In Business Las Vegas, January 25th, 2008
When we started In Business Las Vegas in 2000, our goal was simply to cover the local economy and the people who shape it. To me, that seemed ambitious enough.
But other opportunities came our way. We soon partnered with Las Vegas ONE to create the weekly "In Business Las Vegas" television program, probably the only one of its kind in the
U.S.
Television obviously could do some things that print couldn't, and the broadcast partnership enhanced our presence in the business community.
About that same time, we created a rudimentary Web site that improved over time, and which, by the way, will undergo a substantial evolution as 2008 proceeds. We also were developing events, such as the soirees associated with our recognition programs and the more serious quarterly "Bagels" breakfasts dedicated to specific current topics. In the past year or so we added an e-mail newsletter called "Bizclick," which has proven quite popular.
In short, although the print edition is what we're best known for, we've strived to make the In Business brand mean more than just the newspaper itself. Now we're going to add something else to the menu: A series of quarterly training seminars for supervisors, managers and anyone else who leads people.
Management is a science that can be learned, and our goal is to help companies improve the performance of key personnel, and in so doing, their bottom lines as well.
Being in the words business, we love punchy titles, and this training series is called Management Survival Camp. The first session will be from 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 22 in a modern and industrious classroom setting at the University of Southern Nevada.
The first seminar topic: "Communicating on the Business Battlefield." Yes, another dramatic title.
The subject of communications was an appropriate starting point for several reasons. For one, so many business outcomes seem to rely on quality of dialogue and whether we successfully got through to each other. For another, we are in the business of communication, and so it felt like an appropriate first topic.
Finally, there's something we know about our local economy: With the shortage of talent so many companies have encountered during the hiring boom of the past decade, an inordinate number of management vacancies have been filled by promoting people from within. These folks sometimes lack the training to excel. We think we can help.
Knowing that our community will have expectations of any event that takes managers away from the workplace, we spent some time evaluating our first presenters. As a result, we will have a strong trainer for each half-session.
Jason
Gardner is the high-energy founder of a company called "Flipchart This." Prior to starting his enterprise,
Jason
was a training manager with a local casino company. He also has a strong human resources background, and has developed leadership courses on emotional intelligence, employee retention, recognition and effective communication. He'll be presenting a program called "Communicate to Achieve Results," and, from what I have seen, the dynamic
Jason
will have no problem holding the attention of his students.
The second half-session will be conducted by
Meg
Murray, principal
of Leadership Development Group Inc.
Meg
offers a monthly program called "The Bullet Proof Manager," emphasizing involvement, participation, teamwork and leadership development. She holds a doctorate in multicultural counseling/educational psychology and is affiliated with the respected Crestcom training organization. Her company focuses on helping owners and managers see their businesses more clearly, and she, too, has an impressive track record. Her multimedia session is titled "How to Connect: Communicate at a Higher Level."
We knew we had to open such a program with a high-caliber speaker, and for that we inevitably turned to
Steve
Schorr, vice president of public and government affairs
at Cox Communications. Easily the best-known voice in local TV, and a man who has spent his career working with media,
Steve
is going to begin our morning by talking about the general topic of communications.
More details on Management Survival Camp can be found in ads we'll be publishing in the next few editions, or by going to www.inbusinesslasvegas.com and clicking on the Management Survival Camp tile on the left side.
So why are we embarking on this program? Allow me to apply to us a basic guideline
Meg
Murray
shared last time we met, when she was explaining one vision that helps lead to success: When you think about business information, we want to be the first people who come to mind.
