Holds First Annual Inclusion Summit to Emphasize Importance of a Diverse, Equal Opportunity Workplace

CHICAGO - January 15, 2013. Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by business leaders from across Illinois for a Diversity and Inclusion Summit. Held on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, the summit underscored the importance of equal economic opportunity and diversity in hiring. Since taking office in 2009, Governor Quinn has made promoting diversity in hiring and equal economic opportunity in Illinois a priority. The governor has assembled a diverse cabinet and senior staff, to ensure that Illinois' government reflects the rich diversity of its residents.

"Regardless of race, gender or orientation, everyone should have an opportunity to get a job in Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "Our state is proud to have a highly-skilled workforce comprised of citizens from all walks of life who bring a wide range of strengths to the table. Employers who have a diverse workforce are more competitive and more successful."

Held at the University of Chicago's renowned Booth School of Business, the summit featured a series of panelist presentations from minority business leaders representing a variety of sectors, including Pat Harris, global chief diversity officer at McDonalds Corp, and Nim Chinniah, executive vice president for administration and chief financial officer at the University of Chicago. A question and answer session and networking reception took place following the presentations, allowing attendees to engage with panelists and make key business connections.

A workforce encompassing a variety of backgrounds benefits businesses by incorporating unique skill sets. It is from these different skills, experiences and ways of thinking that innovation is fostered and problem solving can increase.

Businesses aim to practice inclusion and diversity in hiring because employees of various backgrounds can connect with a wider range of clientele, which expands a business' base and helps tap into new markets. Integrating cultures can also strengthen a company's culture by allowing employees to learn from each other and adapt positive traits a co-worker's culture might embody.

Governor Quinn has worked closely with the Illinois Department of Transportation to implement initiatives designed to increase diversity and employment opportunities in state projects for Illinois firms owned by women, minorities or socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. In 2011, the governor signed legislation ensuring a fair state contract bidding process for minority- and women-owned businesses in Illinois.

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today announced that he will tour Fabricators Plus on Thursday, January 10th.  Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and Loebsack will see firsthand the products and goods that are made and sold in Iowa.  Details of his visit are below.  Media are invited to attend.

Small Business Tour

Fabricators Plus

3206 Hershey Avenue

Muscatine

1:00pm

IA/IL QUAD-CITIES - "Leaders are fascinated by future. You are a leader if and only if, you are restless for change, impatient for progress and deeply dissatisfied with status quo. Because in your head, you can see a better future. The friction between 'what is' and 'what could be' burns you, stirs you up, propels you. This is leadership."

That compelling quote on the nature of leadership comes from Marcus Buckingham, a British-American New York Times bestselling author, motivational speaker, and business consultant. Buckingham was a speaker at the national leadership event, Leadercast 2012, and a video of his presentation will be shown at the next 2013 Chick-fil-A Leadercast Recap Lunch & Learn event, sponsored by Results Marketing and St. Ambrose University.

"The speakers chosen to present at Leadercast each year are acclaimed leadership experts with amazing insights to share," said Todd Ashby, Managing Partner of Results Marketing. For the past three years, Results Marketing and select sponsors have been bringing simulcasts of the Chick-fil-A Leadercast to the Quad-Cities area. Each year, Leadercast is broadcast live from Atlanta, Georgia, to audiences in metro areas worldwide.

"At our Lunch & Learn events, attendees can watch these enlightening videos and discuss their content with other area professionals," Ashby said. The first Lunch & Learn event of 2013, featuring renowned author and speaker John Maxwell, was held in January. Each session is facilitated by a St. Ambrose faculty member.

Only 65 seats are available at each Recap Lunch & Learn event, so be sure to register early. The next Lunch & Learn event, featuring Marcus Buckingham, will be held noon to 1 p.m. on February 1. Two additional Lunch & Learn events will be held March 1 and April 5. All three will be held at the St. Ambrose University Downtown Education Center, located in the New Ventures Center at 331 W. 3rd St., Davenport, IA 52801. Cost to attend is $15 per session and includes lunch from Chick-fil-A.

Superior Speakers

While the Lunch & Learn speakers are all experts on leadership, Ashby observed, they approach the concept of leadership from different angles. "Marcus Buckingham promotes the concept that people will get the best results by making the most of their strengths, rather than by putting too much emphasis on their weaknesses," he said. "Many attendees of our Lunch & Learn events have mentioned that they enjoy the different viewpoints on leadership. It gives them a lot to think about."

An acclaimed author, Marcus Buckingham's books include First, Break All the Rules; Now, Discover Your Strengths; The One Thing You Need to Know; Go Put Your Strengths to Work; The Truth About You; and Find Your Strongest Life. His latest project, StandOut, is a book and strengths assessment combination, which uses a new research methodology to reveal the reader's top two "Strength Roles." StandOut gives people practical innovations that fit their strengths, and provides managers with quick insights on how to get the best from each member of their team.

In addition to the Marcus Buckingham event on February 1, the following speakers will be featured at upcoming Leadercast Recap Lunch & Learn events:

March 1, 2013

Andy Stanley is an acclaimed leadership communicator, author, pastor, and the founder of North Point Ministries, Inc. Every month, well over a million people from nearly every country in the world choose to tune in, download, or stream Stanley's teaching content via TV, radio, podcasts, and live streaming. Stanley's books include The Next Generation Leader, Visioneering, Enemies of the Heart, and The Principle of the Path.

April 5, 2013

Patrick Lencioni is a best-selling author and founder/president of The Table Group, Inc., a specialized management-consulting firm focused on organizational health. Lencioni's nine best-selling books have sold nearly 3 million copies, and his work has been featured in such publications such as BusinessWeek, Fast Company, INC Magazine, USA Today, Fortune, Drucker Foundation's Leader to Leader, and Harvard Business Review. Lencioni's books include The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, and Getting Naked.

"We will be hosting a new day-long QC Leadercast event in May 2013," Ashby said, "so anyone thinking of attending the Spring 2013 event should attend these Lunch & Learn sessions beforehand, to get a feel for the topics to be discussed. Each year, Leadercast has a different theme, so there's always something new to be learned."

To register for Leadercast Recap Lunch & Learn events or to find out more, call Marcia Brandt of Results Marketing at 563-322-2065 or email Marcia@resultsimc.com. Feel free to befriend Leadercast Quad Cities on Facebook at www.facebook.com/qcleadercast.

As we pass the five-year anniversary of the start of the economic recession in December 2007, many observers focus on what was lost:

• 8 million jobs
• 146,000 employer businesses
• 17.5 percent average individual earnings

But the businesses that survived the Great Recession and are thriving today didn't focus on losses then - and they aren't now, says Donna Every, a financial expert who has published three non-fiction business books and recently released her first novel, "The Merger Mogul," (www.donnaevery.com).

"The entrepreneurs who are successful during times of uncertainty are so because they don't rely on the standard approaches they'd use in predictable times, and they look for opportunities - the positives -- in situations that would have been considered negatives five years ago," Every says.

"It's similar to how we deal with the weather. In places where it's sunny most of the summer, we wouldn't leave our house each morning packing coats and umbrellas just in case. The weather's predictable. But in the winter and other seasons when the weather can quickly change, we head out with a different mindset."

For businesses, switching gears to deal with inclement economic conditions involves adopting new perspectives and practices, she says.

"I incorporated some of these in 'The Merger Mogul' because it's set during the recession and my protagonist, the mogul, had to adapt," Every says. "He used many of the strategies I teach my business clients for thriving during economic uncertainty."

What are some of those strategies? Every outlines them:

• Build on what you have, not toward what you want: Instead of setting goals and then seeking out the resources you'll need to meet them, assess what you have available and decide what you can achieve with that. This not only saves you the time and expense of pulling together resources you may not have, it also gives you the advantage of working from your business's individual and unique strengths.

• Follow the Las Vegas rule: Tourists planning a weekend in Las Vegas will often set aside the amount of money they're willing to gamble - and lose -- on cards or the slots. That way, they won't lose more than they can afford. During an uncertain economy, entrepreneurs should calculate their risks the same way. Rather than going for the biggest opportunities as you would in prosperous times, look for the opportunities that won't require as much of your resources. Calculate how much you can afford to lose, and always consider the worst-case scenario.

• Join hands and hearts: Competition is fine when things are going well, but when times are tough, you need allies. Explore forming partnerships with other entrepreneurs so you can strategize to create opportunities together. With what your partners bring to the table, you'll have more strength and new options to work with.

• Capitalize on the unexpected: Surprises can have positive outcomes if you handle them nimbly by finding ways to use them to your advantage. Instead of planning damage control for the next unexpected contingency, look at it as an opportunity. Get creative as you look for the positives it presents.

• When life is unpredictable, don't try to forecast: Focus on what you can do and create now rather than what you can expect based on what happened in the past. In good times, that information can be a helpful and reliable way to make predictions, but savvy entrepreneurs don't count on that in uncertain times.   

"While the U.S. economy certainly is improving, there's still too much uncertainty both here and abroad to go back to the old ways of doing business just yet," Every says.

"If you've survived the past five years, you've probably been relying on many of these strategies - maybe without even realizing it," she says. "Don't abandon them yet, and if there are some here you aren't using, work toward incorporating them, too."

About Donna Every

Donna Every is director of Arise Consulting Inc., a company that offers business training, and consulting services. She is a Chartered Certified Accountant with a master's in business administration. She is the author of "What Do You Have in Your House?"; "The Promise Keeper"; "Arise & Shine"; and her first novel, "The Merger Mogul."