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Imagine Your Workplace is not your every day, run of the mill event. Our robust program tackles issues from engagement, leadership, managing teams and work culture to challenge you to
Make. Work. Better.
We’re building out a dynamic program right now and we’re sure you’ll be as excited as we are about it. In the meantime, take a look at the 2019 program and speakers below. And pay particular attention to the satisfaction levels of last year’s participant ratings.
Our favourable pre-agenda rate let’s you jump onboard right now before the program is posted on February 18, 2020.
2019 Speakers
Gene Hammett
SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR AND AUTHOR
Gene is an experienced entrepreneur and the founder of several multi-million dollar businesses. Now a strategic business mentor, he works with other entrepreneurs to help them master themselves and their business so they can do work that matters. Gene’s podcast, Leaders in the Trenches, has been recognized by Inc. and Entrepreneur for its insight on marketing and sales leadership. He is also the author of The Trap of Success: A Brutally Candid Guide to Overcoming Your Fears, Finding Significance, and Achieving Profound Success.
Barry Wright
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, GOODMAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, BROCK UNIVERSITY
Prior to being Interim Dean of the Goodman School of Business, Dr. Wright was Director of the Niagara Community Observatory where he worked in partnership with the Niagara community to foster, produce, and disseminate evidence-based research on current and emerging issues. His research centres primarily on leadership issues and change and its influence on organizational members. An award winning educator in the classroom, Barry is also effective in the boardroom. He has provided a variety of training and research consultations to Canadian businesses and not-for-profit organizations. He is an active volunteer serving on several community, provincial and national boards; most recently, as chair of the Niagara Health System.
Laura Appleton
SENIOR MANAGER, PEOPLE & CULTURE, ARC'TERYX EQUIPMENTLaura is an investor; her currency is people. Believing that everyone should love their job, she looks for the amazing potential in those she meets and asks how she can support their growth and development. Laura began her craft with the award-winning recruitment agency, Propel, in London, England where she fell in love with talent acquisition. After immigrating to Vancouver, she joined Lululemon Athletica where she not only aced the downward dog yoga pose, but how to expediently grow through core values, purpose and vision, without sacrificing culture. When not talking talent, Laura is laughing, bike riding, snowboarding or planning the next nature adventure with her family.
Nicole Bendaly
@adamsmith
For over 20 years Nicole Bendaly has been researching and training teams to weed out apathy and amplify the best in themselves. As a published author, dynamic speaker, creator of the Team Fitness Tool, she has established herself as a respected thought leader in team development and organizational behaviour.
Rich Berens
CEO AND CHIEF CLIENT FANATIC, ROOT INC
CEO and Chief Client Fanatic, Root Inc For more than 10 years, Rich has had the opportunity to lead Root Inc. and its artists, designers, researchers, programmers, and MBAs in creating breakthrough approaches to organizational change that have reached millions of people around the world, including 900+ of the Global 2000. Additionally, Berens is a noted speaker on the issues of strategy and change. He has authored articles for numerous publications and blogs.
Nicole Cairns
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS, THORPE BENEFITS
Nicole has designed and delivered presentations and a variety of wellness strategies to 1,000’s of employees across all types of industries. For over seven years she has used her background in curriculum development, holistic nutrition and applied positive psychology to develop strategies for companies, individuals and families to improve psychological, organizational and physical wellbeing. In 2015, her corporate wellness solutions gained national recognition winning the Goodlife Fitness Health and Wellness Leadership Award, and in 2018 she was recognized as a Leading Innovator in Mental Health and Safety by DiversityCan.
2019 Program
Imagine Your Workplace is designed to spark conversation and connection. This program is delivered in the spirit of “imagine your workplace” — what you could achieve if deliberate intention rather than unconscious reaction drove your work. The 2019 attendees:
said the conference met their expectations
96%
felt the conference helped them grow professionally
93%
thought the conference was better than other events they’d attended
91%
would attend next year and/or recommend the event to a colleague
93%
2019 Agenda
11:30 am.Registration Opens
Registration desk located in the main lobby
1:30 pm. Opening Remarks
President & Editor-in-Chief Vera Asanin provides welcoming address
1:55 pm. Lightning Talks and Breakout A
Coaching: Using Brain Science to Engage Powerful Conversation
Dr. Melissa Warner, Dr. Amanda Matejicek
Have you ever felt unsure about your ability to have a powerful coaching conversation? Dr’s Matejicek and Warner, draw from the fields of brain research and organizational psychology to introduce the “what” and “how” of powerful coaching conversations. This highly engaging talk will help participants learn how to manage their emotions and have impactful coaching conversations that feel comfortable, while inspiring the engagement and motivation needed for meaningful and long lasting change.
Mastering Facilitation Skills
Moe Poirier
Are you an HR consultant or leader, or maybe an aspiring trainer or facilitator who wants to take your facilitation game to the next level? More than just presenting, facilitators are planners, guides and organizers. Moe Poirier will share proven techniques collected from over 20 years of practicing as a facilitator. His mission is to help us unlock the core techniques that a skilled facilitator uses to create exceptional meetings and learning experiences.
Lack of Emotional Intelligence is Killing Your Culture
Kristen Harcourt
At work, do you value your soft skills or technical skills more? Research conducted by Harvard University and others, concluded that 85% of job success comes from having well-developed soft and people skills, and only 15% of job success comes from technical skills and knowledge. The best thing leaders can do to improve their effectiveness is become more aware of what motivates them and their decision-making. This talk will give specific strategies that leaders can implement to improve their emotional intelligence, resulting in more effective relationships, deeper empathy, a realistic assessment of strengths and weaknesses, a better idea of what gaps need to be filled, and a more engaged workforce.
The Start, Stop and Re-imaging of Employee Career Development
Amanda Ono
From retention of key employees to internal mobility and long-term organizational growth, the thread that goes through all of these strategic talent initiatives is career development. As a critical priority, how do you ignite the flame of eternal growth when you’re battling daily HR fires? Hear how Resolver started, paused and re-imagined career development to tap into their internal “awesome”.
Two of the talks have been selected to continue the conversation in a Breakout session. Based on performance and content, attendees will select which one of these two sessions they wish to attend after they are delivered.
3:40 pm. Brainshare Activity
A planned walking meeting. Comfy walking shoes are advisable.
4:40 pm. Break
A networking opportunity with nutritious food and refreshments
5:00 pm.Featured Speakers: Barry Wright and Pat Stapleton
28-8: The Power of Teamwork
Dr. Barry Wright
“Da da, Canada. Nyet, nyet Soviet.” In September 1972 Canadians, and the world, cheered on as Team Canada and the Soviet Union played an eight-game exhibition hockey series that would change the game of hockey nationally and around the world. For their extraordinary efforts in this classic series, Team Canada 1972 was voted “Canada’s Team of the Century,” was the first team inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, and was recognized during the nation’s 150th celebrations as the ‘Biggest Moment’ in Canadian sports.
This upfront and personal presentation shares the inside stories and the lessons learned by the players and coaches who were proud to be playing for Canada. Learn firsthand what it took for this team to weather surprisingly strong opposition, overcome doubt and a nation’s disbelief to come together, to believe, to trust in each other, and to win a victory for the ages. It was not an easy journey but it was truly an epic one. Through this engaging session you and your organization will learn to unleash the power of teamwork and to develop your own team of the century.
HyperGrowth Leadership
Gene Hammett
Have you ever wondered how to transform your team members into internal brand ambassadors (aka evangelists) who will share your brand on within and outside your company? In this keynote address, Gene Hammett will share his insights of how strong leadership can inspire teams to go beyond responsibility and take full ownership in their work leading to improved performance and growth for your organization. Gene will help you do the thing your organization needs the most: develop emerging leaders. He will help you activate the entrepreneurial spirit at all levels, and he will provide practical lessons that empower innovation and growth. This is a not-to-be missed session for any organization looking to succeed, and nurture its next generation of leadership.
Gene is the author of The Trap of Success: A Brutally Candid Guide to Overcoming Your Fears, Finding Significance, and Achieving Profound Success.
8:30 am. Lightning Talks
Strength-based Management and Culture
Nicole Cairns
Helping your employees identify, hone and use their strengths is beneficial to happiness and life satisfaction, as well as engagement and success. This talk will focus on the Positive Psychology concept of “strengths” to enhance the work environment, employee engagement and health. Learn the power of focusing on strengths with an introduction to tools and approaches to build a strength-focused culture and management strategy to create thriving teams and individuals.
Making Joy in Work the Norm, Not the Exception
Nicole Bendaly
Imagine a workplace filled with joy. Imagine the relationships, the experiences and the results teams will create when people derive joy from their work on a regular basis and leave work feeling energized rather than depleted. This talk will explore the meaning of joy in the workplace and why it is so crucial to an organization’s culture, and the results teams create. Most importantly, participants will walk away with tools and strategies to strengthen each of the four factors that drive joy at work.
I Can’t Be Present Today, I am Stressing about Money
Gordon Stein
If your employees are stressing about their finances, they are not going to be engaged or productive at work. Wellness is about more than healthy eating, on-site yoga and annual medicals — organizations need to help employees find their way to financial wellness. In this talk bestselling author and Toronto Star columnist, Gordon Stein, will lead a high-energy hands-on personal finance exercise that shows financial wellness is achievable by almost anyone using simple techniques and only a tiny bit of math.
Two of the talks have been selected to continue the conversation in a Breakout session. Based on performance and content, attendees will select which one of these two sessions they wish to attend after they are delivered.
Beyond Appearances: Imagine a workplace that walks its’ talk
Caprice Stokes, Parawest Management
What if our workplace cultural identities are based on what we think we are rather than what we practice? If you describe your workplace culture as diverse, employees first, inclusive or non-hierarchical, are you accurately describing the culture that exists or are your professions of culture only cosmetic? This session will address how to recognize the parts of our organizational culture we misrepresent, accidentally or on purpose, and how to change a cosmetic image into true culture. Learn how to be who you say you are.
Visionary Leadership in a Turbulent World: Thriving in the New VUCA Context
Rob Elkington, Ontario Tech University
Leadership within the 21st century is profoundly affected by the volatile context that informs and shapes that leadership. This talk will equip you to understand how to thrive within the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, or “VUCA” world by leveraging the powerful impetus of VUCA prime, namely vision, understanding, clarity, and agility. In this session we touch briefly on each element of VUCA prime and then focus specifically on the elements of Vision and Agility as cornerstone elements of a thriving mindset in VUCA contexts
Two of the talks have been selected to continue the conversation in a Breakout session. Based on performance and content, attendees will select which one of these two sessions they wish to attend after they are delivered.
1:20 pm. Lightning Talks and Breakout D
Designing a Culture
Laura Appleton
Have you ever wondered why some companies are market leaders and awesome places to work? Or how does the underdog sports team defy the odds and go on to win the league without Ronaldo or Messi on the team? Research and experience tell us that these companies and teams all have incredible cultures that bring out the best in their people. Arc’teryx, a 30-year-old company with a goal to be a 100-year brand, knows about building culture. Learn about their journey designing a powerhouse culture through lessons learned and practiced.
Blind Spots: Innovative Tactics to Conquer Misconceptions Holding Leaders Back
Rich Berens
Employee engagement is dismal; engagement scores haven’t changed in 30+ years. Why? Leadership blind spots! Yes, your existing leadership beliefs and experiences are the reason why 60-90% of leaders’ dreams, aspirations, and strategies are not executed, and why 70% of the people in our organizations are not actively engaged. The problem ends now.
Values Before Experience: How to Recruit for Your Company
Lauren Welgush
Do you want to be a values-driven organization, but not sure where to start? To be a values-driven organization, you need to be prepared to practice what you preach. The values you create need to be ingrained in everything you do; from performance reviews to recognition programs to recruitment to the way that you communicate in the office. Current employees need to believe in them, leaders need to live them, and a potential hire should be able to feel your values the moment they step foot in the office for that first interview.
Two of the talks have been selected to continue the conversation in a Breakout session. Based on performance and content, attendees will select which one of these two sessions they wish to attend after they are delivered.
3:00 pm. Featured Speaker: Gene Hammett
HyperGrowth Leadership
Gene Hammett
Have you ever wondered how to transform your team members into internal brand ambassadors (aka evangelists) who will share your brand on within and outside your company? In this keynote address, Gene Hammett will share his insights of how strong leadership can inspire teams to go beyond responsibility and take full ownership in their work leading to improved performance and growth for your organization. Gene will help you do the thing your organization needs the most: develop emerging leaders. He will help you activate the entrepreneurial spirit at all levels, and he will provide practical lessons that empower innovation and growth. This is a not-to-be missed session for any organization looking to succeed, and nurture its next generation of leadership.
Gene is the author of The Trap of Success: A Brutally Candid Guide to Overcoming Your Fears, Finding Significance, and Achieving Profound Success.
Pre-conference Workshop
MASTERCLASS: Achieving High Employee Engagement
Testimonials
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Register
Early Bird
$999
From February 18th until
April 13th
Regular
$1,199
From April 14th until
June 10th
Attendance is Capped
We want you to get the most from your professional development time and money, which is why attendance is limited to 200. This means you will actually connect and engage with industry leaders and peers who believe in creating a thriving workplace. This is an exclusive event for people-focused business leaders. Don’t delay – only 200 registrants get to participate!
Conference Venue
Toronto Botanical Garden
What goes better with an insightful day of thought-leadership, discussions and inspiration? A great outdoor experience obviously!
Accommodation
Westin Prince, Toronto
Reservations may be made by calling 416-444-2511 or 1-888-627-8550.
Refer to the “Your Workplace Room Block” when you book to receive the group rate. Deadline to book is May 14, 2019.
Partners & Sponsors
Benefits By Design (BBD) Inc. helps working Canadians. We provide group insurance and workplace solutions that focus on keeping people in good health and financially secure. BBD works via a national network of Advisors to embrace growth and support change and innovation. Get to know us!
Let us help you make your case!
Are you trying to twist your boss’s arm to send you to the Imagine 2020? With this amount of ROI provided, you shouldn’t need to but just in case, here’s a persuasive letter.
