25 Feb Celebrate Innovation Week –

I’m wildly honored and excited to be a part of DMACC’s renowned Celebrate Innovation Week!

WHAT: ciWeek

ciWeek allows people to meet, acquire knowledge, and become inspired by some extremely innovative people. ciWeek 2013 will focus on Building a Better Future (with a futuristic World’s Fair theme).

The event will bring together speakers such as Daymond John, founder of F.U.B.U. and a shark on ABC’s Shark Tank; John Gaeta, Academy Award-winning visual effects creator for movies such as The Matrix Trilogy and Speed Racer; and Jessica Matthews and Julia Silverman, inventors of the Soccket and founders of Uncharted Play.

Thanks to the support of some fantastic sponsors ciWeek is free to attend and most presentations are open to the public.

WHEN: Monday, March 4th through Thursday, March 7th

Some noted highlights:

I’ll be speaking on Monday night from 6 to 7 pm. I’ll be speaking on Innovation’s Secret Weapon: Employee Engagement. This session is free and open to the public.

On Tuesday night from 6 to 7 pm, Adam Carroll will be speaking the power of relationships and how they can be at the core of innovation.

On Wednesday, co-founders of Uncharted Play will be speaking from 1 to 2:20 on “Socket: From Idea to Innovation.”

On Thursday, FUBU founder and Shark Tank’s Daymond John will be speaking from 1 to 2:20 on “5 Steps to Become a Shark”

HOW MUCH:

Again… thanks to some great sponsors… this event is free to attend and it’s open to the public. NOTE: Some presentations may have limited seating, so you’ll need to check the website for availability.

WHERE: DMACC West Des Moines Campus

All events will be held at the West Des Moines DMACC campus. If you haven’t visited this building… you should. It’s an innovative feat in and of itself!

SPECIFICS ON MY TALK:

ENGAGE! How Inspiring Full Employee Engagement Can Be Your Secret Weapon for Innovation

A new challenge is developing.

Although people are choosing to stay in their jobs longer… actual employee engagement is at an all time low! In fact, a recent Gallup Poll found that 54% of employees across the country said they were not engaged in their work. And an additional 17% identified themselves as “knowingly disengaged.”

Do the math… that’s 71% of employees that are either not engaged or knowingly disengaged!

That’s not a challenge… that’s a PROBLEM!

With “ENGAGE!” I present a FOUR STEP PROCESS that leaders can utilize to dramatically increase their own level of engagement… as well as help their teams to do the same! Which will also ignite innovating thinking and new solutions!

We will…

• Uncover one key concept that undermines any new training initiative and help you to overcome it!
• Offer specific stories and case studies that will inspire leaders but also give them specific strategies to use immediately!
• Show how tying an employee’s bigger goals and dreams to their daily work can make a significant impact on their focus, dedication and loyalty!
• Provide a core concept to help leaders to “control what you can control” which will make the the difference on a leader’s performance as well as help them (and their teams) to overcome the grinding stress that can cause disengagement!
• And much much more!

These concepts, strategies and stories will help you to engage at new levels and help your teams to be more fully engaged too!

Think about it.

What could happen if your leaders and your employees were performing with a high level of contribution AND a high level of satisfaction in their work? What could it do for innovation? What could it do for generating new ideas and better solutions?

Let’s find out on Monday, March 4th!

I can’t wait to see you there!

Mitch Matthews