5th Annual The Strategic Mindset Conference

The 5^th Annual Strategic
Mindset Conference

7:30 am 
Registration

8:00 am
Welcome

Session 1
8:15 am - 9:45 am
HR Strategy - Competitive Advantage Through People

Presented by: George S. Benson, Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington and Director of the Masters in Human Resource Management program

This session is an introduction to business strategy and competitive advantage for HR professionals.  We review classic models of strategic management and their implications for HR.  We discuss techniques for linking HR practices and business strategy using case examples of commitment and control based HR systems. The session finishes with a review of research on “high-performance” HR practices.

9:45 am Break

10:00 am - 11:30 am 
Session 2
Getting a Grip on Your Business

Presented by: Linda Norman is CEO of Unleashed Solutions, LLC , a strategic services company.  She is passionate about bringing clarity to complexity and chaos, and loves to help business leaders streamline operations, engage and retain quality team members, and increase value.

This session will introduce Gino Wickman’s Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) philosophy and tools. EOS is a comprehensive business system integrating a holistic business model with a complete set of simple business tools and a proven business process. Starting with defining the organization’s vision, EOS focuses on gaining traction, helping business leaders and their subordinates become more disciplined and accountable. Beyond delivering general principles and the latest business philosophies, this presentation will provide attendees with tools and processes that can be implemented to improve performance across the organization.

Linda Norman is CEO of Unleashed Solutions, LLC , a strategic services company.  She is passionate about bringing clarity to complexity and chaos, and loves to help business leaders streamline operations, engage and retain quality team members, and increase value. 

11:30 am Lunch and Presentation of the 
Inaugural FWHRMA's HR Professional of the Year Award. 

12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
Session 3
The Future of Texas’ Pro-Business Environment 

Presented by: Cathy Stoebner DeWitt is Vice President of Governmental Affairs for the Texas Association of Business.

When the Texas legislature convenes its 84th biennial session on January 13, 2015, Texas will have significant changes in leadership, including a new governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. And while many of the decisions as to who will represent the citizens of Texas during the legislative session were made during the spring primaries, there may yet be some surprises in the November elections. Hot topics during the legislative session will include water supply, transportation, education, and Texas’ rapidly changing demographics – all of which could have a direct impact on the state’s generally business-friendly environment.  In this nonpartisan presentation, experienced lobbyist Cathy DeWitt, Vice President-Governmental Affairs for the Texas Association of Business, will discuss all of these issues and their potential impact on the Texas business climate.

1:15 pm Break

Session 4

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Aligning Education and the Economy 

Presented by: Richard C. Froeschle currently serves as the Director of the Labor Market and Career Information (LMCI) department of the Texas Workforce Commission.

The Great Recession is now firmly in the rearview mirror and the Texas economy continues to expand and create new job opportunities. But the labor market, and the demand for worker skills, has continued to evolve in many interesting ways. Growth in Professional and Business Services, the Oil & Gas sector and a variety of industries designed to serve Texas’ expanding population have been at the center of job creation. All signs point to continued general job market expansion but not all regions, industries, occupations and skill sets are growing at the same pace. This session covers a broad array of the demographic, structural, and business factors that are converging to influence future job creation and worker skill requirements in Texas. What will that future look like and what can Texas do to better align the talent development pipeline with the needs of business and regional labor market demand? Aligning Education and the Economy is one economist’s tale of the changing face of the Texas labor market, which unfolds during this energetic, multidimensional presentation.  

2:45 pm Break

Session 5
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Payroll Fraud and Its Risk to the Business

Fraud is booming as financial pressures rise during the recession and the years that follow.  Most booms have included plenty of fraud, self-dealing, and general all-purpose unethical behavior. Crooked financiers and rogue traders have tried everything from Ponzi schemes and old-fashioned embezzlement to the creation of phantom companies to enrich themselves or make up for huge losses before their clients or bosses noticed. Jonathan Whitley, CPA, will discuss why people steal and how we now must rethink the way we do business in this age of fraud.

Presented by: Jonathan Whitley, CPA, Audit Manager of Whitley Penn, LLC.  

4:15 pm
SHRM Certification Informational and Q&A

4:45 pm
Door prizes and wrap up

A limited number of seats will be available the day of the event for $225. Register today to secure your spot.

A total of 7.0 HRCI Strategic Credit hours have been pre-approved to the Human Resource Certification Institute.

The lunch only option has been submitted for 1.0 HRCI Strategic Credit.