When should professional development stop? Never. According to our very own Jonathan Wygant, Founder and CEO of BigSpeak, in his recent article in CEOWORLD Magazine, "Increase Productivity and Profitability Through Continued Learning," continued learning has three clear benefits for companies: reduction in employee turnover, better employee adaptation to new technologies, and an increase in the quality of leadership. Thinking long-term, investing in your employee's training and development beyond the initial on-boarding process "will pay big dividends for your organization, resulting in increased productivity and profitability."

Wygant also provides a few options for organizations to take advantage of professional development for their employees:

The takeaway from Wygant's article is that "you are missing out if your organization doesn’t support continued learning." Continued learning by employees creates a clear win-win for both the company and its team members.

Read the full article here.

It's 2014 and the Net is still a brave new world for many entry-level professionals and business leaders alike. BigSpeak speakers Mike Walsh, Laura Stack, and Erik Qualman have taken it upon themselves to help guide those befuddled by the constant barrage of new tech.

In a new article from futurist and innovation expert Mike Walsh entitled "The 5 Things Every CEO Needs To Know About The Cloud," Walsh demystifies the ubiquitous yet mystical "cloud" that has become a standard part of the professional world. Particularly, Walsh identifies the top five strategic opportunities that "cloud" technologies provide organizations: Re-imagine work, reboot it, re-invent engagement, re-write the rules, and re-evaluate the costs. Walsh emphasizes that strategic discussions regarding the "cloud" can help organizations re-imagine the ways that they do business.

BigSpeaker Mike Walsh Futurist, Innovation and Technology Speaker and Authority on Emerging Markets Always in demand for his fresh insights and practical future-focused strategies, Mike Walsh has advised CEOs and senior management teams at multinational companies including: the BBC, Fujifilm, Richemont, MSN, Star TV, Televisa, Philips, and HSBC. Contact us to have Mike Walsh speak about future tech and innovation at your next event.

Laura Stack takes a different approach in her latest piece, "Handle With Care: Avoiding the Dangers of Social Media," targeting the everyday professional and his/her social media use. Stack suggests you evaluate your use of social media and its ROI. "Unless social media provides part of your income or your job requires you to monitor it, then it has a lousy Return on Investment." If the ROI isn't there, Stack says to drop it and focus on what does matter.

BigSpeaker Laura Stack Productivity and Performance Expert, Best Selling Author Widely regarded the leading expert on employee productivity and workplace issues, Laura Stack has been featured on CBS's The Early Show, CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, NBC, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes magazine. Her client list includes top Fortune 500 companies, including Starbucks, Wal-Mart, IBM, GM, Lockheed Martin, Wells Fargo, and Time Warner. Contact us to have Laura Stack speak about productivity and high-performance processes at your next event.

Also focused on social media is new BigSpeak speaker Erik Qualman, social media expert and author of Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business. Back in 2011, Qualman created a video with some surprising information on the impact that social media and technology in general is having on society and business. Among the facts and data, Erik shared the following quote: "We don't have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it." Check out the video, it's very interesting. And that was in 2011—imagine all that has changed in the past 3 years.

Virgin founder, global entrepreneur, visionary, and BigSpeak speaker Richard Branson has just released his new book The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership (Portfolio, September 2014).

In The Virgin Way, Branson gives an inside look into his unique "swashbuckling" leadership style that has allowed him to grow Virgin into the international superconglomerate it is today. A critical component of his leadership is his emphasis on passion, as discussed in this excerpt from the book on Inc.com. According to Branson, "It is this passion-fed formula that has allowed the Virgin Group to launch hundreds of new Virgin companies in scores of very diverse businesses..."

This unique perspective comes from a man who dropped out of school at sixteen, suffers from dyslexia, and has never worked for anyone but himself. He may be famous for thinking outside the box—an expressio he despises—but Branson asserts that "you'll never have to think outside the box if you refuse to let anyone build one around you."

BigSpeaker Sir Richard Branson Founder and President, Virgin Group, Global Entrepreneur, Adventurer and Philanthropist Sir Richard Branson is a world expert on entrepreneurship, leadership, aviation, hospitality & leisure, telecommunications, financial services, health & wellness, and clean energy. Sir Richard's favored speaking topics are on leadership, branding, corporate social responsibility and adventure. Contact us to have Richard Branson speak about entrepreneurship, corporate culture and leadership at your next event.