Vegas, 2007. That was the first SHRM conference I ever attended. I was 22 and had no idea what SHRM even stood for. Since then, I’ve attended 15 annual and state SHRM conferences as a keynote speaker, vendor, volunteer and even as a SHRM contractor. I’ve seen and experienced a few things, and in this post, I’ll share my learning lessons as a vendor, speaker, volunteer and attendee to help you get the most of your SHRM conference experience. Attendee Lessons Lesson #1: Ask Questions I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen anxious...

In my last post, I described the five dimensions of toxic leadership. Many people are shocked that their toxic bosses ever got promoted in the first place. In my research and practice, I have found some common reasons behind a toxic leader's rise to power: 1. Promoting Technical Expertise: Leading is different than doing. Many toxic leaders were actually quite good at their jobs before they got promoted. As individual contributors, they were experts. But companies often lack creativity when it comes to rewarding staff. Instead, they rely on promotions and titles...

  The terminology Employee Engagement has been over-used to the point that the inspiration behind the phrase has become a commodity. All those stupid studies that say only 10% of the workforce are engaged are total bullshit! Really.... 1 in 10 people enjoy their job?Really.... 9 out of 10 people would rather work somewhere else? Give me a break! I've been a blogger (for better and for worse) in the Human space for 8 years. There are a lot of people I thoroughly respect as HR Bloggers because they ignore convention and reflect the reality of the work experience... for...

  Last week I flew to Dubai for a speaking engagement and learned so much about human nature I couldn’t help but share it with you.  Imagine for a moment you’re flying eight thousand miles to an amazing destination where you will speak six hours after touching down.  You want your rest.  You need to make the most of that business-class flight and practice your speech a few times before getting at least a couple hours of sleep.  To be fair, my journey had one stop in London where my plan was thrown out the...

Identity theft and fraud are on the rise, and the nation’s workforce is being hit especially hard in the form of unemployment benefits fraud. Take for example the following: A victim discovered through a letter from the U.S. Department of Education that someone posing as him had racked up $15,000 in financial aid. The identity thief filled out applications using the victim’s name, date of birth and Social Security number (SSN), and claimed zero income in order to qualify for the loans. After 10 months and enlisting knowledgeable outside assistance, the victim...

  May is Mental Health Month. It’s an opportunity to have a conversation about an issue that affects every single American and to help people find treatment they may need, and emphasize the importance of workplace wellness in May and every month of the year. The truth is though; we shouldn’t just talk about mental health one month a year. Unlike so many illnesses, Americans don’t talk about mental health over the course of the year—or ever, really. That needs to change. In our country, there’s no shame in having high cholesterol, cancer or diabetes. We...

  In my previous posts, I discussed what toxic leadership is and how toxic leaders get into supervisory roles. Here I will explain why toxic leaders survive, even when they are clearly bad for individuals, teams, and organizations. Toxic Leaders Deliver Results: Unfortunately, toxic leaders survive because they tend to deliver excellent short-term results. The public humiliation, micromanagement, and other toxic behaviors motivate employees to work hard and avoid being punished. From the perspective of a senior executive, the toxic leader is meeting...

On May 6, @shrmnextchat chatted with SHRM Young Professional Council member Callie Zipple (@CallieZipple) about Alliance Building - The Future of Employment. In case you missed this excellent chat, here are all the tweets:   [View the story "#Nextchat RECAP: Alliance Building - The Future of Employment" on Storify]  ...

  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"...

  Have you ever had a rough day only to be buoyed by a kind word from your supervisor?  Have you ever stopped and thought "I love working here. My boss truly respects my opinion."?  Is it clear that leadership respects employees throughout your organization? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, the likelihood is your workforce is engaged and satisfied. A new survey from the Society for Human Resource Management found 72% of employees rank "respectful treatment of all employees at all levels" to be the most important factor in job satisfaction...