Developing Your Leadership Potential: Attend Conferences
As a leader, you’re likely to question the value of attending an upcoming professional conference. The “don’t bother” list is long: your schedule is full, you’re needed at home, you know your field already, your team is doing well, it’s too expensive, you feel poised and polished, etc., etc. The “go for it” list includes, well, what exactly?
Why Do Conferences Matter?
In preparing to write this article, I posed this question to my colleague and former coach Sarah Hathorn, an executive coach, speaker and consultant. She said, “I like to attend to hear new thoughts and leadership ideas. So I look for a conference with new, valuable and intriguing content. Also, as a speaker/coach, I like to see how other people present in terms of speaking skills. Networking is always good, and I like to attend those conferences where my ideal clients are hanging out.”
In my own conference journeys, I’ve found her observations to be true. Along with enjoying a few very nice venues (!), I’ve honed existing skills and added new ones, advanced my business and made strategic new connections.
Conferences are fantastic places to find a mentor or collaborator; gain experience presenting original work; extend your knowledge of resources; introduce you to new theories, methods or tools; and discover ideas for new programs and developing your team. By attending a conference you not only get first-hand information about the latest developments in your field, but you can interact with speakers and learn things that give you a competitive edge. Ultimately, they will help you refresh your perspective and upgrade your competencies.
Why Attend?
Here are five key reasons you, as a leader, should take the time and effort needed to attend conferences.
- To Do a Self-Assessment
Taking time periodically to do a self-assessment can help you stay in touch with what’s necessary and what’s trivial. Your schedule will tend to fill with the urgent, not all of which is important. You need to have a place to go to identify the changes or trends that are happening in your market/service/industry. Then you need to look within to identify what needs to be improved. - To Grow Relationships
A short chat with another attendee can go a long way toward beginning a long-term relationship. Conferences are often where connections are made and future business partners and company “BFFs” are identified. Collaborations with other leaders are often initiated with a simple handshake. And you can learn best practices and quickly explore possibilities while waiting for the next speaker. - To Learn New Skills
Conferences offer opportunities for leaders from everywhere to come together and share best practices, new information and recently developed protocols. In other words, it’s the perfect time to learn a new skill and/or new practices, get feedback, and gather new information and tips about market trends and other leaders’ successes and failures. - To Gain Visibility and Grow Your Brand
As a leader, you need to be visible in your business/service. Conferences offer the opportunity for you to participate in and contribute to current discussions and trends. This raises your visibility and demonstrates your competence, trustworthiness and value to others. They are a time for you to shine, and your active participation can reinforce your company’s and your own personal brand. - To Explore New Industries
If you’re looking to explore new business opportunities in a compressed, efficient way, attending conferences related to a specific industry or subject matter can be well worth your time. You can quickly gain significant new knowledge and make critical connections in not only your own sector but in businesses/services that are “adjacent” to your core expertise. In addition to bringing new information back to your current job, you might find yourself positioned for your next move.
Of course, there’s the side benefit of fun, R&R and rejuvenation that can come from stepping back from the daily grind. The social/entertainment side of conferences means you can reconnect with old friends and colleagues, explore a new location and eat some great food!
What I’ve observed is that organizations whose leaders attend conferences are, in general, more successful organizations. How long has it been since you’ve paid attention to your own professional development by attending a conference? With COVID-19 pandemic restrictions being lifted, is it time for you to find one and go?
