HRevolution: Westward Expansion and Pioneer Spirit

I live in St. Louis, MO.  Born and raised.

As all children do at some point in elementary school, I studied westward expansion.  Stories of Lewis and Clark and the journey they took from 1804- 1806 that started in St. Louis were almost unimaginable since they faced such great odds.  Their expedition held particular interest for me since I grew up seeing the Arch as a constant reminder of two men who were not satisfied to stay still.  It was Thomas Jefferson who commissioned Lewis and Clark to make the trek to examine the land that was gained as part of the Louisiana Purchase.  He was the one who asked Lewis and Clark to keep moving, seeking, progressing. And, they were the pioneers who carved out the path for others to follow.

I love that pioneer spirit.

HRevolution is my personal Louisiana Purchase.  It’s like having this wide, vast territory in front of me.  I see many friendly faces along the path but I also know there are pitfalls and I am ready to adjust my course to help move even a tiny piece of our industry forward.

For me, HRevolution is a different experience.  I am not able to enjoy it in the same way a participant does because there are so many things going on behind the scenes.  It is a truly rewarding experience when you are the project manager and you see the vision come to life.  At that moment, when all the people are streaming in with smiles on their faces and they are ready to learn and engage, all the months of planning late at night or early morning are suddenly worth it.  And, although I am not able to sit and fully engage in each session, I do have a take away:

• Building a network is the most important reason to attend.  Period.

That’s it.  There is no magic, no silver bullet.  Being a change agent in your organization and in our industry means building trusting relationships, talking with those people and sharing great ideas, and then using them to bring value to what you’re doing.

HRevolution is a “success” from my view if I help bring people together to discuss how to improve our industry.  If the team I work with can offer an environment that makes learning easier and if we can bring many great minds and diverse backgrounds together to network and share ideas, we’ve met that goal.  Once we bring the people together, it is then up to each individual to participate in a way that is meaningful to him or her and to make the event valuable.  It is also up to each individual to take pieces of knowledge back to their organizations or businesses and apply them.

I will continue to accept the constructive criticism and accolades with an open mind and heart.  99% of people try to help and I appreciate that.  Our team appreciates that.  Those 99% are the ones who will make the next HRevolution better and will help it continue to evolve.  It’s not about Revolution….it’s EVOLUTION.

Thanks to all who attended and supported us online.  Special thanks to our sponsors who helped pay for the actual event. Without them we would not exist.  Be sure to consider them first when you need forward-thinking HR and recruiting service: