The past month has been a time for me to refresh my need to be surrounded by my HR peers. I was fortunate to speak at both the Virginia/DC SHRM and Illinois SHRM State Conferences. Let me make sure you understand the biggest takeaway from both of these events.
There are sooooooooo many HR peers out in the field that I have yet to connect with or know.
You may wonder why that even matters. Let’s turn back the clock for a moment. This year, in June, I’ll be celebrating my 40th year as an HR professional. That seems surreal. Over this extended time, I’ve learned so much. I continue to be as engaged and passionate about the field I chose four decades ago. If I could split my time in HR in half, I’d see one very distinct shift that mattered more than any other.
No, it wasn’t who I worked with, who my boss was, or what role I held. The first 20 years of my journey, I worked as an HR department of one. That means I had no one I could easily go to to ask questions or bounce ideas off. I was a lone ranger. The fact is, I didn’t even think that others were in human resources. My focus was primarily on my work and my daily job. I never thought about seeking out others. I didn’t know others existed. Sadly, that limited me in ways I wasn’t even aware of. I was a self-taught HR practitioner with few resources.
Right around the turn of the century, I happened to join the local HR Roundtable in Cincinnati. That simple step opened up a world to me, as if I had been a pioneer exploring a new frontier. Suddenly, I was surrounded and connected to several peers. It was magnificent !! Once I began to realize I could intentionally connect with others in HR, I never stopped. And, I don’t intend to.
The two conferences had 700 and 450 people, respectively. I did my best to reach all of them. I know how challenging our jobs are without having connections. It’s nearly impossible. Most of them were eager to connect as well. Most, not all. That always crushes me. I want people to have the faith that others in the industry are people to believe in and learn from.
My experience has been that the more people I meet, the more meaningful relationships I form. This leads to being a resource for others while also having the ability to reach out to them and ask them for their insight and advice. I’ve yet to find a peer in HR anywhere around the world who wasn’t willing to have a professional reciprocal relationship. I can assure you that I could reach out at a moment’s notice to ask for someone to share their experiences on a situation, and my inbox would be filled within moments.
As part of my mission to connect people with purpose, I’ve partnered with People Over Perks by Leapsome — an HR community built for candid, peer-to-peer conversations. It’s a global gathering of professionals who regularly share ideas, best practices, and real-world approaches in an environment that actually feels safe to do so.
What makes People Over Perks genuinely different? It’s completely sales-free. Leapsome hosts the community but never uses it to promote their platform, and joining won’t land you on a sales call list. They wanted to create a space where HR peers can congregate and gather. They realize that HR folks need each other. That we’re better together !!
One other amazing facet of belonging to this community is that there’s no cost to belong – ever.
It didn’t take much to have me jump right in. I welcomed the chance to get to meet and interact with more HR peers. And, I’d love to have you join me as well.
Here’s the link to do that: https://hubs.li/Q04dPscd0
Make this your pivot point as I did 20 years ago. You don’t have to be alone in HR. You shouldn’t be. Find your community. Take the first step with People Over Perks. You’ll be glad you did !!
