Soon, the glossy brochure with the great HR stock photos will arrive from SHRM HQ on Duke Street promoting the SHRM Leadership Conference to take place in Arlington, VA, November 17-19.   Often cited by the SHRM C-Suite as "their favorite" SHRM Conference, the Leadership Conference is designed for SHRM volunteer leaders to gain professional development as well as share best practices across chapters and state councils.

To SHRM's credit, they provide free registration as well as two-plus nights of housing for many volunteer roles, including Chapter Presidents, Chapter Management Professionals, State Council Directors, State Council District Directors and State Council Core Leadership Area Membership Directors.

However, left to fend for themselves are State Council Social Media Directors.   So, here are a few reasons SHRM should include Social Media Directors to the above group:

1.   Social Media Directors volunteer work is significant.
I've served as a SHRM volunteer leader for over 12 years in a wide range of roles (Area/Regional College Relations Director, State College Relations Director, State Foundation Director, Chapter President, State Conference Co-Chair), and I can say without hesitation that the volunteer work performed is on par, if not exceeds, many of those roles.  Such work includes, but is not limited to:
*Setting up and blogging on a regular basis
*Posting on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn on a regular basis
*Visiting and speaking to chapters about how they can utilize social media for their chapters as well as their own personal development
*Speaking about social media at the state leadership as well as the state SHRM conference
*Helping and mentoring volunteer leaders and chapters set up LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook accounts

Given the immediacy of social media, the Director role necessitates vigilance on a daily basis.

2.  It would legitimize the role
Kudos must go out to the concerted efforts of SHRM's own Curtis Midkiff in his capacity as the social media guru for the organization.  From the Bloggers' lounge at the SHRM Annual Conference to the Tweetups and blogtour at various state conferences, Curtis has demonstrated SHRM's dedication and support for the role social media can play for SHRM chapters.   Supporting State Council Social Media Directors would serve to continue the legitimization of this volunteer role.


3.  Social Media Directors are the voice of SHRM and the profession
Social Media Directors provide the PR for the chapters, the state council, and by extension, SHRM itself.   We are the ones trumpeting the latest efforts of the SHRM Foundation on Twitter.   We are the ones highlighting the latest piece of legislation impacting HR from Governmental Affairs on our blog.  We are the ones providing on-the-ground coverage of the state legislative conference or state HR conference.  We are the ones promoting the Pinnacle Award to members and non-members alike.   In the end, SHRM is shown in the most positive light.


So, SHRM, support you Social Media Directors at the SHRM Leadership Conference in November.

Despite some early mic problems that made the early portion of his presentation sound like a bad Richard & Sal prank phone call from the Howard Stern show, Shane Yount's presentation of Leadership GPS (Goals, People, Systems) provided a competent challenge to current leadership dogma.

He started off with a central question - where are you in terms of leading your organization?   He followed with the flaws that make reaching your destination somewhat cloudy - physical proximity, persuasion, and position.   According to Yount, one can't be consistent using or leading with these three P's.

So, how do you get back on course?  According to Yount, it is through the common business language of connection, clarity and consistency.


Yount then moved to the question of are you winning or losing as an organization.   Can you answer this question with the appropriate data and metrics?   Scorecards that educate, facilitate, and motivate can assist you in the process.

Yount further argued about whether leaders truly engage their people.   Do we have a culture of selective engagement or collective accountability?  If we are to emphasize accountability, it must become personal and visible to truly be real.   Yount gave an example of an Action Register to make people accountable.

Finally, Yount focused on systems, looking at one aspect - communication.   He noted, "what people don't know, they make up." 

By focusing on the the three factors of goals, people, and systems, Yount demonstrated leadership can better serve its employees and organization.

These have not been the best of times for SHRM. Departures from the C-Suite. Blogger peanut gallery. Rival factions. SHRM is so under siege, I half expect Steven Seagal to be elected next CEO.

Yet, the highlight of the SHRM year (at least that is what they have said at each of the previous 10 opening sessions) is the descent of the SHRM volunteer army attending the SHRM Leadership Conference. Presidents, President Elects, Core Leaders, and District Directors will be at the Marriott Crystal Gateway in Arlington developing professionally, networking and sharing best practices.

So, what will be the reaction to the recent SHRM hubbub? I have two theories:

1. It will be the centerpiece of the conference and SHRM will attack it full force. A defensive tone will be taken by Robb Van Cleave in his opening remarks at Thursday's opening session. An agitated volunteer group (already hypersensitive after passing through a series of TSA agents to get to DC) will take out their frustration by prodding and poking the SHRM staff demanding satsifaction. An uprising will occur at the SHRM Breakfast and Annual Meeting as concerned constituencies want more transparency. Jose Berrios will wonder what he got himself into as his presents his closing remarks.

2. Mere murmurs in the corners. There will be silence on the issues on the part of SHRM . There will be some at the hotel bar pontificating into the late hours, but all of this intrigue is too "Inside SHRM" for many. But, most of the volunteers attending will be ignorant or apathetic about the issues being discussed and simply want to know how to do their volunteer job better.

While #1 would be much more interesting, my hypothesis is that #2 will be a more likely outcome.

Pardon me while I go "Inside SHRM" for a bit.

We are currently in the heart of conference season for many SHRM State Councils. Illinois had a successful conference last month. Florida and Ohio just wrapped up their strong events. Wisconsin and Texas are about to embark on their conference adventure. For most state councils, the state conference is THE primary mechanism for raising dollars to support many of their state HR activities. For many local SHRM chapters, conference support is a strong economic driver.

For my state, Wisconsin, this is definitely true. The state council receives 50% of whatever profit a state SHRM conference generates. The remaining 50% gets split up in a variety of ways. The co-chairs each get 20%, which goes to the professional chapter they belong to, committee members each have a certain percentage that goes to their respective chapters, and a certain percentage gets shared with the chapters based on the attendance of their chapter at the conference. All in all, some significant dollars exchange hands.

This all serves as prologue to a Twitter conversation I had with the inestimable Steve Browne over the weekend. He was making a valiant effort to try to bring state conference volunteer community together over Twitter, writing, "After a successful #OHSHRM, would like to personally connect w/ folks who are w/ other State #SHRM conf so we can promote each conf, DM me." I replied, saying it ought to be SHRM directing this effort.

In a little under two months, I will be attending the SHRM National Leadership Conference in Arlington, VA. for the 11th straight year (You'd think I would know more about Leadership after all this time, but I must be a slow learner). As always, it is an excellent opportunity for various state and local chapter leaders to get together and learn how to benefit their respective groups (and Dave Ryan does a fine job discussing it today). In exchange for their dedication, a significant number of leaders get to attend for free, and SHRM has always been commendable in their efforts in this arena. However, one group is conspicuous in their absence - State Conference Liasions and Conference Co-Chairs.

I've served in a variety of roles on the WI SHRM State Council (Foundation Director, College Relations Director, District Director), and have served on our state conference planning committee for the past four years (including a stint as co-chair). SHRM does an excellent job in bringing together similar Core Leadership Areas together to share best practices in those areas. However, in my 10 years attending the SHRM National Leadership Conference, I recall very little time or energy being dedicated to building a successful state conference. Even with sessions dedicated to high performing state councils, the voice of the state conference liaison or conference co-chair was seldom heard.

I understand that the SHRM National Leadership is already significantly large. I also understand that the Volunteer Leaders' Resource Center has a number of items to help organizers put together an excellent conference. But, is it time to provide the similar support that is given to Core Leaders to those that provide the biggest economic impact to the State Councils and professional chapters - the Conference Liaisons and Conference Co-Chairs? The call for support and community is there.

ADDENDUM: One point I didn't emphasize enough earlier is that the entire conference committee is made up of VOLUNTEERS. It is volunteers who put together the programming slate. It is volunteers who work with exhibitors and vendors to fill the exhibit hall. It is volunteers who help put together the conference publication. It is volunteers who work with the hotel and convention center to make sure rooms are correct.

As Mark Stelzner suggested in his excellent piece on "the Conference Economy," costs are often exorbitant, and you may have volunteers who are new to the committee trying to negotiate and work deals out with the host site. In Wisconsin, one has to have served on the conference planning for at least a year before taking the reins as co-chair (though more time on the committee is preferred). It is also hoped that you have some staggered terms on subcomittees (such as exhibits), so that there is someone experienced in a support position, and there is continuity, but this does not always occur. We hold a transition meeting every December, but is that sufficient? Where is the training and support from SHRM to help in the process?