From Inspiration to Implementation: How to Re-Enter Reality After a Conference

I recently returned from speaking at Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) NERVE Conference in Nashville, TN. I had the privilege of hanging out with 800 other entrepreneurs for three days straight.

I also just returned from the Inc. Magazine Women’s Summit in New York with 600 women entrepreneurs. It was incredible powerful!

Every session I attended at both events (speakers are always in learning mode too!) was packed with awesome, actionable content.

It always feel so great to be immersed in learning with peers that feel the same way you do about your business. We all leave recharged and re-committed to doing whatever we need to do to move our companies to the next level.

Then we come home.

Almost immediately, we are sucked back into the daily reality of life, except it hits us harder than usual because we’ve been away. Little by little, those warm feelings of inspiration and excitement – the conference afterglow – starts to fade. We move from inspired to discouraged.

How can we avoid this downward spiral? How can we retain that amazing feeling we had at the conference?

Well, the answer lies in our mindset before the conference.

Follow these steps to move from learning inspiration to learning implementation:

Prior to the conference, do these two things:

• Review the available sessions, and pick your top three subjects that are most relevant to your business right now. Of course almost everything will appeal to you, but not everything is relevant right now. From your top three sessions, prioritize them.
• On your calendar, clear the day after your return for re-entry. Do this as soon as you book your trip. Your mind is going to need breathing space. You will need time to follow up with your connections, connect with them on Linked In, etc. and prioritize your action items from your conference meetings. if you come home to a packed schedule, you will feel overwhelmed and out of control.

At the conference:

• Stay on topic. Commit to gathering as much information as you can about your highest-priority initiative.
• Do NOT get sucked into your colleagues’ agendas.

Upon returning from the conference (on the day you’ve cleared for re-entry):

• Prioritize your takeaways.
• Throw out anything you aren’t going to use.
• Connect with your new contacts on Linked In
• Prioritize the reading you will do with all of your new books, and select one book that is relevant to where you are right now.
• Turn over all of the business cards you collected to an assistant to input them into your contact management database.

Focus on one thing. File the rest for a later date.

I follow a similar philosophy for networking events. The goal is not quantity. It’s quality. If we can connect with one or two people in a meaningful way that can move us forward personally or professionally, than the event is successful.

We can all find one golden nugget at an event that can make a difference in our companies, our clients, our stakeholder communities such as those that read our blogs. Attend with intention and focus, and your opportunities will present themselves with clarity. As a writer, and as a growth strategist/coach that is always looking for trends and information that is relevant to the growth of my clients, I view conferences & learning events as opportunities to be better for them. I am the eyes and ears of my clients and subscribers, every time I am learning.

Wishing you all awesome learning experiences that take you, your clients, and your communities to higher levels of awareness and growth!

Sign up here to receive Successful Culture’s leadership blog every Friday. All posts contain actionable content to make you the best leader you can be, to help you develop your people to their greatest potential, and to help you build your best organization.

About Successful Culture
We work with business owners, CEOs, and leadership teams that want to achieve their greatest personal & organizational potential. Through coaching, strategic consulting, retreat facilitation, and workshops, we equip leaders & emerging leaders with the mindset, tools, strategies, and processes they need to excel.

Ready to move forward? Email us today at [email protected]

Connect with me on Instragram, Facebook, and Twitter. Engage with me during my morning Periscope sessions as well (@marissalevin).

Please check out my Inc. Magazine columns on my Author Page too.
– In my latest Inc, article, I share The Essential Guide to Avoiding Workplace Text, Email, & Social Media Disasters.
– Learn about the 9 Leadership Behaviors that Lose Employee Trust & Respect here.

~Marissa Levin
CEO, Successful Culture
“Taking Leaders from Triage to Transformation.”

Five Ways to Maximize Engagement and Connections at an Awards Event

One of my clients mentioned this week that she was attending an awards event honoring New Jersey’s 50 top women business owners. It’s a prestigious event, attracting about 300 C-level and executive women.

When approached strategically, these events can yield great connections and open up lucrative doors.

Here are some tips I gave her to connect with attendees prior to the event, ways to get the most out of the event, and how to nurture new friendships following the event.

Use Social Media.
All events today have their own social media identities. The sponsoring organizations have their own FB pages and LinkedIn pages, and the events almost always have their own Twitter hashtags. Prior to attending, tweet and post your plans to attend.

Example: Looking forward to honoring NJ’s top 50 biz women @NJBizWomen. DM me if attending. #NJFast50. ¬(I made up that organization and hashtag).

Also, reach out to all of the winners on LinkedIn. Offer them a congratulatory note accompanied by something valuable, such as a link to a relevant white paper you have written.

Focus on Quality of Connections, Not Quantity.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed in a room of 300 people, especially when you know no one. Remember that the goal is not to know everyone. The goal is to make meaningful connections with a few. My client was going to be seated at a round table with other women she doesn’t know, which provides a great opportunity to establish a connection in a large setting. The intent of attending is never to “sell.” It is to connect.

Adapt a Mindset of Engagement.
How you feel about the event, and how you feel about yourself, will determine your experience. If you are physically attending, but your mind is somewhere else, this will impact your experience. If you are mentally still at the office worrying about a project or a conversation, or you are thinking about what is going on at home, you will not be able to be present.

Take a few minutes in your car, once you have arrived, to sit quietly, decompress, and mentally separate yourself from the rest of the day. Conduct a visualization exercise in which you see yourself engaged in the event, meeting new people, having great conversations, and enjoying inspiration from those being honored.

Adapt a Mindset of Learning
One of the best things about these events is getting the opportunity to learn about, and learn from the experiences of other people. The speakers are almost always inspirational and motivational. In addition, the greatest connections are always formed through intentional listening. People love to share their experiences with engaged listeners.

Follow Up – Online and Offline
Once the event is over, immediately follow up with your new contacts. Connect with them on LinkedIn with a personalized LinkedIn request, and include something of value. Whenever possible, add value in your correspondence. This may include a link from your own blog, or perhaps a link from another blog or article that is relevant to the conversations you had. Keep the momentum going.

Awards events are really wonderful opportunities to meet other like-minded professionals who are open to learning and connecting with others.

Have fun and keep growing!

Sign up here to receive Successful Culture’s leadership blog every Friday. All posts contain actionable content to make you the best leader you can be, to help you develop your people to their greatest potential, and to help you build your best organization.

About Successful Culture
We work with business owners, CEOs, and leadership teams that want to achieve their greatest personal & organizational potential. Through coaching, strategic consulting, retreat facilitation, and workshops, we equip leaders & emerging leaders with the mindset, tools, strategies, and processes they need to excel.

Ready to move forward? Email us today at [email protected]

Connect with me on Instragram, Facebook, and Twitter. Engage with me during my morning Periscope sessions as well (@marissalevin).

Please check out my Inc. Magazine columns on my Author Page too.
– In my latest Inc, article, I share The Essential Guide to Avoiding Workplace Text, Email, & Social Media Disasters.
– Learn about the 9 Leadership Behaviors that Lose Employee Trust & Respect here.

~Marissa Levin
CEO, Successful Culture
“Taking Leaders from Triage to Transformation.”

Increasing Productivity by Taming the Daily Calendar

When Sunday arrives and you take a peek at the work-week ahead, what physical reactions occur in your body? Does your heart race a bit faster from anxiety? Does your stomach tighten? Do you feel stress in your neck and shoulders? Have you ever thought about these reactions?

Leading From A Mindset of Abundance; Embracing Healthy Competition

There’s no disputing the fact that business is cut-throat. One day your most important strategic partner is bringing you into a great business opportunity. The next day, they are submitting a proposal to win business from your client. To sustain the ups and downs of career development and business growth, you require a thick skin. So how do we stay tough and protect our interests, while maintaining a mindset of abundance and compassion?

Selecting your networking communities; Top DC 7, best learning community, favorite online spots, best events

As a follow-up to my March 10th Washington Business Report segment on strategic networking (http://bcove.me/xuc1biiy), I’ve compiled strategies on selecting the networking communities that are right for you. I’ve also listed the top 10 networking communities, along with information on the best learning community, the best events, and my favorite online spots.

First, let’s look at five ways that will help you decide where and with whom your should spend your valuable time.

Honest Tea CEO Seth Goldman Takes Persistence & A Commitment to Mission to New Heights

Imagine pitching your idea to 1,000 investors. Over and over and over again. A little insane, right? Not if you’re Seth Goldman, CEO and C-Tea-O of Honest Tea. When we think of Honest Tea, we think of a delicious beverage, and a wildly successful business.

Dig a little deeper into the roots of Honest Tea, and you’ll discover an entrepreneur who is forever committed to the mission of “changing the way people eat, drink, think and live.”

Seth shared the struggles of his early days with 300 business leaders at the sold-out ConnectPreneur Event in the DC region, architected by global serial entrepreneur and angel investor Tien Wong, CEO of Lore Systems (www.lore.net).

Group Dynamics: Small Stones Cast Big Ripples

Throw a tiny pebble into a pond and watch the ripples reverberate. They cascade outward beyond the point that our eyes can see. The effects occur on the surface and beneath it. Have you ever thought about this change principle in the context of an organization? One of the most disruptive actions regarding a group’s dynamic is the addition of a new member. In an organization, bringing in just one new employee into a company can potentially affect the chemistry and interactions of existing employees, and therefore compromise productivity. Consciously or subconsciously, employees are thinking, “How will this change affect my job?” “How will this person affect how we do things around here?” Their sense of organizational trust may be challenged.