Last month, Blue Signal hosted our 3rd annual Summit. The BSS Summit tradition began back in 2019 as a way for our team to get together and celebrate our wins from the past year, as well as look forward and plan for the next! It’s a special sort of company holiday party and sales kickoff meeting all rolled into one. In typical 2022 fashion, however, the event had to be postponed. Luckily, the team was able to rally and make the event happen, if not at the beginning of the year.
Employees from all over the US came to celebrate. With around 40 Blue Signalers in attendance, it turned into quite the event. Despite many of us working together for years, this was the first time several of us actually met in person! This conference was packed with opportunity for learning and team building.
What We Learned at the 2022 BSS Summit
At this year’s Blue Signal Summit, we had panels, guest speakers, and brainstorming sessions that will surely propel us to excel in the coming months. By leveraging the expertise both internally and externally, we were able to share ideas and learn about more industry best practices to make Blue Signal the best recruiting firm for years to come.
Matt Walsh – Insights & The Heart of the Brand
Starting off, our very own CEO and Founder Matt Walsh imparted some wisdom. Coming together as a community, he knew that everyone had come to the BSS Summit to hone their craft. However, several of the lessons given were applicable to all aspects of life. Discussing the challenging recruiting industry, he encouraged the team to strive to be the best. Recruiting demand is at an unprecedented rate, and now more than ever, we must focus on Excellence.
Next, Matt discussed how the Blue Signal brand came to be. “Blue,” he explained, “symbolizes trust, honor, integrity. Everything that makes a good recruiter, but also everything that makes a good person.” As a business, the “Signal” is our way of being able to communicate those key tenants to people. By dialing into the meaning behind our brand, and setting the stage for the opportunity at hand, Matt set the tone for the lessons that followed.
Pacesetter Panel
2021’s Pacesetters gathered to answer questions from the team about various recruiting approaches, how to manage their desk, and how to stay in the game mentally when it comes to that recruiting grind. At Blue Signal, Pacesetters are similar to what other companies use as their President’s Club. For us, it’s generally the top performing recruiters of the company. Who better to learn from than the movers and shakers of our own team! Some hot topics of discussion were about taking risks, commitment, knowing when to say no, consistency, and heart – all of which are some very important principles when it comes to business, and life.
Joe Rice – What Happened in 2020?
The BSS Summit welcomed guest speaker Joe Rice as he spoke about What Happened in 2020? Joe Rice is the Founder and Managing Partner of Joseph David International (JDI), a search and consulting organization catering to the hospitality, senior living, real estate, construction, and civil engineering industry verticals. With over a decade as a player in the market, they have been recognized by Forbes as a Top Recruiting Firm.
Joe began his career in executive recruiting in 2005, and has become a speaker, trainer, and thought-leader in executive recruitment, talent acquisition, and leadership. He has been a member of the Pinnacle Society since 2012, The Premier Consortium of 75 Industry-Leading Recruiters in North America. While Joe has shifted his focus toward the growth of JDI, he was still able to achieve $1.8M in billings working a solo desk in 2021. Meanwhile, his 3 solo recruiters billed $400K, $600K, and $800K.
Joe provided incredible insights to the team. His segment focused on humility, perseverance, and flexibility – all things that were key not only to surviving the events in 2020, but also lessons that are sure to prove valuable as we move forward. We were able to learn from someone who not only leads some of the top producers, but also works a full desk, just as many at Blue Signal do each day.
Tim Pachasa – Leadership at Any Level
Additionally, we were incredibly excited to learn more about leadership from the expert himself, Tim Pachasa. Chief Master Sergeant (Retired) Timothy “Chachi” Pachasa is the owner and CEO of CAPE Lead LLC. Chief Pachasa created CAPE Lead to capture the lessons learned from nearly 25 years of calling in air strikes for army units, and translating those experiences into a tangible, repeatable communication formula that facilitates mission success.
CMSgt Pachasa entered the Air Force in August 1994. His background includes two tours as a Command Chief, as well as having various duties in Army and Air Force echelons, including Special Operations Forces, NATO formal training schools, and MAJCOM Staff. Throughout his career, he has filled a myriad of roles including additional-duty First Sergeant and is a master rated parachutist with over 200 static line and military free fall jumps. His assignments include bases in North Carolina, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Hawaii, and New Jersey. Chief Pachasa also served overseas in Germany, South Korea, and Kuwait, and has deployed in support of Operations Southern Watch, Iris Gold, Joint Forge, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Spartan Shield, and Inherent Resolve. Prior to his retirement in 2019, CMSgt Pachasa served as the Squadron Superintendent, 9th Air Support Operations Squadron, Fort Hood, Texas.
Through in-depth analysis of the philosophical understanding of leadership application, and leveraging his extensive and impressive military leadership background, Chachi has created a communication mechanism that allows for human error, while building a foundation for interpersonal communication. These fundamentals are sure to support Blue Signal’s leadership groups to excel as we continue to grow.
What the BSS Summit Accomplished
In addition to all the knowledge gained, the BSS Summit helped teams bond. As stated, this was the only time since joining that many remote Blue Signalers met their colleagues in person! They were finally able to shake their teammates' hands. They were able to mingle cross-departmentally, speaking with and getting to know coworkers that they may otherwise never have direct communication with. Although it may seem like an initial introduction on the outside, when looking around, the event felt like a reunion. Laughs were shared, and memories made.
We learned a lot, but possibly most importantly, we built camaraderie. At Blue Signal, we work to make the remote lifestyle less lonely on a daily basis – through virtual team meetings, strategy sessions, search kick-off meetings, contests, and more. We do all we can to help support and rally our team. The whole event, covered completely by the company, was intended to acknowledge and reward the team’s hard work. It gave them the opportunity to unwind, learn, enjoy some good food, and connect outside their normal routine.
Wrapping up 2021, Setting Sights on 2022 and Beyond!
Blue Signal has quite an exciting year ahead. Employees left the BSS Summit feeling refreshed, recharged, and armed with new knowledge to better tackle recruiting tasks. In the end, the value will extend to better service for clients and candidates, too! As a company, we seek to continually prioritize the well-being of our employees. The BSS Summit is a testament to that mission.
If you are interested in joining a company on its way to becoming the best recruiting firm in the world, visit our website and contact us today to discover an exciting new path. As for our employees, we can’t wait to see you at our next BSS Summit in 2023!
