Principal, branch manager, service manager, or fire chief—all are in the people business. Each has customers, clients, constituents, employees, and friends. You are the trusted face, the one with the solutions, and the one who can be relied on to work on their behalf. You absolutely must have a good product. But beyond the quality of your product, it really is about people and relationships.

In this keynote, Hanover Park Fire Department Chief Craig Haigh will discuss two critical points for organizational success:

1. Your greatest strength in serving your customers comes through the quality of the people you employ. Learn about the importance of hiring, training, staff development, succession planning, and taking care of team members.
2. Customers want to know and be known. Yes, customers are buying a product or service, but what keeps them coming back is the relationships they build with the team. Learn how to grow, develop, and foster these relationships to ensure ongoing success.

Whether delivering a product or answering a 911 call, the people you impact and the lives you touch are what really matter. Attend this keynote and learn how you can employ these principles in your own dealership.

Craig A. Haigh is a 37-year veteran of the fire service.  He has served for more than twenty-five years as a fire chief/chief executive officer leading departments in both Illinois and North Carolina.  He is known as a no-nonsense, innovative leader focused on consistently doing what is right for the residents, businesses, visitors, and his employees.  He has served as an Interim Village Manager, has developed and implemented fire based paramedic services, and is a frequent research partner at the University of Illinois and Skidmore College working on issues of first responder health and safety.  He has published more than thirty trade journal articles on a variety of leadership topics and is the author of the new book, The Dynamic Fire Chief: Management Theories and Principles for Strategic Organizational Leadership.  The book is scheduled for release in early 2021.  He received the 2019 International Association of Fire Chiefs – Alan Brunacini Executive Safety Award and was named the 2012 Illinois Career Fire Chief of the Year.