Whew.

I’m in recovery mode from last week’s jaunt to Vegas for the HR Technology Conference. For people in my line of work, that’s our version of the Olympics (or whatever other metaphor you need to demonstrate how much it puts you through the wringer). With that in mind, I’m feeling like a walk down memory lane might be a good route for today.

For starters, though, did you notice our new logo for the show? I was looking for something that was somewhat playful but still kept the “human” element at the forefront. Hope you like it!

So why the walk down memory lane? Back in August I celebrated a year of hosting the We’re Only Human podcast. I had some initial ideas and thoughts before starting the show in 2016, and some of them turned out to be true (while I obviously also had a few lessons to learn!) For instance, I had a suspicion that the format would make people feel more comfortable with me because it’s a very personal medium to hear someone’s voice. That very quickly showed itself to be true. 

On the other hand, I’ve heard from some people that they like the format better than writing. I am still straddling the fence on that one because I really, really enjoy the writing process.

One thing I’m about to do with the other hosts on the podcast network is to launch a short listener survey to understand what people like, want more of, etc. It’s really to help us gather some info on the preferences for the listeners and to try to understand what kinds of content are most valuable. For the last year I’ve pretty much focused on things that I felt were interesting, but I also know that there are opportunities to dive into topics, concepts, and content that might be on your radar but not on mine. I’ll share that link when the survey is ready.

If you listen to the show, I’d love to hear some thoughts from you about what you enjoy and share. For instance, I want to give a shout out to Brittney Rabaey for ALWAYS sharing the show with her LinkedIn network. I appreciate it very much!

If you are new and want to learn more about the kinds of things we cover on We’re Only Human, here’s the short version: we look at the intersection of HR and technology in the workplace with a specific focus on the human side of the equation. Some of our previous shows include interviews with startup founders on technologies that enable us to hire better and faster, explorations of ways HR can drive enterprise innovation, research overviews focusing on critical practices like talent mobility, and more.

If you’re interested in checking it out, it’s as easy as searching for “HR Happy Hour” on iTunes, Stitcher, or anywhere you want to download or stream a podcast. The show is also available on the web at BlogTalkRadio where you can find my shows or the latest episodes on the network.

One reason I love podcasts personally and a big driver of why I agreed to start recording one last year is because I love professional development, but I don’t always have time to go to a class, attend a webinar, etc. Now I can listen to podcasts while I’m running or driving and can get some much-needed value from that time.

One other thing that I really appreciate is the fact that I can access some incredibly smart people. I’ve listened to world-class leaders on a variety of podcasts (including HR Happy Hour shows) in the last few weeks. Most of us couldn’t call a large organization and get the VP of HR on the phone to discuss strategy with us, but a podcast can bring that person right to you, sharing their insights and ideas in a powerful way.

Additionally, if you have an HRCI certification, you can use the podcast time towards your self-directed learning for recertification purposes (30-hour maximum). Double win!

I’ll close with this: if you are a listener, thank you for spending your time with me. You can expect shows to become more regular in the coming year, and as I mentioned, we’ll be doing the survey soon to get more info around your expectations and needs. If you’re not yet a listener, hopefully I gave you some ideas today on how and why you should give it a try!