As strategists and project leaders we tend to focus on the current initiatives and take a “heads down” approach to accomplishing our tasks. This can go on for months until we finally surface, and discover that things have changed around us and others have been focusing on a wide range of priorities. How do you find out what you’ve missed?
One of the biggest advantages of going to an industry event or conference is twofold 1) To reconnect with people and 2) make new acquaintances. We often find that our learning extends beyond the workshops and group sessions and some of our greatest ‘aha’ moments are realized during the networking sessions or sharing a meal with others, when we are at our most open and relaxed. Participating in events gives us a forum to drive innovation and learn about many things beyond our primary business objective and bring those new ideas back to our own business.
Renewing relationships is also a key reason to attend industry events. As we evolve and gain more varied experiences, we become more exposed to possibilities within ourselves that never would have been considered before. We may want to discuss issues with others and understand how a peer overcame a challenge that is similar to one we are currently facing.
Also, attending conferences enable us to learn about industry best practices and help us think outside our traditional way of accomplishing tasks. This in turn, broadens our perspective and creativity establishing a new level of value we can offer our clients and colleagues.
I recall attending a seminar on business case development sponsored by Finlistics (a financial logistics firm) and discovered that I was learning more about value-based management systems that focused on how actions translate into bottom line benefits. What this enabled us to do as an organization was to deliver what our clients needed, but also show how our management of risk and development of a realistic implementation plan would positively affect their bottom line. In simplest terms, we can provide a realistic ROI with mitigated risk and provide the real data to back up those claims to help connect strategy to results. The tools we use to help clients identify business benefits of investment enable us to create value and helps our clients make better informed decisions and plans.
Driving business value, developing realistic implementation plans and managing risk are all part of the Logixsource services offering. Contact Heather Cartwright or Scott Savage to learn more.
