Meet The Disruptors: Kelly Poulson of DisruptHR Philadelphia

Kelly Poulson

Who are the people that are taking the lead in disrupting the future of work?

They’re the official Disruptors (Organizers) of DisruptHR events held in cities around the world.

Each week, we’ll introduce you to one of these intelligent, inspiring, and beautiful people (okay, pick two) who have stepped up, and volunteered to organize a Disrupt HR event in their city.

Meet Kelly Poulson – DisruptHR Philadelphia (Disruptor #59)

LinkedIn – Kelly Poulson

Twitter – @kpoulson28

Who are you, and what do you do in your “day job”?

Kelly Poulson – VP, Coaching & Development at Allen & Gerritsen and Professional Coach

How did you first hear about DisruptHR?

If I’m not mistaken it was on Twitter. And with a name like DisruptHR, how could I not be intrigued and do more digging??

Why did you decide to raise your hand and become an organizer for DisruptHR in Philadelphia?

I wanted to find my tribe. I knew other HR folks out there wanted to make change, and unfortunately I don’t run into them as often as I’d like. Plus I’d had enough of the lame stigmas attached to us. It’s time to show businesses who we really are and what we’re capable of.

How many events have you organized?

Our first event was May 2016, with somewhere between 250 – 300 attendees – sold out I might add. We’re in the midst of work for the second event now! (Coming November 3, 2016!)

What types of people attended your event?

Primarily HR, lots of recruiters, marketing professionals, CEOs and a few start up peeps.

What are you most proud of in regards to being involved with DisruptHR events?

Meaningful connections that were made that night, and throughout the process, that inevitably will lead to change for the better.

What kind of feedback did you receive from those who attended the first DisruptHR Philadelphia event?

Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. And we’re HR people, so it was a tough crowd!

Most of the feedback was about how different this event felt from the typical HR events, and it’s impact on inspiring the audience.

What is your favorite DisruptHR Talk, and why?

I’d have to say the DisruptHR Cincinnati talk by Laurie Ruettimann – “Why Not You?

She’s a badass, and it made me say “hell yeah”! Anything that gets me excited to make change is VERY welcome content.

Why Not You? | Laurie Ruettimann | DisruptHR Talks from DisruptHR on Vimeo.

Based off of the Talks and conversations at your event, what do you feel are the areas with the biggest opportunity for disruption?

Wow. There are so many it’s hard to choose – which speaks volumes about why it is so important that these events exist and thrive.

It’s really all about evolution of how we treat human beings every day in all aspects of work. Performance management and how we’re helping people to learn and grow both professionally and personally stand out for me.

What excites you or frustrates you about the future of work, your career and/or DisruptHR?

We have the ability to impact peoples lives everyday. We should use that power for good, not evil.

I’m excited to help lead the charge in having impact beyond just the one organization or industry you happen to work in, and take it on a broader scale. Other countries have their sh*t together and we can do better. Let’s do this!

DisruptHR Philadelphia (#DisruptHRPHL) will be back for their second event on November 3, 2016!

DisruptHR Philadelphia Community Page

DisruptHR Philadelphia Facebook Page

DisruptHR Philadelphia Twitter Account

#DisruptHRPHL Twitter mentions

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