Shauna Moerke is…

Yeah, no. Pull your minds out of the gutter, darlings. I know some people have been wondering what this whole Talent Camp thing has been about. Well, I think I’ve finally caught up on enough sleep to be coherent enough to oblige. To put it simply, the purpose behind Talent Camp is to transform the talent function in a fundamental way. Simple, right? Hmmm, not so much. On a deeper level, Talent Camp was an opportunity for a diverse group to get together and collaborate on what this transformational change needs to be. Did we come away with an answer? No. Did we leave with more questions? Yes. Are we going to be hearing more from Talent Camp? Most definitely.

Here are the highlights of my trip:

- Finally getting to meet Michael Krupa in person! I didn’t have much time to spend with him, but we did get to grab lunch and chat.
- Getting to meet everyone else in person! They are a smart, insightful, and lively bunch of people and it was worth the trip alone just to participate in the conversation.
- Feeling spoiled by the lovely beach house and Mike’s awesome cooking. That, and playing in the sand and surf.
- The conversation. While we didn’t come up with a final answer, I didn’t expect us to. Two days just isn’t enough time, no matter how smart the group, to come up with something as big as a fundamental shift in not only how talent operates, but how people even think about it and the language they use to describe it. But the potential is there, and I think this first foray was a great start.
- The opportunity to learn so much. I’m so excited by the conversations and points that everyone made. Freedom, what if’s, and a push for more humanizing language are just a few of the concepts that challenged my perceptions and spurred my imagination.

So, where do we go from here? This certainly isn’t the end of Talent Camp, or even my own involvement in it. Talent Camp will move forward and build off the groundwork that was created. Greater collaboration from the community, advancing the dialogue, and maybe even publication are all possibilities. Please look forward to more information soon, get to know the group (Susan, Lance, Franny, Joe, Steve, Mike, Suzy, and Ron), and be sure to check out the pictures I took of the event here.

I can’t understand how spring and summer can pass by in a haze of laziness only for fall and winter to smack me around with busyness. Is busyness even a word? Anyway, I’m going to be bouncing around the US over the coming months, though not as much as I had wanted to originally. And who knows, things will probably change. If there is one constant this year, it’s that my plans rarely survive a few months.

Nevertheless, here’s where I’m going to be:

Talent Camp, Oct. 18th through 21st: The totally awesome Susan Burns is bringing together a lot of really cool people to talk about some big ‘What if’ questions about talent. I hear there will be a beach house, wine, and a lot of deep conversations. I expect to learn a lot and don’t think I won’t be sharing the learning with all of you.

HRevolution, Nov. 6th through 7th: HR Bloggers Unite! Finally an “un-conference” dedicated just to us. What started out as a simple thought on Twitter has blossomed into something that is going to be fun, casual, and a great opportunity to meet some of the coolest bloggers out there. I expect geeking out, maybe a live HR Happy Hour, and no small amount of laughter.

Washington, DC, Jan. 26th through 28th. I will be in DC on a secret mission and I’m going to want to tweetup with you, yes you! I will either be really happy and in a mood to celebrate, or I’m going to be sad and need some cheering up. Either way, we’re going to have some fun so keep your calendar free!

Here’s where I wish I was going to be:

Talent Management Summit, Oct. 26th through 28th: Originally, I was planning on attending and I’m very sad I can’t go now. If you are attending, you lucky person you, please be sure to give Lisa and Sharlyn hugs for me and call Jason a punk monkey (and then give him a hug) for me.

Fail Spectacularly Party, Nov. 4th: Jason and Laurie are throwing a party and we’re all invited! It will be a night of schmoozing, fun, and you better bring your story to share.

Dudes, what is with me and not making it to Chicago for stuff? I live well within road trip distance. Dammit, I will make it out to Chicago this year! That’s all for me, for now, so my question is this: Where are you going to be?