It was another great day at IMEX America 2014! Not only did we get to hang out with event professionals from all of the world but we also won selfie contests, toasted with Scottish men in kilts, attended educational campfire sessions, watched French can can dancers turn cartwheels, dressed up as leprechauns, and participated in a live cooking demo. We even got to meet two members of the Beatles! Okay, so that last part isn’t exactly true. But we did meet two Beatles impersonators! That almost counts, right?
We also got to watch a fascinating keynote talk by author John Spence on how to turn employees into high-performing team members and how to lead more effectively and strategically. Read below to catch some of the highlights.
Business Advisor John Spence Talks Team Building Strategy: How Can Businesses Create a “Winning Culture”?
“Ambiguity breeds mediocrity.” @AwesomelySimple. The audience is loving this #imex14 speaker. Lots of laughter & enthusiastic head nodding.
— TeamBonding (@teambonding) October 15, 2014
Keynote speaker @AwesomelySimple is talking about the keys to developing winning culture: trust is key. #IMEX14pic.twitter.com/5Jk5GFg1Z2
— TeamBonding (@teambonding) October 15, 2014
Former CEO and author John Spence covered a wide range of topics during his hour-long keynote address, but one of the major themes was a “winning work culture”—what it was and how business leaders can cultivate it. During his talk, John referenced a recent study he had conducted. He asked a number of top-performing employees from several different companies the following question: “Why do you work where you work?”
These were employees John called “volunteer employees”; employees that were so talented, smart and successful they could have any job they wanted. This made him wonder what it was about their current workplace that made them choose to stay. Their answers, perhaps surprisingly, had very little to do with money and very much to do with their company’s work culture. Here is what these top employees had to say:
The 6 Things Top-Performing Employees Look for in a Job
1. Fair pay
“Fair pay” meant 10% above or below what they could make working in that same position in another company. Employees didn’t need to be making top dollar, but they wanted assurance they were making roughly what their counterparts were earning.
2. Challenging work
Top-performing employees said they wanted work that engaged them; work that was interesting and rewarding.
3. Cool colleagues
Workers wanted to work with people they liked, trusted and respected. They wanted their coworkers to be their friends.
4. Winning culture
Employees wanted to receive genuine, honest praise. They wanted to have fun. They wanted to feel as though they were doing meaningful work.
5. Opportunity for growth
Workers needed opportunities for both professional growth and personal growth. They wanted a clear career path, and they wanted to gain new skills.
6. A great boss
The nation’s best employees all said they wanted a boss that they could look up to; a boss that they could admire and respect. If they had that, they often stayed working for a company even when higher-paying opportunities presented themselves.
“The neat thing about this is that only one of these involves money,” John pointed out. “The other five on the list are things that anyone can do just by finding, keeping and growing top talent and giving them these key things they look for in a business they want to work for.”
This information resonated with us because as play leaders and team building event professionals, we know how important it is to develop a strong winning culture and healthy employee relationships. John’s witty talk and deep well of knowledge on the subject greatly impressed us! We’d love to get an opportunity to hear him speak again.
We hope that you will stick with us throughout the day tomorrow! We’ll be live tweeting from @teambonding and @ADDentrepreneur. Stay tuned for more fun and informative content!
