So it’s been a few months since I started working at Brandon Hall Group, and some of you have been asking me what I’ve been up to. Today I’ll talk a bit about what kind of work I’m doing and some of the things we have going on that are noteworthy.

What I do

So I’m an HR analyst.

If you’re in the trenches, that probably doesn’t really mean a lot.

I’d like for you to think I’m the HR version of James Bond, but in reality there’s a lot more computing than handguns in this field.

My daily work is involved in doing research and capturing best practices and concepts to share with the clients of Brandon Hall Group. Some of the items are shard out publicly in blogs and other formats, but a good bit of it is reserved for members.

Over the past few months I’ve been helping with our awards case studies, and we’re gearing up for our 20th awards ceremony, which is pretty amazing. There’s more to share (probably in a future blog post), but I wanted to take a moment to look at two of the big upcoming items that I’ll be supporting at BHG–the 20th annual Excellence Awards Program and the first annual Excellence Conference. Plus we have a big announcement coming soon that is going to rock the world of talent research–I’m pumped about that one!

The conference

I’ll be in beautiful Fort Lauderdale January 28-30 to kick off the first ever HCM Excellence Conference. We’re working on the agenda, sponsors, etc. and it’s going to be a killer event. My friend and coworker, Trish McFarlane, will be working with me to present an “unconference” session during the event, so that’s certainly going to be fun. We’re also pulling in award winners (see details below on the awards) to lead sessions on how to do that “HR thing” well.

For more information on the HCM Excellence Conference, click here.

The awards

What hits me about these awards as a practitioner is that so many of you out there are doing some innovative things, whether in learning and development, performance coaching, leadership development, mentoring, or other areas. I’d encourage you to check out the awards to see if anything you’ve worked on recently might be a candidate for one of the awards we give. I’d love to have some of you participate!

Here’s the marketing copy:

Brandon Hall Group's Excellence Awards Program, now entering its 20th year, is the most prestigious awards program in the industry.  Often times called the “Academy Awards” by Learning, Talent and Business Executives, the program was one of the first of its kind in the learning industry, which was pioneered in 1994.

The Excellence in Technology Awards Program receives applications from leading organizations within Human Capital Management from around the world and recognizes the ‘best of the best.'    You can select from forty-nine categories within Human Capital Management technologies.

Winners Receive

• Recognition at Brandon Hall Group's Annual Excellence Conference
• Discounted Excellence Conference Pass Rates
• One plaque per winning entry
• A digital logo that you may use in any way you wish
• A Brandon Hall Group issued press release announcing the winners
• Live online announcement event and inclusion in promotional mailings
• Recognition on Brandon Hall Group's web site
• Recognition on Brandon Hall Group's social communities – Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
• Entries may be included in Brandon Hall Group's blogs
• Feedback and scoring on your entry at the request of the organization
• Entries may be included in Brandon Hall Group's publications when appropriate and with approval
• Opportunities to be highlighted in industry webinars

More details of the entering process are located on our website here: http://go.brandonhall.com/excellence_in_technology

The entry deadline is September 12th, so if you think your company has what it takes, I’d definitely encourage you to get involved. If you have further questions about applying please reach out to awards@brandonhall.com or join the upcoming webinar on August 6th at 1:00 pm EST:  http://go.brandonhall.com/technology-trends-and-excellence-awards

Thanks for sticking with me. Talk with you soon!