We Didn’t Leave SHRM With Answers. We Left With Better Questions.

Traci Danna
Apr 29
2 min read

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a week since the SHRM Talent Conference & Expo 2026.

What stayed with me most wasn’t just the conversations. It was the quality of the questions.

I had the chance to connect with so many thoughtful leaders who are asking better questions about the future of work. And that might be one of the most important shifts happening right now.

Thank you to Andrea Y. Harper-Presley, Sarah Rodehorst, Jaime Pickle, Collins, Denise Burkett, Donika Panici, Brandon Glyck, and so many others for the conversations that made me think more deeply and see things differently.

A special shout-out to my team, who make me a better version of myself every day. Jennifer Koenig, Tamala Van Der Horn, and Milana Danna. And a beautiful surprise appearance from Sharon Wilson.

There’s something about being in a room with people who are genuinely curious that resets your perspective. You go in thinking you have answers. You leave realizing better questions are what actually move things forward.

Also, let’s be honest. After a few days of conference conversations, your voice is gone, your feet hurt, and your brain is somehow both full and slightly fried. And yet, those are usually the moments where something meaningful clicks. Because at the center of all of this, it is still very human.

Human intelligence powers intelligent systems. But more than that, it is what draws us toward each other. It is what helps us see possibilities and, sometimes, see ourselves more clearly.

That is really what this work is about.

Cross-Intelligence Leadership™ is a proprietary leadership framework developed by Level Up Enterprises.

At its core, it is a leadership model that designs how human intelligence and intelligent systems work together to drive performance, decision quality, and scalability.

Last week was a reminder that no matter how advanced technology becomes, it is still the conversations, the connections, and the willingness to think differently that shape what comes next.