Your Nationwide organization has very publicly stated the group’s five core commitments to you, our members. Everything our teams do is hyper-focused on delivering on these five promises.
Some of these commitments are easily defined and have been created to be easy to leverage in your business.
Commitment 1 is to deliver the largest–scale buying opportunities year-round, with compelling values and margin opportunities. These are always highlighted with the great offerings at each PrimeTime.
Commitment 2 is to provide unmatched access to emerging technologies and digital solutions, and it’s best demonstrated by the powerful results of the AdRocket platform and the best-in-class websites provided by Site on Time and RWS.
Commitment 3 is to provide business services that simplify or reduce the cost of operations. Programs such as EPIC Protect – along with partnerships and programs with partners including CoAdvantage, Lockton and many more – are giving you back time and money in your business.
Commitment 4, we committed to provide practical marketing solutions with proven results, and an array of successful campaigns and events are constantly delivered for every opportunity of the year.
Commitment 5, however, isn’t as easy to quantify. We committed to best-in-class people, leadership and development programs, and in this, we committed to an ongoing journey that has never been, and never will be, easy.
People are the most valuable asset of any business. Sure, marketing, business services, scaled buying opportunities and cutting-edge digital tools are key to the success of every retailer, but all of these are minute in comparison to the impact we’ll experience from the success or failure of our people. The quality of your team, from the top down, will ultimately determine your future.
Years of dedication to education and leadership development provided Nationwide with a great starting point in our planning around our commitment to people and development. Your group has been in the people business for decades. With a complete array of management, selling skills and product training delivered via live sessions and video learning modules, Nationwide’s front-line teams have been well served with updated information for more than 20 years. What began in the 1990s with VHS tapes grew to DVD, then desktop video and finally today’s fully mobile–optimized Nationwide Learning Academy online.
When I joined the Nationwide team almost six years ago, I inherited an educational program that was in great shape. However, the one missing piece was a program to help today’s retail leaders develop and hone their personal skills. As our team began to look for ways to provide such a service to Nationwide members, we knew this would have to be done in a live, workshop-style event. Today, after several iterations, and a few years of tweaking and listening closely to participant feedback, the Nationwide Executive Leadership Summit has become a one-of-a-kind opportunity.
The Nationwide Executive Leadership Summit is held twice each year at Nationwide’s PrimeMedia Studios, just outside Atlanta, Georgia. The event, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday, exposes attendees to the only industry-specific leadership development program for independent retail leaders. The curriculum of the Summit is customized for each group and, using Nationwide’s research capabilities, is customized and tailored to those in attendance. The Summit guides each attendee on a path of improvement, for their own leadership skills and the leadership across their business. Size is irrelevant. Attendees have included dealers of all sizes, from one store to dozens. Effective leadership and the needed skills are applicable to all.
The next Nationwide Executive Leadership Summit will be held October 1-3, 2019, and registration is now open. At the upcoming event, we’ll explore the latest in leadership skill development, and we’ll experience a data-driven journey to more effective recruiting, retention and team building. You’ll discover new insights on talent evaluation, and you’ll hear from an array of content authorities on all aspects of leading teams, developing future leaders and leveraging the best components of working in your company to create lasting careers for your most–talented team members. In short, this event is a worthwhile investment of your time and will help you lead the premier team in your market and your industry.
If you’d like to learn more or register for the event, please visit www.nationwideprimemedia.com/summit. Here, you can hear firsthand from dealers who’ve attended our last few events, and you’ll have access to an array of additional information.
Seating for the event is extremely limited, and reservations are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. We look forward to serving you in October and being part of your journey leading the best companies in independent retail today.
Mike Whitaker is
