Pub. 2 2013 Issue 3

10 l e a d i n g a d v o c a t e f o r t h e b a n k i n g i n d u s t r y i n k a n s a s I t is often said that a company’s greatest resource is the people that work there. With a strong focus of the personal side on management, the 2013 Tri- State Leadership & Human Resources Conference was well-attended in Overland Park, Kansas. The seminar opened with a powerful presentation by Steve Gilliland titled “Enjoy the Ride.” Steve explored the power of influence from the greatest leader he ever worked with, his secretary. With no formal authority but the power of influence, Marga - ret, who had been with the company for 37 years, helped him understand that he had two choices. He could be bigger or better, stronger or weaker. There were examples of how one person who takes pride in what they do can change the culture and make a difference. Steve also led a talk titled “The Value of Us” with stories of various encounters that shaped his vision of a team. In his talk “You Can Be a Great Leader Only If You Have a Heart,” Walt Stasinski opened day two with his description of a great leader as one who leads with heart, who inspires people and does the right thing. His premise was that if you will spend the time to touch the heart you can tap the mind. With strong examples such as focusing on the positive, in addition to other servant leader characteristics, he developed the leadership hab- its that inspire people to work to their potential. Stasinki also led a breakout session on “How to Make Presentations More Effective and Memorable.” Shelly Freeman, Lathrop & Gage, provided a well-attended presentation on “Human Resources Hot Topics” and Derrick Nielsen with Marjorie Engle, Allen, Gibbs & Houlik, used a tag team approach to the topic of “Workforce and Succession Planning.” The Conference closed with a presentation by MK Mueller, author of 8 to Great , in her talk titled “Taking Care of Me: The 8 Essential Habits of Happiness.” With the understanding that we all have a path to happiness, MK discussed taking risks, accepting responsibility and understanding the power pyramid. She led the group to an understanding of the happiness advantage and the five steps we can routinely take to maintain a healthy outlook. These in- clude: listing three gratitude’s daily, journaling, exercise, med- itation and random acts of kindness. MK also gave a breakout session earlier in the day called “Communication at Work: How to Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say.” MK uses a coaching approach to help attendees understand how they can overcome hurdles in communication and work well with others with real life scenarios. She used her flare for drama and self-help instincts to draw attention to different ways of dealing with criticism, mean-spirited comments and how to handle confrontation without getting defensive. Next year’s Tri-State Leadership and Human Resource Conference will be held March 26-27 at the Doubletree in Overland Park. Tri-State Leadership & Human Resources Conference MK Mueller, author of 8 to Great, explains where happiness fits in the power pyramid. Steve Gilliland uses comic demeanor to demonstrate the power of influence in his talk titled “Enjoy the Ride.“