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Spring Leaders Conference Recap

Reaching New Generations and Developing Adaptive Communication Styles Are Takeaways from 2012 Spring Leaders Conference

The newly designed PTDA Spring Leaders Conference held on March 15-17 in historic Charleston, S.C. introduced participants to new business ideas and concepts and brought together PTDA members from all leadership levels for networking and learning.

The conference encompassed three components: governance meetings for PTDA’s new committees, the Leadership Development Conference and a new feature—a General Educational Session designed to give both seasoned and emerging leaders insight into ways of communicating. Jeffrey King, director marketing, Bearing Service Inc., said, “For independent distributors, learning about and embracing rapidly changing communication methodologies is vital to both the development of new customers and the retention of current customers. The distributors that fail to embrace these changes will undoubtedly be on the outside looking in to those that do.”

Jim Paglia of In’s & Out’s LLC facilitated both the General Educational Session and the Leadership Development components of the conference. To view his presentation, click here.

Participants were energized by the General Educational Session, where Paglia, a leading communications consultant, encouraged soul searching by asking members to use symbols to visually describe how their companies perceive them and how they perceive themselves at their companies. The interactive discussion that followed touched on such topics as corporate branding, value statements and the vision required to lead an organization.

Paglia also illustrated how various cultures—and generations—differ in their communications styles. Participants walked away with a new grasp of how adaptation in communications and embracing diversity is critical for business survival.

Logan McCoy, manufacturing manager at Flexco, said, “I enjoyed every minute of it. The style was different, fresh. There were many takeaways that I will definitely be able to put in place.” McCoy said he will immediately be putting to use some of the tips he learned about working in diverse cultures as he completes work in Chile and begins projects in Germany and China.

Jack Timmerman, sales manager at Lee Linear, said the topics were timely for his organization, where multiple generations work side by side. He said this was his first ever PTDA event. “It was very worthwhile. It was quite an eye-opener and a terrific experience,” he said.

Timmerman specifically mentioned a session where Paglia used members of the audience to demonstrate how leaders can set up false expectations without realizing it. False expectations can limit what a team can deliver for its management.