EDUCATION SESSION 1:
LEADING FOR GROWTH IN CHALLENGING TIMES
BY LARRY MERSEREAU

Are the most successful leaders always the best‐educated and most qualified…or are they just in the right place at the right time…like, all the time? Is it just by luck that their organization or department has the most positive and productive employees, or do they know something others don’t? In this lively program, discover the Five Traits of a Successful Leader. With each one, you’ll assess your own capabilities and attitudes and identify which you have mastered and which might need some work. Then we’ll look at specifics of team leadership, examining ‘what people want.’ With research showing that 68% of the workforce is ‘disengaged,’ smart leaders are always looking for effective motivation and team growth insights.

In this session Randall discusses key productivity tools and peripherals that can help you find productivity and connectedness regardless of whether you are in the office, on the road, or even at home (if you so choose!) We'll discuss smart phones & tablets (and related peripherals), cool apps, laptops, mobile office tools, hotspots, cloud storage, and more, helping you to have productivity at your fingertips pretty much anyplace you might be. And at the end of the session, we'll open up the floor to the audience to hear the tools they are using for a "best practices, technology, and apps" discussion, leading to greater productivity for both full‐time and just some‐of‐the‐time road warriors.

Every champion you met will tell you that there was a day, a moment, and an hour when they decided they wanted to quit but had to find the will to stick with it. These are the rapidly becoming the toughest times most of us have experienced. Connie Merritt helps organizations and individuals understand how to take the necessary actions to make decisions to meet their challenges by leading and inspiring – not retreating into the paralysis of “just holding on.”

In this short session, Randy Dean, MBA, will discuss the possibilities and capabilities of Google and other cloud services to help enhance your business. Going beyond e‐mail and calendar, we'll discuss file sharing, collaboration, document creation & cloud storage, project management, and even some social media cloud options for both getting work done using the cloud and promoting your business/building relationships. Make "the cloud" part of your business and personal toolkit for greater productivity, communications, and success.

You’ve read and heard that the most successful people work with clear, effective goals. In this hands‐on session, you’ll learn how it’s done and start writing your own goals for both business or career and personal success. Smart goals can help you achieve more at work, improve your health, raise happy and healthy children…improve your odds of accomplishing anything! We’ll go through the process of identifying key areas where goals can help you advance. Then you’ll actually start writing your own goals using a simple, proven formula.

Learn time tested ways to manage difficult people like complainers, bullies, grumps, curmudgeons, and passive‐aggressive individuals. Learn powerful skills for resolving conflict as well as options for handling hostility and reducing frustration, intimidation, and manipulation by those who demand, bully, complain, or – those other special traits that can push buttons. This session provides step‐by‐step approaches to help when faced with difficult people while managing and maintaining productivity.