet you connections between my now traditional 1st day lunch with Joan Ginsberg we shared this time with Robin Schooling and Matt Bruno, my long awaited hug from Steve Browne and the #overlyemotional <please photoshop out my red eye> goodbyes on Saturday evening. Krista Francis recently wrote about authenticity in social media and the rubber meets the road over coffee, appetizers or a late night drink. You can run, but you can't hide at an event like HRevolution.

I left HRevolution with two thoughts. 

First, thoughts of the people I had quick few line exchanges at the coffee table, walking across a room or as a wave across the room. There were others I saw and intended to introduce myself to but didn't complete my circle back around before it was all over. Damn. Next time, more time, more intentional, more, dare I say it, circle backs and hugs. 

Second, thoughts of the energy. I have a hard time being passionate about HR and that's my own cross to bear but pick a session, any session or pick a gathering, any gathering and it's a no brainer, even for me, to be struck by the passion, energy and intention in the air. 

Passion. Energy. Intention. Now, that's the beauty of HRevolution.

Click over to HRevolution 2011 pictures by Monster to see some of the people changing the face of HR today. Hat tip, shout out and hugs to Ben Eubanks, Crystal Peterson, Trish McFarlane and Steve Boese.

Unconference Love

I love the unconference format.

I find so much value in taking an issue and hashing it out with a small group of people on comfy chairs with wine or coffee. I love it when I can offer ideas to others. I love it when one idea leads to another and we end up somewhere unexpected. I don't love it when someone has an idea I hadn't thought of or when their idea rocks a "truth," or something close to it, for me.

This is when I start to think.

It's not pleasant. It's not comfortable. It's questions, doubt and maybe even a temporary loss of spirit. It is what it is and, while I know that this too will pass, I hope it doesn't pass too quickly.

This is when I grow.

Pondering HRevolution 2010

HRevolution has left Chicago.

HR social media thought leaders and practitioners from around the country converged for 24 hours+ of  discussions on HR, social media, communications, and leadership/development. And now it's over.

Starting with the Monster Tweetup Friday night, we met up with old friends and met online friends (and new friends) for the very first time. The connections and conversation made Friday night carried over into the unconference the next day and the Catalyst Ranch was charged both with excitement and  easiness. 

My high point of the day was the session I facilitated with Jennifer McClure. Discussing whether or not HR could be trusted, we had a great discussion. After that, I joined other sessions covering topics that included blogging, generations in the workplace and  health care. I listened, observed and reacted, but personally, something was missing. No denying it - I didn't have the same spark that I saw in others. Was it the topics discussed. . .or was it me? Have I lost my spark for the future of HR?

After lunch, I took some time out of the sessions, grabbed some bacon popcorn (yes, bacon popcorn!) and started to question if HR really is where I am supposed to be. Seriously. I don't know.

In a stream of consciousness kind of way, here is another thought on my mind:

HR professionals are at so many points across the spectrum in terms of social media, credibility, influence, and leadership. Giving them social media knowledge, a new way of speaking about it, or links to cool tools are not going to get them anywhere if they lack credibility, influence or the ability to get things done. For some, the gap between where they are today and where they know they (and their organizations) can be, seems  impossible to bridge.

It's not sexy, flashy, or particularly forward thinking but our future looks bleak if we can't create a confident, capable, credible and influential human resource ground swell where the rubber meets the road. 

More to come. Later.

Thoughts, food, bacon popcorn aside, I'd like to acknowledge the HRevolution planning crew and thank them again for the work they did to bring this event to us. You rock!

HR Carnival - HRevolution Edition

The HR Carnival - HRevolution Edition is posted over at Trish McFarlane's place, the HR Ringleader's Blog. 

I love the headiness of events and conversations like HRevolution. By the looks of  the writing, the thoughts and the ideas in the carnival posts I am not alone. Want to meet some smart people with great ideas, varying perspectives, differing opinions - and a little bit of humor?

Click on over to the carnival, you will not be disappointed.

If you are inspired to continue to conversation, share your thoughts in the next HR Carnival. Mike VanDervort will be our generous host for the November 25th Carnival and he has something amazing planned! Not only is he trying to get 100 bloggers from around the world to participate, it's all for charity! So when you send in your blog post link to Michael.VanDervort@gmail.com, please be sure to include a link to a charity you would like to see supported as Mike is personally donating $1 for every blog post he receives to one of the charities selected. 

HRevolution and the Wonder That is Social Media

This weekend, I had the honor of meeting 50 friends - for the very first time. Other than HR_Minion, there were 49 other people I had never met before, yet it was like we had known each other for a long time. And in a very real way, we had. From the minute I walked into the hotel on Friday and saw Steve Boese and Joan Ginsberg in the lobby, my Twitter stream starting coming to life.

Many of you get what I am saying - you've experienced it and you know it to be true. Others are shaking your heads. For you I say, stop trying to rationalize it, minimize it or explain it away. Accept it. Embrace it. Seek it out. What is it? It is the wonder that is social media.

Social media connects people and 50 social media connected people converged  on Louisville, Kentucky for HRevolution, the unconference about the future of HR. Who are the fabulous 50? Jessica Miller-Merrill developed this HRevolution Twitter List, check it out! What do we do? We manage HR departments, teams and functions. We own businesses, consult and write. We source, recruit, and retain. We are on-line, off-line and in print. 

The conference discussions were thought provoking and hum of the room was unmistakable. We were in motion, unsettled and inspired. The air was charged with possibility and passion and we are changing the way we do business.  Couldn't make it to the conference? Well, HR Happy Hour is bringing it to you with HR Happy Hour, Episode 18, Live From HRevolution.

Now that the conference is over, that challenge is to continue the conversation in our companies and communities. In my little corner of the world I am going to start by joining Recruiting Blogs, talk or meet with someone new from HRevolution, Twitter, or a blog commenter each week, and SEO optimize my website with the assistance of some yet to be identified SEO savvy person. My kid is my passion and there is a kid-writing-blogging-social media thing for me to do with her that I haven't quite figured out yet so I'll ponder that some.

But first, I unpack and rest up. What are you going to do to change the world today?