TxDLA 2010 | Program | Special Sessions & Keynote Speakers

Monday, March 22, 2010 - 9:00 am
Opening Keynote: Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times

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Dr. Stephen Covey

Dr. Stephen Covey Bio		 Dr. Stephen Covey — Author, Motivational Speaker

Stephen Covey and Bob Whitman collaborated to write Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times because of the current economic conditions, which are having a negative effect on so many people and organizations all over the world.

Stephen Covey said, "If there's one thing that's certain in business, it's uncertainty. Most organizations can get predictable results in an environment that is predictable. But, there are great organizations that consistently perform with excellence, even in the most unpredictable times, which we are now experiencing. These organizations not only survive the tough times, but they thrive and set themselves ahead of their competitors."

Stephen Covey and Bob Whitman suggest in the book that four hazards raise havoc within organizations in unpredictable times:
  • Failure to execute: You've thought through the crisis. You have your strategy. Now the question is, can the team execute? Will they? Some people in your organization understand it, and they are getting it done. Some aren't and probably never will. Then there's the great middle population - how much more could they contribute if they only knew how?
  • Crisis of trust: Levels of trust are at an all-time low. Securities markets plunge due to a huge crisis of confidence. Too many people see betrayal wherever they look. On an uncertain road full of pitfalls, everyone decelerates: It's not called a "slow-down" for nothing.
  • Loss of focus: You have fewer resources, fewer people and more confusion. People try to do two or three jobs at once. A person doing two jobs has half the focus of a person doing one job, and half the likelihood of doing either job well.
  • Pervasive fear: Economic recession causes psychological recession. People fear losing jobs, retirement savings, even their homes. It's "piling on." And it costs you; just when you need people to focus and engage, they lose focus and disengage.
Stephen Covey and Bob Whitman also suggest four key principles for getting predictable results in unpredictable times:
  • Execute Priorities with Excellence: Winning companies have "imple goals"repeatedly revisited, together with clear targets and strong follow-through, including the measurement of results. As with any team, all team members know the goals and their roles in carrying them out. And, they execute precisely.
  • Move with the Speed of Trust: Low trust slows everything down and raises costs. That's why the economy, your clients and your cash flow slow down in times of turmoil. But, when trust levels rise, everything speeds up and costs go down. The winning companies are capable of quick action "with the agility to respond ahead of, or at least stay even with, rapid changes in the new economic environment."
  • Achieve More with Less: Of course, everyone is trying to do more with less, but the real question is, "More of what?" Shouldn't it be more of what customers truly value and less of what they don't want? The winning companies focus totally on value - they are not just cutting back, they are simplifying, reducing complexities that customers don't value. Instead of having everyone do two or three jobs, they focus on doing the job the customer really wants done.
  • Transform Fear into Engagement: The root of psychological recession is the sense that people have no control over what happens to them. Winning organizations help people break through that hopelessness and focus on what they can do. Much of the fear is caused by unclear direction, by a less-than-compelling purpose. Entrusted with a mission they can believe in, they channel their anxious energy into results.


Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 8:15 am
General Session: What Do You Bring To The Table?

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Charlotte Stallings

Charlotte Stallings Bio		 Charlotte Stallings — Motivational Speaker

It's easy in business to bash the competition or to cast blame and responsibility for unsuccessful results on others, but what do you have to offer? How do you help those around you to reach their goals each day? What sets you apart from your peers?

Do you see yourself as just another educator or trainer? Or do you harness all of your personal and professional resources each day to be the World's Greatest Business Partner to your customers and colleagues?

A critical meeting with a senior bank executive early in Charlotte's career set her on a course of personal discovery, to understand what she had to 'bring to the table' to be successful in sales, life or anything else.

What do you 'bring to the table?' What is that value that only you have to offer a company or project?

Learn what incredibly successful and talented people "bring to the table" every single day to achieve their goals professionally and personally.

You will leave this program understanding three important principles:
  1. What You Say Is What You Get!
  2. Know Why You Do What You Do!
  3. Like Your DNA, Your UA is the Key!


Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 12:30 pm
Closing Keynote

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Tom Hanson

Tom Hanson Bio

 Tom Hanson — Team Lead, NASA's Training Division

Is NASA's budget a waste of the taxpayers money? Why do we risk the lives of the astronauts? What is the future of mankind on the planet?

The Earth is a fragile place, in a harsh environment. Throughout history, species have evolved, thrived and become extinct. Modern humans have evolved over the last 200,000 years and many would say that we are thriving now, but we too are on an inevitable path to extinction. The last conversation he had with his mother led Tom Hanson to seek answers these questions and justify Why We go to Space. Mr. Hanson will discuss some of the mass extinction events that threaten mankind and NASA's plans to return to the Moon and land the first human on Mars.

Download the "We We Go To Space" Closing Keynote PowerPoint