Face to Face - June 2008

Face to Face

Steve Conine

President

AccuStaff & Talent Framework

Reno

Number of Employees: 7

Years in Nevada: 14

Years with Firm: 6

Type of business: Staffing and Employment Consulting

Describe your leadership style:

I believe the power is in the individual. I try to train and encourage the results I am looking for without micromanaging or

intimidating the person.

Biggest Business Challenge:

I think the biggest challenge is to continually self motivate. There is no one else there to do it for you.

Best Business Advice:

Seek the advice and counsel of other professionals where you are not an expert, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

How do you retain your best and brightest employees?

Simply one-on-one time with individuals. Twenty minutes or so of dedicated time every couple of weeks to review expectations and goals and review what has happened since we last met so they know if they are performing or not.

Who inspired you to get into the business?

Actually the former owner. I think in large part because she truly believed that I could succeed in owning a running this business. That there may be an actual cost to doing the right thing but there is tremendous intangible value in it in the end.

What advice do you give employers suffering from generational issues?

The primary responsibility falls on managers and supervisors - they really should have some sensitivity training around diversity issues that include generational issues. Being able to establish and encourage a culture that uses the skills and knowledge of each generation to cross- mentor is crucial.

Charles Perry

Executive Director/CEO

Nevada Health Care Association

Las Vegas

Employees: 2

Years in Nevada: 33

Years with Firm: 33

Describe your leadership style:

I generally have a “hands-off” approach to management and leadership. I believe in hiring and working with capable people and giving them the authority to do their jobs.

Biggest Business Challenge:

The biggest business challenge I have experienced is making the transition from employee to owner. Making such a change in roles requires a view of one’s business from a totally different perspective.

Best Business Advice:

The best advice I can give for business is to stay with what you know. Excellence in your field means possessing a certain degree of expertise.

Who inspired you to get into the business?

My mentor was a gentleman whose name was John Andrews. John was the owner of the first nursing home I worked in and a family friend. The nursing home was in my home town of Grenada, Mississippi in 1967.

How has the recent public health crisis changed the local medical community?

It has cast the entire medical community in a very negative light and seriously eroded the public's confidence. We also must be concerned about an over-reaction by the Legislature and the regulators.

What is your philosophy on employee relations?

In order to both attract and retain the best and brightest employees, I treat my employees with respect and provide them with the tools to be successful.