And Then This Happened!

So I’m having a great time in Louisiana at the annual SHRM conference. I’ve been too busy enjoying myself to write much just now – I’ll be catching up over the next few days. This morning we had a short ‘inside the mind of’ session with my friend Dwane Lay. At the end – Dwane and Robin Schooling totally caught me out and asked me to sing a song. How could I refuse?

You’re Welcome

It’s the final day of the Ohio SHRM conference and I’m looking forward to it. When I get to New York I’ll write about the event and my experiences in more detail. For now, I just want to share my first and what will likely be my most abiding memory of the whole thing.

I’ve been made so very welcome by everyone I’ve met. I’ve been high fived and hugged, had great conversations and great laughs and been given loads of encouragement. If I had to sum it up in one word – I’d call it friendship.

And this mood has pervaded the whole experience – there’s simply a great vibe here in Ohio – I’m so glad I came to visit. The organising committee is doing a fantastic job to ensure that all of us guests have the best experience possible.

‘The guy with the accent’ just wants to say thank you.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

My trip is still over a month away but I’ve booked my plane ticket to Ohio. I’ve known I’ll be going out to the USA to join in and speak at Ohio SHRM for a while now – and there’s something very definite and exciting about knowing you’ve got a seat on the plane. I’m looking forward to meeting Steve Browne, Dwane Lay, Jason Lauritsen and a whole bunch of other people too. I’ll have a camera with me and I hope to get some great pics and some video of my trip.

I’m a little nervous and very excited to be speaking at the conference. I’ll be telling a few stories about the importance and benefits of conversation, about how to use transparency to make a difference, not just for the sake if it, and about how vulnerability makes us better people. I plan to fit TeamGB cycling, Rush, The Clash, my family and a bunch of other stuff too. There’s even a rumour that the good people of Ohio are planning to lend me a guitar – well it is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame State after all eh 😉

If you’re going to Ohio in September then I look forward to seeing you there. And if you’re not, what could I do for you to try and share my experiences in the moment?

photo credit