Seminar looks at business transformation, workforce demographics
There is a difference between being a manager and being a leader in business, and knowing the distinction is often difficult.
As part of the Best Practices for High Performance Business series, both are invited to a seminar titled Transforming Your Business: Becoming an Employer of Choice from 8 to 11 a.m. on May 9 at iQ Credit Union’s Hazel Dell office, 305 N.E. 81st St. in Vancouver.
The seminar is sponsored by the credit union, Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council, Clark College Corporate Education, Washington State University Small Business Development Center, Columbia River Economic Development Council and the Vancouver Business Journal.
Featured speakers include John Hester, the former director of learning and development for Nike, who will speak about transitioning from a manager to a leader, Rachelle Jacover, owner and principal consultant of Portland-based international consulting firm Strategies for Success, who will discuss generational differences in the workplace, and Jan Harte, business development specialist for the SBDC.
"One of the things that is especially hard for a growing business is transitioning from being a person who founds a business and does everything to becoming a leader of people and manager of a workforce," Harte said.
People often go into business not always having business skills and are forced to learn on the fly, and this becomes critical when they start growing and delegating tasks to employees.
"They’re putting the future of the business in those employees, so they need to know how to recruit, what employees need and how to help them fit into the organization and the mission and philosophy of their business," Harte said.
As a company grows, owners are represented by their employees and in that aspect, they are the most important resource to a company. Leaders have to know how to delegate because employees have a level of control with a business.
The seminar will help business owners understand what leadership skills they need and get them thinking in terms of a new workforce, culture and demographics. There will be discussion about communicating vision and looking at workforce demographics and what is happening with it in terms of the big picture. The speakers also will discuss knowledge retention, motivation and creating a healthy, balanced workforce.
"It’s a matter of aligning everyone in the same path and helping them along the way," Harte added.
Those interested in attending the seminar may RSVP to juliea@iqcu.com with their company name, contact information and the names of attendees. Those who RSVP before May 2 will be entered into a prize drawing.
