Moving the Needle 1 Day at a Time

Disruptive behaviour, pushing boundaries, taking risks, taking a leap of faith, moving the dial, and the list goes on. Every single one of us could name someone in our respective networks who we would describe as a driving force behind breaking new ground. Of course I’m talking about the HR & Recruitment industry, because that is what I do, what I know and where I live. We all know that people are at the centre of business today. Without people you don’t have a business. Without people a strategy will be nothing more than a bunch of words on a piece of paper. But, just having people in an organization is not enough. There are organizations creating new trends and achieving extraordinary results. We know who these organizations are because everyone talks about them.

It’s one thing to talk about taking risks, and another to do it. Implementation is a million times more difficult than strategizing. I know because I’ve done both. I ask myself every single day how I can move the needle just a little bit more for the company that I am working for. I know that one inch further along the spectrum would yield significant benefits.

When I started my own business in 2009, shortly after the recession hit, I knew that the most effective way to play a lead role in moving the needle was by educating. That’s why I co-founded Impact99, later founded SocialHRCamp, and took on a leadership role with the Sauder Alumni Club of Toronto as Educational Events Chair. I started blogging, speaking, advising and contributing to industry publications, articles and content. I took it one day at a time because I knew that the process would unfold like a domino effect. Through SocialHRCamp alone, I am about to run my 13th Camp — over 1,000 attendees and 100 session leaders. Using the domino effect analogy, if each of the 1,000 attendees have 150 people in their networks, that is 150,000 people that SocialHRCamp has touched in some capacity. Throw in social media… well… you get the picture.

Fast forward to today we have more event platforms, industry initiatives, think tanks and niched groups than ever before. From a personal perspective, a handful that should be mentioned include HR Open Source (#HROS), Culture Amp’s People Geekup and DisruptHR (of course I’m biased towards DisruptHR Toronto). Education is the key to moving the needle forward in an industry as large and important as HR. One day at a time, one event at a time, one conversation and idea at a time. You simply cannot afford NOT to take advantage of these amazing opportunities.

DisruptHR Toronto

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