AtlantaEvent.com Newsflash - Wolves at the Business Buffet
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A
Greeting From |
I'm Free -
for the moment.
Jeff
Glaze |
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Five@Five Meetings This
Month
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Five@Five This Month: |
AtlantaEvent.com's Own Business
After Hours - Five@Five Business After Hours Networking |
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Feature Article
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Wolves at the
Business Buffet:
Advert |
A harsh
title indeed. Harsh sounding anyway unless you have been the victim
of the business predator. If you have had this displeasure, you have
felt the bite of disgust, embarrassment, even of violation of someone
that you trusted who may have gone as far into your business life as
to have had access to your business account information. |
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What Is Your Legacy of
Success? |
Success! Easy to talk about, but difficult to achieve. Or is it? Success is defined differently by virtually anyone you ask because success is a very personal experience. Is your definition of success based on the values, dreams and beliefs of others? How often do people strive for accomplishments that will show they are “successful” yet they are left spiritually and emotionally lost? As we grow and change our definition of success is bound to change. For some, success is doing whatever it takes to gain material wealth regardless of the personal, spiritual or emotional cost. For others, success is defined quite differently. When our life is in balance, we become a magnet for success. An important key to achieving what we desire is to become clear about our personal definition of success - physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, personally, professionally and in our community. There is an extraordinary paradox with success. You must have an idea of what success means to you and the outcome you desire to achieve. On the flip side, to truly fulfill the path intended for you at a higher level, you must be willing to let go of the actual outcome. This can be very challenging since many of us have been taught to do whatever it takes to assure a particular outcome of a situation. By holding on when it is time to let go, we may be shortchanging ourselves. If we are able to let go of the end result and trust the process that gets us there, we may end up with more than we ever dreamed possible. Life frequently holds interesting twists and turns. What often seems like a tragedy and failure can become one of life’s greatest blessings. Such was the case for me in late September 2002. I had achieved a level of outward success that I worked very hard for. I held an executive position with a Salt Lake City firm, made an excellent income, had the corner office, a dedicated staff and accomplished much of what I put my mind to. When I found out there were things going on in the company that went completely against my core values, I had to redefine what success really meant to me. Upon deep reflection I realized there was nothing I could do to change the situation in this firm and made a decision to leave, taking a leap of faith into the unknown. Somewhat confused and not sure what was to come next, I knew from previous experiences that life had something more in store for me. Within only days of resigning, my good friend and competitor in speaking and training, Lori Giovannoni, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Lori had also reached a high level of success in her business. She had a book that was selling great and had speaking and training engagements lined up as far as a year in advance. Then the call came. Lori had breast cancer. Within only a matter of hours surgery was being scheduled. Suddenly life was turned upside down. With her health to think of, there was also the thought of how she was going to fulfill all the speaking engagements she had booked. A seemingly impossible situation soon became crystal clear. Myself and another friend, Lynda Jeppesen, also a highly regarded competitor, decided we would step in for Lori. Her clients were informed of the situation. They trusted Lori’s judgment and there was no question of us filling in for her. We insisted the clients send the speaking fees directly to Lori. After all, it was she that needed to have financial stability and a peace of mind to begin her healing process. A week before, success was defined by my position within the company I had just left. Now it was defined by the love for a friend. Amazingly, over the next year, Lori was able to focus on her healing, continue to build her business and, as always, keep friends in the forefront. I focused more on family and friends and chose to return to consulting, speaking and training. I had the best year ever - both personally and professionally. Lori and I also wrote a book that was born out of the experience we shared late in 2002. Our book, Workplace Miracles, Inspiring Stories and Thoughts of Possibility, would have probably never been written had life not put a twist in the road, nor had we recognized this as a part of our path. Obviously, there was something in store for us that we needed to be open to in order to receive it. What I learned from this, and other experiences, is that life holds many secrets for all of us. Often, when I attempt to define what life and success should be about, I will shortchange myself. When I have a focus, take the appropriate steps to achieve my dreams and goals, and then let go of the outcome, life will always offer me more than I ever would have offered myself. What is life offering you that will be a part of your legacy of success? Kathleen Gage is a business advisor, keynote speaker and trainer who helps others gain marketing dominance and visibility within their market. She is the recipient of the 2004 Giant Step Award for Business of the Year in the State of Utah. Call 801.619.1514 or email Kathleen@turningpointpresents.com . Get Gage’s online newsletter called Street Smarts Marketing and Promotions by visiting www.kathleengage.com Gage’s newest book “101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door” is scheduled for release in October, 2004. |
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Don't Hate Me Because
I am |
About a week ago I heard a comment from a senior manager that again reminded me of one of the challenges we face in the training field. He stated that he did not believe in e-learning, especially for salespeople. The comment did not surprise me. I have heard it from many others in his position. Back in July of 2000, in fact, the ASTD surveyed American trainers about who offered the most resistance to introducing e-learning into the workplace. The survey showed that managers (40%), followed by trainers themselves (25%), topped the list; followed by learners and technical support personnel (both 15%). E-learning de bunkers often quote user resistance as their primary concern. Given the option, they say, people prefer to be in a classroom surrounded by peers and facilitated by an expert. E-learning supporters, on the other hand, reason that people prefer the flexibility of the online environment, preferring not to have other students keep them from learning at their own pace. Right in the middle of these two arguments is where many companies either stop to develop an online training program or abandon the pursuit. Granted, no single e-learning solution can cater to the needs of all learners. And no single online program can address the variables created by age, job skill, work environment, business strategies, and hundreds of other variables. But, to say that you do not believe in e-learning these days is like saying you do not believe in the Internet. And like the Internet, e-learning is here to stay, so it would serve us well to understand how and when to use it. In all fairness to both camps, there are valid arguments for the debate. So let’s take time to talk about the most common e-issues (sorry, couldn’t help myself) and ways to evaluate the role of e-learning within your organization. Understanding What E-Learning Does… Don’t get too wrapped up in the terminology. E-Learning, as defined in A Vision of E-Learning for America’s Workforce is “…instructional content or learning experiences delivered or enabled by electronic technology”. The focus of this and other institutional documents has been primarily on how to implement e-learning successfully into the workplace. According to The Commission on Technology and Adult Learning the focus is primarily on adult-centered and work-related e-learning designed to “increase workers’ knowledge and skills so they can be more productive, find and keep high-quality jobs, advance in their careers, and have a positive impact on the success of their employers, their families and their communities”. This is a cause worth joining and a good list of goals regardless of how you deliver training. So, before you evaluate a “method”, make it your purpose to assess how your instructional content will increase knowledge and productivity, retain workers, advance careers, and make employees successful in every area of endeavor. The delivery is secondary to the purpose. By definition, if you are already putting training in Power Point presentations and making it available for viewing from your intranet you are doing e-learning.
Beyond the decision of implementing e-learning is the question of whether or not students will use it. It is reported that when employees are required to register for e-learning, only about 32% actually do so. And amongst those that do register, 50 to 80% dropout is not uncommon. Resistance to technology is nothing new, but if we are going to effectively support our company in their effort to reduce cost we have to deal with the problem head on. Jonathan Feldman, Chief Technical Manager of the Chatham County Government in Savannah, GA has a great solution. Mr. Feldman deals with the common problem of keeping his help desk and tech support employees knowledgeable. To retain top staff, he needs to train at least a few times a year; more when it involves cutting-edge projects. Because most in-depth classes are not held regularly in his part of the country, training his team also means expenses for class fees, travel, per-diem, lodging, and loss of productivity. “One standard cost-cutting measure is to (reluctantly) drop some instructor-led classes, sometimes in favor of CBT (computer-based training)” says Mr. Fieldman. “But I hate that. I find CBT to be no better than reading a book…” He continues by saying that a recent experience with an e-learning company in Phoenix helped solve this problem. The company uses Internet groupware in conjunction with traditional conference-call technology. Students can listen to the instructor on-line, raise their hand, ask questions (both spoken and through chat) and even have a little interactive fun on the virtual whiteboard. “… the best thing about this method”, he says, “is that I could lie back in bed and attend class — even when I had the flu.” Creating the Best Solution… Finally, remember that e-learning is evolving. The “ideal” training for you may be an instructor-led class held in a barn. But don’t underestimate the benefits of technology. While using slide presentations is not a necessity, we have become more and more accustomed to them and enjoy the benefits of richer media and visual effects. Ultimately the success of your training depends on the feasibility of the delivery and e-learning can help facilitate that.
The best
solution is often a blended solution. That means taking advantage of
the many tools (technology based and conventional) available to you.
Ironically, the most basic instructional design model includes
assessment measures to determine the method of learning delivery best
suited for your audience. |
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Message Added: September 21st, 2004 at 8:20 am
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