5
O
ft quoted as a curse in disguise of ancient
Chinese origin, there is no research that
substantiates that pedigree. Rather, more
points to this ubiquitous quote being of 20
th
century
Western sources.
Regardless of its progenitor, we all share a common
understanding that living in interesting times is good
and bad, sometimes both at once. I can’t think of
a time in history that doesn’t have this mixture, and
2014 is no exception. In an organization of more
than 3,700 members and more than 150 programs
each year, plus a plethora of other service offerings,
it is an “interesting” challenge to highlight just a few
things from a year. Here are three.
HR West breaks the
1,000 participant mark…
The 30
th
HR West was also the biggest, with 1,030
members of the HR community — attendees,
subject matter experts and service partners —
coming together to transcend best practices
and learn about “next” practices. The event sold
out for the sixth consecutive year. In an age
where so much of our time is spent online, taking
three days away to learn together, build real
relationships, make new connections, participate in
the “accidental” knowledge sharing that happens
when colleagues share experiences and inspire
thoughts and questions we never knew we had.
Such second order learning happens in person. It
can’t be “googled.” It isn’t individual. It is collective.
We are a community.
A fault line in certification…
On May 12, an announcement by the Society for
Human Resource Management sent shock waves
through the profession. After almost 40 years of
partnership with the Human Resources Certification
Institute (HRCI) and promotion of its multiple
certifications — PHR, SPHR, CA specific, GPHR,
etc. — SHRM was creating and releasing its own
certifications based on global competency research
with more than 30,000 respondents. The new
certifications — SHRM CP and SCP (for Certified
Professional and Senior Certified Professional) —
will launch in January 2015. From the early reports,
it was unclear on whether the HRCI certifications,
or HRCI for that matter, would continue to exist.
However, we now know that SHRM certifications
will enter a market that includes HRCI.
As one of the largest providers of certification
preparation in the nation for HRCI certification
and, though a separate entity and corporation, a
SHRM affiliate, NCHRA shelved multiple projects
to focus on understanding the situation and
crafting a strategy to communicate the dynamics of
what was occurring, what options were available to
our community and how we could move forward in
service to that community — our primary duty —while
preserving two very important partnerships. With
NCHRA leadership crisscrossing the nation multiple
times throughout the summer and into fall, we are
pleased to share that we will be offering preparatory
courses and recertification credit options for both
certifications in 2015. The SHRM competency model
is the first “new” criteria against which to benchmark
HR practice and practitioners in some time. Given
SHRM’s size and influence, what and how we denote
professional excellence is sure to be shaped by the
introduction of the new certifications.
YP movement gains traction…
Two years ago, based on member feedback
and association trends, NCHRA launched a
membership targeted at YP’s (Young Professionals)
that considered their unique early career needs and
the uniqueness of their demographic, including
preferences in learning and development. That year
we got two YP members! Last year, our YP ranks
swelled to 120. And this year? In 2014, we formed
a YP Advisory Board, doubled our YP programming
and events, and…grew by more than 50%. Now
that we have a foundation to build on, look for more
successes with this important demographic that
represents the future of our profession.
Some odds and ends…
Now in our 55
th
year, we continue our focus on
community and learning and the bedrock of
professional and association growth. We believe in
high service, high value and high touch. We believe
that the guiding tenant that birthed the association
— that we were stronger together — still holds true.
So, what’s next?
More. Different. Better.
Interesting times.
Referencing that concept in 1966, when NCHRA
was 6, JFK said, “Like it or not we live in interesting
times. They are times of danger and uncertainty;
but they are also more open to the creative energy
of men than any other time in history.”
Still true today.
Looking forward to serving you in 2015.
HR
“May you live in
interesting times.”
— Anonymous
A S S O C I A T I O N
•
YEAR IN REVIEW
•
Year In Review
By Danika Davis, CEO
