Relationships

“Business would be easy if not for people.” Robert Kiyosaki’s (richdad.com) father is quoted saying this and for business entrepreneurs or team managers, it is sometimes a truth. So if you choose to have people in your organization, you must be able to lead and manage those people.

As the number of people grows, the number of relationships grows. For example a one-person company has zero internal relationships; add a second and the relationship dynamics kick in. By adding a 4th person, you now have 6 relationships, 7 people = 21 and 100 people means 4,950 relationships!!

With this much going on, you must also grow your internal communication systems and procedures or you’ll end up with internal chaos. Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of hiring team members that have great technical skills but lack equally great people, leadership and communication skills. So before adding employees, you must honestly answer the following questions:
1. How are my/their leadership skills?
2. How are my/their organizational skills?
3. How are my/their people skills?

To put the right people in place, you “set the example and you will be a magnet for the right people” to find you. Do what you say, hold yourself to the highest standards, work to exceed expectations, learn from your mistakes and then share those lessons with others.

Thanks Robert for reminding me how to be a good leader here at RTP!

Rebecca Partman, Director of Event Operations (and person in charge of finding an hiring really great people to work with our fantastic team!)

PS If you are looking for a great company to work for, please send your resume to me at rebeccap@rtpevents.com. I'd love to hear from you!

Something Bigger Than Ourselves

As a hiring manager, I’ve had my fair share of interviews with starry-eyed folks who really want to work in our industry. And as someone who has been in the trenches and managed logistics for many years, I sometimes forget that I, too, once had that passion to be a meeting professional. I now have a much dimmed perspective, and I try not to dampen the enthusiasm of the folks who come to talk with me, but when faced with someone whose interviews answers include “I want to travel”, “I love people”, “It looks like so much fun”, then I find myself prone to de-glamorizing the picture substantially.

If by what you mean when you say “I love to travel” is that you love to rush to the airport after working 80+ hours per week in the weeks leading up to your flight, that you love the last minute fire drills you have to deal with from one airport or another, that you love to see the inside of the same hotel/convention center for days on end, not seeing daylight and then find yourself back at the airport (there’s no sightseeing in logistics management!), then you are probably cut out for this job.

If by “I love people” you mean that you love having to call, email, negotiate, cajole, threaten, give in, do what you are told even if you know it’s the wrong thing only to have to do what you knew was right all along to fix the problem that would never had been a problem if only someone took you seriously, then you are probably a great candidate for this job.
And if you mean by “it looks like so much fun” you really are salivating at the chance to spend 8-10 hours every day and much of your weekend in front of your laptop going through the slogs of email generated by people who have no business sending mails that just clog up your inbox, then be my guest and come on down.

And just in case you are one of the lucky ones to be in our industry, then you will have the incredible opportunity to be a part of some magical things. Just this year alone, our team has already been a part of CES (The Consumer Electronics Show), the world’s largest consumer electronics tradeshow, and the Sundance Film Festival - dedicated year-round to the development of artists of independent vision and to the exhibition of their new work. This month we’ll be assisting a client in their participation in TED (THE exclusive Technology, Entertainment and Design conference) where some of the most talented, inventive and connected people on the planet grant world-changing wishes (for more go to ted.com).

And that is why, after over 20 years in this industry, I am at times simultaneously jaded and in awe of what we do every day. We get to be a part of things that are bigger than ourselves. While we don‘t actually walk on the moon, out there somewhere is a meeting planner who helped get the right people together, in an environment conducive to dreaming that dream and made sure that someone else got the credit.If you are experienced in corporate meeting logistics management and would like to be a part of our incredible team, please email your resume to jobs@rtpevents.com.