Upon my arrival in Sturgeon Bay last Thursday, it was Betsy Mitchell who first greeted me, asked about my trip and immediately struck up a conversation. Betsy is the VP of Organizational and Staff Development for the Green Bay Packers and was a featured speaker. Despite “19 seasons with the Packers” (which is how they measure time…in seasons), Betsy is one of the most self-effacing and approachable leaders I’ve ever met. She doesn’t pull punches about her initial reservations in joining such a “testosterone laden” organization. A hilarious storyteller, Betsy has had some very interesting experiences, including one with former Coach Mike Holmgren that involved her stealing his cookie after he walked out of a lunch meeting in a huff. It’s a great story about power and sticking to your principals, something which Betsy clearly embodies while speaking to the values and culture of the legendary Packers. Suffice it to say that there were a number of enjoyable moments at this event and Betsy was a highlight.

Although a tough act to follow, I intended to carry Betsy’s lead forward by combining levity with provocative and challenging ideation. There were several other sessions that preceded my keynote but I was ready to roll when the time came. However, after ninety minutes on the microphone, I’m wasn’t sure if I accomplished any of my original goals. Much of the audience seemed genuinely shell-shocked by what I had to say and it was only afterwards that individual attendees provided me with a bit of context relative to the confusing (from my vantage point) reaction to the material. Let me try and explain.

The slides (which you can download here and are embedded below) may not do justice to the conversation we had and certainly miss many of the important developments and future considerations you may see for our industry. I attempted to focus explicitly on those big picture issues where HR can either proactively take a stance/position or pay the price by letting others shape our destiny. Take a look at the deck and you’ll get a sense of what I am talking about.

My expectation was to dialogue with this terrific leadership team and really dive deep into some of the more challenging concepts. Instead, some of the fundamental premises which shaped my underlying thesis were perceived to be unfounded. Outsourcing transactional HR? Some audience members either felt that their firms were too small for consideration or that outsourcing was a four-letter word. Third-party payroll providers? Less than ten percent have these relationships in play today. And the list of misses went on and on….

Naturally I started to second guess myself and wonder if I was way off base. Students aside (and there were many present), this audience had a fairly standard distribution across both size of organization and the experience level of attendees, so that wasn’t at play. And I don’t want to paint a picture of a group of out of touch, small town HR folks – remember these are the leaders of one of the more progressive state SHRM councils. Their desire to improve our profession was palpable in every other instance that I witnessed. However, in my case I think the problem is this…

It wasn’t safe to have this conversation in public.

I spoke with about a dozen attendees before heading back home and each of them (in their own way) thanked me for saying what they’ve been “wanting to say for years“. Add to that the several dozen emails I received with the same tenor and we start to reach a consensus. So I sit here today both pleased that my ideas resonated with so many and gravely concerned about our ability to address difficult issues together.

I firmly believe that it is only through open and honest dialogue that we’ll progress as an industry, but how do we overcome the gravitational pull toward the status quo? Isn’t it our leaders who need to demonstrate the courage to challenge the norm and question that which came before? And what of the students who were hoping to learn from their seasoned colleagues prior to beginning their adventure into our industry? I see this as both a tremendous success and a missed opportunity.

I want to thank the Wisconsin State SHRM leaders for their hospitality and interest. I enjoyed meeting so many of the attendees and appreciated the opportunity to push us out of our comfort zone. But now it’s your turn to weigh in – did The Future of HR deck resonate with you? And what of our need to discuss these challenges openly and honestly? Please share your thoughts below and, as always, let’s keep the conversation going.