THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Your Company’s Opportunities and Risks in the Evolving Business Cycle
WHY THIS PROGRAM?
Business rises or falls with the economy. Business leaders want to know what the future holds, and they also need to be ready for the unexpected.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Outlook for major sectors of the economy, inflation and interest rates.
- How to keep your business ready for expansion while protecting against recession.
- The role of contingency plans, both upside and downside, in a thriving business.
This presentation blends “Conerly on the Economy” with “Prepare for Perpetual Change.” This is best for meetings with limited time. For longer meetings, consider each of the two programs at different points in the agenda. Some audience interaction is common in this program, and it can be dialed up for those groups interested in more.
SURVIVE THE NEXT RECESSION, THRIVE IN THE NEXT BOOM
Proven Business Strategies to Succeed in any Economy
WHY THIS PROGRAM?
Some companies, even in highly cyclical industries, come out of recession smelling like a rose, ready to grasp upside opportunities as the economy recovers. The same strategies also work for unexpected changes in technology, social attitudes, government regulation and competition. This presentation will have your audience taking notes while laughing.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Cheap and easy steps to take now, before the recession comes
- Vital items for a recession contingency plan
- How to look for upside possibilities
- Checklist for expansion constraints
WHY THIS SPEAKER?
As an experienced forecaster, Dr. Bill Conerly has seen projections go awry, so he collected success stories from businesses large and small to understand how some companies thrive in recessions. He also found that some companies could not take advantage of good times, because they were not flexible enough to expand on short-notice—and he learned what top companies do about this.
LEADERSHIP IN TODAY’S TIGHT LABOR MARKET
Retaining and Recruiting High Productivity Employees
WHY THIS PROGRAM?
The tight labor market is the greatest business challenge today, and the challenge will continue for a decade.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- How profitability depends on employee retention and engagement
- The secret of employee retention—and it’s not money.
- Finding new employees: where the fish are biting.
- Hiring, retaining and motivating millennials.
WHY THIS SPEAKER?
In 2006, before the recession, Dr. Bill Conerly predicted a labor shortage was 10 years away. He began collecting research on the most successful practices for employee retention and recruitment. He presents the lessons from the research with humorous stories illustrating best practices.
THE NEXT DECADE
What Businesses Should Do TODAY to Prepare for Tomorrow
WHY THIS PROGRAM?
Most business leaders spend time on urgent matters, but not much time on the big picture of how the world is changing. Having some key trends in mind helps executives make better day-to-day decisions.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Takeaways depend on the audience – here are some possibilities:
- Demographics and worker availability: what to do now to prepare for when the Baby Boomers retire.
- Borrowing will be very cheap for those with great financials, but unavailable for others. How to protect your business’s access to credit.
- Your future taxes will be higher due to upcoming growth of the federal deficit; how to incorporate this into your business and personal financial planning.
- Business cycles will be more extreme than in recent years; how to protect your company from recessions, and how to gain all you can in booms.
- Technology, costs and customers: how new capabilities will allow you to clean your competitors’ clocks—or risk having your own clock cleaned.
- Globalization: Will changing political attitudes about foreign trade take us back to less globalized business? What you should do now to protect your overseas sales or supply chain.
WHY THIS SPEAKER?
Dr. Conerly is a futurist who avoids excessive speculation and uncertainty. Emphasizing the most likely paths, he provides action steps that business leaders can take today to prepare for the coming decade. Specifics are adjusted for the particular audience. This topic can include some audience interaction.
PREPARE FOR PERPETUAL CHANGE
Capture Opportunities and Avoid Risk in an Uncertain World
WHY THIS PROGRAM?
Companies are beset by continual changes in the economy, technology, social attitudes, government regulation and competition. Top leaders help their team members adjust smoothly to enable the organization to seize opportunities and avoid risks.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Takeaways depend on the audience – here are some possibilities:
- How a leader prepares the organization for change.
- Action steps to develop a culture that changes smoothly.
- Best business practices to thrive in an ever-changing environment.
- Developing employees who succeed in a changing world.
WHY THIS SPEAKER?
Dr. Conerly’s latest book, The Flexible Stance: Thriving in a Boom/Bust Economy is based on extensive study of companies that thrived in surprising times. The presentation uses examples from companies large and small, in a variety of industries, that will have audience members nodding their heads and saying, “I can do that.”