HLA Wisconsin Annual Spring Conference - 2025

Thursday, April 10, 2025

and

Friday, April 11, 2025

Thursday PM Workshop
Bulding a People Centric Culture

Culture is the business world's biggest buzzword. It conjures up images of potlucks and ping pong tables in break rooms and tech companies with employees smiling while they ride a bicycle through the company campus. We have heard for years that culture is the key to happy employees, improved retention, talent attraction, and even increased production and customer/patient satisfaction. Given the emphasis on the importance of having a good culture, how do employers know if the culture they have is good? Or where to begin to change if they fear it is not a good culture? The data exists, but few employers have been able to take that data and turn it into action.

We will discuss the positive impacts of a People Centric Culture and introduce ways that leaders can use the science and the data on culture to systemically change a culture. We will challenge participants to rethink the concept of culture as "fluff" by discovering ways to better influence at the company level, the team/department level, and the individual level, and how this influence shapes cultures.

 

SESSION OBJECTIVES:

The participants will be able to:

  • Develop an understanding of the systems that influence culture and how those systems work for the organization, the teams, individuals, and themselves.

  • Discover the importance of alignment and empowerment, and how one without the other creates broken cultures. 

  • Identify strategies to influence culture not by focusing on culture, but by focusing on systems that influence culture

Thursday PM General Session
People Centric Session - Communication Styles

Communication is hard. People always say they need more communication and everyone believes that they are good communicators. We also have a growing number of methods to communicate: phone, text, group messages on multiple platforms, meetings, zoom calls, and so much more. But the truth is, we all communicate differently, and how we communicate directly impacts whether someone can effectively interpret our messages.

We will show participants the four types of communication styles, have them discover their type, and talk through ways to most effectively communicate with each type. Participants will learn that it is not only important to know how they like to communicate - but why it is more important to know how others like to communicate.

 

SESSION OBJECTIVES:

The participants will be able to:

  • Understand the concept that communication is multi-
    directional

  • Determine the modes and methods for
    communication

  • Discuss how miscommunication happens

  • Determine their communication style

  • Examine each style and how they interact with other styles

  • Strategize ways to more effectively communicate with others

Friday AM General Session
People Centric Session - Breaking Down Silos

Communication between departments is one of the most common challenges in any organization. We often hear that the nurses are frustrated with the admissions, or that the fulfillment team is irritated with the sales team. How do people so quickly forget that we are all on the same team? But here is the truth bomb for you: Your company is perfectly designed to get the results it is currently getting. If you want to change how people interact together, you have to design it to do so!

 

SESSION OBJECTIVES:

The participants will be able to:

  • Discuss the challenges with cross-functional communication

  • Understand the concept of psychological safety

  • Discover areas of suboptimization within organizations

  • Learn about the "machine" that touches every part of your company and the best ways to retool that machine for better results

The Presenters:

Don Harkey

CEO

Don Harkey is sought-after for his business insights in multiple industries. As a former engineer, Don brings a unique perspective to every organization he works with; he views every business as a machine and that machine is perfectly designed to get the results that it is currently getting. As the CEO of People Centric, Don loves to help people adjust their machine to produce better results. He is highly strategic, process driven, and an engaging Keynote Speaker

Philip Herzog

Philip Herzog is an Engagement Specialist at People Centric.  His career background is in communications, non-profit development, and community engagement. Philip's passion is building relationships and investing in people to allow them to grow and succeed. Philip works with clients to ensure alignment and engagement for healthier, happier workplaces and is an authentic and engaging speaker.