The 2013 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Conference held last week in Chicago, Illinois was filled with valuable advice and insight from some of the most respected industry leaders. Clarity’s own Elizabeth Wade, Operations Manager, and Eileen Riebling, ClarityHR Division Lead, attended the event.

With the overarching conference theme of “Become More”, professionals were encouraged become bolder, stronger, better and look at how to propel themselves to the next level. Among the notable speakers who illustrated the theme perfectly were Hillary Rodham Clinton, Fareed Zakaria, Blake Mycoskie, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords.

The speech that had the greatest impact on Elizabeth was that of Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords. Mark Kelly encouraged people to pay more attention to the process. It is more important to focus on the process rather than outcome. In a goal-oriented society, people sometimes lose sight that the hard work and praise belongs more to the process. He also touched upon how important decision-making is. He exemplified this point by saying that when it came to decisions about his wife’s health, he would ask everyone in the room what they thought starting with the most junior person. If he had started with the most senior person, it is likely that a more junior person might have been influenced by what they had said or may not be asked at all. That method ensures the person receives the broadest amount of information and in turn, makes a more educated decision.

Eileen was moved by Blake Mykoskie, the founder of TOMS, who was on one career path and was motivated to start an entirely different company. Riebling found it inspiring to know that work can make a person feel so great by not only enjoying what you do but know you are doing good. People want to be connected and give back. “It would be really amazing to see this turn as a trend. Larger companies have a corporate social responsibility department but smaller businesses should start to think creatively about how they can incorporate giving into their culture,” said Eileen Riebling.

A discussion about working with “Millennials” prompted Elizabeth to realize how important it is in this industry. Staffing and recruiting involves working with Millennial candidates on a daily basis and it’s important to understand how they work. Not only are they adept with technology but they want more progressive work places that allow for flexibility. “HR professionals need to keep this in mind as they manage a younger generation of workers,” said Elizabeth Wade. “Millennials are rewriting the rules by tearing down corporate ladders. It’s crucial for them to feel connected to passion and purpose.”

For more information about SHRM, please visit http://www.shrm.org.