I am a dad. It has to be the greatest accomplishment I’ve ever had, or will ever have. My kids are on the verge of being adults now so they are doing more and more on their own. What I’m finding is how easy it is to take a small amount of information and blow it out of proportion if you are missing context. I’m seeing this both from them spreading their wings and having to make bigger life decisions as well as my wife and I letting them fly more. We don’t always have context around what their decisions are, and it’s hard not to want to step in and “fix” things.
Please note that my kids are flat amazing !! My wife and I are fortunate because they’re both honor roll students (college and high school). And, they’ve made great choices (so far) in their friends, activities and life.
This past week I had a chance to get some more context myself. In addition to being a father, I’m a SHRMmie. A SHRMmie is someone who is active with SHRM as a volunteer, chapter member, etc. I see it as someone who has made a broader attempt at getting involved with SHRM as an organization.
I went to an event put on by my local chapter where Dr. Kari Strobel from SHRM Research presented on the SHRM Competency Model. I’ve known about SHRM’s work in this area for the past few years and have heard about it as it was being developed. Now that it’s completed, it was intriguing to see the depth of the model and how it can be used by HR practitioners.
I learned that they have taken the model and equated each of the competencies to levels of your career. So, you can take the “Business Acumen” competency and see how to utilize it as an entry-level practitioner to a Sr. level practitioner. I appreciated seeing that the model didn’t take a one size fits all approach. I also like that the model is a mix of behavioral competencies as well as solid HR technical knowledge as a competency.
When the presentation finished, the attendees wanted to quantify the SHRM Competency Model to the new SHRM Certification and the impending exam that will launch in 2015. Dr. Strobel handled the questions well and understood that people wanted to seek context around this change. The questions and answers were very good and each one let people build on what was said before it.
It was obvious that the Certification issue is still very personal and emotional – and it should be. You see, when people put their emotions into something, they care more about it and want it to be protected. I appreciate that people care about their professional status and their certification. As an SPHR myself, I agree that it matters.
What I’d ask everyone to do with this passion, is seek context. Please note that I don’t want you to seek context to sway you one way or another. I want people to take the time to seek context because then you can make educated decisions on what you plan to do.
So, as you continue to look at the different aspects of the SHRM Certification as it evolves, get more information. Go to an event at your local SHRM chapter or State Conference. Reach out to someone and talk to them. Go to the site they’ve developed specifically for the SHRM Certification here. It helps to see more about what is happening.
I am excited to see things moving. I’m working on trying to learn more and understand more and get as much context as I can. I hope you’ll join me !!
