OK, it’s been about a month since the 49th ASHHRA Annual Conference and Exposition. As you left Washington, D.C., the government was shutting down, PPACA open enrollment was beginning, and you were probably wondering whether you were going to exceed the weight limit on your luggage! You also left equipped with great ideas to help meet challenges at work and armed with valuable additions to your professional network to call upon when the need arises. So, how much progress have you truly made towards becoming the inspirational leader, mentor, and resource that you know you can be?

We all know that it’s all too easy to get back to the office, in your comfort zone, and continue your increasingly busy schedule as usual. You forget about the fantastic colleagues you met, put off downloading presentation notes, and sharing the invaluable information you brought back to your organization.

It’s too easy to put off connecting with that colleague with whom you share the same struggles, and you may have forgotten about the inspirational speakers and how their messages resonated with you—encouraging you to embrace inclusion and hold yourself to a higher standard.

We want to challenge you to revisit your notes, download all of the amazing resources, contact that colleague to see how he/she is doing, and relive the moments of how you felt during the conference—motivated, encouraged, enlightened, and ready for CHANGE.

Stay motivated! Don’t give up! Take the time to listen. Read and discover new things. Set small goals and allow yourself small victories. As Byron Pitts said, be that one person who "stepped out on nothing" to make a difference.

 

 

Best wishes, 

 

Make the most of your experience. Follow through. Implement change, and motivate yourself and others to be the change agent that your organization needs. 

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your ASHHRA conference experience and spark some ACTION.

 

1	Access the resources. If you haven’t already, access and download learning session handouts and presentations via ASHHRA’s Conference App. For support, please email appsupport@aha.org. Save the presentations for future reference. Share them with colleagues and spark ideas during staff meetings. Commit to accessing each of the presentations and finding one idea you can immediately implement to improve functions and outcomes for both employees and the community you serve.
2	Revisit and share your notes. Many of you took great notes during the sessions but won’t ever take the time to revisit them. Go find your conference journal, and type up the notes you took during learning sessions. Typing handwritten notes allows you to further commit ideas and concepts to memory and allows them to be easily shared with colleagues. Once you’ve typed them up, commit to sharing them with others who may have not been able to attend.
3	Send a couple emails. Don’t forget or put off reconnecting with those you met. Send an encouraging email, drop a line to say hello, encourage the sharing of ideas, say ‘thank you’ to someone—nurture the relationships that you created. You’ll see an immense return on your efforts.
4	Connect and reach out. Connect with those you met via LinkedIn and other social networks. Set aside time to find colleagues, and connect with ASHHRA on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Reach out, send a message, and establish the connection. This is an easy way to stay constantly connected and doesn’t require a lot of time to make it happen.
5	Fulfill any promises. Remember telling someone that you’d do something for them or connect with them about something after the conference? Don’t forget to follow up and follow through and hold yourself accountable.
6	Commit to one idea...now. After reviewing (and typing!) notes, commit to one idea that would be easy to implement this week. Pick one thing and make it happen. After that small victory, you’ll be more motivated to continue down the path to change.

My experience at the 2013 ASHHRA Conference & Exposition far exceeded my expectations. Even before the conference began, I was able to witness the organization's dedication to health care professionals. I attended a reception the night before the conference to support winners of two other awards/scholarships. Throughout the conference, more and more awards/scholarships were presented, illustrating to attendees how much ASHHRA, its sponsors, and its leadership care about the professional development of its members/attendees as well as the communities it serves. I was beyond impressed by the generosity I experienced at this conference.

The best part of the conference was the people I met. I was so grateful to my fellow attendees, to hear their stories, and their willingness to share their wisdom with me. From the attendees to the speakers to the staff, I was drawn to the contagious energy and enthusiasm. I learned so much about how the new pressures of health care are affecting the human resources functions. I met my goal of building better business acumen about health care operations (Healthcare Business Knowledge). The part I did not expect but am extremely appreciative of is the inspiration I received from everyone. I was inspired to do more, do better, and produce better results in my role (Personal Leadership).

I demonstrated to my HR team how what I learned at the conference can be applied to all the different HR functions from recruitment to organizational development (HR Delivery). Personally, I will be focusing on making improvements to employee relations as well as organizational development and learning/education. The two most inspiring sessions I attended were about cultural transformation—how HR can rebuild a culture focused on accountability and ownership, inclusion and understanding, and teamwork and dedication (People Strategies).

One specific initiative I would like to start at my organization is to build more meaningful task forces, teams, and internal and external communities where people can learn from each other and share ideas (Community Citizenship). I was motivated to break down any silos in my organization and help my peers understand how their roles significantly affect others. I feel re-energized and believe my HR team will too. I would encourage all HR/OD professionals to attend the next ASHHRA Conference & Exposition in my hometown of Chicago! It’ll be one of the most—if not the most—uplifting experiences of the year!