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May 24, 2013
A Classroom in the Cloud

Ultimately, the cloud will be the greatest force in altering not only the way we experience education but life itself. It will set the standard for what our personal and professional interactions should feel like.

By Thomas M. Koulopolous

One of my favorite YouTube videos is of a toddler with a magazine on her lap, looking perplexed as she tries to operate it by touch—to her a magazine is a defective iPad.

May 23, 2013
More Than a Generation: How to Connect in the Classroom

Factors to consider when attempting to make a meaningful connection with a diverse, ever-changing, technology-obsessed workforce.

By Tim Toterhi

For the first time in history, four generations are represented in the workforce. This sociological anomaly has led management gurus to hyper-focus on intergenerational relationships and communication dynamics. In pursuit of the ever-elusive increase in organizational performance, we’ve seen a proliferation of group profiles, value summaries, and various assessments to help identify motivation triggers for each demographic. But does the generation factor warrant so much attention?

May 21, 2013
Civility at Work

Organizational success depends on a climate of fairness and compassion; supportive working environments are consistently identified as an important attribute of an effective learning organization.In order to learn, employees must feel safe to disagree, ask questions. and make mistakes. They must recognize the value of competing ideas andfeel encouraged to take risks.

By Catherine Mattice, President, Civility Partners, LLC

May 20, 2013
Nationwide Fosters Continuous Improvement

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company’s On Your Side Continuous Improvement (OYS CI) program aims to teach associates to incorporate voice of the customer (VOC) into all Nationwide business processes and align them to customer expectations, help them facilitate data-driven decision-making, and empower them with tools and techniques to improve the work they do every day.

Edited by Margery Weinstein

In February 2010, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company launched On Your Side Continuous Improvement (OYS CI) to create a unified capability of continuous improvement at all levels of the organization while enabling its mutual strategy.

May 20, 2013
Taking the Family Out of Business

Business leaders and executives will slow and potentially destroy the growth and development of their companies if they have lower standards or different rules for family members than they have for their other employees. Here are some “rules for relatives.”

By Bruce Hodes, Founder, CMI

Consider this question: If you were chartering a private plane, would you rather it was flown by a competent pilot or by a member of the business owner’s family? In this scenario, who cares about family affiliations? You most likely want the best person for the job of getting you in one piece from Point A to Point B.

May 17, 2013
Showtime! Improv Tips for Training

If you have ever seen an improvisation performance, you have witnessed a team of performers spontaneously creating comedic scenes from audience suggestions. While you can’t make up your training on the spot the way professional improvisers do, you can borrow some of their methods and philosophies to inspire your creative process.

By Tom Yorton, CEO, Second City Communications

Regardless of the role you play in developing and delivering training to your staff—from CLO to instructional designer to field trainer—the landscape is changing quickly, and your challenges are multiplying, including:

May 16, 2013
2013 Emerging Training Leaders

These 25 training professionals soar with exceptional leadership skills and business savvy.

By Lorri Freifeld

Like butterflies bursting from their cocoons and flying to new heights, the 25 winners of Training magazine’s 2013 Emerging Training Leaders awards are on an upward trajectory of leadership and organizational success. These 25 training professionals have been in the industry for two to 10 years and have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, business savvy, and training instincts.

May 16, 2013
A Tale of 2 Cultures

Creating a corporate culture that encourages employees to do the right thing and also primes them to grow and lead is no easy task. Find out how several 2013 Training Top 125 winners lead by example and utilize constant communication to underscore the importance of a values-driven culture that emphasizes employee engagement and development.

I would not be a happy camper if my publisher pulled a “Marissa Mayer” and called me to say I could no longer work from home after three blissful years of doing so and would have to resume my four-hour-a-day commute to an office in New York City. And I shudder at the very thought of coming home to two lonely, enraged dachshunds with too much time on their…um…paws. I certainly would think about looking for another job. In the meantime, I would drag my sorry self to the office and be unhappy, unengaged, and resentful (and probably pretty unproductive).

May 16, 2013
Back to the Basics

What’s missing in the repertoires of 9 out of 10 leaders is consistent practice of the old-fashioned basics of management.

By Bruce Tulgan

“Leadership development” may sound better, but our research shows that what’s missing in the repertoires of 9 out of 10 leaders is consistent practice of the old-fashioned basics of management. There is so much work to be done by training professionals:

May 16, 2013
Best Practices: How to Be a Great Bosshole

What should your Bosshole curriculum teach? First, Bossholes must be taught how to capture any and all critical information and keep it to themselves. Sharing information is a sign of weakness.

By Neal Goodman, Ph.D.

We all have heard that being a great Bosshole is not genetic but learned. Still, I am certain that one day an MRI or some genetic research is going to find a malevolent gene or brain defect that causes BAD (Bosshole Abusiveness Disorder).

May 16, 2013
Brainwalking: In Search of Better Brainstorms

Give everyone a marker and have each person go to an idea station and write an idea at the top of the paper. Next, have them rotate to their neighbor’s paper and add an idea. After five rotations, have them return to their original sheet and circle one or two of their favorite ideas. The sheer act of getting people up and moving will increase the energy in the room significantly. Plus, these ideas are public, and public is a benefit in an ideation session.

By Bryan Mattimore

May 16, 2013
Building a Productive Mindset

Check your routines and build a mindset to get more done, and you’ll achieve more every day.

By Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA

Would you like to get even more done each day? With just a little bit of forethought, there are two ways to build a productive mindset into your daily routine:

May 16, 2013
Cultivating Culture

Teaching employees not just how to do their jobs, but the way you expect them to treat co-workers and customers, requires leading by example and consistent communication.

By Margery Weinstein

May 16, 2013
Global Leadership Survey: All-Around Leadership

Organizations are broadening their definitions of a “leader,” and realizing their programs aren’t covering critical competencies related to technology and innovation, according to the fourth annual Global Leadership Development Survey conducted by Training, AMA, and i4cp.

Broader thinking, higher expectations, and deeper analysis characterize the organizations represented in the 2013 iteration of the annual Global Leadership Development (GLD) study conducted by Training magazine, the American Management Association (AMA), and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp).

May 16, 2013
How-To: Collect Data to Create Great Training

Incorporate a stakeholder analysis into the planning stage of the training needs analysis. It can add critical intelligence about politics and logistics—and can transform your effort from “so what?” to “must have.”

By Ross Tartell

Most of us have had the disappointing experience of working hard to collect data, analyze it, and then present the results to lukewarm levels of reception. In this highly competitive and cost-constrained market, great data is not enough to build the management commitment and sponsorship so critical to training success.

Wendy Heckelman of WLH Consulting points out that the success of any data collection process depends on three interrelated factors:

May 16, 2013
L&D Best Practices: May/June 2013

Training magazine taps 2013 Training Top 125 winners and Top 10 Hall of Famers to provide their learning and development best practices in each issue. Here, we look at leadership development and job rotation strategies.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

By Jeff Orlando and Karen Eber, Senior Managers, Leadership Development, Deloitte Services LP

May 16, 2013
Last Word: Measuring Learning Effectiveness

To communicate learning effectiveness to business leaders, you must clearly define your initiative’s “validity” relative to how it aligns with Kirkpatrick’s Level 3 and 4 expectations.

By Ajay M. Pangarkar, CTDP, CPA, CMA, and Teresa Kirkwood, CTDP

A lot of rhetoric is swirling about how to effectively validate “learning” effectiveness…and we believe much of it is misleading advice. No one is disputing that learning must be effective and accountable. However, don’t confuse these two distinctive requirements. To communicate learning effectiveness to business leaders, you must clearly define your initiative’s “validity” relative to how it aligns with Kirkpatrick’s Level 3 and 4 expectations.

May 16, 2013
Leadership Incubator Lessons

Ultimately, it takes active involvement by senior leadership to develop stellar leaders.

By Gail Dutton

It takes leaders to develop leaders. That’s the No. 1 lesson from America’s top corporations. Companies that create in-house “leadership incubators” often have great success, but only if they have active involvement by senior leaders.

May 16, 2013
Learning Matters: Building Sense-Able Leaders

Here are seven Sense-Abilities leaders must cultivate in order to survive and thrive in an increasingly connected and complex business context.

By Tony O’Driscoll

In the latter half of 2012, my colleagues at Duke Corporate Education and I conducted interviews with 36 CEOs from around the globe to better understand what it takes to lead in an increasingly connected and complex business context.

May 16, 2013
Secret Sauce for a Better Boss

Bosses who know their strengths, have the tools they need to succeed, and are adaptable enough to try out different job roles are leaders your organization and employees will respect and admire.

By Margery Weinstein

May 16, 2013
Skills Gap Part 2: Schooled on Skills

Corporate/academic partnerships may be a big part of the solution to the skills gap. The key to success lies in understanding the challenges, choosing the right partners, and measuring effectiveness.

By Lorri Freifeld

Corporate partnerships with colleges and universities would seem like a no-brainer—a short- and long-term solution to the technical, leadership, and soft skills gaps that currently plague the U.S. After all, such partnerships could ensure that soon-to-be new employees receive the skills training employers want, while current employees could go back to school to receive additional training to get their skills levels up to par.

May 16, 2013
Skills Gap Survey Part 2: Where Does Skilled Labor Come From?

Of the organizations that hire skilled labor, more than 83 percent said it’s difficult to find skilled workers at either a regional or enterprise level.

By Stacey Harris, Vice President, Research and Advisory Services, Brandon Hall Group

As we discussed in the March/April 2013 edition, Brandon Hall Group has partnered with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and Training magazine to better understand how today’s organizations are individually addressing the skills gap. The research goal was to understand the solutions that are working today—particularly how organizations are hiring and developing their skilled workforce.

May 16, 2013
Soapbox: Coach to Gain the Win

Hiring the most talented or experienced people isn’t enough. Inspiring them to give their best is the only way to lead your team members to achieve all they’re capable of.

By Jason Forrest

May 16, 2013
Soapbox: Developing Leaders at Walmart

How the Walmart Leadership Academy become a center of excellence for the global retailer.

By Damian McKinney

Early in Walmart’s history, most store managers began their careers working at the register or another entry-level position. Through a gradual process of working their way up the corporate ladder, these employees were promoted to store manager in seven to 11 years. This process served the company and its employees well, providing a secure predictable career path and producing knowledgeable, loyal people at the middle-management level.

May 16, 2013
Talent Tips: Positive Leadership: Being and Doing

Learning the strategies for getting extraordinary performance starts from the inside out.

By Roy Saunderson

As a child I loved going to the library and discovering new books that challenged my thinking. One book that stood out for me was “The Power of Positive Thinking” by the late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. While it has a religious foundation to the principles highlighted in the book, it was the introduction for me to thinking more positively about my life and especially my work.