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March 27, 2012
Bridging Generational Workplace Chasms

The Department of Labor projects that by age 32, today’s young adults will have had approximately eight jobs, an average of about 1.5 years at each company. Here are best practices Ambius employs to attract and retain Gen Y/Millennial workers while honoring and empowering its Gen X and Boomer employees.

By Jeff Mariola, President, Ambius

 “All Baby Boomers who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964, are afraid of technology.” “Gen Y/Millennials (born between 1982 and 2001) don’t want to work hard.” Have you heard these stereotypes? As a “Boomer” who oversees thousands of people in North America and Europe, I believe there are inherent challenges in managing divergent generations of colleagues, but the opportunities for growth and renewal are far greater.

March 21, 2012
Mentoring: Taking Time Saves Time

Many leaders, while well intentioned, often are unprepared or underprepared for the mentor role. Many claim the lack of time is the issue. Sure, it’s an issue, but probably not theissue. It is important to remember that taking time to prepare for mentoring ultimately saves time. Here are five steps to get started and five mentoring skills to cultivate.

By Dr. Lois J. Zachary, President, Leadership Development Services, LLC

Many leaders, while well intentioned, often are unprepared or underprepared for the mentor role. Many claim the lack of time is the issue. Sure, it’s an issue, but probably not theissue. It is important to remember that taking time to prepare for mentoring ultimately saves time.

How do we know?We’ve conducted hundreds of interviews with organizational leaders who are involved in mentoring relationships. What our research has demonstrated is:

January 23, 2012
4 Principles of Communication

Professional trainers are generally good about applying the basics when presenting or creating learning materials. We know how to use agendas, objectives, and examples, but did you know our learners are naturally wired to look for specific things during the learning process? According to researcher Paul Grice, there are four basic principles of communication that come naturally to us as humans.

By Tim Rymel, M.Ed., President, Corporate Kindergarten

As professional trainers, we are generally good about applying the basics when presenting or creating learning materials. We know how to use agendas, objectives, and examples, but did you know our learners are naturally wired to look for specific things during the learning process? According to researcher Paul Grice, there are four basic principles of communication that come naturally to us as humans:

January 20, 2012
Performance Management: The New Rules

When people think about performance management (PM), what usually comes to mind is the formal HR system for conducting appraisals. More than 50 years of research have been devoted to designing the perfect formal PM system. Unfortunately, these attempts have failed to produce a PM system that managers and employees consistently view as working well and that yields the positive outcomes expected from PM. So here are three new rules of PM to help get back on track.

By Elaine D. Pulakos, President, and Rose Mueller-Hanson, Manager, Leadership and Organizational Consulting Group, PDRI, an SHL Company

January 18, 2012
Open Communication Boosts Profit

While communication typically is considered a “soft skill” that’s often overlooked in machine-filled manufacturing plants focused on production, many of the ills in manufacturing are actually symptoms of poor communication. Once better communication is established, the manufacturer’s bottom line often can increase by 10 percent or more very quickly.

By Del Williams

Mishandling communication can cost a manufacturer—from missed orders, quality issues, and running out of material to increased scrap, absenteeism, and turnover, to misunderstanding customer need and selling the wrong product. Separate silos of information can arise between functional departments, to the point where it’s almost necessary to introduce Engineering to Production and Sales to Accounting.

December 7, 2011
Screen for Wolves in School Volunteers’ Clothing

The practice of background checks for school employees is standard issue for all employees with access to children. Background checks reduce organizational liability, and help protect children. But background checks often are not done for school volunteers, and this is a big mistake.

By Bill Tate, President, HR Plus

November 23, 2011
Best Practices: Diversity Dimensions

Global diversity rollouts can—and should—be implemented successfully, but too frequently problems arise because the company’s original diversity initiatives, based purely on an American perspective, are merely expanded geographically without regard for cultural approaches to diversity.

By Neal Goodman, Ph.D., President, Global Dynamics, Inc.

November 16, 2011
Use Telemarketing to Generate Qualified Sales Leads

Many accounting, consulting, law, technology, and other professional service businesses are turning to business telemarketing to generate new immediate, short- and long-term sales opportunities. For a sales lead generation program to succeed, though, the telemarketing team and the sales team need to share a unified definition of a qualified sales lead.

By Jim Graziano, President, Onset Marketing LLC

Business telemarketing is a reliable method to generate qualified sales leads. Many accounting, consulting, law, technology, and other professional service businesses are turning to business telemarketing to generate new immediate, short- and long-term sales opportunities.

October 28, 2011
You Can’t Want Anything

When it comes to creativity, wanting something does seem to get in the way of actually achieving anything. That’s why organizations should consider creating “creative zones,” little oases within the company that allow for goal-less creative activity. The oasis could be a room or it could be a certain time each week, when employees can pursue any creative assignment they like without the pressure of instant success.

By David Intrator, president, The Creative Organization

A few years before his death in 2004, Charlie Rose interviewed Henri Cartier-Bresson at his home in Paris. For years, Carier-Bresson had been recognized as one of the greatest photographers of his time, having produced an uncanny amount of photographic masterpieces. Rose was curious as to how Cartier-Bresson went about his work.

“What’s the secret?”

Without missing a beat, Cartier-Bresson answered: “You can’t want anything. You just need to be receptive.”

October 19, 2011
8 Tips to Fill Your Training Room

As an HR professional, you are thrilled to organize compelling training programs for your employees, but how do you guarantee high attendance and participation? Fortunately, there are a few simple and (mostly) free techniques for filling your training room every time.

By Brad Karsh, President, JB Training Solutions

As an HR professional, you are thrilled to organize compelling training programs for your employees, but how do you guarantee high attendance and participation? No matter how great the program is on paper, if attendance is low, then the impact is lost. So what can you do?

Fortunately, there are a few simple and (mostly) free techniques for filling your training room every time:

October 14, 2011
Are You Dumb Enough to Be Creative?

In the all-important opening phase of the creative process—aka, “making a mess”—stupidity is your greatest asset. The more you get used to moving ahead on a problem without knowing exactly where you’re going, the more you get comfortable with hanging out in a zone that’s tentative and ambiguous, the better you’ll get at generating the stuff you need to come up with a successful creative solution.

By David Intrator, President, The Creative Organization

In my seminars and workshops on creativity, I spend a lot of time emphasizing the value of being an idiot.

Because in the all-important opening phase of the creative process, which I call “making a mess,” stupidity is your greatest asset. This is not the time for clarity, precision, or cleverness. Rather it’s the time for sloppiness, incoherence, and the mindless generation of stuff.

October 7, 2011
Best Practices: After You Train, Retain

Companies increasingly are moving toward the implementation of robust knowledge management systems to collect and share existing information. The truly effective systems improve an organization’s ability to take full advantage of the knowledge and experiences of its employees and make it easily accessible to the entire organization at any time.

By Neal Goodman, Ph.D., President, Global Dynamics, Inc.

All too often, companies invest in the professional development of their workforce only to lose that investment after employees leave (or when they simply forget what they learned). According to Ernst & Young, 44 percent of employees are “poor or very poor” at transferring knowledge.

October 7, 2011
Soapbox: Old Habits Die Hard

Many organizations give tips, tools, and techniques that can help employees enhance their performance and businesses increase their revenue, but most of the time, articles are read and seminars are attended, and that is where the learning stops. It’s not a mistake that the saying goes, “Old habits die hard.” The key to successful learning is training reinforcement.

By Tim Hagen, President, Sales Progress

October 7, 2011
Talent Tips: Training on the Go

Mobile learners appreciate good-quality content designed to save them time and that provides immediate accomplishments in small chunks. Keep it short, but use all the media—video, audio, exercises, simulations, games, etc.—to “show” and not just “tell” how work can be done and skills developed.

By Roy Saunderson, President, Recognition Management Institute

Are we ready to train employees through iPods? Some organizations already do so with great success. Yet there are important principles to consider in getting mobile learning right.

In the fast-moving world we live in, we stay connected through a growing number of mobile devices we’re glued at the hip to. Now imagine having training follow you around and be available whenever you are ready to learn.

October 7, 2011
World View: Focus on Poland

Building a presence in Poland will give organizations a critical entry point into the European Community and beyond. All global organizations need to enter this market. The time is now.

By Dr. Neil Orkin, President, Global Training Systems

September 27, 2011
Transform Corporate Training into Strategic Engagements

To keep employees operating at peak performance levels, corporations must recognize the benefits of on-the-job instruction that occurs before, during, and after the learning event. To deliver training with a real impact on the company’s bottom line, knowledge of strategy and tactics is no longer enough—continuous learning is essential.

By Tim Hill, President, Professional Education (ProEd), Blackboard

Corporations constantly struggle with engaging learners, achieving business metrics, keeping content up to date, and efficiently sharing information. To keep employees operating at peak performance levels, corporations must recognize the benefits of on-the-job instruction that occurs before, during, and after the learning event. To deliver training with a real impact on the company’s bottom line, knowledge of strategy and tactics is no longer enough—continuous learning is essential.

September 2, 2011
6 Steps for Creating an Engaging Training Culture

Providing training for your employees is one thing, but instilling a training culture at your organization is quite another. I’ve conducted (literally) several hundred training workshops across the country, and the difference is truly astounding. Taking training to the next level at your organization may seem daunting, but a strong training culture canbe established.

By Brad Karsh, President, JB Training Solutions

Providing training for your employees is one thing, but instilling a training culture at your organization is quite another. I’ve conducted (literally) several hundred training workshops across the country, and the difference is truly astounding.

At some companies, training is an exciting, integral part of the workflow. During workshops, everyone is alert, happy to be there, and eager to learn. The hours fly by as everyone asks questions and encourages discussion.

August 4, 2011
Project Management: 4 Problems to Avoid

It is important that you never trust to luck when you plan a project. Hope is not a strategy. There are four main problems in project management. Each of them can be avoided by taking the time to think carefully before embarking on a new project and then to plan it visually.

By Brian Tracy, President, Brian Tracy International

It is important that you never trust to luck when you plan a project. Hope is not a strategy. Remember the words of Napoleon, when he was asked if he believed in luck. He said, “Yes, I believe in luck. I believe in bad luck. And I believe I will always have it, so I plan accordingly.”

There are four main problems in project management. Each of them can be avoided by taking the time to think carefully before embarking on a new project.

July 26, 2011
Preparing for the Appraisal Meeting

Managers are universally advised that there should be no surprises during the course of a performance appraisal discussion and are scolded that, if the employee reacts with surprise to any point the manager makes, the manager hasn’t done his coaching job properly during the year. That’s another example of well-intentioned but poorly thought-out advice, says Dick Grote, author of “How to Be Good at Performance Appraisals.”

By Dick Grote, President, Grote Consulting Corporation

Get Everything Ready

There are a couple of important elements to arrange in advance of the performance appraisal meeting. The usual recommendations for preparing for the appraisal discussion are well known:

Gather all your materials:In addition to the performance appraisal document itself, you’ll want to have performance notes you’ve made during the course of the year and other support materials close at hand in case they’re needed.

July 13, 2011
The Bullying Boss…A Retention Nightmare

As a department manager, you may have to deal with a boss who uses bullying or fear as a way to manage. Your job, whether you like it or not, is to insulate your people from your boss, says Jeff Kortes, author of “No Nonsense Retention…Painless Strategies to Retain Your Best People.” If you don’t, you will bear the brunt of dealing with the aftermath of the turnover your boss generates.

By Jeff Kortes, President, Human Asset Management LLC

In recent years, experts have begun using the term “bullying” to describe what I would term “fear.” It is an abusive pattern of behavior that creates uncertainty and a nagging sense of fear in an employee’s mind. Call it fear or bullying, the effect is the same. It kills optimal performance and drives turnover. It’s that simple.

June 29, 2011
SMART Goals: Bad Idea

By now, almost everyone who works for an organization is familiar with the hackneyed SMART acronym for setting goals: Goals must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. But teaching SMART goals is a bad idea that needs to be stomped out. Why? For one thing, managers aren’t told where they should look for goals, or how to determine whether their goals are appropriate and genuinely important, or how to make sure there’s some congruity between the goals individuals set and the organization’s business strategy.

By Dick Grote, President, Grote Consulting Corporation

April 1, 2011
Hire the Right Person, Not the Right Resume

The resume can be a useful starting point for understanding a candidate’s history and accomplishments (assuming the resume is truthful). In this excerpt from “6 Habits of Highly Successful Managers,” author John Cioffi just wants to caution you against taking it at face value—you need to look beyond the resume and discover for yourself the candidate’s natural abilities that might or might not allow her to be successful in the position you are filling.

By John Cioffi

The resume is a powerful document. It’s been around for decades, and it shows little sign of disappearing any day soon. It’s usually a candidate’s first means of creating an impression with a desired organization, and many companies rely heavily upon it to create a picture of the candidates who apply to them.

March 16, 2011
Breakdowns Between Silos
In this excerpt from “Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work,” Russell Bishop looks at the breakdowns between silos that can occur among internal groups, departments, or business units, as well as among external partners, subcontractors, or teammates on joint development projects.
  By Russell Bishop, Editor-at-Large, Huffington Post, and President, Bishop & Bishop A recurrent challenge confronting organizations large and small is that of silo behavior. We broached this subject when we began talking about misaligned leadership. Breakdowns between silos can occur among internal groups, departments, or business units, as well as among external partners, subcontractors, or teammates on joint development projects.
September 1, 2010
Reclaim 100 Senior Executive Work Hours Per Week

One way to rejuvenate battered spirits and restore discretionary energy is to rally your team around a common goal. See how an executive team used a three-step process to redeploy more than 100 hours of senior executive time toward value-added work.

By Francie Dalton, president, Dalton Alliances, Inc.

Let’s assume there’s not an ounce of fat left in your association. You’ve redlined, streamlined, and realigned, all the while continuing to deliver indisputably high value for your members. Even if you’ve somehow managed to convince everyone in your organization that the hemorrhaging is over, malaise has permeated your senior team, bringing a sense of insurmountable workload and a presumption that the dire straits state will continue for a long time to come.

May 1, 2005
The Race for Dealer Loyalty

David Weiss is used to awarding unique incentives to successful salespeople. But one reward requested by an office-product reseller's salesperson takes the cake. When asked what would further motivate this sales star, the rep's answer was, quite simply, a.⻼皺欸/

David Weiss is used to awarding unique incentives to successful salespeople. But one reward requested by an office-product reseller's salesperson takes the cake. When asked what would further motivate this sales star, the rep's answer was, quite simply, a.⻼皺欸/