The Future Looks Bright !!

This past week I had a very cool experience !! I was one of the judges for the SHRM Student Case Study competition. I sat with two other great HR pros from the area as we heard graduate students from various schools give their take on an HR scenario. It was very cool to hear their approaches which ranged from a traditional HR viewpoint to some that were extremely creative.

I was so geeked to see so many students come in and share. It helped to continue to dispel the stereotype that the most recent generation is so “different” and just doesn’t “get it” like other generations. I wasn’t surprised because this isn’t new. There have always been generations in the workplace. The stigma that has been assigned to younger people is from older generations. We have fallen into the same trap that we said we would never fall into when older generations made broad generalizations about us. We hated it, but it hasn’t stopped us from doing the same thing.

I think we need to have a serious change of heart and be the generation that encourages and lifts up the newest folks. Let me ask you a question . . .

Do you remember when you got into HR?

Most people don’t start in HR, they fall into it. I’m one of those outliers who has been in HR for my entire career (on purpose). When I started though, I was pretty much on my own. I taught myself what I thought was correct, but to be honest, my efforts had to be limited because I didn’t look outside of what was within my reach. I must have missed areas. I did what I had to, but I could have done better.

I didn’t know having someone who was also in HR as a mentor was needed. The truth is, I didn’t think someone like that even existed. I was wrong on this account as well. When I finally reached out and connected with other HR pros, I found some great people who are still mentoring me to this day several years later.

Now, back to these students.

We can be the ones who reach out to them now to be their connections and mentors. They don’t have to “earn their stripes” in order to struggle as they enter HR. We can be the ones to share our experiences with them and make sure that they are not left to try and figure out this industry on their own.

Bright FutureWe have the chance to help shape not only the future of these great young people, but we can help shape the future of our profession !!

Wouldn’t it be great to help these kids who are interested in joining our field have a great experience coming into HR? How would they see our generation, and how would we see theirs, if we did more to build each other up instead of trying to focus on generational differences?

The future of HR is bright !! I was able to see this first hand. I plan to reach out to these students and connect with them now and going forward. I’d love to see them succeed now and become the leaders of HR to come. I want to break the cycle and not be the stereotype of my generation. Will you be willing to join me? I hope you will !!

 

Why You Should Contribute !!

Mentor Street SignA few weeks ago, my friend Ben Eubanks asked if a few of us would be interested in having new HR pros guest post on our sites.  It’s part of the North Alabama SHRM Mentor University program and I really dig this.  I think ALL HR pros should mentor future HR folks and allow them to learn from you . . . and YOU from them !!

The following guest post is by Kirsten Stutts, PHR.  Kirsten is an HR Manager for a company is Huntsville, Alabama and she is encouraging HR pros to understand the value and contribute to the SHRM Foundation.  Check out her 1st blog post ever !!

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SHRM Foundation’s Support for the HR Profession

I have been a member of North Alabama SHRM (NASHRM) for several years, and this year I finally decided to volunteer.  In June, I was invited to join the NASHRM Board as their SHRM Foundation Director.

What is the SHRM Foundation Director you might ask?  Well, I didn’t know either.  Luckily SHRM has a webpage called the Volunteer Leaders’ Resource Center (VLRC) dedicated to answering many of your questions about your new volunteer role and offering a host of resources for you to utilize.  Really, the SHRM Foundation Director role serves two purposes:

  • To  raise money for the SHRM Foundation, and
  • To  educate people about the Foundation and how it supports the HR profession.

Did you know that . . .

  • You can apply for a scholarship to pay for your tuition towards an HR degree or certification?
  • The SHRM Foundation offers complimentary resources such as DVDs, Effective Practice Guidelines, and Executive Briefings that you can use personally or as a program for your Chapter?
  • When used as part of a 1-hour educational session, the DVDs even qualify for HRCI credit!
  • SHRM Foundation is also the leading funder of HR research!

I didn’t know any of this before I accepted the role of SHRM Foundation Director.  So what can you do to get more connected and involved?

  • SHRMF_Logo_WithTagClick here for their home page, SHRM Foundation, to check out the resources that the SHRM Foundation has to offer!
  • Support the SHRM Foundation when your local chapter has a fundraiser or donate to the SHRM Foundation directly; and
  • Volunteer to be a part of your local chapter of SHRM.  You may get more out of the experience than you think!

I think people will benefit from knowing more about the SHRM Foundation and how it helps us all as HR professionals and as an entire profession.