Quarter One RWHRMA President’s Blog

Be the catalyst for driving innovative leadership around the globe. As the RWHRMA 2013 President, my goal is to continue this vision which was initiated in 2012. As we begin the year with challenges expected, I know that RWHRMA will meet this goal.
Ongoing initiatives include supporting the Raleigh Rescue Mission and The Healing Place as well as our interactive Members in Transition committee. Our members rally to support The Healing Place, an organization that provides substance abuse rehabilitation for men and women who are also homeless. Their goal is an individual who is fully integrated back into the community, including employment. RWHRMA volunteers conduct Mock Interviews for their clients, providing interview and resume building experience and guidance. Our member in transition committee meets monthly to network and receive valuable insight on job searching from community professionals. We are continuing or Compensation & Benefits Forums focused on compensation, benefits and wellness updates and initiatives. Our Master Series continues as well, providing half day sessions focused on strategic HR initiatives designed to support our members that thrive on continued education. We are continuing to engage our executive-level members via the Executive Think Tank.
New and exciting initiatives are many! We hosted our very first Strategic HR Summit in February 2013. The event was quite the success with over 80 attendees, which provided for an intimate and interactive atmosphere of learning.
With the beginning of 2013 we also launched Get Fit for the Foundation, monthly fitness initiatives hosted throughout the community to promote health & wellness while also raising funds for the SHRM Foundation. January marked the introduction of Crossfit to our members, while February welcomed Step Aerobics and March will stretch us via Yoga Foundations. April 20, 2013, will mark our very first annual 5K fun run event, Human Resources Being Community Resources. After our target fundraising goal is met for the SHRM Foundation, all proceeds will be split evenly between Raleigh Rescue Mission and The Healing Place.
By offering advanced programming and extraordinary community service, I am sure our chapter will execute its vision!

By,
Shontera Gillespie-Coleman
RWHRMA Chapter President

Thoughts on the 2012 SHRM National Conference

I left the SHRM National Conference in Atlanta with 15 pages of notes.  Don’t worry…my blog isn’t that long.  I want to share some of the highlights that I took away from three of the keynote speakers, focusing on three core areas: engagement, leadership and culture.

Engagement

When I think of engagement, I think of highly motivated individuals.  I think of dynamic teams.  I think of success.  According to Patrick Lencioni, by understanding dysfunction, you will understand how one can be engaged by:

1. being trustworthy;
2. proposing healthy conflict;
3. being committed;
4. being accountable; and
5. being results oriented.

All companies want to increase their level of engagement today.  What does that mean?  You have two pools of employees.  Those that are engaged and those that are not.  I guess you can create a third and say that there are those employees who are “sorta” engaged.

Regardless, I like this outline because we can all encourage our employees to specifically work on one or all of these areas to improve our level of engagement.  My favorite quote from Lencioni:

“Consensus is a four letter word.”

Leadership

In all of the research that Jim Collins and his team conducted, they found that the number one “x” factor in all great leaders was humility.  If you’ve read any of his books, you know that he talks about the role of luck in good leaders and how great leaders make their own luck.  Call them ‘humble, luck makers’ if you will.  This was the second time I got to see Collins speak.  Every time I hear him, I remind myself that I never have to buy another leadership book again because I believe in what he says.  If you get the right people together to accomplish a common goal and you allow them to meet their maximum potential, great things are achieved.  My favorite quote from Collins:

“Spend less time trying to be interesting and be more interested.”

Culture

I also had the pleasure to see Malcolm Gladwell speak.  What a brilliant mind.  He can take complex issues, like how to understand the generational differences in our work place, and break it down by tying historical facts to current, relevant situations.   Gladwell spoke about Martin Luther King Jr. and how he strategically planned “Project C”.  He talked about Steve Jobs and how Apple built a hierarchy out of a network (and that it only worked because it was led by a dictator!).  He talked about the Millennials and how they push the social paradigm, which not only impacts corporate culture, but our society as a whole.

How companies strategize to define their identity impacts their culture.  The difference in generations adds to this culture shift. The unique background of each individual in your organization influences how each employee interprets your company’s culture and in turn impacts the fabric of your organization. One of my favorite quotes from the entire conference was from Gladwell:

“Networks can start revolutions, but you need hierarchies to finish them.”

If you want more information about the SHRM National Conference, please feel free to email me at teriharrell@gmail.com.

Teri Harrell, PHR

RWHRMA President