Being critical is easy. Raising the bar impossibly high for others makes more sense than holding yourself to the same impossibly stringent requirements. We all do it.

In the past, when I struggled with an issue, or I felt slighted by someone, or didn’t get the “proper” treatment, I enjoyed writing about it, or if I didn’t derive pleasure, I at least found it somewhat therapeutic. I’m always tempted to resort to this and call it “writing.”

I’ve been ruminating about a variety of things of late. I’ve been more pensive the past week than I’ve been in quite some time.

So many things are right where they’re supposed to be for me at present. Others feel slightly off-kilter, and some things don’t seem right at all. That’s the complexity that makes life such a mystery and the only thing worth living for.

It’s Friday, I need a post, so what you have is some slightly cryptic noodling.

I was tempted to write something about the latest petulant outburst from Maine’s esteemed governor, but I checked that urge because that would have been too easy. It would have been fun, though.

Instead, I leave you with some Flipper (the band, not the dolphin).

Can we cut harmful CO2 emissions?

No One likes breathing in noxious fumes and air tainted with pollutants. In places like Maine, clean air and pure water are both essential elements of the state’s brand, and well worth holding onto.

Air pollution still poses a health risk for many Americans. Diseases like asthma, COPD, even heart attacks can be exacerbated by exposure to the various elements and particulates that cause air pollution.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the driving forces in worsening air pollution around the world, and is a major element in global warming. New climate models show that a warming world and CO2 are a deadly duo. Anything we can do to lower CO2 emissions is a step in a positive direction.

One major source of CO2 is power plant emissions. An EPA study in 2010 indicated that U.S. power plants released 72 percent of the greenhouse gases reported to the agency. It’s no surprise that according to an Associated Press analysis of the data, 20 mostly coal-fired power plants in 15 states account for the top-releasing facilities.

If you’re a science-denier, then none of of this matters, and the following news won’t either. However, even if you are on the periphery of the climate change issue and debate, positive news is always welcome and shows that efforts at the federal level, and in local states matter and can help change the way that major industrial polluters look at the issue.

The Benchmarking Air Emissions report, released last week shows that major power plant polluters in some parts of the country are curbing emissions. In fact, the electric industry cut emissions of NOx, SO2 and CO2 in 2011 even as overall electricity generation increased. This was due mainly to the use of natural gas and renewables, rather than previous power sources, like coal.

It was interesting that the report revealed that states like Wyoming, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, and North Dakota had the highest CO2 emissions per megawatt-hour of power produced, while Idaho, Vermont, Washington, Oregon, and Maine had the lowest CO2 emissions rates.

We still have a long way to go to ensure that air quality and dangerous emissions that contribute to global warming are reduced, but there are signs that industry is paying attention to government efforts to mandate lower levels of CO2.

Mark used the landscaping skills acquired during his college stint working for Anderson Landscaping.  He dug out the holes, planted three plants, and added some compost from our bin.

The next morning, some animal (skunk?) had dug around the plants (attracted by the compost) and the plants were lying on their sides. I replanted them, adding some commercial compost from a small company in Lisbon Falls.

Later in the summer, it appeared the leaves had been devoured by the birds. I figured that my future in blueberries was limited.

On Friday, while mowing, I noticed my little blueberry bushes had sprouted buds.

Yesterday, after swimming and biking 25 miles, I cleaned out the beds, and added some organic Holly-tone that I picked up at Allen, Sterling & Lothrop; I, also picked up some breathable fabric for later, when the berries come, to keep the birds away.

I took a few pictures and emailed them to Mark to say, “the bushes are budding.”

He wrote back thanking me for caring for them and that they looked a bit like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Budding blueberry plant.

Hopefully I can keep the plants from animals and birds.

Mogwai, The Heartless Bastards, Kurt Vile, Jeff Buckley, Todd Rundgren.

Music has always been a big part of the Jim Baumer Experience. Every blog I’ve ever maintained at least occasionally brushed up against music, especially music with a big beat, albeit, rock and roll.

The term rock and roll isn’t what it used to be. When the first electric guitars got plugged in and amplification changed modern music, rock was a rebel yell into the conservative abyss and a kick in the teeth to the status quo. Now? Not so much.

My very first blog, set up by a co-worker in 2002 on a platform called Greymatter, had a choice of a “song for the day” when posting. It was a feature I appreciated at the time.

While I don’t buy the volume of “new” music that I used to, I still shop for CDs at music establishments, like the Bull Moose stores here in Maine. I’ve never forgotten that thrill at 12, when my mother would drop me off during her Friday shopping trips to Lewiston, and I had an hour to kill looking through the record bins at DeOrsey’s, and later, the Friday night record runs my high school buddies made down the road to Manassas, Ltd. In Brunswick.

My five-year-old sedan, dubbed “JBE1,” has a CD player, as well as an adapter for an MP3 player. I even now have the capability to stream audio from sources like Pandora through my hands-free, Jabra Freeway Bluetooth Speakerphone. I’m much more apt to go the CD route and always carry a cohort of various CDs in the holder that also serves as my armrest. Ford knew me well when it designed the cabin of its Taurus sedan.

I must admit that there are now times when I listen to very little music, and spend my time on the road with an audio book, or news and sports talk radio. The latter two, however, have dropped down considerably on my list. I’m sick of politics and when WEEI spent a week fancying itself as a news station post-Boston Marathon bombing, especially given some of the hate rants and jingoist propaganda it was spewing, I turned to my music CDs.

This post is really a tribute to some of the other prior blogging I’ve done about music. My favorite blogging long player focused on music was the series of posts I did called, “Shuffle play Fridays,” back in the days of Words Matter, on the Blogger platform. I may even have dusted it off once or twice here at the JBE. This was a fun series of musings about the music and other things going on at the time, in late 2009. Here is the SPF archive in one link.

I’ll call this one, “music in my car,” at least for this week.

Kurt Vile “Smoke Ring for My Halo” (Matador)

Kurt Vile was driving a forklift and unloading trucks. He had a dream of playing music. Music was his passion. He believed in himself even if no one else did. After working all day, he’d go home at night and write, play guitar, and record songs onto his four-track into the wee hours.Then he’d get up, after three hours sleep, and provide eight more hours of toil for the man.

Matador came along and released this disc, his first full-length, after a couple of critically received EPs on smaller, indie labels.

“Smoke Ring for My Halo” has that indie, lo-fi feel to it, like it was recorded at 3:00 am after too many beers and you’ve been noodling around on your guitar for a few hours.

My favorite song is “Puppet to the Man,” which sums up how I feel sometimes, just like “I’m a puppet to the man.” Surely Vile felt the same way, driving a forklift and wanting something more.

Kurt Vile is everyone’s anti-hero that believes that there’s a way clear of that dead-end job if you just believe enough in what you’re doing during your off time.

Hell yeah!

Jeff Buckley “Grace” (Columbia)

If you are familiar at all with rock history, you know that Jeff Buckley drowned while taking a spontaneous evening swim in the Wolf River, in Memphis. He was caught in the wake of a passing boat.

Jeff Buckley was also the son of Tim Buckley, which musicologists will recognize as an important pedigree.

When you listen to this disc, it’s hard to believe that Buckley’s gone and that we’ll never know exactly what would have followed this amazing disc. It’s one of the great rock records, and every fan of the genre should have it in their personal collection. I’m glad I got off the snide and picked “Grace” up at Bull Moose in their used section.

It’s hard for me to select a favorite. If forced, then it would be “Hallelujah,” with its religious/spiritual overtones, intimating the Biblical story of David and Bathsheba.

There’s not a weak track on this disc.

Another example of an artist whose time with us was far too short.

Todd Rundgren “The Very Best Of Todd Rundgren” (Rhino)

I remember picking up Creem, the quintessential 1970s rock rag at Robert’s Pharmacy in Lisbon Falls, reading about Todd Rundgren, his move toward progressive rock in the mid-70s, his spiritual leanings with his band Utopia, and wanting to know more. Life in small town America at 12 was like that, at least for me. This was pre-Internet, and we relied on Creem, Rolling Stone, and others, as well as its contributors to tell us what we needed to know at the time.

This Rhino disc pulls together the best of Rundgren spanning his career from 1970-2004. Rhino’s retrospective gathers the cream of both the visionary singer-songwriter’s adventurous solo work and his output with prog-rock trailblazers Utopia. There’s the Rundgren Top 40 hits that most people will recognize, alongside “Love in Action,” and my favorite, “Love Is The Answer.”

Hearing the latter and the lyrics makes you long for a world where love really was the answer. If it was only that simple.

Heartless Bastards “Arrow” (Partisan)

Heartless Bastards are one of my recent “discoveries.” I heard a track on Pandora and wanted to know who that voice was? The voice is Erika Wennerstrom, and it is one of the great set of rock pipes around.

Fans of the band know the story, but Wennerstrom was the product of a home where her parents split at 9. She dropped out of school at 17. Her life was hanging out in Dayton (Ohio) bars, and then there was a period of drugs. All during this time, however, she had a vision of being a singer, leading a band.

Wennerstrom recounts that a friend gave her the push to finally start singing.

“I was always telling him I wanted to sing, and he was just, like, ‘Well then, just do it,’ ” she said. He gave her a Peggy Lee song he loved and said, “ ‘I bet you can sing this.’ He encouraged me to belt it out. He was like, ‘Come on, I know you can do it.’

Ah, for friends like that one, friends who encourage us to greater heights.

After learning a few chords, she started playing electric guitar, and as they say, “the rest is history.”

Actually, there’s a lot more history, but you can look it up on the interwebs. For today, please know that Wennerstrom can belt out a tune, caterwaul, and her singing is like no one else’s, at least not the run-of-the-mill type of karaoke blandness foisted on us by endless Tee Vee knockoffs and contests between musical wannabes.

Wennerstrom is the real deal and The Heartless Bastards just might be the next great American rock and roll band.

Mogwai “Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will” (Sub Pop)

Mogwai are post-rock. Post-rock might be like post-Xianity. You pass through it and come out the other side, aware of the experience and moving forward with new possibilities, not hindered by previous restraints.

Mogwai are Scottish, from that fertile musical hub, Glasgow. Mogwai don’t rock much, but when they do, it’s worth waiting for. I love pretty much everything else in-between.

There are few lyrics, but this isn’t background music. This is music for fans of music that want something more than verse, chorus, verse….that’s rock and roll, and that’s why Mogwai are post-rock.

Unlike many other CDs I own, the song titles mean very little to me, other than as track identifiers. I like them, they make me envision what might be behind the music, but Mogwai are a band that pushes you to expand your ideas about rock, pushing beyond the parameters and filters that define what’s “good” and “bad” when it comes to tuneage.

Track 2, “Mexican Grand Prix,” reminds me of Stereolab. This has human singing, run through a processor, so it’s distorted. Track 5, “San Pedro,” and Track 7, “George Square Thatcher Death Party” come the closest to full-blown rock.

This is excellent music for churning blacktop to.

Another recent Bull Moose (carrying on the fine tradition of record stores, ala DeOrsey’s and Manassas, Ltd.) purchase off the strength of a track I heard, this time streamed from KEXP, one of my favorite online haunts for new music.

Dashboard display of MIMC artists for the week.

I’ve written about my quest to learn to swim. I decided that I wanted to complete a sprint triathlon in June. Mary’s been competing in these for the past three years and I wanted to join her. I only had one problem; I haven’t been in a public pool since I was 12 and I could barely make it down the pool and back. I certainly had no technique.

Last night, I swam 14 consecutive lengths without a break. If you’re not a swimmer, then this is a major accomplishment, especially given that two lengths just about did me in when I began in February. Also, it helps for you to know that a length is 25 yards, or 75 feet.

My prior swim practice, on Saturday, I hit 10 for the first time and completed a series of four of these, meaning I had completed 40 lengths in the pool. What does all this mean concerning my sprint triathlon?

My swim distance I have to complete is 1/3^rd of a mile. That means I have to swim approximately 1,760 feet. On Saturday, and again last night, I was at 3,000 feet. I’m at my distance!! This coming from someone that had little faith in February, when I first began that I’d ever be able to swim. Mary believed in me enough to pair me with a swim coach who has really helped me with four lessons completed. I’ve made steady progress.

When I first started, I’d have bouts of anxiety halfway down the pool, which affected my breathing. I hated being in the water.

Yesterday was a long day at work. I got started at 5:30, had to drive to Bangor, came home and fired off a few final emails and then, headed out to the Greely pool for Monday night swim practice. I’ve had a goal of swimming three times each week.

Last night at Greely, I chugged along, slow, but steady. My goal was 40 lengths, just like on Saturday. I was at 34, plus I’d completed several drills aimed at improving my technique. I knew I needed to do six more and that was my goal. I was really struggling, my left shoulder hurt and I figured I’d quit after 40.

When I touched the end after 40, I got a burst of energy, enough that I knew I could do two more. I was now at a personal record. I was smiling all the way down and back. I’d done it!!

I can’t say that I love to swim, but I’m getting comfortable in the water and I can’t wait for June 9^th!

All of us need something that gets us out of ourselves and our mundane routine.

What’s your passion? For me, mine helps get me out of my head, as swimming, running, and biking are all physical. Maybe you have a physical job and you need a cerebral pursuit?

Here are a few tips towards empowerment for you:

• Pick your passion

• Get focused

• Set a realistic goal

• Have some defined checkpoints along the way and a final outcome at the end

If I can swim, you can do what you set out to do.

Last week at the Maine HR Convention, I met a woman who told me she had lost 105 pounds! Holy cow!! 105 pounds!! She was now running road races and feeling alive for the first time. She mentioned she had been bullied in high school because of her weight. Losing the weight and running made her feel alive. I told her how touched I was that she had shared her story with me.

What do you need to do for your own personal empowerment?

What finish line do you need to cross?

I know only too well that “thinking outside the box” basically gets you left out in the cold, and marginalized. Or, you get the “whispers behind your back” treatment. No one really wants the actual moving out of the box, or new ways of doing things; they just like talking about it.

So, what to do? Do you sell out and compromise your values, or do you find a way to couch what you believe? Perhaps, what gets said is less important than what doesn’t.

I had a busy week, and one where the dissonance of what got said often was juxtaposed by what was occurring around me. These kinds of weeks are actually fairly common in my life.

There was also some amazing beauty, meaningful dialogue, and validation. I’m immensely grateful to the universe for this.

In years past, I’d always plan to leave early to mid-afternoon on my final day before trekking two hours south towards home. Given that our chief affiliate sponsor, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, was sponsoring the after-hours networking event, I decided to hang around. That and the fact that Peter Lowe was presenting at 3:15 on social media policy development kept me engaged during my final day at the Samoset; more to come on Peter and his presentation.

This year, the workshops were where I found my food and sustenance, as well as some new ideas. In previous years, my experience and takeaways came from the A-list keynoters. In 2010, it was Ryan Estis and personal branding, which two years later allowed me to launch my own personal brand, the Jim Baumer Experience.

Ryan was back in 2011 and we had the chance to talk and have maintained a connection. Ryan’s a rock star, but he’s genuine and approachable.

Last year, I had the pleasure of hearing Laurie Ruettimann speak in person in Rockport. Laurie’s another A-lister, who is a blogger extraordinaire. It was great to personally meet someone I’ve admired from afar for how they’ve created a brand and in Laurie’s case, consistently producing relevant content as a blogger.

I met Susan Gallant during Ali Bonas Gamache’s presentation on Leadership & Development, Tuesday afternoon. She was so interesting to talk to after the session and when she shared that she was leading a workshop on Thursday, I made a note to attend her session.

Susan’s workshop was titled, “The Mechanic Meets the Gardener,” which is also the name of her new book. The description in the convention booklet notes that her session was focused on “Engaging HR Creativity.”

This session was so different than anything that I’ve ever attended at the Maine HR Convention that I know I’ll fail to capture it with the kind of brief description that a wrap-up post allows. Let me say that Susan is in the transformation business and this workshop, along with the ideas in her book offer HR leaders and anyone else interested in doing the work, limitless possibilities for growth and transformation. And as the woman who introduced Susan said, she’s “wicked smaht.”

As a writer, I admire and respect anyone that devotes the time it takes to develop and then transcribe their ideas in writing a book. A book takes sacrifice and requires more than being a one-trick pony.

I usually pick up reading material at each convention, and Susan’s book, The Mechanic Meets the Gardener, has been added to my leadership/personal growth books I’ll be focusing on over the next few months. I am also pleased that Susan was available to personally sign my copy at the Sherman’s booth at the convention.

Before moving on to the day’s final session, I wanted to touch briefly on Thursdays’s first keynote with JC Pohl and Erahm Christopher, from Teen Truth.

Teen Truth was founded in response to the shootings at Columbine High School.  Both Pohl and Christopher are dynamic presenters and their morning session was designed to communicate the message that all of us have the potential to make a difference in the lives of others, especially in preventing bullying, including bullying in the workplace, which is a serious issue.

Teen truth; calling others to make a difference.

Now on to social media policies and the case for developing one for your company.

Peter Lowe is an attorney at Brann & Issacson in Lewiston. Peter is also an engaging, funny presenter. He’s not the stereotypical attorney, if there is actually such a thing. Perhaps better, Peter doesn’t  take himself too seriously, or come across as pompous. As a result, he has fun and his audience does too, and we come away with some legal knowledge that’s important to have.

We all know that the horse has left the barn when it comes to employees’ use of social media platforms and smart devices. Despite that knowledge, too many employers (in my opinion) are still taking the approach of trying to “control” usage, by banning it outright, or enacting policies that in some cases are draconian, if not actually illegal.

The afternoon presentation, “Drafting a Social Media Policy,” provided a framework and important considerations for the packed room of mainly HR people. In fact, Peter walked everyone through the basics of a social media policy outline, including terms and language that all policies should have. He also touched on the important recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rulings relative to social media, as well as other legal elements that are framing how the law reads concerning the usage of social media by employees.

While he didn’t say specifically that all companies and other organizations that have employees must have a social media policy, he strongly encouraged them to develop one and have it in place. It will surely save HR professionals headaches down the road.

It’s hard to believe that another Maine HR Convention experience has come and gone. Year #4 for me was again beneficial for me, personally, and also in my capacity as the director for the Maine Business Leadership Network (BLN).

In closing, I marvel every year at the work of Bud and his staff at Northern New England Law Publishers/MaineHR.com, in pulling off the premiere HR event in Maine. Bud, along with Heather, DJ, and Becky do yeoman’s work to make it happen, and they rarely miss a detail. An example this year was adding a shuttle service, sponsored by Bonney Staffing. As the conference has grown to over 800 attendees, the parking at the Samoset has been maxed out. Having a shuttle to and from the surrounding hotels was a great feature and also is part of NNELP’s efforts to have a green conference.

While I was staying a bit further out than the shuttle’s radius, it did free up enough parking that I was able to locate a space each morning in the outer lot and not have to jam my car into some ditch like I did last year.

Lastly, I want to thank Heather, who I’ve had the good fortune to partner with going all the way back to 2004, when she and I used to be neighbors at the Job Fairs that she’d be staffing for the Employment Times and I’d be repping for JobsinME. Bud and company have been supportive of our efforts to launch and grow the Maine BLN, and they are one of our members.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention JobsinME.com, not because I once did their outreach and business development back in 2004-2006, but because they model what Seth Godin talks about in “giving away your work for free. “ Now JobsinME is a for-profit company, but they understand that providing value and support and intentionally partnering, is a positive business practice.

I met Jeremy Haskell of JobsinME at my first conference in 2010 because we were following each other on Twitter; we’ve become friends, and always find some time at each conference to catch up and talk about pushing the envelope in the 21^st century.

The conference’s YouTube channel was again courtesy of JobsinME and Jeremy’s efforts. This year, they had a chance to shoot video out on the Samoset’s deck, overlooking the golf course and Penobscot Bay and Tuesday and Wednesday’s perfect weather helped make this possible. Bob Smith devoted a great deal of time to this effort, also. If you don’t know Bob, you should get to know him by reading his blog, Maine HR Café.

Back to the real world today, but I’ll be carrying new ideas, following up with my new friends and contacts, and carrying this all forward until we meet again in 2014.

Mt. Battie just after sunrise, shrouded in fog.

Day #2 began early, very early, with blogging and then a run into Camden at sunrise. It ended much later, visiting and old friend in Rockland. In-between, my second day at the Samoset for the #MEHRC2013 convention brought the following:

•  Cy Wakeman and reality-based rules for the workplace and leadership

• Diversity and HR’s role facilitating that journey, with Shilpa Pherwani (my favorite workshop)

• Networking with old friends

• Pamela Green unleashing HR’s power

• Networking with new friends

• A late afternoon swim

• Visiting with an old friend in Rockland

From the deck of the Samoset.

Your name, please?

Feeding the Twitter.

In-between, there were a few more things, but this post is really more about my posting my pictures and less about me talking, except…

Shilpa Pherwani’s presentation and workshop, “HR as a Strategic Diversity Partner” was an important one.

Diversity is bandied about all over corporate America. There’s a push to make our companies more friendly to people of color, gender orientation, and in my role with the Maine BLN, we’re focused on a peer-to-peer model that recognizes that hiring people with disabilities is good for business. Yet, our companies often continue to look and act the same as before. There’s to much maintenance of the status quo. If you don’t think so, then you’re not paying attention, or you’re mollifying yourself with happy talk.

The convention is probably a great one if you’re in HR, a good one, if you’re not. But as far as diversity is concerned, a cursory glance around any of the conference rooms or after-hours events at the Samoset shows the attendees aren’t very diverse at all, at least in the way the word is used in HR circles and with groups promoting greater diversity in the workforce. Is that too reality-based for a blog post on the conference? 

If you say the reason is because we’re holding it in Maine and Maine’s the 2^nd whitest state in the nation, I’ll give you a gold star to place on your forehead for noticing the obvious; I’ll also tell you that Maine has pockets of diversity represented by people of color, gays and lesbians, and people with disabilities—I guess they’re just not sitting in positions in HR.

You might be reading this and saying, “who the hell does he think he is?”, or, “he’s not in HR,” but if that’s your reaction, you’re missing my point, or perhaps I placed my drive well (actually, I’m not much of a golfer). 

We’ve made some strides forward to make our companies a tad more diverse, but we can do so much more. For decades now, there’s been a lot of talk, some token attempts to create workplaces that look like the cultural landscape of the country, but very little to shake things up, which is what I believe we need if diversity and inclusion will ever resonate as loudly as they should and if power begins to truly to be shared across our diverse population of people that make up 21^st century America.

Ms. Pherwani made an airtight case that diversity is good for your business. She cited data, and data in fact makes my case that hiring people with disabilities makes good business sense. Data is also another smokescreen that some hide behind, asking for more facts and data so they can continue to maintain the same old, same old.

Here’s some data; 35 percent of people with disabilities who are of working age are employed, compare that to 79 percent of the working age population without any identified disability. Maine’s numbers a slightly lower than the national average, but the national average is nothing to get terribly excited about. In fact, these numbers have not improved and have rolled backwards slightly since the passage of the ADA back in 1990. Work is who we are as Americans and if you’re shut out from employment, then you’re not reaching your full potential. It seems few in HR are reading the memo on this.

I loved the following definition for diversity and inclusion by Ms. Pherwani:

• Diversity is about counting heads.

•  Inclusion is about making each head count.

 I’ll go back to my pictures and stop talking now.

Gorgeous view out my side window.

#MEHRC2013

In past years, I wrote long, detail-rich posts from HR central, which for the purposes of the Maine HR Convention, is always the Samoset, in Rockport. This year, I’m opting for shorter posts (at least by my standard for brevity) for a couple of reasons;

1)      Last night, I slept like crap for the second night in a row. As a result, I’m up early this AM, rewriting my notes from last night, and recapping my Day #1.

2)      I decided to spend time last night reading, not blogging, as I have a great book downloaded on my NOOK. Sometimes, I just like to read and enjoy some time off the interwebs.

I rolled into Dodge (aka, the Samoset) Tuesday, around 2:00 pm. That was  good for me, given that I had some Maine BLN duties to attend to prior to motoring down Route 1, and en route.

The afternoon workshop was a winner. “Workforce Training As Growth Catalyst,” with Ali Bonas Gamache, was an intriguing presentation, focused on learning/training and development. “

Ms. Gamache, who is in L&D at IDEXX, hammered home her theme, which was that training, particularly the corporate variety, is no longer limited by constraints of bricks and mortar that once framed training in the corporate environment.

Still, many companies haven’t come to terms with the ubiquity of tools for learning that technology has delivered. Also, many companies haven’t figured out how to leverage and use technology effectively for training purposes. Gamache asked those in the room how many of them still limited internet access onsite, at their places of work. Sadly, a number of hands went up.

Some of her touchstones were that today’s workforce is more diverse that ever, especially at companies that are global in scope. Learning encompasses a multi-generational framework, English may not be the primary means of communication, and employees are no longer encumbered by geography.

All of this means a fundamental change for learning and development departments and HR, especially in how people think about learning, how they consume, share and apply content, and how the business measures value. She also applied these elements to social media and companies, especially hammering home the point that companies that limit social media usage are fighting a battle they won’t win. This could be a separate blog post, but given my desire to be concise and limit word count, I’ll forgo a dissertation on the small-mindedness behind companies attempting to limit social media usage by employees.

Gamache was an excellent presenter. She knew her material, delivered it with passion, flair, and a good deal of humor.  I also gathered that IDEXX has a progressive attitude toward employee engagement and isn’t afraid of embracing new ideas and operating in the 21^st century.

Al Pittampali was the afternoon keynote. His talk centered on his book, Read This Before Our Next Meeting. Basically, his premise is that meetings are counter-productive in many cases, and how can we maximize the meetings that we all participate, and even require in our work?

In taking on the meeting, or at least the culture of meetings, Pittampali is butting up against the scourge of nonprofits, government, corporate America, and your local school board, which has enshrined the meeting. And here’s what we all know; meetings generally suck!

His book isn’t about better facilitation; he hammered home the point that facilitation isn’t the issue. The issue is that meetings generally serve no real purpose other than to waste people’s time.

Before you think, “Hooray! I don’t have to go to meetings anymore,” let me clue you in that Pittampali isn’t championing the elimination of them altogether. However, he wants them to serve their purpose and then, we can all move on from them.

If you want a better summary, here’s a decent one.

Pittampalli’s book is now on my list of business books to read.

As I touched on in my prior post on the convention, attending this annual HR gathering allows me an opportunity to connect with many people that I won’t see again until next year. I enjoy the opportunity to network and take pride in my ability and persistence in the effort required to engage with others. I also recognize that there are those here that don’t really care to connect with anyone outside their small circle, or HR sphere. I’m ok with that.

I made a brief appearance at the social hour just prior to the chapter dinners taking place tonight. I hadn’t lined up an HR chapter to dine with this year, so I headed back up the road to my hotel.

This was a smart move.

I grabbed dinner at a great, locally-owned Mexican place, smack dab across the driveway from my hotel. No need for happy motoring after dinner.

I actually got to network at the bar, over dinner, with another fellow conventioneer, Tara. The two of us had a chance to chat up Ron, the owner, and hear about his very successful business model of buying/selling restaurants. He and his wife (who does the cooking) have done this for a number of years across the country, and they’ve owned 15 different kinds of restaurants that have included Mediterranean, German-Swiss, and Italian.

Merely walking across the parking lot to my room was nice. I returned a few emails, read for about an hour, and then turned out the light for about five hours of sleep before waking before the roosters.  

I’m up very early and will head out for a run in a bit. Then, it’s off to the Samoset for a full day of programming, including another big league keynoter, Cy Wakeman.

Every May for the past four years, I’ve been attending the Maine HR Convention at the Samoset Resort, in Rockport. The reason this has become a must-attend event for me is that year after year, this week-long HR-centric convention continues to deliver value. I’m not sure why I wasn’t attending before then.

While I’m not able to spend the entire week in Rockport, I always try to pick the best two days for me and stay over, and then hit a third day’s workshops and events before making the drive back home. 

It’s possible that since I wasn’t in HR that I thought I wouldn’t find anything of value during this annual gathering. However, once I attended my first one in 2009, I realized how beneficial it was for me to connect with Maine’s HR movers and shakers, especially for the WorkReady initiative that I had invested a great deal of passion and energy into moving forward. In fact in 2010, I pitched an article idea to Maine HR Times, about the importance of programs like WorkReady, and the need for soft skills training in enhancing the skills of the state’s workforce.

Sometimes the time is perfect for you as a writer, and my article made it into the edition that was handed out to all the Maine HR Convention’s attendees that year, which really was a bonus in pulling together this article on WorkReady.

My experience and focus on attending might be a little different, as I’m not in the HR realm, per se, but tend to connect with many Maine businesses through the HR, or hiring function. And following a few of these tips might help a few newbies attending their very first convention, or even some of the seasoned HR vets.

The following are just a few of my highlights and things I am focused on each year when I make the trip down the coast.

• Network like crazy

I like to think of myself as an experienced networker. When I attend any conference, or even a business-after-hours event, my goal is to meet new people and have a few key conversations.

Networking sometimes means getting outside your comfort zone. Rather than sit with the same people you see every day at work, or even HR Chapter members, make a point to sit at a table of strangers. It’s a great way to meet new people and learn about other businesses. Even better, you often meet new friends that become next year’s “old” friends. This has happened for me each and every year that I’ve attended.

•       Make sure you attend some of the great breakout sessions

It’s tempting to check emails, or try to put out fires back at the office. For some, the way to do this is by cutting out of workshops or breakouts that they signed up for; don’t do it. Bud, Heather, DJ, and the gang at Northern New England Law Publishers always gather great presenters for their various breakout sessions. Even for a non-HR guy like me, I always come away with new information, like last year, when I attended a valuable breakout on social media and legal implications related to the use of it in the workplace. This information became especially helpful a few months later when I landed some social media consulting and was able to draw on the materials and others that came from this workshop. 

• Spend time with the rock stars

 Not only does Northern New England Law Publishers put on great workshops, but I’m amazed at the A-list presenters that they bring to Rockport year after year as keynote speakers. I’ve heard speakers like Ryan Estis, Laurie Ruettimann, as well as Cy Wakemen (speaking again this year); additionally, Pamela Green will be keynoting, as well as the Honorable George Mitchell, who is Friday’s noontime keynote speaker.

What I have enjoyed each year I’ve attended is connecting with some of these speakers, like I did with Ryan Estis both times I heard his speak in 20009 and 2010. I made a point of introducing myself to Laurie Ruettimann last year, also.

 These are speakers that command national attention, so don’t oversleep, or decide to forego the opportunity to hear these great presenters.

• Attend some of the after-hours events

Each year I’ve attended, I made sure to attend one of the chapter dinners that happen on Tuesday night. These afford great opportunities to meet new people, and they’re a little less harried, as the dinners are relaxed and always fun. 

• Engage with social media

A few years ago, Ryan Estis surveyed the room to assess how many people were engaged with social media. While most of the attendees were using Facebook, and some were using Linkedin, and more are now, Twitter usage lagged then and it still lags. As a someone who has been engaged via Twitter for a couple of years, I’m happy to report that we have a #hashtag again this year, which is #MEHRC2013.

 Make sure you tag your tweets with the hashtag so everyone can see what’s being tweeted about. And if you don’t have a clue about Twitter, come see me, or another Twitter aficionado, Jeremey Haskell, of JobsinME.com. In fact, Jeremy is usually orchestrating the social media charge, including maintaining the convention’s YouTube channel.

Always follow-up with contacts you make at the convention

Networking is only as good as your follow-up skills. If you make a point of passing out your business card and collecting those of other attendees, make a point of dropping them a line within a week. This is good practice for any networking that you do. If you can follow-up sooner, definitely make a point of doing so.

There’s no shortage of things to do each and every day. While the points above relate very much to the nuts and bolts stuff, I’ll add a few more personal tips that I always incorporate.

• Try to eat as healthy as you can

• Limit Your Drinking

• Work Some Exercise Into Your Routine

I’m into health and fitness, but I also recognize that for many, this a chance to get away from the office and let their hair down a bit.

Because you’ll do a lot of sitting each day, it’s advisable to spend some time getting the blood flowing. Whether it’s running, taking a brisk morning power walk, or hitting one of the early morning exercise sessions, try to get out and move a bit.

I’m training for a sprint triathlon in June, so I’ll be running and swimming each morning before starting my convention activities. That way, when I allow myself a treat or two, I won’t feel guilty.

Making sure you get the most out of a convention or conference takes a little advance planning. However, if you plan well, you’ll arrive back at work glad you attended, with new tips to employ, and a maybe even some new tricks up your sleeve, as well as some new friends.