A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Tommy was traveling, so I had a one-on-one conversation with Kip Wright, the founder of Wright Path Advisors and the former CEO and Chairman of INSPYR, SVP at ManpowerGroup, President at TAPFIN, and SVP at COMSYS. Few people in this industry have as deep an understanding of IT staffing and the intersection of staff augmentation and managed services as Kip does, and in his new role advising enterprise staffing companies on strategies for growth and operational health, he’s taken on the added title of “separator of substance from hype.”
Kip and I talk a mile a minute (I’m not kidding – it’s fast talking here) about all sorts of topics that are absolutely designed for the moment we find ourselves in – a moment of uncertainty, unpredictable challenges, and change at a pace that is either exhilarating or nauseating…maybe both.
In my conversation with Kip, we discuss:
- Why augmenting traditional staffing models with accretive technologies across a contiguous spectrum from basic automation to future-state general AI is a reflection of the changing needs and priorities of this market
- The rationale behind AI popularity from the vantage point of staffing agencies versus staffing suppliers
- The importance of discipline in helping agencies not only grow through change and crises, but to create predictable revenue amid the decline of strategic planning and the rise of “scenario planning”
- The hallmarks of successful staffing agencies and why leaders thriving in this environment are those focused on what their businesses excel at, and willing to make trade-offs to play to their strengths
- How swim lanes have evolved and begun to overlap at the enterprise level, with the shifting nature of the CIO and CTO role in staffing, as well as the birth of a new and increasingly ubiquitous C-suite role of growing importance: Chief of Staff
- Why Houston is the best city in Texas (okay, maybe Kip and I are biased)
At RefAssured, our content goes beyond the obvious. It’s designed to help our customers and prospects make intelligent decisions and we’re proud to create it organically and to engage with incredibly thoughtful leaders across the industry who are gracious with their time and wisdom, like Kip. We’re excited for this episode and would love to hear what you think about it.
Apple Podcasts listener? You can find the episode (and subscribe to Ref Around the Edges) here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-11-kip-wright-kip-calm-and-carry-on/id1796224051?i=1000708372323
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