The HR Nightclub – #SHRM11

Culture.  Passion.  The sweet spot. Understanding the unique culture of your workplace.  A common theme here at SHRM11. 

It’s something I’ve been spending a lot of time working through lately.  Organizational values that lay that foundation for every aspect of business operations and business excellence.  Ensuring those values are apparent to new employees and resonate with existing staff.   Values which drive how things are done.  Values that are not a mystery. 

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So because I’m an awesome SHRM11 attendee I decided it was important to take advantage of the entire conference experience as it unfolded in Las Vegas.  And no trip to Vegas would be complete without a trip to one of the nightclubs that pay ridiculously obscene amounts of money to have Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears show up and model spanx spandex lovely cocktail dresses.  The world of:

* Velvet Ropes

* Hand stamps

* Secret handshakes and folded bills to get access to the top floor/side door/VIP area

* And one HR chick rockin’ her SHRM conference bag. (Rock on baby!)

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There were cultural codes.  Social spheres-within-the-spheres.  I watched and observed.  Figured out where I could walk; what section of the club I could pass through without the ginormous bouncer blocking me.

As the night went on, the crowd changed.  New people came in.  Groups switched spots on the dance floor.  The vibe in the space transformed with every new song that came pumping over the speakers. Newbies walking in, who were not the typical club-goers, scanned the room, checked the space and determined where they could fit.

That nightclub was a vibrant, pulsating, ever-evolving organism. Like your organization.  And mine.

Are your people walking in the door with a sense of knowing where they fit?  Do they understand where to go – – – and how to get there?