Conferences with less synergy?

November 5, 2009 8:25 AM

Please recommend conferences dealing with leadership, management, and the like that aren't buzzword-tastic snoozefests. If they exist.

The deal is that I'd definitely like to learn more about management (having been a manager for a year), improving communication skills, and leadership goodness. I've been to internal training sessions which have been invaluable thanks to practical examples and keeping light on fluff. We looked at case studies, blue ocean strategy, etc. and I liked this a lot.

I work for a medium-sized tech company, and deal primarily with the UI. I'd prefer for the conference to be in the midwest US but will look at others in the US.

For reference I've been to An Event Apart (very good, obviously more of a tech focus) and Webvisions (very good.)

Are there any such conferences? Any advice? Thanks.

posted by hijinx to work & money (3 answers total)

I would highly recommend any of the seminars offered by the American Management Association (www.amanet.org). They have an extensive offering of courses. I live in Washington, DC and have always attended courses in Arlington, VA, but they also have a location in Chicago...probably more convenient for you. Excellent seminars, excellent faculty, plenty of discussions, plenty of access to follow-ups, etc.
posted by tdalton at 8:37 AM on November 5, 2009

The Manager Tools Effective Management Conference was the single best educational experience I've ever had. If you want to get a feel for the Manager Tools management method, you can check out their podcast archives. I'd recommend starting with the basics. This stuff is easy to implement, hard to personally commit to, and tremendously effective.
posted by bfranklin at 9:44 AM on November 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

I've never been to a real "conference" about management.

However, Alan Zimmerman runs conferences, and the stuff in his newsletter is good, and sometimes really great. I've thought about going to a conference, but have never done it.
posted by Gorgik at 12:37 PM on November 5, 2009