I had the opportunity to speak at Cleveland SHRM NOHRC 2026

…the 60th-anniversary conference, Brilliant Together, where I shared my signature talk, Success Has a Sound, with a room full of thoughtful, engaged HR leaders.

We talked about:

Knowing your worth
Choosing words that reflect your impact
Using stories to bring your work to life
Building a powerful presence

But what made this experience stand out wasn’t just the conversation.

It was how quickly the room made the shift.

From personal development → to organizational responsibility.

Professional speaker Annette Garsteck presenting to HR leaders at Cleveland SHRM NOHRC 2026 conference — Sharing *Success Has a Sound* with an incredible room of engaged HR leaders at Cleveland SHRM NOHRC 2026 conference.

Because this isn’t just about how individuals show up.

It’s about what gets reinforced across an organization.

What gets recognized.
What gets repeated.
What gets rewarded.

That’s what people hear as success.

The Lead-In I Didn’t Plan (But Loved)

John Bernatovicz led an interactive session, HR’s Gone Wild, where we identified the animal that most closely aligned with our work values.

It was fun. It was engaging.
And it made you think more intentionally about how you show up at work.

As I reflected on the exercise, I chose the Dolphin, which represented communication and that starts with listening and curiosity.

And one line that stayed with me:

“Your people are your work.”

Because when your people are your work…
What you say AND how you say it, matters even more.

Viktoria Levay introduced the Diamond Mindset, challenging us to think about how we treat ourselves, how we fuel our energy, and how we allow ourselves to shine.

And yes…we danced.

Amy Wong brought us into the power of storytelling, specifically, how organizations can use stories to attract the right talent.

None of these sessions were designed to build into my talk.

But they did.

Because each one pointed to the ideas I was discussing:

— How we show up matters
— How we communicate matters
— The stories we tell matter

High performers are doing incredible work every day.

But they are not always:

capturing it
communicating it
reinforcing it

And inside organizations, that gap becomes culture.

Because:

When leaders hedge their language, employees hear uncertainty
When people minimize their contributions, others follow
When stories aren’t told, impact gets lost
When presence is inconsistent, expectations become unclear

Over time…

That becomes the sound of the organization.

So I asked the room a question I’ll leave with you:

What does success sound like inside your organization…based on what you recognize, reward, and repeat?

Two Ways to Think About This

For professionals:
How are you getting noticed, remembered, and building credibility and trust?

For HR leaders:
What are you reinforcing?
Intentionally
OR
Unintentionally
…every single day?

Success isn’t just what gets done.

It’s what gets heard.
It’s what gets recognized.
It’s what gets repeated.

Success has a sound.

So the question becomes…

What does yours sound like?
And what does it sound like where you work?

An Invitation

If this resonates with you, tell me below…
What does success sound like in your organization?

Prefer a private conversation?
Schedule your Success Has A Sound Strategy Session

Success Has a Sound: What I Heard at Cleveland SHRM NOHRC 2026