Maybe it was just the size of this year’s Business & Leadership Conference (BLC), but more than two months have passed – and I still can’t stop thinking about how I’ve never seen so much demand for additional information from BLC attendees before. From the products and businesses that won NSCA awards to people wanting contact information for other attendees, everyone just wanted more. (The new BLC app we unveiled this year was a huge help in that area – people are still visiting the app two months later to find information.)
As I look back on the topics that seemed to strike a chord, I come back to the 4 Disciplines of Execution concept (Chris McChesney) and the discussion of career lattices (Cathy Benko). I’ve talked to integration firms that implemented both concepts as soon as they returned to their offices. It turns out that neither concept is terribly difficult as long as someone stays committed to making them happen.
Simplifying Strategy
The idea behind McChesney’s 4 Disciplines of Execution is to simplify strategy to make action items easier to understand and execute. Taking the many good ideas you have and allowing your team to focus on just a few of them – rather than all of them – is a core principle. Ever since McChesney presented this idea back in early March, we’ve been helping members figure out ways to incorporate the ideas using lead measures instead of lag measures to simplify the executable actions taken to achieve results. It truly makes a remarkable difference.
Lattices vs. Ladders
Cathy Benko led us through a very academic lecture on a topic that makes so much sense – but most of us had never been exposed to this type of talent development approach. Almost daily, people now ask me to review how they might implement this cross-training and onboarding approach into their integration business. Once you compare it to the more traditional career-ladder approach, you begin to see how valuable this could really be.
Looking Forward
I was also in awe of James Kane and Mark Scharenbroich. How can people present their content that well? It blows me away how they command the platform, and how easily they can capture everyone’s attention for that period of time. The messages they each had were so different, but they tied together perfectly.
As we review the BLC feedback and evaluations we’ve received, it’s easy to see that our integrator-led planning committee truly understands the pulse of this industry. We always aim to improve upon what we did the year before – and, somehow, I bet 2018 is even better.
And, by the way, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Business & Leadership Conference, I would like to have someone from each NSCA integrator member company represent his or her firm. So don’t be surprised if I give you a call! -Chuck Wilson, NSCA Executive Director