For the first time, I attended the annual AHRMA conference today here in Austin. AHRMA is the Austin Human Resources Management Association, the local affiliate for SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management – basically the big national org for HR).
I’ve been a member of AHRMA for three years, but have mainly participated in their mentoring program and occasionally helped out on the mentoring committee. I finally signed up for the conference months ago, but it couldn’t have come at a better time. Since returning from my time in Wisconsin, I’m been feeling a little lackluster about HR. Uninspired is the word I’d use. Burned out from a tough year is more the reality.
Uninspired translates to bored: something, for all the ups and downs, I have rarely been at my work. Spending today outside of the office around other HR people – an opportunity I don’t get as a department of one – learning about how to push forward diversity & inclusion, use design thinking to create exceptional employee experiences, manage HR projects like a project manager, and have sensitive conversations with the legal ramifications in mind left me feeling energized.
Or maybe I just like conferences . . . the fancy lanyard with my name, the vendor swag, the silence auction (where I got a steal on two awesome workshops I’m going to bring back to my company) and the surprisingly awesome food. And the people, who, to my great surprise, I knew many of. I have never been fully involved in this organization, but it turns out I have met a number of people over the last three years, especially through the mentoring program, that I remember and remember me.
It really does make a difference having people to sit with at lunch.
This past week I’ve been working on finding my groove again. I’ve had more focus in the last few days at work and took on more responsibility for the AHRMA mentoring committee at our meeting on Tuesday. I’ve been one foot in, one foot out for a while, so I’m going to try to be all in.
I have so many plans. I’m not being that secretive about my desire to eventually move back to Wisconsin. However, I’m making a commitment to Austin and my work right now, places I love, and am actively trying to find ways to be present and growing while still looking forward to my future.
Although today also got me thinking, for how much I love connecting with HR people, maybe I should look at more opportunities to connect with writers . . .
With Love,
Natalie