There are several things in life that I love:

• Journals with nice paper
• Pens that write smoother than you could imagine
• Lists

Why?  Because I am a list maker.  I always have been.  I like the activity of writing down all my “to do’s” and getting to cross them off as I accomplish them.  I like to make columns and use different colored pens.  Occasionally I even use a highlighter to make the list look that much better.  Crazy, right?  Well, for me, lists help keep me on track and show the information I need in an organized way.

I know not everyone likes lists because sometimes there are too many, they’re too long, or they don’t provide valuable information.  But since I’m a list lover, I was thrilled to be included in one recently that have always found to be helpful.  The Fistful Of Talent 25 Top Management Blogs.

I’ve been reading FOT far longer than I have had a blog.  I’m sure that FOT has influenced my decision to jump into the fray and I thank them for that.  As I think back to 2008, I remember seeing the first post where they ranked the top 25 talent management blogs.  This is how they defined the goal of the ranking, “the goal is being able to recommend the blogs to the broad audience of people practicing Talent Management – not just bloggers, who tend to have thick skin.  So, the core mission of the blog has to be providing quality information, with Talent issues at the core of what the blog is about.” Back then, as I practiced HR in my daily job, I used that list to start branching out to read more talent management blogs.  That activity alone helped me develop my knowledge and opinions about human resources more than any training course could.

Fast forward to today and now I’M on the list.  You can see why I’m humbled and honored to be included.  My hope is that my blog continues to be a place for other industry professionals to gain some insight into HR related topics, to share their ideas, to agree and disagree with me, to showcase ways to get involved and move our profession forward, and most of all, TO LEARN.

So, thank you Kris Dunn, Jessica Lee, and the FOT crew for including me.  I know some people don’t take lists seriously, but I do.  It’s nice to be recognized for doing something I am passionate about.

Steve Boese, the newest member of FOT, pulled together a GoogleReader bundle so that you can easily subscribe to the Top 25.  Be sure to click here to have them added to your reader.

Today, I want to point you in two different directions.  Sometimes there are other bloggers who just have info that is far more interesting than what I alone can create.  Today is one of those days.

First up, Fistful of Talent.  As I’ve mentioned before, this is my personal favorite HR blog.  I love reading posts from multiple contributors on many different leadership and business topics.  Not just HR.  Today, they have posted their Talent Management Blog power rankings.  I’m thrilled and honored to be included.  WHY?  Because when peers recognize you for what you do, it is just an honor.  This one means a LOT to me.  Thank you FOT team!

Please check out their post today to see what blogs they are reading and find some new ones to follow yourself.

It’s also HR Carnival time again and Steve Boese has pulled together a fun sports edition of the HR carnival.  Be sure to check out his blog for all the great contributions.

Some of my favorites that are “must reads” this time are:

• Naomi Bloom’s post ‘Reflections of a Digital Immigrant Gone Semi-Native‘.  This post inspired me to write my own plan and I hope it will inspire you if you haven’t checked it out.
• Lisa Rosendahl asks us ‘Have You Checked Your Credibility‘?  I didn’t know this was going to be part of the carnival and I just read the post earlier today.  Lisa does a great job of challenging us to reflect on our own credibility and how it affects decision-making.

Happy Friday Friends!

My blog life has been dominated by one topic lately, which I am not mentioning, but will come back to some important themes next week based on recent comments on my posts.  That said, today I am focusing on an event I have been excited about since June.  Corporate University Week.

As someone who is responsible for advancing training and development in my daily life, I spend quite a bit of time researching trending content, reading about best practices in learning, finding and evaluating resources to better educate colleagues, and further my own knowledge.  It is not an easy task to take on because it take a great deal of time and effort.  So, when the opportunity was presented to attend Corporate University Week this year, I was thrilled.

For those who are not as familiar with CU Week, it is a premier learning event hosted by IQPC (International Quality and Productivity Center).  This will be the 11th annual CU Week and it is being held in Orlando, FL from November 16- 19.  Learning and development experts come together with business executives over the course of four days to share best practices and knowledge on how to build or strengthen corporate learning.  There  is also plenty of opportunity for networking.

I am excited to be attending and speaking along with several other HR bloggers I admire.  Sharlyn Lauby of HR Bartender and Jessica Lee of Fistful of Talent will be there too. I can’t wait to see them and to learn so much next week.  Since I am also attending a few sessions in addition to speaking, I’ll be tweeting under the #CUWeek tag so everyone can see what is being discussed.

Space is still available if you’re able to join.

Are you a HR blogger or someone who aspires to be?  Do you follow HR bloggers and wonder what makes them tick?  As we head into the next couple months leading up to the HRevolution, I will be posting each week (or so) highlighting different, well-known HR bloggers.  If you would like to be highlighted, or if you would like to recommend someone you’d like to learn more about, leave a comment, DM me on http://twitter.com/trishmcfarlane, or email me at trisham89@hotmail.com.

When I thought about writing this series of posts, the first person that came to mind as someone I wanted to know more about was Kris Dunn.  Kris is well known in the blogging community.  He is currently the VP of People at DAXKO, a software company focused on serving the best membership-driven organizations in America.  You can find him blogging over at the HR Captialist where he’s been sharing his views with us since 2006.  He is also the founder of the Fistful of Talent blog focused on all things ‘talent’ and is a collaboration of several HR pros from across the country. In addition to checking out Kris there, you can also find him on Twitter.

 So, sit back, grab a cold drink (or hot coffee if you’re reading this in the am) and here’s Kris:

• What time do you start your day?  Are you a morning person or more of a late-nighter? 

I usually wake up about 3am to get a good start on my day…

Just joking. I used to post (automated) at 4am every day to get included on a couple of aggregators that matter and people used to ask me if I was up that early all the time.  The answer was and is “no”. Up at 6:15ish, out by 11pm.  Two young boys, so lots of my time gets soaked up by that.

•  It’s time to head to work, how do you get there (car, train, bike)? 

Like Ben Folds, I’m rockin the suburbs.  I’m the classic ugly American, rolling down the Interstate in a SUV, no commute options in Birmingham.  Commute time = 30 minutes.  Aided by Sirius Radio and coffee.  Sirius tuned to ESPN, FOX News, Old School Rap or Alternative Rock.

• What is one thing you have to do every day to start your day right?

 Sleep.  Coffee.  Quick run through email, then repeat – except for the sleep part.  I’m a terrible napper.

• Where do you work?  How do you provide HR greatness there?

DAXKO – on-demand software company.  Greatness is such a strong word.  DAXKO is a Top-50 Places to Work in America company, so I’m blessed to have great tools to work with.  The quickest way to provide HR greatness is to go out and get better talent than your competitors, so I try to do that above and beyond all else.

• Answer the question “If I hadn’t ended up in HR, I’d be ____________”.

Coaching college basketball or working for a big consulting firm like IBM Global.  Had early stops in both industries before I lucked into HR.

• What is your favorite HR and non-HR reading?

HR Reading – Fortune, BusinessWeek and Workforce.  If you don’t think the first two involve HR reading, then we’ve got different definitions.  Non-HR reading, I go with Non-Fiction books that have a cultural or sociology bent to them.  Currently reading Traffic: Why we Drive the Way we Do by Tom Vanderbilt.  I like to read about what makes people tick, especially within certain subcultures.  Another favorite in the same vein:  Edge City by Joel Garreau.  Classic tome about the commercial real estate culture in America.

• It’s lunchtime.  What type of food are you going after?  

Not much.  Makes me sleepy.  Have Power Bars and Twizzlers available in arms reach to get me through mid-day.  Anything more makes me sleepy. 

• Afternoon slump?  What do you do to re-energize during the workday? 

It’s either Starbucks or Diet Mountain Dew, depending on whether I want to make a quick trip outside the office.

• It’s quitting time.  What is your life like after your day job? 

Two boys, so most of the time I’m involved in sports, etc.   When I’m not doing that, I’m writing for the blogs or for Workforce.  Then there’s me time, which happens once a year whether I need it or not.

• Bonus Question:  What is the best piece of HR or business advice you’ve received?

“The only product you have is the intellectual capital you put on the slides”… Quote from a partner at IBM Global, underscoring how crazy they were about the final documents, reports and slides on research projects we delivered.  Taught me a lot about pride and ownership in final deliverables at a young age.

Thank you to Kris for being a great sport and participating.  Be sure to check him out if you haven’t already.  And remember to tell me who you’d like to learn about next.  Thanks for stopping by.