What I learned at SuccessConnect and HRTech

Meg Bear

Sep 18, 20224 min read

Updated: Jan 13

There’s a roulette scene in the all-time classic film Casablanca where hero and casino proprietor Rick helps a young couple in distress win the money they need to start a better life. “You try 22 tonight?,” Rick asks the man. It hits, and the man goes to grab his winnings. “Leave it there,” Rick says, and after another improbable 22 comes up, the stack of chips grows unbelievably large.

Surrounded by the Las Vegas glam and spinning wheels last week, I couldn’t help but think that 22 was a special number indeed: SuccessConnect ’22 specifically 😎

Our big event is in the books – and what a success it was. Even with all of the anticipation and preparation that went into the event, I was still blown away by the excitement I felt in our rooms, from the keynote stage and breakout sessions to the showroom floor and customer meeting areas.

I'm sure all the hugs contributed.

Below are a few thoughts on what I learned at SuccessConnect (and HRTech) this year, I am so #Joyful to have had this experience -- thanks to every person who invested your personal time to connect.

It felt like the past 3 years were all leading up to my first in person SuccessConnect, but I wasn’t the only one with the date circled on my calendar. I was so happy with the response to our product announcements and our vision for people sustainability and the future of work, but even more heartening was the reunion of our SuccessFactors community. I’m not too proud to say that I think our customers have missed seeing each other even more than they have missed seeing us. After all, it’s the impromptu chats, candid conversations, and collaborative energy that make in person events magical.
In the last three years the role of HR has elevated and expanded profoundly. A solid alignment to the business strategy and a focus on change readiness, data and culture are going to be key.
HR reaches across, through, up and down the organization. The needs of the business are changing rapidly, and working with the business is more challenging but in the end this is an opportunity. Steve Goldberg and I hosted a session with our customer user group (shout out to Lindsay Westra, M.A. great session) where we laid out that we can do one of two things in this environment: keep the ship steady to prevent personal risk, or steer ambitiously into the choppy waters and prove ourselves with strategic initiatives. I think you know my choice (hint: the choppy waters are coming for everyone regardless).
We talked a lot about People Sustainability last week, and I know that’s not yet an everyday term. But People Sustainability is exactly what our customers are doing: driving culture and growing teams to not only solve the skills gap of today but to expand opportunities for employees, partners and communities. This ultimately supports the future of work we all want to be a part of, and what the UN describes as peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.
I didn’t learn this so much as my prior feelings were fully confirmed: this community provides so much insight, inspiration and encouragement for the bright future of work that we all want. I saw it at SuccessConnect and HRTech, and also the dinners, receptions, new connections, and old friendships. We are putting people at the center of work, and we are investing in learning and growth, but most importantly we are changing work for good... together.