SHRM president makes his first visit to Marianas

Society of Human Resource Management CEO and president Johnny Taylor Jr. graces SHRM NMI chapter with his presence during the chapter’s monthly meeting yesterday. (Kimberly A. Bautista)

Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Society of Human Resource Management—a human resources organization—focused on three points that would elevate the profession and human resource professionals in his keynote speech during the NMI Chapter’s meeting yesterday at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan.

At the monthly SHRM meeting that was held at PIC’s Charley’s Cabaret, Taylor touched base on the importance of having a point of view and opinion, the importance of certification, and the importance of courage when dealing with people issues.

“The three things that we really talked about was one, having a point of view and an opinion on policy and advocacy matters; two, making sure that we are all certified and that we understand the body of knowledge and what is means to be an HR professional…and thirdly, we need to…take on issues of the day and most issues are people issues, not just business issues. Most issues that business people run into are people issues… so what we’ve encouraged our people is to focus on those three areas to elevate their profession,” he said.

Taylor added that good H.R. isn’t only found in bigger companies in the U.S. mainland; good H.R. can be found in small business in small islands like the Marianas.

“One thing that happens is, too often, we only look at the major companies in major parts of the country. …Good H.R. isn’t just found in the mainland U.S., it’s everywhere, including right here on Saipan,” he said.

Taylor arrived early yesterday morning and left late yesterday evening to visit the SHRM Chapter in Guam.

In an interview with Taylor, he said he was excited to present in front of the NMI Chapter due to how active and welcoming the chapter members were.

“We have an active Chapter here; it is one of the two islands whee we actually have SHRM Chapter members on so I’m really excited to be here,” he said.

When asked about his first experiences on Saipan, Taylor said the island is reminiscent of his home in Fort Lauderdale.

“It’s absolutely my first trip here and I frankly didn’t even know where Saipan was. I knew of Guam because my daughter is half-Guamanian but I didn’t know where Saipan was and it has been wonderful. It reminds me so much of home, Fort Lauderdale, because it’s humid and tropical…and the people are nice so I’m very pleased to be here,” he said.