My heart is full and my battery is drained, but in the most beautiful way. Prior to HR Technology Conference, my experience with conferences was from the practioner’s and blogger perspective. I had the opportunity to attend HR Tech as a learner and an analyst in an industry where I’ve been a customer, a decision maker, and a functionality geek.

I got to see some amazing people I had not seen in years or even had never met IRL. I’ve always loved learning, attending demos, and seeing how people are looking to solve their business challenges with people tech solutions. It was fun to have the experience of being in HR for 20+ years and now having a different conversation with vendors, finding out from their perspective what the pain points were for their customers, a seat I sat in less than a year ago.

The highlights? The vendors who were focusing on upskilling, empowering, and supporting their HR and talent clients.

The battery is drained? The narrative of how agentic ai is going to save on headcount and revolutionize your business. HRTech has never been and never will be a panacea. Understand your customers. Understand their challenges. Have realistic expectations.

We need to have real conversations about the implications of technology without governance and guard rails. We have fascinating technology that has tremendous potential, but it reminds me of the old conversation we used to have about the difference between orgs who used technology to enhance experience and connection vs those who use it to further separate people from the business.

I’m excited to keep the conversations going and learning more! If we didn’t have a conversation during the conference, let’s chat!