This September in Indianapolis, I’ll have the honor of joining Jen Briggs on the Fall Forum main stage for our keynote conversation, “Brewing Potential: Leadership Strategies for Employee-Owned Businesses.” Jen is an insightful and experienced leader, and we will present a candid “beer with the boss”-style keynote focused on building effective leadership that prioritizes high-performance culture. As we start our engines and prepare to #racetoIndy, I’d like to share a few of the landmark themes Jen and I plan to explore in the keynote.

Stand Out to Succeed

In today’s highly competitive marketplace, ESOP companies have the opportunity to differentiate themselves from the other choices that customers have. We’ll discuss how NCEO member companies have successfully made employee ownership a core component of their unique value proposition. By embedding ownership culture into your operational ethos and branding, you create a competitive advantage that's nearly impossible to match.

Beyond the Benefit Plan

An ESOP isn't only a financial benefit; it's a catalyst for a uniquely effective company culture. It’s possible to focus so much on the intricacies of the ESOP as a retirement benefit plan that you lose sight of communicating what it means to work for or purchase from an employee-owned company. Get specific about how integral employee ownership is to how you organize your workplace to achieve excellent results.

ESOP Reality Check

If employee ownership is presented as a near-magical solution to all business challenges and workplace woes, cynicism is inevitable when reality interferes. Setting realistic expectations about the ESOP as both a financial benefit and a pillar of your company culture will prevent confusion and disappointment. If you’re upfront and specific about what it means to be an employee-owner at your company, you can more effectively recruit talent and engage employee-owners where it matters most.

I look forward to strategic (and social!) conversations with you and the rest of the employee ownership community at the Fall Forum this September. The event is close to selling out, so register today if you haven’t already!

See you in Indy! #RacetoIndy