Business growth expert to speak at PMA's CGT event

Meridith Elliott Powell will speak on mid-level management development at the High Performance Management Conference on Sept. 19-22 in Chicago. As a business growth expert who believes that companies should focus their leadership development efforts on mid-level management, Powell's advice for the fresh produce and floral industry, made possible by PMA's Center for Growing Talent, is condensed in this exclusive interview provided to The Packer by PMA.

PMA: Tell a little bit about yourself.

Powell: I'm a certified coach and strategic planner passionate about leadership as it relates to business growth. I entered the fields of sales and finance at the bottom of the ranks, and earned my way up to the leadership level by trial and error - really by fire. I learned early on that the people on your team and those you surround yourself with are critical to your success. It was at that point I made the decision to develop and mentor others.

Along the way, I invested in myself, taking classes in coaching and leadership, learning the skills needed to develop other people and build a business. I am a master certified strategic planner, executive coach and human behavior specialist. This helps me support my clients in their efforts to determine direction and goals for their company and motivate their teams to deliver on their strategy.

I've written four books on business growth and employee engagement. The most recent is Own It: Redefining Responsibility - Stories of Power, Freedom & Purpose. It discusses how to inspire a team to step up to the plate and take ownership. This year, CurrencyFair LTD, a London-based currency transfer company, named me one of the Top 15 Business Growth Experts to watch, given my innovative insight on strategy, employee engagement and leadership.

PMA: Why should companies in our industry want to invest in leadership development of mid-level managers?

Powell: Mid-level managers are really your secret weapons. They are the bridge. They understand the need for business growth and profits, and they understand and connect with those in the organization who have to deliver on those goals and numbers.

These managers are the most important leadership level in an organization, yet they are often the level that goes without training. Without well-developed middle management, it's hard for senior management to engage employees and strategically achieve executive-directed goals. Additionally, without trained middle managers, there will be no one to replace those in upper management when they leave.

In today's economy, people don't care how amazing you believe your product or service is. To the customer, it's a commodity. How you sell it has everything to do with the experience. That customer experience is created by the people who work for you. Mid-level managers determine how passionate the employees are and how great customers will be treated.

PMA: What topic will you cover at the conference, and why is it important to mid-level managers?

Powell: I will talk about the importance of establishing a dual foundation for both strategic thinking and financial analysis – helping mid-level managers to combine strategic thinking, the numbers piece and people development into one effective business growth plan. This base makes them powerful leaders, and valuable company assets.

Leaders are usually good at one particular area or another. Perhaps they are trained to read financials or to develop people - but seldom both. The framework I teach will bring those two things together.

I learned the value of these skills in my own career about 16 years ago, while working at a bank. I was doing okay, hitting the numbers. But I didn't understand what I was doing. I went to my boss and told him I thought I was doing a good job, but that I didn't have a deep-level understanding of what I was doing. In that impromptu meeting, he told me how the organization made money and what numbers he was looking for. He walked me through the financial story behind the goals. Something clicked. I got insight at a level that made me feel like I was running my own business. I understood strategically what we were doing, and how what I was doing contributed to the financial success of the organization.

My experience directly relates to this industry, because every produce and floral executive should be able to understand the power and value of transforming a manager into a leader - and it will appeal to the managers who want to lead. Once I understood how we made and lost money and our strategic and financial goals, I thought twice about how I priced things for customers, including whether or not I was willing to give a deal. I understood how it impacted the overall success of my department and organization. This is something I discuss in every organization I consult with.

PMA: What do you expect attendees to take away from your session?

Powell: This session will ensure mid-level managers have all the information, skills and talent they need to be successful. Specifically, they will leave with an understanding of how to better read and grasp the financials of their organization, how to connect those to the strategic objectives, and how to align and motivate their people to more than deliver on those goals. They will understand the financial goals in their organization and how those relate to their department or area. They will learn how to hold themselves accountable, how to read and analyze their numbers to tell the story of how they're doing and where they are headed.

I know that in the process they will be empowered and will feel like they have taken a leap forward from a leadership perspective. They will be well-armed and well-informed with everything they need to be a whole new level of leader, and to continue to learn, grow and develop. Everyone benefits - the mid-level managers, their customers, their companies and businesses.

Powell's company, MotionFirst, is headquartered in Asheville, N.C. For more information about the High Performance Management Conference, visit www.growingtalentbypma.org/high-performance-management-conference.