Nadine Schomacker’s Post

When you walk in purpose, you realize that your actions are meant to uplift those around you. That’s why I deeply admire Sonja Southerland, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, the visionary behind the ICON HR and Business Conference, and her dedication to planning an event that truly benefits others. As someone who knows firsthand the immense work and sacrifices required to host meaningful gatherings, I can attest to how selflessly she pours into making this conference a success. If you've ever attended an UNPLUG event, you know the level of commitment and excellence I stand for. Trust me when I say ICON will deliver the same, if not more. Meeting Sonja felt like reconnecting with a lifelong friend. Her vision to empower HR professionals and business leaders to excel, celebrate their achievements, and reach new heights is profoundly inspiring. ICON is not just another conference; it’s a powerful convergence of like-minded professionals. The boldness and courage required to facilitate such an impactful space is truly commendable. Expect more than just talks at ICON. Get ready for engaging discussions, fun, laughter, and learning from the best in the field. This event is crafted to offer real opportunities for growth and connection. I will be there, and I’d love for you to join me. Don’t miss out on this chance to be part of something extraordinary. Grab your tickets now and be ready to engage, learn, and grow with us at ICON! Event details and link: https://lnkd.in/eVcyFwX9 #ICONConference #HR #BusinessLeadership #ProfessionalGrowth #Networking #Conference2024 #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerAdvancement

It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks of travel, speaking, and meeting tons of great HR and Talent leaders at conferences. These events are so great for learning new things, meeting new people, and reconnecting with old colleagues or friends. And there’s nothing like doing it in person. But these conferences can also be expensive, taxing, and time consuming. So you want to make sure they have been worth the investment. How do you do that? For me, it comes down to two important follow-up activities: 1. Review notes and see which new things I want to implement in my business or career. 2. Follow up people I’ve met (and even those I missed) to continue the conversations and relationships. Just connecting on LinkedIn is not enough. I don’t always do these things well but I’ve been trying to get better over the years and even block a day after a conference for follow up and implementation. I’ve already followed up with a lot of people from the HR summit in Porto and booked many speakers to come onto my podcast as a guest as well as continue our conversations. And now I need to do the same for ATD. If we met there, give me a shout! 👏🏻 How do you make sure you get value from the conferences you attend? Or is just being there good enough?

"Can I swear?" We have been approaching some of the speakers for next years' Big Meet in the last couple of days (if we haven't gotten to you yet - we will, and thank you for your patience!) and letting them know the next steps in getting prepped for announcing the line up in the New Year. One of the speakers dutifully sent over their talk title and synopsis with a matter of hours, and it felt a bit...corporate. Here's what our founder, Emma Djemil said: "At the moment, I feel like this comes across a bit more 'corporate' than our event is in reality, so I'm going to ask you to think about this a little differently, to be more 'Big Meet'. Imagine there's a dial and on the one side there's 'corporate' world and on the other side there's down the pub with your mates 😂 The Big Meet leans more towards the down your pub with your mates vibe, with less wine (until the evening party anyway 😂). It's all about us connecting as humans who happen to be in HR, not HR professionals and all that comes with that title. What I'd encourage you to think about is, if you were to turn the dial from corporate more towards down the pub with your mates, how would your talk title and synopsis be different? What would the brave, fun, unfiltered version of your talk be? What are the things you've always wanted to say about your topic but never think you could? The stage is yours to share your story and your experiences, and our audience will take their learnings from what you share about how you've experienced the world and our profession. How would your talk be different if this was the lens you approached it through?" Well, immediately our speaker lit up and recognised this sounds a lot more fun 🤭 and naturally the only next question is to find out whether they can swear or not 🤷♀️ F*%& yeah, we say! Whilst we've sold out of early bird tickets already, there are still tickets available! We mean it when we say this event is unlike any other HR event you've ever been to, and it may be exactly what you need, without even realising it 😎 #TheHRBigMeet #WomenInHR #Community #WeSwearInHR

I had the incredible opportunity to attend the #HRSymposium in the beautiful Hunter Valley this week. The event brought together 120 of the most influential HR leaders from across Australia and New Zealand for two days of insightful discussions, networking, and learning. In addition to having the privilege of leading a discussion on O.C. Tanner's Global Culture Report, in a "choose your own adventure" format with Alex Franklin (I promise I was having more fun than my face suggests in the photo), I also had the delight of soaking up insights from a range of outstanding speakers. Key Takeaways: Prudence Pitter, MBA, SPHR, GPHR shared some fantastic insights on wellness and psych safety including being concious of the tone that is set when the same person speaks first, and the importance of being deliberate. Mike Bollinger gave us 5 tips on fostering innovation and agility, including excellent advice to embrace the content creator economy. Michael Kim told us all AI isn't scary and then proceeded to tell two terrifying Terminator-esc stories 😂 before putting our minds at ease and encouraging us to leverage AI to create time for human interaction. Anne Das Gupta blew us all away with her vulnerable and direct breakout session on DE&I. I loved all the points, especially - if you're being hired as a change maker ask for permission to make the leadership team uncomfortable and gaining that sponsorship upfront before you say yes! I listened into a fireside chat on sponsorship vs. mentorship with Rashida Lowe & Katrina Dawson and learned how to enact sponsorship as a bias disruptor. As well as insightful panel discussions on finding or authentic voice and equality... the list goes on. Beyond the sessions, the symposium was intentional in creating time to connect with fellow HR professionals, exchange ideas, and build lasting relationships. A huge thank you to Ashton Media Stacey Goater, Rosanna McConnachie and team for organising such a fantastic event. I left feeling inspired and equipped with fresh ideas. Looking forward to next year’s symposium! #HRSymposium #HumanResources #EmployeeWellbeing #DiversityAndInclusion #ContinuousLearning

What are your ahri preferences for topics next year? Follow directions below to have your say.

I had an awesome time attending "The Humans Workshop" event hosted by Ethena at the Lattice HQ last week. 🤗 The event speakers Melanie Naranjo, Kelli Dragovich and Chantelle Cappa Egan dove into depths of the HR world with their war stories and experiences. Here are a few learnings that stood out to me the most: 1. A lot of the time HR don't get credit for doing their work, especially when it comes to employee relations and compliance. Founders/executives want to move the business forward, and taking the time to take proper steps on employee concerns does not often bring credit, yet it still has to be done. 2. As an HR leader, you should be playing chess, not checkers. Thinking about your options a few steps ahead is important and can save you from getting into a messy situation. 3. As an HR leader, you need be able to juggle a lot of tasks and yes - ultimately help move the business forward. However, it is important to be able compartmentalize and separate your work from affecting your personal mental health. It's an easy way to get burnt out, and will ultimately prevent you from helping others in the long term. There are tons of other nuggets that were shared in this event, but I'd rather focus on three. The interesting insight for me personally is that the more I learn about HR, the more similarities I see with Product Management and can relate their lessons to my PM/Founder journey. Huge shoutout to the Ethena team for the event. I'm excited to join (and host) a lot more HR events in the Bay Area soon 🥳

It is sad that even in our industries biggest events HR is not given the respect it deserves. https://lnkd.in/dWdmBr7R If you would like help pitching the importance of your role and the tools you need to do it best let me know. I can get you the software you need and am happy to help build the business case to pitch to the other leaders in your organization.

It’s funny how we celebrate events like New Year but forget to celebrate our own wins. It doesn’t come naturally. It is something I am trying to do more of because it is so easy to beat yourself up and think of all the things you need to do, forgetting how far you have come. What have you achieved in 2023? For me I am proud of 1. Getting the HR networking group off the ground 2. Supporting some lovely 1:1 clients and helping them feel more proud of themselves and more hopeful and brave. 3. Running my first self-employed workshop in person No matter what your achievements, give yourself a pat on the back today.

🌟 Thrilled to be featured in TAG HR's article, "A Guide to Networking with Confidence." I share some of my favorite networking strategies, including the 'croissant' technique, which makes professional interactions more inclusive and productive. They even embedded my TEDx talk so you can see this sticky networking tip in action! Now that in-person networking is back on your calendar check out the article for practical tips that can transform your networking game. A big thanks to Seema Aurora, Jesika Arseneau, and the entire TAG HR team for including me in this insightful article. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eWfxBgyG #Networking #BusinessNetworking #HumanResources #ProfessionalGrowth #Inclusion