Pearls of Wisdom for the Workplace at LinkedIn's Talent Connect Conference

Radical change starts within. We’ve all heard that. But what about when a company needs to change? Where does it happen?

Oftentimes, real change starts from the top. It’s the leaders—those who decide a company’s values and guide the people to embrace them—who are poised to make the biggest impact.

That’s why I’m thrilled to be delivering the keynote at LinkedIn’s Talent Connect Conference, a gathering of more than 4,000 of the world’s top talent professionals and HR leaders. These people are on the frontlines of building company cultures that affect how each of us performs in our jobs every day.

On October 10th in Anaheim, CA, I’ll be sharing my three pearls of wisdom and talking specifically about the importance of perception, authenticity, and relationship currency as they apply to the talent and HR profession. My hope is that armed with this knowledge, this influential crowd will be better equipped to affect change within their organizations, advise employees on their careers, and build more productive and cooperative teams.    

Why is perception so important for talent and HR professionals? Because they are often the first (and the last) people that employees interact with during their tenure at an organization. As such, talent professionals need to understand that they have the power to create the perception in other people’s minds that they want them to have. And painting an inspiring picture of a company and its culture is critical when persuading a candidate to come on board.

But taking ownership of your perception does not mean being disingenuous. On the contrary, bringing your authentic self to work every day is your distinct competitive advantage. This not only extends to you, but to the leaders in your organization. The more we all look for ways to bring our real selves into our work, the more opportunities we have to build relationships with co-workers and customers, and even discover the right candidate.

Strong relationships are the third piece of the puzzle for any successful individual and organization. That’s why at Talent Connect I plan to share how to find a sponsor at work. I’ll detail exactly how HR professionals can help employees understand the profile of a good sponsor—and then how to go about finding one.

All three of these pearls of wisdom can be applied to your life or shared with someone you are managing!