Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2012 | Page 42

Grow Market Lead

14th Annual Leadership & Development Conference

matters,” he said.
Following this sobering dose of reality, keynote speaker
Robyn Benincasa energized the room with her unique motivational presentation on leadership and teamwork. Benincasa,
author of New York Times best-seller, “How Winning Works,”
is a full-time firefighter in San Diego and a world champion
adventure racer who has competed in Ironman and EcoChallenge events across the world. She used her own grueling
experiences to form a backdrop for how leaders must create
a team atmosphere, which she called human synergy. “It’s not
about getting superstars, but creating teams of great teammates,” she said. “The greatest teammates create the greatest
outcomes.” Using stories and videos from her years of global
competition and personal challenges, Benincasa illustrated five
essential keys of human synergy:
1) Total commitment: “Commitment happens when the
fun stops.”
2) Adversity management: “Pain is mandatory, suffering
is optional.”
3) We thinking: “Understand that nobody wins alone.”
4) Ownership of the project: “Hire the inspired, inspire
the hired.”

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5) Kinetic leadership: “Allow for leadership by strengths,
not titles.”
Benincasa cited numerous examples of how she had been a
part of international teams competing in extreme environments
that required everyone to work together through the most
physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging circumstances
to invent solutions in mid-course and succeed in completing
the race. Motivation, inspiration, and dedication to a cause—
your team—were cornerstones of her dynamic presentation.
Next up, Franchise Update President Steve Olson presented the findings of the 2013 Annual Franchise Development
Report, or AFDR, and the Mystery Shopper survey (see page
42). This year’s results show some improvements, but again
include many reminders of sales and development shortcomings. The 2013 AFDR also includes new categories and findings (see page 32).
A series of concurrent sessions filled the remainder of the
day, with tracks for food, retail, and service brands. Themes
included “How Do You Score?” and “Building Your Winning