Ask The Consultant: How Accountable Executives Turn Learning At Industry Events Into Action

By Scott Scrogin, President, HTG Peer Groups

Why do you attend industry conferences? How do you turn the knowledge, contacts and experience into actionable value? Who is accountable for making sure this happens? These are the types of questions I hear business owners and executives ask themselves before, during, and after the events and meetings.

Last month my colleague Hardin Byars answered an Ask Coach question on getting the most from a conference. My focus is on steps owners and executives can take to convert knowing into doing. The steps are based on years of attending conferences and observing quarterly meetings involving hundreds of HTG Peer Group members.

Step 1: Know and meet your goals

When we start with the end in mind, we focus energy, save time, and increase success. As an executive, you balance demands for your time with setting priorities. Should you meet with peers or vendor representatives? Attend a breakout or workshop? Eat lunch with a new contact or go to dinner with your team? Assuming you set goals for the conference you may/should/will maintain your focus and achieve them. Know you can get content more easily than relationships. Accountability starts here.

Step 2: Use a system

I know people who have strong self-management systems they use daily to get things done. Whether paper, electronic, or mobile, they track tasks, notes, ideas and people in a productive way. Then they go to a conference and either apply similar techniques or the wheels seem to come off. No daily task lists. No proactive appointments or calls. No note taking discipline despite hours of learning and meetings. The conference becomes a reactive “let’s see what happens” non-relaxing vacation.

Instead, be intentional, focused, and systematic — which doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Pay special attention to how you capture notes. Focus on one primary method, not spread across multiple devices, notebooks, and napkins. Notecards work surprisingly well for bite-sized session notes and personal meetings. Think how and where this information will be applied.

Step 3: Link learning to application

For you to generate an ROC (Return on Conference) you have to produce a return. Files and notebooks of notes saved or stored on shelves have no real return. To increase your return, link what you learn and do to how it will be applied. A new best practice, contact, idea, white paper, solution, or vendor follow-up are all more likely to produce a return if you start to link them to possible applications while onsite. Debrief at lunch or at night. Make more descriptive notes highlighting next steps. Fill in blanks or close gaps onsite if possible; life happens after you leave.

Step 4: Own and share accountability

Now the rubber hits the road. You met your goals, have useful notes and know your next steps — that’s the easy part. The road home from past industry conferences is strewn with good intentions of better leadership, higher profits, and great relationships. Don’t be road kill. Own and apply strong accountability practices.

As an executive, you set the tone for the organization in how you report on the conference to your team. No report insinuates no value. Shine the light of clarity and vision on what you learned. Email your team with event highlights; ask for feedback. You set strategic priorities, tactical timelines and lead by example. If applicable, spread the tasks with set deadlines so others give and get value while sharing accountability. Set a recurring appointment to check-in with yourself and others. Did I say execute? Don’t make the mistake of assuming you will hit the ground running on conference tasks after being out for a week. When you return you’re at the nexus of missing a week, starting a week and returning with new ideas.

So plan your work, work your plan and raise the bar on the value of your next event. And don’t forget to have fun.

Scott Scrogin is president of HTG Peer Groups. Prior to joining the HTG staff, he spent 12 years in IT service delivery, training and channel development. His memberships in peer groups and other communities contributed to his understanding of the power of peers. He is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and potential in life and business. Scrogin enjoys sharing his lessons learned, and learning from other leaders. You can reach him at sscrogin@htgpeergroups.com or on Twitter @ScottScrogin.