Lance Haun and Laurie Reuittmann
Every now and then a person has to take a stand, be willing to be unfollowed on twitter, and lose friends on facebook. That is exactly what happened yesterday when I critiqued the unconference, HRevolution. First, I want to make an open apology to the conference planners.
The hundreds of hours you spent planning, and working tirelessly to produce this event was not lost on me. In fact, I respect, appreciate each of you, and the unique contribution that each of you make to our industry. I genuinely regret that I hurt your feelings. I now realized that I did so, which is why I am retracting what you perceived as a personal attack.
TheRedRecruiter, Michael Long admired my bravery to tilt at the HR windmill, and state honestly my thoughts, and feelings. While he did not agree with me 100% he encouraged me to put my post back up. He was concerned I was being censored. Indeed, that is not the case. I was not being censored. Rather, I realized that I was personally attacking one person. This blog is not the place for that.
In hindsight, what I should have done is pick up the phone, and tell her what I thought about her comments. Instead, I used my blog as a bully pulpit. It was the wrong way to going about it. I apologize to everyone who felt hurt by the thoughts expressed here.
A wise man once said, praise publicly, and criticize privately. Attacking someone in public reflects poorly on my brand, not theirs. Only 69 people read the post before I pulled it. Fellow attendees read it, and only a handful of my followers. In the larger scheme of the universe, my opinion is not that important.
Here’s my stance and I’m sticking to it: I am a fierce advocate for the little guy, for the unheard voice, and for the downtrodden. My dear colleague, Jennifer McClure spoke up for the underdog, and the unemployed people in the room. She extolled their virtues and their ability to have influence. You see, that is why I admire Jennifer. She has a sensitivity to the unemployed population in America that few others have.
There are countless others that are also underdogs for those in transition. In all fairness, my colleagues that planned HRevolution garnered funds to offer scholarships for people in transition. I applaud their action.
Now a word about the conference. It wasn’t the planning that I was criticizing. The sponsors were incredibly generous, and I have no doubt that he organization efforts were solid. I just did not learn anything during the sessions. As I stated in my previous post, the learning took place between the sessions. That is not uncommon. The relationships and alliances that are formed at national events are where the real value is derived.
I had the distinct pleasure of attending the first HRevolution event in 2009. In my opinion, there was no comparison. The first version of the unconference was uniquely structured to accommodate the needs and interests of people either new to the occupation, or new to the social media, blogging scene. The tracks catered to advanced bloggers, and techno geeks, and geeks in training. That is what I loved.
There was what I considered real tactical knowledge shared during each and every session. I took home, experienced, and mastered new skills as a direct result. That experience was invaluable. The access I gained to the thought leaders in the HR community was beyond compare. The ability to pick their brains, and really learn from them was worth every moment I invested.
In addition, after the first HRevolution, I was able to pick up the phone, ask and receive great advice from those in attended. What I appreciate about the people in our industry is the generosity of spirit, and comraderie that is inherent within most of the leaders in Human Resources, and Recruiting.
What disappointed me about this conference is that I did not learn anything new during this conference. That is not a reflection of the planners or facilitators. It could be because I read voraciously, and when I set out to learn and master a new skill, I take it upon myself to do so. Maybe I read all of your articles, posts and derive value. Maybe it is because I read news, and articles outside of our industry to stay current on business practices. Perhaps it is because during the sessions I perceived that the same old issues were being rehashed, and very little new practices were discussed.
Here’s what I’d like to see happen at the next HRevolution:
- Conduct pre-assessments for the tracks. Give the information gathered to the track leaders so that they can address the professional needs of the attendees.
- Conduct post-conference evaluations. Act on the feedback that you find valid, and include that information during the planning process for the next unconference.
- Return to offering two tracks. One for new bloggers, one for advanced bloggers. Provide tactical best practices, and new tools that the attendees can take back to their offices for experimentation.
- Provide a track or two for those professionals new to the occupation to nurture their professional development goals.
- Offer tracks designed for people who’ve been in the field for many years, and offer them an opportunity to bench mark best practices.
- Give people homework. That’s right-after evaluating and learning about new technology, give people sample templates whereby they can practice the new skills, and report back with their experience in their blogs or the newly formed linkedin group.
- Pair an intern, or a person new to the occupation with an experienced mentor. For those who have the time to nurture the mind of another human being, this is an experience not to be missed. HRevolution is a phenomenal opportunity for professionals to cherry pick experts they would like to learn from. Granted, not all leaders have the time to mentor, but for those who do, what better way to use an unconference. Unconferences are unstructured, yet provide an opportunity for deep dish learning.
- Execute post-unconference webinars to continue the learning. This can be divided in sub-topic areas of interest. A lot of people would pay for these webinars, I know I would. For instance, I would like to learn more about 2.0, emerging technologies, and advanced blogging, mobile recruiting, health care, compliance, employer/employee brand development, andemployee relations.. I’d love to be able to continue my studies with the track leaders in attendance at HRevolution.
- Have smaller tracks where people can really probe the minds of the brilliant track leaders, and get their questions answered.
- Deliver a final session where attendees can share their take-aways, and what they are going to do when they get home. Allow time for a healthy debate and discussion about these next steps, and give participants a chance to get unanswered questions addressed.
That is my wish list for the next HRevolution, and Tru Unconference. There may be those who say, this is a tall order, and cannot be addressed in 1 day. To that, I push back and suggest a 2 to 3 day event. I see the unconference movement in Human Resources and Recruiting filling a gap that the large, established organizations are not chiseling. The ground swell of professional experts who are demonstrating leadership in the unconference movement have a unique opportunity to provide professional development, benchmarking, and networking for participants around the world. I encourage my colleagues to keep the spirit alive.
I’m not a big fan of titles, or influencers, and people with an inflated sense of self importance. Nor am I a fan of conferences that rehash the same old-same old with no new learning, or tactical take-aways. With that said, I know for a fact that the majority of those who attended HRevolution 2010 received tremendous value.
Maybe my take-away is that I need to break out of the HR echo chamber by attending conferences outside my industry. If I really want to deep dive into new information that peaks my interest in the social media sphere, that is where I should focus my future attention.
Yesterday, I caused personal injury to a select few individuals. On the other hand, I believe it is important to tilt at the wind mills, the big well oiled machines, and directly confront the titans when I think they are dead wrong.
I work for lawyers. My boss is a former litigator. He is still a fierce advocate for the down trodden. He is my professional mentor. He attacks opposing counsel each and every day. I love working with the feisty advocates. I belong in the legal industry, and I thank the heavens above that I finally found my niche. The managing partner of my firm loved yesterday’s post.
He thought is was good, and courageous. If he had told me, do not post this, I wouldn’t have. To the contrary, he told me he would defend my right to free speech. His parting words to me were, “Sometimes it’s cathartic to go after the titans, I do it every day.”
You may agree to disagree with me. That is your choice. Please know that I write this blog as much for me as I do for you. Someone told me yesterday, my blog is not a good place to vent because it is a permanent record. I concur, and I agree, but my answer remains the same. So be it. Social media must be a place where we can freely express our opinions, debate those opinions, and push back against one another’s viewpoints. That is how we learn and grow.
I appreciate your readership.
Sincerely,
@HRMargo
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Tilting at windmills
Tempests in teapots
I’ve learned it’s all the same thing.
Gee, I hope this comment isn’t moderated. I’m gettin’ tired a’ that.
Oh. darn. It is.
Margo, if you attended an event you have every right to blog, speak about or comment on what you thought about it. I believe by removing your prior post it is a form of censorship. If you feel that the event was poorly run, planned or was just a waste of your time say it! After all if you pay money for something and it doesn’t live up to your expectations you have a right to say it how you feelit doesn’t mean everyone felt the same way. Often times events, conferences etc. never live up to what most people are expecting but if no one says anything then it becomes the same lackluster event every year. I applaud you for saying what you thought and perhaps people should take it as a wake up call that people don’t want to spend money for poorly run and unorganized conferences.
I cannot say that HR Revolution was or was not well run or planned however I can say that people have a right to their opinion.
Paul, Maureen-yesterday’s post was vitriolic, and not particularly helpful. I re-read it, and realized I had to trash it. It was the people that unfollowed me that made me take it down. It wasn’t the public criticism that made me take it down. In fact, several people told me to put it back up.
What made me take it down, and write this today is a recollection of my core values. Tearing people apart is never helpful, or useful. I really tore into someone in particular yesterday. My blog was not the place to do that. What I should, and will do is email this post to those who unfollowed me. Not in an effort to get them back in my camp, but to let them know that I saw the error of my ways, and my willingness to rectify my behavior.
Truth be told, I find arrogant, elitist attitudes offensive. When I hear it, I rebel, and strike back. What I’m learning to do, is not to do this publicly, but rather to do this one of one. I am a huge believer in public debate, but when a person tears into another’s flesh as I did yesterday, it serves no purpose, and it just makes me look bad.
Sometimes, I pop off my mouth when I shouldn’t. That is not in keeping with my brand, or my professional ethics. Open, and honest communication is important. What I should have done in retrospect is save that post, and read it to a trusted friend, and colleague. Lesson learned. When my conscience is bothering me, it is important for me to investigate why, and put set right what I believe is wrong. That is what I attempted to do here.
Thank you for reading my post. I appreciate your support.
I saw a few tweets about this yesterday though didn’t have the chance to see what started it. Perhaps you should have left it up Margo.
Most of these conferences have the very same after-math: Nothing but rave reviews – deserved or not. It’s almost as if each conference goer has taken an oath to speak only positively about the event.
It would have been nice to read someone’s “tell it like they saw it” perspective. Though if it did appear attacking in some form of any individual I wouldn’t encourage that.
Feel free to speak your mind Margo. There are a few of us who would like all perspectives.
Sorry to see your views were quashed.
You have a right to air your opinions without being attacked for doing so.
Disagreement is responsible for most of the stuff everyone claims to like about social media – authenticity and dialogue – so when you speak your mind you help to make social media worthwhile.
But you are going to be attacked. That’s part of dialogue and authenticity too.
PS: Who says the internet forever? I can’t find your article in Google. Just the title.
I thought the original post was hasty and it got in the way of your feedback. Count me in the camp that thought you did the right thing by focusing more on feedback about the event (however positive or negative) and less focus on tearing a person down.
Here’s my challenge: What will you do?
The thing about an unconference is that if some people had a poor experience, no one is off the hook. Not the sponsors, organizers, facilitators and certainly not the participants. If you come to an ERE event and you don’t like it, we evaluate that internally and make adjustments as necessary. At a fully participant driven conference though, we’re all organizers and speakers and sponsors and we have to all be aware of how we are impacting the event as well.
So as someone who immediately associated with organizing the event, I immediately asked what I could do to help make it better. Not just demanding better from the group but also delivering my best next time too. Can you help bring more people in the trenches that have a message they can facilitate? How can you help improve your own experience?
I think answering those questions are as important as any adjustments the organizers implement for the next go around.
Margo,
Why has all the post from the conference lacked contend? Perhaps because there was not enough to write about. You stepped out there and wrote your opinion. I want to read your opinion which is why I read your blog. If I wanted to read the ordinary posts…well I would have read them.
Not every post we write is our best work but every post we write is important to share. And I know you believe that because you never would have started a blog if you didn’t. Write another post about what happened and how it changed your view of your post but don’t remove it. Share the good and the bad.
I promise I won’t unfollow you and I expect a few new ones will follow you because you stepped out there with your thoughts!
Power to the people! Power to the bloggers! Power to…oh, you get it!
Margo, I find when I’m lying awake at night worrying about something I said in a post it’s just better to take it down. That being said, I’ve said plenty I regret.
Now, to Jerry’s post.
I think he’s touched on something. I mean these conferences – unconferences – gatherings – WHAT HAVE YOU – are sorta’ out of control. It’s like cross-posting things -a bad habit of mine I try to curtail these days. How many places do we want to dilute the same subject across? I think that’s what you’re coming up against – everyone sayin’ the same stuff – drinkin’ from the same firehose. I always wonder how the same people always seem able to make the time to attend all these things and I also wonder where’s the new blood? Is there even any room for it anymore? Are we crowding out voices we should be hearing?
I think this may have been at the root of your frustration.
I sit here typing this criticism out after just being invited to present at ERE’s Fall Sourcecon in DC and wonder about my own responsibilites. Am I gonna go to DC and talk about all the same old stuff I’ve been writing about all these years? It’s not what I’m thinking that I want to do. What I’m thinking I want to do is go there and talk about the gut stuff involved in phone sourcing – the scary stuff I’ve alluded to in postings – the stuff that makes blood run cold at the thought of. That’s what I really am inclined to talk about at this point and that’s the stuff I’d be most interested in hearing – the fear factor forces -that’s what is missing in much of the pablum spooned out today.
Maybe I’m just being too negative. But I don’t think so. I wonder if I submit a proposal like that ERE wouldn’t have the good sense to disinvite me. On second thought, would it be good sense?
“Maybe my take-away is that I need to break out of the HR echo chamber by attending conferences outside my industry.”
Focus on that line, Margo – you wrote it. Break out of the Recruiting silo – your IQ will get an immediate bump. I did the whole “speaking thing” back in late 2007 and through 2008 – how much business did it result in? Not much. Was it “cool” (i.e. personally fulfilling) to present – sure . . . and I made it a point to try to help people earn more money (through more placements or a higher hourly rate). But did I also train my Competitors? You bet. It’s a double-edged sword.
Look, the real reason our Industry isn’t valuable (I mean truly valuable – you know, like honestly valued by Upper Execs) is because of rampant groupthink, small clusters of cliques/social circles, and a lack of interest in business generally. During my presentations, I’d discuss basic business concepts outside of Recruiting and HR, and to be honest, these aren’t “hot topics” to the Industry. They should be, but they’re not. Show the audience a picture of an iPhone and they salivate; show them a BCG Matrix and how to converse in Finance-Speak, and they often go catatonic. We’re to blame for our own irrelevance – nobody else. Case in point: I can name several MBAs this year that have been turned down by HR (meaning they’re trying to break into Recruiting or HR) due to being “too business-minded”. Really? I mean, really??
Most Recruiters and Talent Acquisition Pros’ know (at least the real ones) that Hiring Managers & Execs don’t give a $#^% how many tweets you have, or how many FB friends, or how many Tweetups we’ve been to. (IBM even did a commercial on this, but it was largely debunked and ignored by our space: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obCHKPYHuhA) However, Execs do care that we’re trying to understand the fundamental challenges the business is facing – that’s what really matters. The rest is “social” fluff, busy-work, empty desires for more tools & toys, a Red Queen’s race to nowhere.
P.S. The last ‘conference’ I went to, well, I didn’t attend the conference. I attended the networking sessions, made some new connections, had some fun, and spent my free time with my Fiance’. After all, I had seen all the material before. I also saved a $1k
Maureen-I love your gutsy style, but then again-I admire chutzpah baby. I vote that you go out on a limb at the next sourcecon. People who are hungry for tactical knowledge don’t need the same old, same old. If you have something new to share, I support you in sharing it, regardless of the blow back. Maureen, you’ve been in the industry long enough to make informed decisions about trends, both past and future. I read what you write, and frankly, I LOVE it. I’d like to hear your new views expressed from the podium.
Kimba, I trashed the post, and don’t know how to retrieve it. I would have taken out the attack dog behavior, and left my comments and criticism in; however, as I re-read the post, I have to agree with what Stelzner, and Lance said. My inflammatory comments detracted from the excellent suggestions I posited. From this point forward, I’m going to spend my training and development budget on conferences, and courses that are going to teach me something I really don’t know. Attending conferences with colleagues that I share with daily on twitter, facebook, and linkedin has limited utility for me. In general, I think it’s important that I start learning new data. What I’m doing is revisiting Paul Hebert’s reading list. He posted an excellent list of suggestions today. I’m also going to finally purchase books that I’ve been meaning to buy. Here’s my goal: to be a continuous learner. It is my firm belief that we are only professionally viable, if we are current. Staying on the leading edge of our respective industries is the only thing that makes us attractive to new clients. I’m in a technology based business (social media and digital marketing). I need to distance myself from my counter parts, and start networking with my polar opposites. I think that’s what I’m going to do differently-to answer Lance’s question below.
Lance, what I’m going to do post HRevolution is to master 2.0 HR technology. In addition, I’m going to continue to master search engine optimization skills, extraordinary project management, and employer brand development. I’ve developed training content entitled, “Linkedin For Lawyers.” My goal is to launch this program in Cincinnati, and if it is successful in my hometown, I’d like to take it on the road. I’m going to task myself with learning everything I can about linkedin as a utility to leverage business development. What I am coming to learn about myself is that I am a born promoter. I am passionate about sales and marketing, particularly when I am marketing something I honestly believe in strongly.
I happened to love both ERE and SourceCon. However, I did not have a lot of expertise in sourcing, so learning from the best and brightest in our industry was a huge professional turn on-trust me that was worth my Firm’s money. Honestly, I don’t think HRevolution was. That’s not to say it was bad. It wasn’t. It was a great conference for a lot of people. It just wasn’t for me. I had fun, but I paid a lot of money to have fun with my friends.
You know what my Boss said when I returned? “I’ve spent a lot of dough sending you to 3 conferences in 2010, I want to know how you are going to give us a return on our investment.” I’m telling you right now, my commitment to my employer is to take everything I’ve learned this year, and set Cincinnati on fire. If I want Cincinnati to maintain its “Best HR City In The U.S.” it’s up to me, and each of us in the area code 513 to keep up the good work. Lance, I respect and admire you, but I think you already know that.
I agree. Debate and disagreement among professionals is healthy. It’s what makes social media an interesting place to be. However, when it devolves into personal attacks it is unhealthy, and counter productive. It is up to me to admit when I’m wrong. It is my hope that this post accomplishes that.
Man, you guys are really gut stuffin this. This is great. Frank talk at a frank time. Just what is needed.
Jerry, thank you for your comments. I agree–all the ditto head behavior gets to be boring after a while. If I choose to reconstruct a critique, I need to do so without making it personal. Lesson learned. On an unrelated topic, I think verbal summary is the coolest darned invention on the recruiting market today. You are an innovator, and your invention is going to make you very rich one day. I only wish I’d been able to package, and sell it. Jerry, you’re a prince in our industry. Thank you for reading my blog.
Paul, I owe you a debt of gratitude. You have nurtured my intellectual and professional development ever since I found you on twitter. What I really like about you is your commitment to moving our industry forward. You consistently put out great content. Your blogtalkradio shows is one of my very favorites. You are a generous and giving professional, and for that I am grateful. I think I am a better person because I know you, and I continue to learn from you.
I don’t agree with Lance when he says that you can’t criticize without volunteering to pitch in.
Those who want to make sacrifices for the profession do so because they want to – not because they have to.
However, if your critique was — as Lance says — hasty, incorrect or ill-advised, there is nothing wrong with taking it down or changing it — and making apologies if necessary.
@animal – I generally agree with your point but I think it is hard to go to an unconference where the whole format depends on participants and not pitch in. I think in this case, improving the unconference also means improving your contribution.
But generally no, I don’t believe you need to pitch in or whatever to have valid criticism. And I believe much of this is good information even if Margo doesn’t pitch in or participate.
Margo, I applaud you for your self-reflection and action (never easy to admit fault); however, I’m saddened you retracted your posting. Like many others, I did not have a chance to read before you pulled. As you know, I was planning to attend HRevolution and you were the first on my list to “hunt down and stalk” (smile) as I very much value your insight, spunk and passion to EVERYTHING!
One of my favorite quotes is this: “Never explain anything…your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe you anyway.”
If you lost followers because of what you posted, they weren’t your fans or followers to begin with. Period.
Don’t ever let anyone’s actions or behavior change who you are, what you believe in or any thoughts you want to share. Anyone who knows you and appreciates what you bring to the table would’ve never unfollowed you (my humble opinion).
Just remember you, my friend, have a heart of GOLD…and with every blog you post, I know you are making this HR world we work under a better place to learn, thrive and grow.
Margo,
I remember last year. My cell phone rang as I was walking out of work and it was you. You had 3 questions for me. One was aobut how to source candidates in a particular field you had the opportunity to do a split on, another was if it is legal to ask your social security number on an Internet job application and the 3rd was about going to TRU London with the hope of picking up a job as a Recruiter there.
You were new to social media, never worked as a Recruiter or HR Generalist and were looking to grow in those areas.
You attended HR evolution and other unconferences, spent hundreds of hours over the past year hanging out with HR types & Recruiters in person and virtually. – You have received quite an education from many of them. They have been very generous in sharing their expertise with you and you have developed new skills as a result.
In the past year you now have a blog, manage social media accounts where you work, have an Internet radio show, a Facebook Fan Page, and I’m sure other things I don’t know about.
Fast forward to now. You attended HRevolution this year and had a completely different experience because you changed, not so much the event. It is likely newbies that attended this year got out of it what you did last year. Different perspective this time around for you. It could be perceived as selfish to want to change the event to meet your needs when it very well may be meeting the needs of people who are like you were last year. Perhaps you could attend a more advanced type of event now that you have been around the block a little bit. It doesn’t mean others should change for you like you are suggesting. Even in your retraction you have comments about how the event should change. Sorry if it sounds harsh, I mean it in the best way.
The fact is, at an unconference ANYONE can start a conversation about a topic, you could have too if you had something more interesting, technical or advanced to talk about. It would have only taken pulling a chair into an empty spot and announcing a conversation topic you could have led. Remember, there are no rules. To me, that makes criticizing content less than valid, because everyone at an unconference is responsible for it.
I agree with you now, that your post was over the edge. It was less than professional and personal. Instead of “I” statements you used “You” statements and it reeked of attack. You have made a huge attempt at retraction and apology and it seems sincere when you say you realize you pop your mouth off sometimes when it isn’t a good idea. I hope that in the same way you apologized that it will be accepted and that shredded relationships can again become civil.
I personally do not appreciate the unconference format, and I have clearly stated it on several occasions. However, it is simply my preference, not the problem of unconference organizers. I wish them all well. I have made a decision to attend and organize other types of events that better suit my needs and wants. Have I talked in circles yet?
P.S. Serious constructive criticism ~>can<~ be accomplished quite tactfully. Don't fall for anyone baiting you to rant as a venue for their entertainment. I sense baiting in some of your readers' comments.
Margo, at the end of every day, only you can look at yourself in the mirror and be satisfied or dissatisfied with how you performed during the day. It’s that simple.
As for critiquing conferences, as long as your argument isn’t of the nanny-nanny poo-poo type where you criticized what a person was wearing then you’re free to do so. I disagree with Lance that an ERE conference is different than an unconference; they’re both participant driven. The one difference is that the UN is opinion and discussion whereas the ERE is more pontificate and moderately discuss. Both are valid formats and both help teach and dissect recruiting. In both cases, the best talks take place in the corners and shadows away from the masses. So when people like me write posts about attending these, it’s based on these private convos rather than the sessions.
BTW, “pontificate” may not be the best word but it is the word I’d use to describe someone talking about how they’ve had success and that you too can adopt their model.
Margo, the only reason to take down a post is when it is hijacked by someone leaving a comment to push their own agenda. Otherwise, leave it up and address the underlying issues.
On a side note – what’s with not being able to leave a space between paragraphs here? Or at least give a commenter the opportunity to indent the start of his paragraph……..
I know it’s not you Margo. Certainly – you would be a fan of proper structure for the written word…..
Put it up, put it up, put it up!
Karla great comment – tho
1. I didn’t see anyone goading Margo on to anything foolish. (Tho I admit that I didn’t read every one).
2. Both of the unconferences I attended had structures that did not permit anyone to pull up a chair and announce that she was going to start her own little session here and now.
I have to run to a meeitn but Animal, I may be reading between the lines on the goading thing, I swear I picked some vibes up tho… And the only rule at an unconference is that there are no rules – if a topic is more interesting than the one going on people will fit like sardines with you in the hall if they have to.
Margo-
This is an interesting conversation and perhaps it is what should have been stirred by your original post. I think that this is your forum to say whatever you want or think needs to be said. I would agree with Maureen that if any regret or worry is attached to what you have written, then revise or perhaps even take down but I do believe YOUR name is at the top of this blog, isn’t it?
While personal attacks are never acceptable, it sounds like what came back to you was similar to just that… Kind of like slapping a kid for hitting another kid. Not good behavioral management, eh?
While I, too, missed the original post, I do believe that it is your right to critique or right about it in any way that you seem fit. Did you pay money to attend? Were you expecting to learn something new or had you been lead to believe that you would learn something new?
Conferences are great, amazing resource to add to your ongoing education but as you know better than most, real life, working it daily, one-on-one conversations lead to more information share than most of our little brains can possibly handle and more than can be gained from attending every single conference out there. The trick is to attend at a pace that allows for upload not overload.
I am sorry that anyone was hurt over this whole issue. It is not easy to balance what we say in print so as to not reflect poorly on anyone, including ourselves. Unless, of course, there is a need to expose a wrongdoing, a lie or an abuse of any kind.
Maybe because your commission has been “Compassionate HR,” your response surprised a few?
Seems like you have received plenty o’ feedback, best wishes, my dear.
We all have our opinions. I understood your perspective when I read your original post. I did not agree with it as a whole. However, I came from a different place, perspective and most likely wanted to recieve different things. That being saide – I think that the original post came off differently then you intended. Sadly, what we intend does not always come across accurately when read by others.
Unfortunatelty, the deletion of your thoughts could also communicate something you did not intend to communicate.
Your thought: Truth be told, I find arrogant, elitist attitudes offensive. When I hear it, I rebel, and strike back.
Sadly, while I don’t think it was your intent, coming across arrogant and offensive was what I left with in your post. If my advice holds any weight I would say that when you are about to express a strong opinion that people will agree or disagree with and about anything involving multiple people – I would suggest reading and re-reading through your own words until you are sure the message you are sending is the message that will be heard. This may help you to know and be sure that what you intend to communicate from your head and heart, comes across accurately on the page/blog.
Writing is a powerful tool. It can segragate and diminish the writer/reader or encourage and inspire.
@Steve – Good point. I should clarify that topics are more editorially driven by participants in an unconference setting than a traditional event. Certainly participants discuss issues at more formal events like ERE and there can be some very open dialog there as well.
Hey Margo, it’s too bad that the popularity of you in the last day or so was a result of your claim to having been censored. Like Rayanne says, it’s your post, its your blog so really, it’s you who took the post down and changed it unless those you wrote about have editing access on this blog of yours. I read the post and it’s your opinion and that is what is great about everyone getting a voice here on the net. The fact that people were disappointed and made a big deal about the fact that people did not like what you wrote is no big deal at all and on top of that you knew the post you removed was going to cause a stir because you said so on a twitter post before you published it so it’s not really right to make a big deal of a reaction you knew was going to happen. In any event, it’s not easy to please everyone. I remember when I put on the first recruitfest! a few years back and the recruiting animal hated it. I have a clip of a discussion he and I had about it. Have a listen Margo, I think you will like it:
http://bit.ly/9kuXhT
@Margo
I read both your posts, and was actually referred to in the first one. I’d like to make these points:
1. As far as the HRevolution experience goes, I didn’t get what I wanted out of it either, and I wrote a blog post that expressed that. I shared my opinion openly with a number of people, seeking feedback on my impressions and my level of dissatisfaction, and I still haven’t quite worked through what it is that is bothering me.
2. You referred to me in your first post, mentioning that I asked if you had had your questions answered, and your post said you could only roll your eyes at that. I asked because you approached me earlier in the day and expressed interest in hearing about tactical blogging. I am not sure what you meant, and since you hadn’t asked many questions during the session, I was trying to ensure that we tried to get to what you wanted to talk about.
I really don’t mind that you mentioned me in your post, albeit anonymously. I may or may not be a masterful facilitator as you tweeted to me the other day, but I did reach out to you with good intention.
I just wish you would have asked those burning questions, rather than sitting there stewing, or whatever. It is important to remember that you get out of any session what you put in. I may or may not be a masterful facilitator as you tweeted to me the other day, but I did reach out to you with good intention.
3. You are doing a lot of things in the social media space. Stay focused, lighten up on working the space so hard and be sincere going forward. let your work speak for itself.
As far as I am concerned, the rest of this shit is really spilled milk, and we don’t have time for a lot of that, so I am over it.
Karla, you were at Recruitfest 09. The track leaders were pre-arranged.
If you had tried to set up your own little track, you would surely have discovered that an unconference does, in fact, have rules.
I’m willing to survey all un-conference organizers if necessary to prove my point. And I will also take bets against anyone who wants to disagree with me.
@Karla – I thought your comment was intelligent and thoughtful, as usual. I totally understand your personal “un”preference for unconferences, I truly want to meet with you and have a conversation, soneday, somewhere.
@Animal – I personally went to two different HRevolution attendees and told them they were free to start their own tracks and create their own conversations. This was done after they had said they were looking for some specific content. It is up to them to gather their own participants together, though – the organizers are not going to take on this responsibility for sheer lack of time. While I admit we had some space limitations at HRevolution that made this difficult, it was not impossible. I was an organizer – and you are not correct, at least not about HRevolution. I can’t answer for other unconferences.
Margo,
I’m glad to see that you have put up a revised version of your post. I looks like you have put some thought into your original statements. Per our conversation yesterday, this was bound to spur some important dialogue… which is a very good thing!
In my mind, there are very few people who wake up in the morning committed to failure. Most people (IMO) want to do well at what they dedicate their time and energy to. While I did not have the opportunity to attend the last version of HREvolution, I’m sure that the organizers were aiming for success. While I’m sure many people left with positive takeaways, it sounds like you were left wanting more. Hopefully your feedback will lead to an even better conference next time around.
Keep blogging, keep sharing your voice, keep pushing forward – that’s all anyone could ask of you.
Good luck Margo!
Michael
I think Maureen has a good point:
“I also wonder where’s the new blood? Is there even any room for it anymore? Are we crowding out voices we should be hearing?”
Thanks Joan. It wasn’t like that at the Recruitfest.
The comment I left yesterday seems to be gone. That is weird.
Listen Jason, I am NOT the one who claimed I was being censored. Michael Long was concerned about me being censored, but that was not the case. I pulled the original post because I quickly realized it was hurting people. Lance was correct. I wrote the post hastily. I posted it without careful reflection. I did the exact same thing last year after HRevolution. I attended, and I hurried home to write my glowing, rave review. It was riddled with errors, and then I had to pull it, re-write it and post. That is another lesson worth learning. If emotions are running high while writing a post, it might be best to let it simmer for 24 hours. It makes sense to show that post to a trusted friend before posting. That is what I intended to to do.
I processed my feelings about the unconference with Chris Havrilla driving home from the event. I told her I was going to write up my thoughts, and run the post by her. After I wrote the post, I felt this burning desire to rage at the machine, tilt at the windmills, and charge after the titans with whom I vehemently disagreed. In hindsight, that was NOT wise.
Yes, my name is at the header of my blog. Yes, I have a right to my own opinion, but I don’t have a right to harm innocent people with my words. “First, do no harm,” is a quote I try to live by. Sometimes, I fall short of that noble goal. There are times, when I’m so frustrated after attended a course, workshop, seminar, or in this case an unconference, that I want to let everybody know how disappointed I was.
While it might feel good in the moment, I can tell you from experience that the emotional hangover after doing so is not worth the cathartic moment. Burning bridges is never a good idea. The analogy I used in a tweet was that of a film critic. If a movie is bad, the film critic pans it. A large part of his audience might disagree, and boo; a large part of his readership might agree and applaud.
I did not say I hated the conference. What I said is that I disagreed with one of the presenters, and my learning took place between the sessions, not during them. That’s the truth. That was my personal experience. Now, I could have re-written the entire post so that it was less inflammatory. I didn’t. Instead, I chose to apologize for any harm I caused.
There’s a wonderful word in yiddish “Mensch.” A mensch is a good person who knows what the right thing to do is, and does it. This is my attempt at being a mensch.
Many of my readers have been encouraging me to put the original critique of HRevolution back up. I asked myself these questions last night after reading your comments:
1) Is it honest?
2) Is it respectful?
3) Is it helpful?
3) Is it kind?
My original post was honest, but it was not respectful, nor was it kind. So, I choose to not re-post the original. By now, the original post has been emailed, and texted throughout the HR community. Re-posting my original comments would just feel gratuitous. I ask myself, “What’s the point?” The point for me now is simply this: learn from your mistakes, grow as a result of them, and keep stretching to become a better human being.
Margo,
For what it’s worth, here are my thoughts:
1: For me it was worth the expense of getting on a plane to attend. I didn’t think ALL the presenters were great but personally I wouldn’t point that out in a blog. I would disagree with content but I would also point out that that everyone gave up their own time and money to share. I applaud them all for that and salute the effort.
2:I am busy enough without any homework. I will explore the points I want further with the facilitators. I don’t want or need the organisers to dictate what I should be doing after.
3: What you are sugesting looks closer to a class. There is nothing wrong with that but i’m not sure that it is a forum I would enjoy.
4: @animal, #tru events have lots of break away tracks and coffee discussions. We actively encourage that and provide space. My observation to #HRevolution is that with so many new unconference attendees, I think a certain amount of conference style attending was inevitable. If thats how the attendees are comfortable, it is their show and they learn how they want.
5: I got 7 good take aways including a big one at the blogging track. I talked to 7 or 8 potential new bloggers and have hopefully encouraged them to get started. If even one gets started, it will have been worth it. I also spoke to 5 bloggers I admire and they gave me some great advice.
Bill
Margo,
Wow – lots of great comments! While I didn’t read either of your posts until after they went live, I’m glad to see you re-posted something because I think the dialogue is a good thing. Frankly that is what these un-conferences are all about. There has been just as much, if not more, great conversation after the event and that is a good thing too.
As you and I discussed, I don’t think my opinion is important to what you are writing because then it is my opinion and not yours. I appreciate differing opinions and diversity in thoughts – whether I agree with them or not. It is your blog, so say what you want to say. Having said that, I am a big believer in focusing on your message – one may have something important to say but it can get lost in how one says it. It’s hard to go wrong though when you are respectful and constructive.
It sounds like you have said what you wanted to say and personally feel better about what you re-posted — it’s certainly generating good thoughts and conversation — so I would stick with that and move on!
Thank you Karla. Early in my career I spent 5 years in recruiting, after which I attended graduate school to study Organization Development. That is why I wanted to return to recruiting after I closed The Paw Spa. I spent most of my career in corporate training, leadership, and career coaching. I landed exactly where I am supposed to be. I happen to love my job. It allows me the opportunity to leverage my social media, HR and OD background to help our firm, and our clients.
I remember when you wrote a post entitled, “I’m Done With Un.” I think for the time being, I’m done with Un too. I also agree with Bill Boorman that perhaps a better use of my money is on courses for professional development. The comments that my post ignited surprised and delighted me. I appreciate the criticism, the insight, and the opinions of my peers. In fact, I’ve never had this many comments on a post before. You are right Karla, I have had quite an education from my peers on twitter, and facebook. I’ve always been a self-taught professional. Even though I’ve been graced with an advanced degree, and countless seminars over the years, I can honestly say that I learn the most from by networking, and benchmarking with my peers. I agree with each of your points.
Now, my next challenge is to find ways to create new streams of revenue as a result of the 4 conferences/unconferences I’ve attended since November 2009.
Thanks again for reading my blog.
Tell us more about the Paw Spa.
What were the challenges?
What were the rewards?
With this information I got in you here in this discussion I think I might finally Know what I am going to do.