One + October 2010 - (Page 12)

IMPRESSIONS Generational Diversity in the Workplace [Re: “Generation Why,” September 2010] Great article. I have been to many a training seminar on this very topic, and it always makes me uncomfortable. They tell me I am somewhere between a Gen Xer and Gen Yer. Then they proceed to tell me how I dress, what I want, how I view the workplace, etc. On the whole, I understand that managers need to understand and deal with the habits and behavior of different people, but this kind of stereotyping only leads people to avoid other generations in the workplace. —Laura Carnes EDITOR’S NOTE: We appreciate the feedback on MPI and your magazine, One+. Your ideas and thoughts are important to us. Let us know what you think. E-mail the editorial team at editor@mpiweb.org. You Tell Us What is your favorite “green” venue? More importantly, why? Tell us about it. Send an e-mail to editor@mpiweb.org. 12 one+ 10.10 >> Talent Recognition [Re: “The Quick Guide to Keeping Your Top Talent,” September 2010] It might seem somewhat out of place right now, due to the economic situation that we are in, that employers need to be thinking about retaining top talent. Thank you for an excellent article that offers some real common sense content. Our economy will eventually change, but the need to keep top-notch staff never will. —Holly J. Young, CMP White Lotus Productions Hot Topic [Re: “The S Word,” August 2010] Interesting article, and while most of the content is on target, there are several important omissions. 1) There are nine components to SMM—not six—while technology was mentioned later in the article, this component is at the very center of SMM and the enabler to its success. More importantly, the most critical components are completely left out: Strategy and Policy. 2) The technology companies mentioned can each handle a portion of an end-to-end SMM program; however, several of them can only handle one small piece and no meeting technology platform today truly manages the end-to-end process as none integrate dynamic expense reconciliation across all forms of payment. 3) Data analysis within SMM is primarily focused on SMM programlevel analysis, which was not even mentioned in the article. Event-level analysis, while important, is a support to the overarching SMM data analysis and actionable business level reporting. 4) When addressing the meeting planning public, we have to be very clear and careful about one component of the SMM definition: ENTERPRISE WIDE. Each and every meeting planner may play a role within an SMM program, but very few are actually in a functional position to build and deploy the SMM. It seems more meaningful to help them understand how to succeed in an SMM environment and understand the discipline. 5) There are two very important things happening in the broader meetings industry that are absolutely germane to advancing SMM: SMM Certification—the industry’s first and only professional-level certification in the discipline of Strategic Meetings Management—and the SMM Maturity Model & Index, the next visionary step in ensuring sustainable success of SMM programs. —Kari Kesler KK Strategic Solutions EDITOR’S REPLY: An important clarification is due our readers: The “steps” included in this feature should not have been presented as “The Six Steps of SMM.” These processes were highlighted by multiple sources for the story as being especially valuable components of an SMM program—the text should not have suggested or implied these to be the only considerations for a successful SMM program. We appreciate that there is more to share about SMM, and endeavor to further deliver that content in a clear and concise manner. Stereotypes are Good [Re: “Generation Why,” September 2010] The author starts off with the case of not liking stereotypes and being pigeon-holed...and I immediately question that with “Why?” Stereotyping is a form of streamlining our thinking based on trends that are recognizable, and they even indicate trends of what is being observed in those doing the observing—but mostly they are accurate. If you REALLY are an individual, prove it to me. —David Piper

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of One + October 2010

One + October 2010
Contents
Energy of Many
Impressions
Design Thinking
Agenda
Thoughts+Leaders
SPIN Zone
Overheard
SoundOff
Signs of the Times
Focus
Top Spots
Connections
Irrelevant
Kill Your Résumé
Exceed Expectations
Live in Person
Snack Attack
Skin Deep
Playing God?
Gooooooal!
Untangling the Value of Social Media
Local Favor
Personality Order
Datascape Architect
Thriving Exhibits
Your Community
Making a Difference
Until We Meet Again

One + October 2010