Seattle tidbits...

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've been here...I've been traveling quite a bit. I spent last week in Seattle attending an amazing conference on the future of dentistry, The Summit. Networking with colleagues, sharing ideas, and discussing systems that will steer groups toward success were the highlight of my week.

This matters, no matter what industry you come from

The beauty of organizational development is that it is a field that transcends industry. Regardless of whether you pull teeth, you operate on hearts, or you manufacture tires, people are people and culture is culture. If you can create an environment that fosters hard work, mutual respect, and accountability, your team can and will be engaged in your mission, vision, and values. It starts with the right leadership and the right vision. Nonetheless, a people strategy matters in every industry. Apple, Google, Zappos!, and the Ritz Carlton are all in different industries. What makes them great though? The same exact things. 

The Director of Training at the Ritz once told a group of us that bench marking for success wasn't about competitors in an industry. Moreover, it's about the organizations that are truly great. Benchmark against the greats, do what they do, and adopt their strategies. There's a reason Zappos! does its own trainings for outside groups: what they have is universally adoptable, and it transcends industry. Culture is culture, people are people. OD and what we do will and should matter to you, because it affects you, no matter your craft. 

We've been talking about mission, vision, values, and lastly talent strategy. I'm feeling like we should keep walking through the employee life cycle, and so retaining your talent will be our next series. On-boarding, performance management, accountability, tough conversations, all of this is key if you're keeping the right team once you bring them on.

Stay inspired, be developed, be the change!
~AI