Robert Van Arlen

I was just thinking about my reunion…I can’t believe 30 years went by so fast.  It was a joy to see old classmates from  “1978” Wyandotte High School.  Three of my best buddies growing up who I had not seen for over 20 years were in attendance…talk about the memories.  Wow!  William Davis…we first met when we were 5 years old.   Duncan Wilson…he helped me get comfortable in a new school when I entered in the 3^rd grade. At that school, there were only 3 black students, and one was my brother.  Craig Johnson…my best friend for years that moved into the neighborhood when I was 10 years old.  All of us have gone through many changes, but it was like yesterday in our ability to recall the stories of over 20 years ago. 

At 30,000 feet I was preparing my speech for an upcoming Human Resource Conference in Phoenix, while traveling to Kansas City for my 30^th High School reunion.  I decided at some point that I should say hello to the person sitting next to me.  She, of course, asked the required question of what it was that I did for work.  Once again you never know who you’ll meet.  I happened to be sitting next to Leslie Landry, a Human Resource expert and trainer in business process improvement.  Do you think this was luck? I say synchronicity. I picked her brain and learned numerous ways on how to make my upcoming presentation more effective.

By the way, SHRM stands for the Society of Human Resource Management.  I’ll be fired up when I get to Tucson for this meeting.  Once again, my goal is to get literally jiggy with the HR community at the Old Pueblo in Tucson.  I’m bringing my Boomwhackers to see how much rhythm these folks have, and I’m planning to have them beating a new tune for strategic excellence in HR.  If you are an HR pro, I’m sure you can find a way to get in this conference.  I’ll send you a link later.

I won’t get into the details of this event, but it will be another opportunity to do what I do for a prestigious group of professionals.  I love the opportunity to get everyone on the same page and this event will give me an opportunity to work with a federal government agency.  I’m looking forward to cooling off for a minute in the DC area. 

How can you not love Vegas.  It’s even great when you don’t seriously gamble. I have to admit I threw a couple of quarters in slot machines, but my main reason for going was to just hang out and do nothing.  Well…you never know who you’ll meet.  We had an unplanned dinner and we wound up sitting next actor J. J. Cohen, who appeared in “Back to the Future II and III” as Skinhead and Almost Famous as a member of the Needles gang.  This guy was funny, witty and a joy to get to know on a personal level. 

Keeping to the theme you never know who you’ll meet–a couple of nights later, we were sitting in another Vegas restaurant, and I noticed a guy that I met just few months ago, Mr. Howard White, known has “H”.  I often tell the story of this man’s road to greatness as the Senior Vice President of Nike’s Jordan brand.  They say 6 degrees of separation, I say 2 ,maybe 3!  If you’re conscious of your surroundings, it’s amazing who you might meet.  I reminded myself of the greatest lessons I learned from “H”  during our meeting at the Nike Campus… “the work is the real work,” and “the most important people are at the bottom of the organization–it’s important to recognize them every day.”

It’s a few hours before the big speech, and it’s interesting to see my mood change.  I’m really pumped about tonight and what it will mean to my audience.  A few days ago I put finishing touches on my outline, list, back-up list and music cues for another one of the most important speeches of my life.  I believe they are all important, thus the prep begins to prime the pump of confidence.  I can’t think about nerves, just results!

Tonight it is my plan to rock the AZ State SHRM conference.  I’m planning to take our state HR professionals on a journey that will get them to go back and ignite their organizations.  I understand it’s sold out, but you know, there is always a way to get a ticket.  If you can get there, I’ll be on stage at 3:00 PM.  I will have one big surprise, so I hope to see you there! 

It was great to see more of my classmates from 1978! The energy was high during the reunion dinner, and we appeared to have every profession covered.  What was most interesting to me was the number of entrepreneurs, consultants and others that were in the world of training and development.  It was also exciting to see the high school relationship that blossomed into marriage.  The Midwest values are still strong and grounded by one word: family.

I have one goal at the State SHRM, and that is to ignite HR leaders.  My plan is to give them everything I have.  The Desert Ridge Marriott will never be the same!  I’m bringing the band, roadies and everything it takes to fire up this audience.  My topic is Igniting HR.  I believe HR professionals have the ability to change someone’s life forever, and in today’s environment, organizations need them to be inspired like never before.  We are expecting over 800 in attendance, and I want to see you there if you are an HR Professional.

August 29^th and 30^th I’ll be headed to Kansas City… 

30 Years went by really fast and here it is, my 30-year reunion for Wyandotte HS in Kansas City, KS. The shy boy is no longer shy. I can remember very clearly those days in High School, when I felt I had no rhythm and not much personality. I’m looking forward to seeing friends that I have not seen for 30 years. What a blast!