Luke Keathley

Last week, The Read Center completed another Management Development Course. This time we had the privilege of working with the Independent Distributor Alliance Corporation (IDAC). We are thankful for all the participants who came to learn current best practices that they could implement back in their positions back in their home companies across the United States.

Throughout the session we were able to meet with some of the participants and talk about their thoughts about the course and its impact.

This first person we met with was David Brush, an independent consultant that works closely with IDAC.

• What was your favorite session?
  •  My favorite session was customer service. Employee development was also a good session. As a matter of fact, all the sessions were very beneficial, however this last one, customer service, had a lot of interaction amongst the attendees. Everyone was able to speak up and talk about how they have had to deal with these issues in their own companies and positions. It is a very timely session because this is an area of the business that everyone must manage. We are always looking for ways to improve our customer service policies and practices.  
• What is the benefit of attending sessions like these at the READ Center? 
  • The exposure to so many different companies. Events like these allow for wonderful opportunities for individuals to share knowledge from their home companies to a group of people who are eager to learn and develop. Everyone is able to share best practices with the group. This allows everyone to benefit and learn how they can be more effective in their home companies. It is like a Socratic seminar where everyone is able to contribute to the conversation and the knowledge is shared. These sessions encourage everyone to engage with each other and participate in open conversations. 
• How do attending sessions like these help prepare for the changing environment within the industry? 
  • Sessions like these allow attendees to focus on the big picture. 2023 is just around the corner. I call it the “Year of the Great Pivot” because everything will finally come back to normal. Attending sessions like this help the participants see things that they would not normally see in their companies. Majority of the attendees are focused are focused on the day-to-day. This is important; however, many times they are unable to prepare for the major changes coming. Changes such as rising interest rates, fix supply chains, and many more coming out of the post-covid world. These sessions serve as an opportunity for attendees to see aspects of the industry that is not easy to observe within their respective jobs. 

We were also able to meet with Jarred Emery, a Talen & Acquisition Manager.

• What is your role and responsibilities with your company? 
  • I currently am a Talent & Acquisition Manager. I run job postings for my company to help identify future talent for the company. I am also responsible for all the employee training and employee turnover.  
• What session are you most interested in and why? 
  • I am most interested in the session about employee culture and engagement. I already have one of the textbooks from the Read Center on optimizing human capital. This session directly applies to my job, and I look forward to learning new strategies that I can implement back into my home company.   
• What information will be most beneficial to your job back in your home company?  
  • Some areas I am interested in learning about are finding back practices for my position. I have a history of the recruiting side of my job; however I am new to part of employee development once they are working with the company. I really want to learn efficient strategies regarding encouraging employees to stay and keeping them engaged.
• What are traits that that you look for in a new employees? 
  • It all depends on the position. Each role has different traits that I look for in potential candidates, so it is hard to say. However, something that is common among all the positions is coachability and willingness to learn. That is one thing that anyone needs. If they’re unable to be coachable then it is not a good fit.

If you are interested in learning more about programs like this one or attending a session like this one, please contact us at readcenterinfo@tamu.edu