Last week I was up before the sun rose and was driving in and around country roads in a small town in Ohio. I was hoping that my GPS was guiding me to my destination, but it was truly a matter of faith because I wasn’t near anything that looked like a conference center or meeting place !!
As I turned in the driveway of a small, local office building, I was a bit wary because I was the only car in the parking lot. After a few minutes, a familiar face pulled up and I was at ease. I was there as a speaker for a SHRM chapter. As the room began to fill up, I was getting more and more excited !! I love the opportunity to meet new HR folks and talk about the positive aspects of our field.
Once everyone was seated, I looked around at the 13 smiling faces and launched into my presentation.
That’s right – 13 people. I had traveled the night before for 2 1/2 hours to spend a night in a hotel away from my family to speak to 13 people. We had a great time !!
I’ve been seeing a push for HR practitioners to speak at Conferences which would be awesome to see. But, I think it goes much deeper than that !! You see, I think it is the obligation of professionals in HR to spread the word about what we do. This isn’t something we “ought” to do, it’s something imperative for the sustainability of our field.
We rely on a relatively few number of people to be voices of HR, and that could be for a variety of reasons. The reality is that ALL HR pros need to share the information and resources they learn about with others around them !! It seems very limiting to think that we attend these great events like chapter meetings and conferences to only take things in and never share them with others. How does that help others in your organization?
It’s time for all of us to shift our mindset and see how the things we learn can truly improve our role, our company and our field. If you read a great blog – share it. If you get information about how to do something better – share it. If you hear a great speaker, then tell others about the takeaways you have.
The more we share, the stronger we become. There’s no reason – no reason – for us to be isolated in what we do !!
So be on the lookout !! I’m going to continue to spread the word in what we do. I may even be getting in my car right now to get the word out to a group of HR pros, no matter the size. It’s in my DNA, and I hope it’s in yours too !!
Consider the word spread!
My knowledge of HRM is very limited; it was something I thought little about prior to taking a HRM class as a requirement for my Business Management degree. Only after a couple of weeks in the course, I already see that HRM is an integral part of any successful organization. It is necessary for HR pros to communicate with and support one another. It’s also important that they emphasize their importance to the employees that they essentially “work for”.