Wide variety: There were 305 exhibitors on the show fl oor this year
SUE ANSTISS, MD, PROMOTE PR KEYNOTES
W
hile opinion among UK delegates attending the IHRSA Conference were
mixed regarding the content and relevance of the general sessions, once again the keynotes were very impressive. It must be tough for IHRSA to fi nd
speakers to follow previous years’ big hitters such as Deepak Chopra, Rudy Giuliani, Malcolm Gladwell and Bill Clinton, but they did so this year, lining up the likes of Daniel Pink, Tony Hsieh and the US Surgeon General. Fans of TV show The Amazing Race
enjoyed the presentation by its longtime host Phil Keoghan, who attributes his success and zest for living now to a near- death experience at the age of 19. He called upon the audience to create their own ‘life list’ of goals to achieve. Daniel Pink, best-selling author of the
book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, encouraged delegates to think again about what really motivates staff, beyond the predictable assumptions of more money. It was a privilege to hear America’s
most senior doctor, the 18th Surgeon General of the United States Regina Benjamin, present her “Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation” as she reinforced the message that ‘exercise is medicine’. She emphasised the importance of fi ghting the obesity epidemic by communicating and celebrating the full benefi ts of healthy living. “Americans will be more likely
to change their behaviour if they have a meaningful reward – something more than just reaching a certain weight or dress size,” she said. “The real reward is invigorating, energising, joyous health. It is a level of health that allows people to embrace each day and live their lives to the fullest without disease or disability.”
company culture For me, the two keynotes that most
resonated had a similar message: that whatever business you are in, ultimately it’s the culture of a company that will make or break it, not the services or products that you sell. In a very entertaining presentation,
Patrick Lencioni, founder and president of The Table Group, said that many businesses focus 95 per cent of their time on becoming more ‘smart’ and working on areas such as technology, marketing, fi nance and strategy. In fact, he said, there is a much bigger opportunity to drive company success by focusing on building a ‘healthy’ company and striving to create a working environment with minimal politics, low turnover of the best people, minimal confusion, high morale and high productivity. Lencioni said all businesses have the
‘smart’ stuff, but that the ‘health’ of an organisation is truly the multiplier of the smart stuff. Striving to create a functional, cohesive team is one of the few remaining competitive advantages available to any organisation looking for
“THERE IS A MUCH BIGGER OPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE COMPANY SUCCESS BY FOCUSING ON BUILDING A ‘HEALTHY’ COMPANY”
may 2011 © cybertrek 2011
a powerful point of difference. Functional teams
avoid wasting time talking about the wrong issues and revisiting the same topics because of lack of buy-in. Functional teams also make higher-quality decisions and accomplish more in less time, and with less distraction and frustration. Additionally, the best players rarely leave organisations where they are part of a cohesive team. Lencioni highlighted that successful
teamwork is not about mastering subtle, sophisticated theories, but about embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence. Ironically, teams succeed because they are exceedingly human. By acknowledging the imperfections of their humanity and creating real trust, members of functional teams – led by those at the top setting the example – overcome the natural tendencies that make teamwork so elusive.
defining values Tony Hsieh author of the New York
Times best-seller Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose and CEO of
Zappos.com, grew the company’s gross sales from US$1.6m to US$1bn. He had a clear message for the IHRSA audience: define your core values and commit to them. He explained why defi ning and
committing to his company’s core values led not only to profi ts, but also – as the title of his book suggests – passion and purpose. When he took over the company, he recognised ‘The Power of
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