ChatterBachs… Composing Strategies

I was able to be a virtual partipant at PCMA‘s Convening Leaders (#pcmacl) in Orlando January 14-16, 2013. Thanks much for the opportunity, PCMA. I present to you my notes and tweets from a few of the sessions I participated in.

Monday, January 14, 2013:

Morten T. Hansen: “Great by Choice: How to Thrive in Uncertain Times” 

• Fanatic discipline= consistency of action, makes difference between the great & the average.
• Reliable growth is better than spectacular growth; it’s a long march to greatness.
• Experiment. Fire bullets, not cannonballs. It’s how you innovate.
• Plan for everything going wrong. Productive paranoia. The path to greatness is not paved with risky bets.
• SMaC Recipe- Systematic: Formulas; Methodological: Works; Consistency: Durable

Greg Fuson:

• Great conferences create vibrant, active communities.
• Don’t be a conference that tries to add community. Be a community that holds in-person meetings.
• Invitational marketing- a community saying, “Come be a part of us.”
• Online engagement is about building social capital, giving more than what you’re asking for.
• Foster (but don’t force) connection.
• Identify intangible indicators of success.
• Large events: Incubate small experiences.
• What resonates with you? What aspects of your job do you feel yourself come alive for?
• If you don’t feel passionate about the topics you’re organizing, you can’t expect your attendees to.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013:

• Digital isn’t as risky as renting a convention center.
• Socialize your content because it helps promote your brand.
• Content management for a virtual event is key. 20 minute presentations instead of 90.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013:

Here I am virtually participating in PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2013. My second year joining in this way!

Tom Friedman, New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winning author:

• The biggest thing happening on the planet today: the merger of globalization & the IT revolution.
• In 2004 LinkedIn was a prison, and Skype was a typo.
• Phone calls from top of Mt. Everest begin w/ “Mom, you’ll never guess where I’m calling you from!”
• Employers are looking for employees who can do problem solving, redesign their jobs while they’re doing them.
• High wage, middle-skilled job has disappeared.
• 25% dropout rate in US.
• Think like an immigrant. Think like an artisan. Think like a starter-upper. Think like a waitress at Perkins Pancake House.
• Think like an artisan. Give so much extra that you want to carve your initials into what you do.
• Think like a starter-upper in Silicon Valley. Always be in beta.
• Passion + curiosity always trumps IQ.
• Think like a waitress at Perkins Pancake House. May not control much. Deliver extra. Think like an entrepreneur.

David Novak, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Yum! Brands: “Taking People With You: The Only Way to Make Big Things Happen”

The man behind cool ranch Doritos AND the crunch wrap supreme… David Novak! Photo and caption by Sarah Beauchamp, PCMA

• What perceptions, beliefs, habits do you have to change, build or reinforce to grow the business?
• Two reasons people leave a company: they don’t feel appreciated or they don’t get along w/ their boss.
• David Novak is an All-World Ripper-Offer. He likes learning from others, getting ideas from other areas.
• Celebrate other people’s ideas more than your own. Tell people you want to hear them.

Other great resources and blog posts from PCMA Convening Leaders:

“My Day Attending a Hybrid Meeting” by Thom Singer

PCMA Session Recap: Thomas Friedman, a Storify by Meeting Change

Convening Leaders Roundup: One Attendee Shares What She Learned by Jena Tesse Fox 

I’d also like to thank a few others I learned from and interacted with virtually. Thanks for adding to my experience and my understanding, Christine Melendes, Traci Browne, Sarah Beauchamp, Angela Carr, and Barbara Palmer!

It should be noted that there will be a Convening Leaders Redux on January 30, 2013, where some of the most popular sessions will be re-broadcast virtually. I’ll most likely tune back in. Will I meet/see you there?

What were your takeaways from Convening Leaders? What other sessions did you learn from? What would you add to my notes?