As 2018 comes to a close, I have been mentally reviewing my professional accomplishments. I started the year off with a few goals I wanted to accomplish and I’m happy to report that I accomplished all but one. Maybe in 2019..

My 2018 goals included speaking on a panel, receiving paid writing opportunities, and attending some key industry events. I’d like to share my goals with you and how they were accomplished.

Speaking on a Panel. Due to my strong introvert tendencies, I wanted an opportunity to speak on a topic I care about without ALL of the attention being focused on me. eX Summit to the rescue! In August, I participated on the ‘Diversity in the Workplace’ panel at eX Summit Philadelphia representing the nonprofit perspective. It was a good time! Peep the discussion at the 2:11:15 mark.

BONUS: ‘Diversity Means Nothing Without Inclusion’ panel on WorkHuman Radio.

Writing & Thought Sharing. You may not be able to tell from the inconsistency of my blog posts but I enjoy writing. Plus I’m pretty good at it.  🙂 This year I was approached by a leading nonprofit consulting firm to write for their newsletter.

• Engagement – An Employer and Employee Benefit (Nonprofit HR Solutions)

I also like to share my thoughts on a variety of HR topics – especially when asked because it makes me feel special.

BambooHR came through with TWO ‘HR Expert Roundtable’ opportunities:

• 6 Methods to Improve Management Coaching
• The Pros & Cons of Unlimited PTO

I was also interviewed for HR Magazine (Yes; THE HR Magazine!)

• The 7 C’s of Becoming an HR Thought Leader

Attending Key Industry Events.

There were four events I wanted to attend this year and luckily I was able to attend all four. I wrote a few blog posts about them but I did A LOT of live tweeting so check the hashtags on Twitter.

• Nonprofit Talent & Culture Summit (#NonprofitTalent)
• SHRM Annual Conference (#SHRM18)
  • HR’s Role in Creating a Culture of High Trust
  • Designing the Inclusive Employee Experience
  • Everything You Need to Know About Managing People
• WorkHuman Conference (#WorkHuman)
  • Join the Movement!
• SHRM Diversity & Inclusion Conference (#SHRMDIV)
  • How Do You Get People to Talk?

Making Connections IRL.

2018 was also a year in which I got to connect (or reconnect) in “real life” with several folks I’ve enjoyed connecting with online. I’m sure I’m missing some pics but life is too short for me to dedicate endless hours to searching for photos. You get the idea.

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Last, but most certainly not least, I completed the Cornell University Diversity & Inclusion for HR certificate program. 

YAY ME!

In just a few hours it will be 2019. I’m looking forward to doing even MORE speaking, writing, event attending and connecting with folks in the new year. I’ll probably come up with some additional goals as well. As for my one professional goal that wasn’t accomplished this year – making more money – I haven’t given up on it. I’ll just have to work harder in 2019 to achieve it. If you have any legitimate, non-scammy ideas on how I can make this happen, feel free to reach out.

See you next year!

P.S. – In 2018, I also had the most engagement I’ve ever had with one of my social media posts. Hopefully the practice of unnecessarily requiring degrees and valuing them over actual experience is on the downturn. So many missed opportunities.