Voice of the Restaurant Industry®
People Report Conference: Best in Class.
The People Report is the foremost provider of Human Resource Metrics in our Industry. In my opinion, if you’re not subscribing and learning to leverage the resources they provide, you’re not in the game.
Last week, People Report members ‘hooked-up’ in Dallas for their annual Best Practice Conference.
From the members pre-conference survey, Reality Bites…
• 75% think their jobs are harder
• 71% have already made staff reductions
• 89% are stressed
• the 100% biggest problem – SALES
The People Report conference lineup was full of paradigm busters that quickly changed the tone, provided leadership direction and inspired action.
Here's what made their conference best in class:
1. They kicked-it-off with a philanthropic gig.
Jim Knight, Senior Director of Training for Hard Rock, (whom I now think is a saint, and is also older than he looks) got us fired-up to travel to North Texas Food Bank to package meals. I think we packaged something like 20,000 meals. Starting the conference with a teambuilding/networking exercise created the perfect vibe…
2. They appointed member’s the Master of Ceremony duties.
Claim Jumper’s CEO Robert Ott and VP of Training & Development Bill Story MC’d the event, and did a great job. It was cool to see a CEO so engaged and into the event - giving, sharing, learning and growing. I was thrilled later when Claim Jumper won the Best Practice award for their segment. Their team rocks and they deserve it.
3. Joni was on top of her game (Joni Doolin, Founder and CEO of the People Report).
In my opinion her presentation was the best of the conference. She was dead-on, cool and sassy. I liked Joni’s “OK, it’s hard, but what the hell are you doing about it” tone. She reminded us that, “Even Google yanked ‘free lunch’.” She said we can respond in three ways, “Like Chicken Little…the sky is falling, like a deer in the headlights or you can play your cards, take some risk and target your investments. She reminded us that the Silver Lining was the soft Labor Market and challenged the group to take bold measures, and in a maturing industry “jump the curve” like Starbucks, Outback and 7 Eleven have in their time.
Communication advice from Joni:
Be the filter. Tell bad news early and quickly. Be transparent. More is better. Facilitate community. And please, don’t cancel the holidays.
4. They recruited the energy of City Year Louisiana
City Year Louisiana unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service. Their motto, “Give a year. Change the world.” Whether it was lending a hand at the Food Bank or doing a little dance and chant between sessions, City Year Louisiana brought on the energy.
5. Phil Hickey defined “The CEO effect”
Roz Mallet, industry executive and People Report board member, did an insightful interview with Phil Hickey former Chairman and CEO, RARE Hospitality. Phil Hickey became one of my new favorite CEO’s when he coined the term, “CEO effect” comparing it to the Bradley effect (referring to how many CEO’s secretly voted for Barack Obama in this recent election.)
6. Polly LaBarre delivered Innovation that Lasts.
Polly is the Author of “Mavericks at Work”. The title of her book made me cringe and she talks way too fast but her segment left the wheels of your mind spinning. She spoke about innovation, the need for a new capitalism model and challenged us to answer the following questions:
• What idea’s are you fighting for?
• What are you trying to do?
• Are you really who you say you are?
• Why would great People want to work here?
• How do you do art as a team sport?
7. Teresa Siriani showed us some Sexy Thinking .
People Report’s president Teresa Siriani always gives a stellar performance and this time was no different. She gave us the state of the Union, shared money shots from those best in class and inspired us to be crazy, unique, real, kind and just.
8. They added a Social Media Experience to the Conference
Throughout the conference you could communicate your questions and comments through a live feed that displayed on the big screen. I won this itouch for being the most engaged on the live feed. (I know you’re shocked.) Really, it help my attention disorder by giving me a way to stay engaged in the conference. This 21st century communication model of engagement using dialog vs monolog scored major cool points with me.
9. The Talent and Networking Opportunity
People who get the importance of staying relevant and all over your human capital are the people who end up being members of the People Report. Talented people flock together. The hands down best part of the conference was the networking with those folks. I personally made several new contacts, had some great brain hook ups, learned who’s on the market and got to catch up with many of my business crushes.
Overall, if you missed it catch the details from someone who went. And if your not a member join, you really are missing out.
Amanda Hite
talent revolutiona drastic change in thinking and behaving with talent
Last week, People Report members ‘hooked-up’ in Dallas for their annual Best Practice Conference.
From the members pre-conference survey, Reality Bites…
• 75% think their jobs are harder
• 71% have already made staff reductions
• 89% are stressed
• the 100% biggest problem – SALES
The People Report conference lineup was full of paradigm busters that quickly changed the tone, provided leadership direction and inspired action.
Here's what made their conference best in class:
1. They kicked-it-off with a philanthropic gig.
Jim Knight, Senior Director of Training for Hard Rock, (whom I now think is a saint, and is also older than he looks) got us fired-up to travel to North Texas Food Bank to package meals. I think we packaged something like 20,000 meals. Starting the conference with a teambuilding/networking exercise created the perfect vibe…
2. They appointed member’s the Master of Ceremony duties.
Claim Jumper’s CEO Robert Ott and VP of Training & Development Bill Story MC’d the event, and did a great job. It was cool to see a CEO so engaged and into the event - giving, sharing, learning and growing. I was thrilled later when Claim Jumper won the Best Practice award for their segment. Their team rocks and they deserve it.
3. Joni was on top of her game (Joni Doolin, Founder and CEO of the People Report).
In my opinion her presentation was the best of the conference. She was dead-on, cool and sassy. I liked Joni’s “OK, it’s hard, but what the hell are you doing about it” tone. She reminded us that, “Even Google yanked ‘free lunch’.” She said we can respond in three ways, “Like Chicken Little…the sky is falling, like a deer in the headlights or you can play your cards, take some risk and target your investments. She reminded us that the Silver Lining was the soft Labor Market and challenged the group to take bold measures, and in a maturing industry “jump the curve” like Starbucks, Outback and 7 Eleven have in their time.
Communication advice from Joni:
Be the filter. Tell bad news early and quickly. Be transparent. More is better. Facilitate community. And please, don’t cancel the holidays.
4. They recruited the energy of City Year Louisiana
City Year Louisiana unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service. Their motto, “Give a year. Change the world.” Whether it was lending a hand at the Food Bank or doing a little dance and chant between sessions, City Year Louisiana brought on the energy.
5. Phil Hickey defined “The CEO effect”
Roz Mallet, industry executive and People Report board member, did an insightful interview with Phil Hickey former Chairman and CEO, RARE Hospitality. Phil Hickey became one of my new favorite CEO’s when he coined the term, “CEO effect” comparing it to the Bradley effect (referring to how many CEO’s secretly voted for Barack Obama in this recent election.)
6. Polly LaBarre delivered Innovation that Lasts.
Polly is the Author of “Mavericks at Work”. The title of her book made me cringe and she talks way too fast but her segment left the wheels of your mind spinning. She spoke about innovation, the need for a new capitalism model and challenged us to answer the following questions:
• What idea’s are you fighting for?
• What are you trying to do?
• Are you really who you say you are?
• Why would great People want to work here?
• How do you do art as a team sport?
7. Teresa Siriani showed us some Sexy Thinking .
People Report’s president Teresa Siriani always gives a stellar performance and this time was no different. She gave us the state of the Union, shared money shots from those best in class and inspired us to be crazy, unique, real, kind and just.
8. They added a Social Media Experience to the Conference
Throughout the conference you could communicate your questions and comments through a live feed that displayed on the big screen. I won this itouch for being the most engaged on the live feed. (I know you’re shocked.) Really, it help my attention disorder by giving me a way to stay engaged in the conference. This 21st century communication model of engagement using dialog vs monolog scored major cool points with me.
9. The Talent and Networking Opportunity
People who get the importance of staying relevant and all over your human capital are the people who end up being members of the People Report. Talented people flock together. The hands down best part of the conference was the networking with those folks. I personally made several new contacts, had some great brain hook ups, learned who’s on the market and got to catch up with many of my business crushes.
Overall, if you missed it catch the details from someone who went. And if your not a member join, you really are missing out.
Amanda Hite
talent revolutiona drastic change in thinking and behaving with talent
Tags: 2008, amanda, best, conference, hite, people, practices, report, revolution, talent
Comment
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Comment by Andy Swingley on November 18, 2008 at 7:20pm - Great recap! I am jealous I wasn't there. Promise to take me with you next time!
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Comment by Amanda Hite on November 18, 2008 at 6:37pm - Joni, thank you. You are my hero, your team is first class and you run a model organization for us all to follow!
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Comment by Joni Thomas Doolin on November 18, 2008 at 5:55pm -
Amanda - thank you for taking the time to summarize your own thoughts and insights - and giving others a forum to weigh in! If feedback is the breakfast of champions this is one hell of a report card - and one that inspires the whole team to run faster and jump higher. What I love the most about this business is when people really get it - that all of us are so much more powerful than one of us - and the voices that we are hearing are all from people who are truly elevated by being part of an industry that makes such a huge difference in the lives of so many. This is a lousy, debilitating, confusing and downright scary time- but we are already adjusting and moving through it - and it will be those that embrace your Talent Revolution that move to the head of the class on the other side.
You are the change that you want to see in the world!!!
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Comment by Michael L. Atkinson on November 18, 2008 at 2:18pm - Thanks for this report Amanda! It was a great conference and I agree, Joni made a great case to fight, create, execute and invest in people. The metrics are scary but we have been here before. I particularly liked the positive attitude, regardless of the obvious environment. Given the shape of the economy and how it directly impacts sales, it is more important than ever to reinvest in the biggest asset this industry has - people.
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Comment by Todd M. Everett on November 18, 2008 at 11:58am -
Amanda - you nailed it, as always.
Joni truly delivered on the "sanctuary" experience at the event allowing attendees to share in the fact that we can all give, learn and innovate through the current challenges. This conference is the not-to-be-missed event of the year in my book.
Cheers,
Todd
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Comment by Keith Bernhardt on November 18, 2008 at 11:26am -
Amanda,
This sounds like a great organization. Furthermore, it sounds like there is
a lot of creative brain power amongst those who attended, adn apparently, those who organized it.
I will have to look into the organization.
Thank you for sharing.
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Comment by Brian Medina on November 18, 2008 at 11:12am -
Amanda, what an eloquent way of putting things...
This was our first year at the conference and it won't be the last, this event is the who's who of the industry and we are happy to be involved. Great Job...People Report Team!
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Comment by Vickie Frisbie on November 18, 2008 at 11:01am -
AManda,
Great to see you again. I truly enjoyed myself. I also loved the undercover employee / author of Punching In. He made me laugh out loud. There is truth to being a fit with a brand and greatness in knowing what your people are thinking and saying about you from the ground up. It is where your culture is cultivated after all.
It was a lot of small things (as you pointed out) that made the conference amazing. It was a privilege getting caught up with you again. I look forward to a better technology discussion when your schedule can allow for one.
Thanks again for the recap!
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Comment by Melyssa Bernstein on November 18, 2008 at 10:44am -
Great overview, I couldn't agree more! People Report did such a fantastic job organizing everything. As a first-time attendee I was blown away by their ability to implement social media, unique networking events and a volunteer effort that has inspired me to do the same in my community.
This is a conference restaurant industry folks CANNOT miss!
Thanks for sharing!
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Comment by Kelly Sullivan on November 18, 2008 at 10:43am - Great report Amanda. I'm still trying to settle back in after the great 2 days in Dallas. It was great to connect with you and everyone else...
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