Why WorkHumanLive is the Woodstock for HR and Leadership

It's my favorite conference, and you're about to find out why.

I went to my 6^th WorkhumanLive conference last week. This time it was in Austin, Texas. It’s my favorite conference by far.

Eric Moseley, the CEO of WorkHuman, calls it “Woodstock for HR”. I was a little young to go to Woodstock, but I’m inclined to agree with him. It’s always illuminating.

One of this years’ keynotes was Brene Brown, one of my workforce heroes; I could write pages on what I learned from her. (But I’m not going to and I’m pretty sure she wants to keep lots of that stuff for herself)!

Here are 10 key concepts I learned last week:

1. We confuse communication with connection. Connection is hard and vulnerable. - Brown

2. We need to understand this about today's employees (at least those under 40): You are a stop on their way to a career. - Barbie Brewer - Author, Lead and Let Live

3. Studies suggest that Americans are now more likely to make friends at work than in any other context, including schools, neighborhoods, or places of worship. - Moseley

4. Employees who are thriving in their personal lives are 86% more likely to be engaged at work. —Ed O’Boyle, Global Practice leader, Gallup

5. Leadership is a mindset. Not what you know but how you think. - Nancy Giordano, Author - Leadering

6. 69% of employees feel they are fairly paid when recognition is done well. But only 8% feel fairly paid when recognition is handled poorly. – O’Boyle

7. As a leader and as an organization, it’s essential to know your identify - be clear and honest - then let people decide whether they come or go. If you don’t have an identity, people don’t know why they should stay.  - Brewer

8. 20% of Millennials report having no friends at all, emphasizing a significant issue of social isolation among younger generations. -Moseley

9. The key attributes of today’s best hires are: grounded confidence, humility, a learner and curiosity. Because none of us know what we’re doing. The knowers are going to become irrelevant.  -Brown

10. Leaders need to cultivate emotional intelligence, empathy, and collaboration skills to manage diverse teams and drive organizational success in a humane manner. – Andrew McAfee, Principal Research Scientist, IT Sloan School of Management

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