Blogging By The Pool? Why, yes!

I’m not huge on live blogging at an event because I’m one of those people who likes to take in information, digest it, then form an opinion and share.  However, today I feel compelled to write while at an event.  Why?  Because this is not the typical HR event I attend.  First, it’s in sunny St. Petersburg, FL.  So, I’m taking a break from the sessions to sit by the pool and reflect on the day thus far.   Tropical non-alcoholic drink in hand, it’s a great place to think and write. 

Today I am at the CHCA (Child Health Corporation of America) conference.  It is a place where professionals from pediatric hospitals can come together to share ideas, collaborate and network.  I had the honor of being asked to speak about social innovation and collaboration to a group of HR executives from approximately forty pediatric hospitals across  the US.  It has been an amazing experience.

Prior to coming, I knew of only two HR attendees on Twitter, although today I’ve learned it’s a total of four.  I knew that most at least had a LinkedIn profile and some even accpted my connection when I reached out pre-conference.  Some are using social media in their organization and others are not.  It was a very diverse group in terms of experience and interest.

My goal was not to instruct a Twitter 101 class nor a FaceBook how-to session.  My goal was to talk about the value of collaborating internally and externally as an organizaiton.  We covered everything from marketing to unions and everything in between.  The discussion around using social collaboration was a good approach because it allowed us to focus on the benefits and risks of the medium as a whole and not on a specific tool.

I am encouraged at how the social media conversation has matured over the last two to three years.  For anyone who doubts that HR executives are not “getting it”, I think that’s not the case any more.  The openness of professionals to explore these tools and ideas is becoming more and more common.

Thank you to Jay Kuhns (VP of Human Resources, All Children’s Hospital) and David Cook (VP of St. Louis Children’s Hospital) for inviting me to speak at the event.  To know that our children’s hospitals want to be not only on the forefront of pediatric medical advances but also on the forefront of technological advances in the people management side of the business is inspiring!