I attended the National HRD networks National Conference held at Mumbai between 25-27 th Nov 2009. It was a  very professionally organized conference, with strict adherence to timelines and briefs .Importantly there were hardly any no shows/replacements from the published list of speakers . There were around 700 delegates predominantly from the HR profession who attended. For those interested to know more visit the website   www.nhrdnconference2009.com

A few things that struck me were   

1. The presence of leaders from Indian Industry and government in an HR conference. You had Anand Mahindra, Kumaramangalam Birla, Omar Abdullah (CM of J&K), Indu Shahani (sheriff of Mumbai)  among a host of other leaders .
2. More important than their presence was their preparedness to address the sessions agenda and the universal acceptance of the role that people and their management are to play in their future plans. It didn’t sound like lip service anymore. Seemed more like a basic given.
3. There was optimism about the Indian growth story mixed with caution . People like Ms Rama Bijapurkar and Ramachandra Guha spoke about the demographic and the other challenges that the country faces.

For us HR and development professionals and those  working in organizations delivering services in these domains the following is food for thought .

Developing and managing people professionally and in an aligned manner  is not just an imperative for businesses, but has become a fundamental driver in the plans of government as well as voluntary organizations.  This opens a huge space hitherto unserviced by us.

It is not just any more about carrots and  sticks  , more autonomy , opportunity to develop ones skills and  potentials but a sense of purpose and pride that makes talent tick . What do HR professionals need to do to foster and sustain a sense of purpose and pride in people and organizations that they serve.

Todays world is defined by paradoxes and apparent contradictions. What processes do we deploy to help individuals and organizations thrive in this scenario.

In an era where organizations themselves don’t promise guaranteed life time employment, is there a responsibility that we have in keeping our workforce employable.

Generation Y (those born after 1980) are increasingly becoming the dominant segment in many an organization. There is a lot that the earlier generations in the work force can learn from them. Are we and those in our organization doing this and benefiting from it?. Heard of reverse mentoring - seems to be becoming a reality today.