Hey, everybody. My industry — human resources technology — is full of experts, thought leaders and influencers. Every industry has people who move the needle, either behind the scenes or out in public, and HR is no different. Think of all the beauty bloggers, crafty moms on Pinterest, and fitspo Instagrammers.
Up until recently, nobody described this aspect of our industry until a magazine called Workforce took a swing at describing “influence.” The journalist who wrote the story, Michelle V. Rafter, is a seasoned reporter who understands the business of HR and technology. She used the words expert, thought leader, and influencer with precision and rigor.
And it turns out that I’m an influencer, lucky me.
Listen, nobody takes an influencer list seriously except the people who feel like they should be on the list and aren’t. But I’m smart enough to know that my words and actions carry importance in my community. So you’ll often see me using my platform to amplify stories and advocate on behalf of causes (or people) who mean the world to me.
That’s why I stole the influencer image from the Workforce article and made t-shirts to help support my colleague, Mollie Lombardi, who was diagnosed with Parkison’s Disease but fights to stay fit and active.
Mollie is the ultimate influencer — someone who influences the influential — and she runs a charity endeavor called #HRGivesBack. If you want to give the finger to Parkinson’s as I do, please buy one of my limited-edition t-shirts. They’re $25, and you can contact me at hello@letsfixwork.com to place an order.
There’s a limited quantity available, and all proceeds benefit #HRGivesBack and Team Fox.
Mollie’s mission is so important to me that my friend, Lenny Terenzi of Hey Monkey Design, was moved to donate his time and energy to rush the production of these shirts for the HR Technology Conference & Exposition. He gave me a super-awesome discount and got the job done in less than a few days, so if you want me to bring your shirt to Vegas, just let me know.
TL;DR Influence in a void of narcissistic emptiness — on Facebook, Instagram, or even in your mind — is power wasted. If someone ever calls you an influencer, don’t blow it. Use your position in the community to do good work for someone else.
Now let’s raise some money for #HRGivesBack.
[????by Kathy Howard Portrait]
Love you, Laurie!
My husband was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease at 67. His symptoms were shuffling of feet, slurred speech, low volume speech, degradation of handwriting, horrible driving skills, and his right arm is held at 45 degree angle. He was placed on Sinemet for 7 months and then Sifrol and rotigotine were introduced which replaced the Sinemet but he had to stop due to side effects. We tried every shot available but nothing was working. There has been little if any progress in finding a reliable treatment, I quit my meds due to side effects. Our care provider introduced us to Kycuyu Health Clinic Parkinson’s herbal treatment. The treatment is a miracle. My husband has recovered significantly!