Workshops

Executive and Management Learning Track

The Innovation Pyramid: Creating a Culture for Change
Bruce Wideberg, president, Vedior North America
Wednesday, 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m.

Are you satisfied with the way your business is operating? You may not be for long. Successful businesses thrive and gain a competitive edge by creating a culture of innovation—providing products, services, processes, and technology solutions that answer the needs of the marketplace and build loyalty among clients.

This executive-level overview will help you learn to differentiate your company from the competition. You'll find out how you can earn higher margins by transforming your organization into one that is better able to deal with changing market conditions.

Learn how to develop and implement an innovation pyramid—moving from a defensive to an offensive approach—that uses the abilities of your whole team to create new solutions and ideas. Bruce Wideberg, whose responsibilities include sales initiatives and business development for the North American operations of Vedior, will share examples of innovation from within the industry. See how corporate Web sites can reflect innovation and learn steps you can take to assess yours. Identify synergies in your company and new ways to support innovation within your business.

High Tech, Hot Tech: What Works for Your Business?
Panel moderated by Jim Essey, CSP, president, the TemPositions Group of Cos.
Thursday, 1:45–3 p.m.

Electronic billing, electronic time sheets, digital dashboards, Web-based reporting, interactive voice response calling—what are these tools, and how do they increase productivity and efficiency? Are they worth the investment in training and cost? And what's around the corner?

ASA past chairman Jim Essey, CSP, will moderate a panel of chief information officers and chief technology officers of some of the industry's most innovative companies. They'll show you real world examples of how they use technology and discuss how it benefits their firms and how it can benefit yours. If you've been considering an investment in technology, this workshop will help you identify the right leading-edge solutions for your business.

Harness Your Competitive Advantage—Exemplary Service
Steve Mulvany, president, Management Tools Inc.
Dan Campbell, CSP, founder and chief executive officer, Hire Dynamics Inc.
Thursday, 1:45–5 p.m.
Immersion workshop

What images form in your mind when you think of Nordstrom, Lexus, and Four Seasons Hotels? All are successful brands that stand out for having business models that consistently deliver top-notch service. What companies stand out in the staffing industry? Management consultant Steve Mulvany, and staffing company CEO and ASA board member Dan Campbell, CSP, will give you examples of what has driven the success of America's fastest-growing staffing companies. They'll define models of superior client service as a business strategy for growth.

During this interactive three-hour immersion workshop, you'll learn how to establish client service policies and integrate them into your corporate culture. You’ll also have hands-on opportunities to draft client service programs and learn techniques that will increase client satisfaction and loyalty—and your bottom line.

Nuts and Bolts of M&A—For Buyers and Sellers
Panel moderated by David Bartholomew, chief executive officer, Staffmark
Thursday, 4–5:15 p.m.

Growing your business and someday retiring off the profits is a common goal whether you own a small or large company. Join ASA immediate past chairman David Bartholomew and a panel of mergers and acquisitions experts who will help you understand market values and pricing, how to build value then plan your exit strategy, and how to select professional advisers.

First-time sellers will learn the process, terminology, and tactics for avoiding pitfalls and maximizing a sale when marketing their most important asset. Veteran sellers will learn about the current market situation, and what's hot and what's not.

Buyers will gain insight into how to identify good acquisition targets, and how to develop a new focus and goals when the sale is complete.

Build a Great Team: Be a 'Level 5' Leader
Donna Mallard, CSP, president, Mallard & Associates
Thursday, 4–5:15 p.m.

Are you challenged each day to find ways to manage and motivate your staff to become invested in the company and focused on results? This session uses the concept described by Good to Great author and management educator Jim Collins. He writes, "Level 5 leaders are a study in duality: modest yet willful, humble, and fearless." Donna Mallard will focus on what you do internally to generate and encourage tenure and develop a great and evolving company.

Get the tools and strategies you need to learn how you, as a Level 5 leader, can provide a trusting environment and give your team permission to have conflicts that lead them to focus on creating results.

Executive Insights—Staffing CEOs Discuss Industry Opportunities
Panel moderated by Richard Wahlquist, president and chief executive officer, American Staffing Association
Friday, 10:30–11:45 a.m.

Labor shortages, increased competition, and regulatory threats are seen as the three most important issues facing the staffing industry. Sneak a peek into the minds of some of the most successful staffing company CEOs to discover how they view the changing marketplace and the opportunities it presents. Richard Wahlquist will lead this panel.

This is a unique opportunity to gain new ideas you can implement based on steps industry leaders are taking to maximize their companies' growth. Discover what these CEOs see as the industry's strengths as they discuss how staffing companies like yours can grow and thrive in the years ahead.

Management Tuneup: Tactics for High Performance (Part 1)
Peter Leffkowitz, chief executive officer, Morgan Consulting Group
Friday, 10:30–11:45 a.m.
Immersion workshop

Managers and owners want to spend less time micromanaging and more time developing business growth. Learn how to create a self-sufficient operation built on finding, developing, and training the right people. In this interactive version of his popular management clinic, Peter Leffkowitz will help you develop the skills to take control of your internal standards and hiring practices so you can create an operational system that takes on a life of its own.

In the first part of this two-part immersion workshop, Leffkowitz will examine the prestaffing backgrounds of the highest-performing temporary and direct hire recruiters and the traits that are indicative of performance excellence. He'll show you how to set up realistic activity standards and track the activity output of your recruiters to generate increasing revenues.

These two combined sessions mix a bit of fun and humor with powerful truths and more than four hours of best practices you can implement immediately.

Manage for Growth: Operations and Financing That Maximize Value
Nick Florio, partner, Citrin Cooperman & Co. LLP
Jim Rothman, president, Capital TempFunds
Friday, 1:45–3 p.m.

Decisions you make now could have an unfavorable impact on your company later. This workshop shows you how to grow your business strategically without jeopardizing its profitability and valuation. Understand different financing options and what type of financial relationship best fits your personal and business goals. Get the strategies you need to manage costs and enhance your company's strategic value today for a profitable outcome tomorrow.

Join Nick Florio and Jim Rothman as they share cost-effective ways to manage liquidity and strategically capitalize growth. Learn what lenders and investors look for when valuating a company, and the positives and negatives of debt and equity. Understand blended finance approaches, financing alternatives, and the effects they have on management and ownership.

Discussion topics will include acquisitions, organic growth, unanticipated expenses, personal capital needs, and steps involved in a potential sale.

Staffing Report Card: Lessons From Staffing's Largest Buyers
Diana Gabriel, strategic services executive, Staffing Industry Analysts Inc. Friday, 1:45–3 p.m.

What's the first rule in marketing and sales that all successful companies follow? Know what your clients want—and then give it to them. Research from Staffing Industry Analysts shows that staffing clients are less than thrilled with the level of service they receive from their staffing suppliers.

Diana Gabriel will review the results of a detailed survey conducted among the largest buyers of staffing services. Learn what's on their minds, why they buy (and why they don't), and what you can do to increase client satisfaction. She will also explore how some of these findings apply to specific industry segments and how anyone can take advantage of growth opportunities ahead.

Management Tuneup: Tactics for High Performance (Part 2)
Peter Leffkowitz, chief executive officer, Morgan Consulting Group Friday, 1:45–5 p.m.

This topic's so hot we had to continue the discussion. (Part 1 takes place 10:30–11:45 a.m. Friday, so don't miss it.) In Part 2 of this workshop, Peter Leffkowitz will share incentive solutions that are in place in high-performing staffing companies all over the world and that create consistent results. He'll show you how to set up creative compensation rewards that apply pressure in the right place to get the results you want. He'll explain why collective team, profit-based, and top-line incentives don't work and provide an alternative that does.

Have you ever spent thousands of dollars paying an employee only to find out that this new hire is acceptable in some areas but will never be good in others? Leffkowitz will introduce you to a five-day training process that exposes rookie recruiters to different aspects of the job in small pieces, allowing managers to make predictions about overall capability and early success—before too much time and money has been spent.

At the end of this two-part workshop, you will have your management skills honed for performance excellence and bottom line impact.