Day 3: Onboard the Train to a Revolution

Day 3 opened up with an exciting panel featuring Mike Gualtieri from Forrester and customers from BT, Reliance Capital and Dell, facilitated by CTO, John Bates.  The three Progress customers provided cross-industry views on how changes in the business world have made it mandatory for them to become more responsive.  Dell remarked that the pace of business has quickened dramatically; the company has introduced 72 releases in the first half of this year versus 46 for all of last year.  In addition, Dell must be more prepared than ever to problem solve, as he must solve up to “6 crises per week.”  Sheree Lacey of BT also provided some management tips for adjusting to corporate changes. She recommends inviting everyone who will be using a new software to participate in the choosing process and to empower them to become an advocate of change.

Former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, delivered his inspirational keynote about how he used critical leadership skills to reduce crime, to increase employment, to decrease enrollment in welfare and to help New York City recover from the 9/11 tragedy.  Giuliani outlined the key characteristics of an effective leader: a clear goal, optimism and the ability to turn fear into positive energy for working towards your goal.

And how can we forget the absolutely amazing Train concert at the House of Blues? From their Led Zeppelin cover to “Drops of Jupiter,” Train certainly brought an amazing energy (and some lovely Trainettes on stage) during their performance.

I hope everyone had an amazing third day aboard the Revolution Train.  I know I did!