Dr. Bill Wittich is a speaker, consultant and coach in the field of leadership motivation.  Bill earned his doctorate from the University of Southern California, and taught for 31 years at California State University, Long Beach. 

I heard first heard him speak at a Chamber event on the topic of Generational Divide. This is an interesting and thought provoking topic - at least it was for me.

Here's Dr. Bill's story:

Bill loves to talk! He also likes to share his love of helping people.  Luckily, he gets to do both through his company - Knowledge Transfer - and he gets to do it 250+ days a year.

My assumptions was that his audience was typically large corporations and organizations but in fact, he helps non-profits more than he does large companies.  Why is that?  Because non-profits seem to have more interest and need in people retention, as well as funds available to support the training.  Bill helps them understand how to respect a volunteers time, and communicate more effectively so they are able to retain these individuals who give so freely of their time without expectation of pay.

When Bill was just starting his company, he realized that the non-profit sector didn't really have a training opportunity and they were probably more in need because of the volunteerism factor.  He got into this field a little bit by osmosis - he was very involved in fund raising while at USC and found he could easily get by the "rejected" syndrome so many sales people face and difficulty with.  That morphed into speaking engagements (as a professor at USC, he had public speaking down pat!" on the subject of marketing and presentation.  Since he was also running a video/audio production company at the time, the two fields merged and he was off!

If you have the opportunity to hear his presentation on the Generational Divide, I strongly urge you to attend.  I personally was taken back by the accuracy of the 4 generations - and of course really identified with my own "Baby Boomer" sector.  I also had an opportunity - the very next day - to experience a Millennial's world and their impression of the work world.  This 18-25 year old group wants enjoyment and life balance first.  The individual I encountered was out of work, but wasn't going to get just any job - he wanted one he could enjoy.  I, being of the Baby Boomer age, had a little difficulty getting around "But what about retirement?  What about the mortgage?"  But, I'm "optimistic" he'll figure it out.  Those in the "Mature Generation" group would be wondering about this kid's loyalty when, after 1.3 years with his first employer, he would be looking for the "next" best thing in life.  The "GenEx" group would be saying "skeptically" - "Don't waste your time, you'll adapt - don't look back". 

To see more of Dr Bill's adventures, opportunities and recommended reading, go to his website Bill Wittich.

Fun Factoid about Dr. Bill:
He was politely (or not) asked to leave his Catholic SoCal High School at age 15 because every text book he opened also had a hot rod magazine in the middle and he wouldn't focus on his education (according to their standards.)  He went on to a community college (after misstating his age and graduation status) to study auto body and fenders.  A teacher interested in his success, suggested he go on to study industrial arts, which he did.

As promised, I've decided to use my blog as a place to promote local businesses.  My first profile spotlight is Tony Goularte from Mechanics Bank in Elk Grove.

If you haven't been into Mechanics Bank in Elk Grove yet, please stop by and visit - you will be amazed at the welcome you receive.  Stop first to visit Tony Goularte, the banks Financial Service Manager then be sure to step into Denise Santiago's office, the Office Manager. 

Don't try to pronounce Tony's last name without some help - I still struggle and I know the man.  It's Goo-lart.  I always try to add a couple extra vowels and use that "e" at the end (they're there - aren't you supposed to use them?)

Tony is one of my most favorite people in this town.   I love to talk to people who have a passion for what their business can do for others and his tops most.  His face changes dramatically when he get started on how much he loves what he does.

Tony's life started in the bay area - Pinole to be exact.  His mom, retired now, was with Mechanics Bank for 40 years, ending her career with this family owned bank as the Vice President of Human Resources.  Tony started his first bank account - with Mechanics - at the age of 5 with a Christmas Club Savings account.  So Tony has had banking in his blood for a long time.  He has personally seen how this bank can stand behind its claim of "home town and community focused".  He would have loved to come to work for the bank after his graduation from CSU Sacramento, but because his mother worked in HR, that conflict didn't support his employment.  So, he went to work for one of the big banks, seeing firsthand the difference in banking with a large organization and the privately held, family owned business he grew up with.

Banks are notorious for making people "account numbers" and although they attempt to offer "customer service" in the form of a door greeter (can we say "Wal Mart"?) it just doesn't get them there.  And I guess I should clarify here - I don't mean to trash the big banks.  They have their client base that needs them and they can be good at that.  But when a customer truly wants a bank that can give them the "Nordstrom" experience, knows them, treats them like they are part of the family and can act as a resource (need a good dentist? contractor?), then Mechanics Bank is the one your want.  With 40+ offices (not branches mind you!) in California and the offer of NO ATM fees (see bank for details), you can find one that works for you.

Here's an interesting insight Tony gave me:  most people see their dentist twice a hear - they know their dentist's name; they see their doctor about the same - they know that person's name too.  People interact with their bank - DAILY - how many people know their banker's name?  I found that an intriguing analogy - don't you?

Back to Tony's life....sports is something he loves and used to spend a lot of time playing at: skiing, water sports, baseball, football, baseball (yes, I know I said that twice...he likes baseball!)  Today, with little Aaron (named after Hank Aaron - see why I said it twice?) and wife Traci as his daily "outside of work" focus, he doesn't find the time to get as involved physically with sports, but has found another outlet or two.  He is actively involved and on the board of several foundations raising funds to help kids do what they want:  Elk Grove Youth Sports Foundation, Elk Grove Police Activities League (PAL) and California Fire Exploring.  These groups raise funds to help under privileged kids go to sports camps and the fire fighting academy.  Tony's community involvement includes the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce and BNI (Business Networking International) where he currently serves as the Vice President. 

Here's a little "fun fact" or two about Tony:
His little league team ranked 5th IN THE WORLD!  When he was 12, he played in the Little League World Series and his team gained 5th place.  That's impressive!

He also told me a funny story about a cat and the toilet - but I promised I wouldn't print that.  You'll have to ask him about it when you visit him!

Gosh - has it really been 5 months since I've posted anything on my blog . . . . unfortunately so. It is difficult sometimes to find the time, and more often for me, the inspiration. What do people really want to hear about? Surely this space can be more informative, entertaining or useful than article regurgitation, right?

So, what I've decided to do is use this space to promote other local businesses. I interview and write articles for a few people in the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce for our internal newsletter, and that inspired me to consider using those same articles here. These individuals are business owners or professionals and have some interesting facts to share. I will, of course, have to obtain their permission, but most I believe will agree.

However, I will also be searching for others that may want to have their business profile hi-lighted and if you are one, please contact me.  I have so much fun meeting new people and finding out about how they got to where they are in life.

Sharon Holbrook