Fearless leadership. Smart automation. Bold goals. Every session at Staffing World came back to a common thread: the firms winning right now are the ones that aren’t afraid to evolve. As Carla Harris put it best, “Fear has no place in your success equation.”
The industry may be uneven–“times are lumpy,” one speaker joked, but the energy in Orlando was anything but. Here are the lessons that inspired, challenged, and energized us this year.
1. Set "Impossible" Goals, and Build the System to Reach Them
Olympic legend Katie Ledecky opened the conference with a masterclass in resilience and process. She shared that she started her first Olympics as a wide-eyed high school freshman and has since broken 17 world records, including one this year. What fuels sustainable success like that?
Her advice translates directly to business leadership:
- “Visualize the best case, the worst case, and something in between.”
- “Celebrate the little wins and the big wins as well.”
- “Always train to raise the level of your best days — and your bad days.”
Ledecky credits her success to surrounding herself with the right mentors, finding a coach who could help her articulate her goals, and loving the process as much as the race.
It’s a mindset staffing leaders can borrow: the firms thriving now are those that build strong, sustainable systems, not just chasing immediate outcomes.
2. AI Is Here. The Question Is How You'll Use It.
Artificial intelligence was everywhere from morning sessions to hallway conversations to the expo show floor. Jason Leverant compared this moment to the dawn of the internet:
“Agentic AI is going to start taking over. It’s like the dot-com era — it’s coming, and you need to find a way to get on board.”
The consensus? AI is already changing how we screen candidates, manage workflows, and serve clients. But success depends on having a solid adoption strategy, not just access to tools. Leaders cautioned against copying big-company playbooks, emphasizing that smaller firms need to define what “right-sized AI” looks like for their operations and budgets.
At Cartwheel, that philosophy is core to how we think about automation: as a way to make businesses more efficient, resilient, and scalable without having to disrupt processes that are already working for an organization.
3. Partnerships Are Evolving: From Vendors to Collaborators.
In the MSP session, MSPs in Health Care Staffing—Partner or Competitor?, Ericka Hyson reframed what partnership looks like:
“We changed how we think about vendors — they’re supplier partners. It’s about collaboration and looking at quality metrics.”
The shift from transactional to strategic relationships is reshaping how staffing firms grow. Whether you choose to build or partner with an MSP, the takeaway was clear: focus on quality, speed, and alignment, not just volume.
And, as one panelist put it, “Know your tolerance for innovation–firms that outperform their peers by 30% are the ones willing to experiment.”
4. Leadership is Human. Fear Has No Place in the Equation.
In one of the most powerful closing sessions, Carla Harris of Morgan Stanley reminded the audience that leadership starts with authenticity:
“Authenticity is your distinct competitive advantage. The last thing any of us should ever do is submerge that which is uniquely you.”
She emphasized the “currency of connection,” the importance of clarity and trust, and the value of diversity in driving innovation:
“If innovation is born from ideas, and ideas require perspectives, then you need a lot of different people in the room.”
Her reminder that “fear has no place in your success equation” resonated across the board. In a market defined by change, courage [not perfection] is what sets leaders apart.
5. The Labor Market Is Shifting & Staffing Must Shift With It
Labor economist Ron Hetrick of Lightcast shared data that underscored the complexity of today’s environment– from healthcare to urbanization. He called out that the very real pipeline challenges we face: “The number of high school graduates will consistently fall.” Only 35% of people work between ages 16–19, which Hetrick warned could limit early workforce readiness.
His message was clear: staffing firms must plan now for tomorrow’s workforce and invest in systems that help them do more with fewer hands.
The Big Picture
From Olympic discipline to AI adoption and authentic leadership, this year’s Staffing World reminded us that success comes from balance:
- Ambition with process.
- Technology with humanity.
- Innovation with clarity.
As Carla Harris put it, “Failure always brings you a gift–experience. Now you know how to do it better.”
At Cartwheel, we couldn’t agree more. The path forward for staffing isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing it smarter, automating where it matters, and freeing teams to focus on the relationships and strategy that drive growth.
See you next year, and until then, keep going for gold. 🥇
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