Magazine Articles

 

By Samantha Howland, Senior Partner and Executive Training Director, DSI In an era of unprecedented uncertainty, the ability to think strategically has emerged as an indispensable skill in helping leaders and organizations navigate change and sustain growth. Yet, for those charged with identifying and developing strategic thinkers, there is no clear path.

BEST PRACTICES BB&T Corporation: Leadership Development Program (LDP) Twice a year, a class of Leadership Development Program (LDP) associates relocates to BB&T University for nine months to participate in the four phases of the program. Associates choose one of two concentrations to specialize in: business banking or specialized corporate functions. Program framework and highlights include:

By Judy Chartrand, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, Pearson TalentLens

By Margery Weinstein

By Margery Weinstein

By Margery Weinstein

By Lorri Freifeld The Jiffy Lube training drive starts at the top with Stu Crum, president of Jiffy Lube International (JLI). He developed Operation Frontline in which he called for every employee to follow his lead by completing seven courses in Jiffy Lube University (JLU), the company’s award-winning training program, plus spend a minimum of one day at a Jiffy Lube service center. The courses included Orientation and Safety, and training for the Courtesy Tech, Upper Bay Tech, Lower Tech, Customer Service Advisor, and Team Lead positions and products.

By Lorri Freifeld Never underestimate the power of a Black Belt. Verizon set its sights on operational excellence in 2012, implementing Verizon Lean Six Sigma (VLSS) to transform its culture, satisfy customers, and improve processes that drive results and increase profitability and shareholder value. One of the first VLSS initiatives focused specifically on Learning Effectiveness and led to reduced training time and a projected $4 million savings by the end of 2012.

Operational excellence and culture transformation are lofty goals. But training can play a big part in an organization attaining them, as Verizon can attest: Verizon Lean Six Sigma (VLSS) helped earn the telecom the No. 1 spot on the Training Top 125 for the second year in a row. Despite some belt-tightening, Top 125ers still dedicated a mean of 4.58 percent of their payroll to the training budget. Some 25 newcomers earned a spot on the list this year, the 13th in a row Training has ranked the top companies of employer-sponsored workforce training and development.