Crestcom Hosts 3-Day Live Virtual Leadership Alumni Event: Reimagine Your Tomorrow

On May 19, 2020, Crestcom International kicked off a unique three-day live virtual event, Reimagine Your Tomorrow, especially for alumni of Crestcom’s leadership development programs and their guests. Each day featured three of Crestcom’s esteemed faculty members and featured Leadership Development Strategist and Crestcom facilitator, Jenn DeWall. Each day, DeWall and other experts provided exclusive insights into how leaders can adapt to the new reality, cultivate the path forward, and prepare to re-ignite business in the future.

Over one-thousand people from around the world registered for each day of the event to gain insight into leading in the wake of COVID-19. Tammy Berberick, CEO of Crestcom International, decided to hold this free event because “strong leadership is more critical now than ever and will define the organizations that survive and thrive after this global pandemic.  People need leaders to give them information, reassurance, and a plan, a direction forward. Our alumni are equipped with the Crestcom tools as they take on the challenges of this historic time. We were excited to serve our community and alumni through our Leadership Series.”

On the first day of the summit, three inspiring speakers shared their knowledge and guidance to innovate our vision of the future.  Customer service expert, Shep Hyken shared his unique insights about customer service in a post-COVID-19 business environment. He emphasized the value of human to human interaction now more than ever, even as we expand the capabilities of digital technology. He also stressed that leaders must have a clear vision for their organizations going forward, and be able to communicate it effectively to their teams and customers.

Talent recruitment and retainment expert Kathleen Quinn Votaw spoke about putting people first as we begin to re-open business and re-engage in the community.  Votaw encouraged leaders to focus on retaining their top talent and explore the reasonable accommodations you can make so your team can work safely. She reminded attendees that employees have choices even in a challenging economy, and not to assume they won’t quit if they don’t feel like the work culture fits them. She recommended being emotionally available for your team and focusing on communication more than ever before.

Innovation expert Stephen Shapiro closed out the first day with his tips on how leaders can encourage a more innovative thought process to solve difficult problems.  He explained that innovation is about asking the right questions to change perspective, and that “leadership isn’t supposed to have all the answers; they are supposed to ask the right questions.”

The second day of the live virtual event focused on inspiring your team and influencing others to take action.  Communication expert, Andy Bounds spoke of the importance of being able to influence others so they will buy into your vision and act on your plans. He shared his tips and tricks for presenting information in ways that will keep your audience engaged and inspire them to take action.

Founder and president of SalesLeadership, Inc., Colleen Stanley spoke about the importance of emotional intelligence and resiliency in leaders and their teams. She shared her mantra of resilience, “if it is to be, it’s up to me.” She encouraged leaders to meet their salespeople where they are right now, emphasizing the unique emotional and psychological challenges people are facing today. She explained that you must be empathetic and authentic when coaching your team and reminded attendees about the importance of self-awareness in these difficult times.

Later, leadership expert and motivational speaker Steve Farber closed out the second day by encouraging leaders to cultivate love, generate energy, inspire audacity and do what they love in the service of people that love what they do. He emphasized that real leadership is about more than a position or title, but is about actions, telling the audience that, “fundamentally as extreme leaders, our job is to change the world.”

On the final day of the summit, the guest speakers took a closer look at how to execute for results to succeed in an uncertain future. Breakthrough strategist, Simon T. Bailey opened the session with insights about reconnecting with teams and clients, telling the audience that, “In times of change, the job of a leader is to invite men and women on a journey to discover the leader within themselves.”

Marilyn Sherman, the founder of Front Row Leadership, shared her tips on creating a specific vision of what success means to you. Sherman pointed out that we are all grieving the loss of normalcy and how that can affect people mentally and emotionally. She emphasized the importance of maintaining your energy and focus and practicing gratitude to be resilient in the face of challenges.   She encouraged participants to be tenacious and persevere through difficult times.

Finally, Leadership Potential expert and best-selling author Mark Sanborn concluded the three-day live virtual event with his thoughts about moving forward in times of adversity. He explained that leaders must embrace experimentation and agility because it is difficult to predict what the future holds in the wake of COVID-19. He told participants that “everybody has to walk the talk, but a leader has to take the first step.” He encouraged attendees to use adversity to become more influential leaders by practicing discipline, rethinking core values, and, most importantly, showing courage.

Attendees of Reimagine Your Tomorrow told Crestcom that this event was an excellent refresher on their past learnings in the Crestcom BPM program. One participant pointed out that the presenters “were very inspirational, yet real,” and was impressed by the relevant and useful information in each session. Host Jenn DeWall encouraged attendees to “take steps to make our new vision a reality. From this point forward, you need to start acting as your future self. Who do you want to be as a leader? What do you want your organization to look like? Take what you learned here and act accordingly.”

In the new business landscape, we will need resilient and effective leadership more than ever. Crestcom’s next live virtual event will be a webinar, Reconnect, Realign and Reboot: Bring Your Team Back Together, REalign on the New Vision and Take Action, will take place on June 4 at 7:00 am MT, and again at 10:00 am MT.