Should I Bring My Employees to Business Conferences?

The Thrivetime Show Workshops are designed and created for business owners who view the world very differently from the average employee (if they are successful) so it would be wise to only bring your “A-player” employees and no one else. We have found that it is not a good idea to bring the people that are a big part of the problem to business conferences that is going to spotlight how their perpetual “jackassery,” “missed deadlines,” “sick days,” “theft,” “disengagement” and “time-wasting” is killing your business and scaring away both great employees and customers simultaneously.

“I noticed that the dynamic range between what an average person could accomplish and what the best person could accomplish was 50 or 100 to 1.Given that, you’re well-advised to go after the cream of the cream … A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players.”
– Steve Jobs (The co-founder of Apple, the founder of NeXT and the former CEO of PIXAR) 

Tough Facts and Irrefutable Truths About Most Employees:

FUN FACT – “75% of employees are stealing from the workplace and most do so repeatedly.” – CBS News / U.S. Chamber of Commerce https://www.cbsnews.com/news/employee-theft-are-you-blind-to-it/

FUN FACT – “85% of job applicants lie on resumes.” – Inc. Magazine – https://www.inc.com/jt-odonnell/staggering-85-of-job-applicants-lying-on-resumes-.html 

FUN FACT – MOST EMPLOYEES ARE WASTING 41% OF THEIR WORKDAY.  In an article published by New York Times Best-Selling Author Ken Blanchard, a large survey of 1,300 private-sector companies conducted by Proudfoot Consulting, found that on average only 59% of work time is productive.

FUN FACT – MORE EMPLOYEES QUIT THAN ARE FIRED. An article published by the Harvard Business Review reported that more employees quit their jobs than were terminated, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics 3-month research.

FUN FACT – “25% OF EMPLOYEES SPEND THEIR DAYS LOOKING AT ADULT CONTENT.
In Newsweek’s cover story entitled “iCrazy”, it was revealed that one-quarter of employees who use the internet during work visit porn sites. In fact, hits to porn sites are highest during office hours compared to any other time of day.

FUN FACT – “MOST EMPLOYEES ARE NOT ENGAGED IN THEIR WORK
In an annual Gallup poll survey, the surveyors found that 53% of employees are not engaged. This means they are not cognitively or emotionally connected to their work or workplace.” 

A Format Designed for Entrepreneurs

Having hosted these business events for years, Clay intentionally designed the event format to be unappealing to non-entrepreneurs. Thus, his business conferences start at 7 AM, which is a deal-breaker right there for most people with the employee “9 to 5” mindset. Thus, an overwhelming majority of the attendees are successful entrepreneurs or hard-working entrepreneurs that are in the process of becoming very successful. The “60-80 hour per week work ethic” is the average of the room and this world-view generally quickly comes into conflict with the average employee who is a fan of working 40 hours per week (max).

We would advise you to not bring your employees unless they are exceptional otherwise you will find them being quickly offended within the first 30 minutes of the conference as Clay explains that a “business exists to serve the owner.” 1 to 2 hours later you will find yourself sitting next to a member of your team who is now even more offended as Clay begins discussing the power of the “group interview” and why you must never stop recruiting talent into your business. Do not bring your employees to Thrivetime Show Business Conferences unless they are “A-players” and vital to your organization or business. 

Should Military Leaders Invite Terrorists to Terrorist Elimination Strategy Sessions?

The military would never invite a terrorist to a strategy session on how they are going to demolish the terrorist. For most previous business conference attendees, they find that bringing their toxic employees is not productive If you are in a position where your employees are clearly holding you hostage, you should probably not bring them to the conference.

What is an “A” Player?

You may be asking exactly what defines an “A” Player. This concept comes from the former CEO of General Electric who grew the company by 4,000% during his tenure. In Jack Welch’s book “Winning”, Jack states that you clearly have a group of “A” Players who outperform “B” Players and “C” Players. Ultimately, if you have a group of people who are your top performers, the dependable employees that you can always count on, they are your top “A” players. These are the people who hit deadlines and get to work early. This group is never late to work. You can always count on this group of people to do what they say they are going to do. These are the people who arrive early and leave later than what they are supposed to. These are the people that when you ask them to do something, they overdeliver. These are the people who are key to the growth of your organization. “A” Players are the people who enjoy and benefit from the Thrivetime Show Business Conferences. Typically (although not always) “A” Players are known to have an entrepreneurial mindset. 

“A” Players are also the people that above all else have character. “A” Player employees have integrity. You know this and you have verified this multiple times. These are the people who would not get offended when they hear things like “You should fire employees who won’t do what you tell them to do.” Any “A” Player, or key individual in your business who is worth keeping would not get offended by this statement because they know that systems, rules, processes, and policies are there for a reason. In fact, it is very common for an “A” Player to get frustrated with those lower “B” Players and “C” Players because they understand that their toxic behavior are a cancer within your organization. When attending our workshops, bring the “A” Players that you feel comfortable building your organization with. It is not wise to bring the people who are silently and passive aggressively destroying your organization.