This is my fifteenth straight year of attending the SHRM Annual Conference. Here are my quick impressions from day 1:
- As always, kudos to the many volunteers helping to support the Annual Conference. If you have an opportunity, be sure to thank the many individuals who give up their time to make the conference succeed
- Special shout out goes to Terry Starr and the Dice team for sponsoring the SHRM15 Blogger lounge. The SHRM bloggers are here to provide content and perspective on the going-ons and we hope you get a few positive takeaways from them.
- Magician and entertainer Penn Jillette gave a rousing opening highlighting what it takes to thrive in Las Vegas, echoing the theme of the conference. However, I wonder if the 100 pounds he lost referred to his silent partner Teller, who was nowhere to be seen.
- CEO Hank Jackson's opening address most likely resonated with first time attendees. However, was there anything unique in his points that couldn't have been said in 2013 or 2014? How is HR different today than it was one or two years ago? How has SHRM changed in what they do this year compared to what they did last year?
- I was not looking forward to Coach K's keynote, and, being from Wisconsin, it was certainly crushing to have to revisit the "highlights" of Duke's championship win over the Badgers. However, I appreciated his three main points of employees and employers needing to be adaptable, taking ownership of their actions (does this include flopping on the court?), and demonstrating one's feelings.
- Most embarrassing use of Twitter - the continued reference to @coachkwisdom, an account that is neither affiliated with Duke University nor Coach K. While I am sure the manager of the account appreciated the attention, be better people.
