Articles tagged 'Training & Development'

Want High Performance? You Find it by Embracing Employee Variation

by David Creelman on Mar 7, 2012, 11:51 AM | No comments yet

By David Creelman

Do you remember the person who served you last time you went to McDonald’s? Probably not, and that’s not due to a failing memory.

McDonald’s has worked hard to reduce variation in its servers. It is rare to get one who is noticeably bad or surprisingly good.

You do not see staff who are dressed badly or dressed well or wearing the jersey of their favorite hockey player. It is a standard experience and this is something customers like. The tactic of reducing variation has worked well for McDonald’s.

However, there is an alternative. Read more…

HR Insights, Training & Development

Professional Certifications: Yes, They Matter – and They Raise the Bar, Too

by Anne C. Ruddy on Feb 28, 2012, 10:37 AM | 6 Comments

By Anne C. Ruddy

The question of whether to obtain an HR certification is a hotly debated topic, with smart HR pros weighing in with points of view that range from “always” to “never,” and “it depends.”

Since HR certifications require money and time, no doubt you would want to research options and assess the potential return on investment. While some HR practitioners pursue certification to improve employment opportunities, others do so to demonstrate proficiency, commitment, professional validation and status.

Regardless of motivation or which certification is right for you, one thing is clear: professional certification elevates the stature of the HR profession as a whole. Read more…

TLNT Events, Training & Development

10 Things You Can Do To Build a Team of Rock Stars

by Lance Haun on Feb 27, 2012, 12:52 PM | 2 Comments

If you’ve been to a Hard Rock Cafe before, you know how unique the restaurant experience is there. But besides the memorabilia, music and videos playing non-stop, what makes the Hard Rock special?

Jim Knight, Senior Director of Training at Hard Rock International, kicked off the first-ever TLNT Transform conference in Austin, Texas talking about how Hard Rock builds their own team of rock stars. And even if your idea of a rock star employee is a salesperson who can close deals or a person who can swing a hammer, he offers 10 ways to build the team you need to succeed.

HR Roundtable: What Hinders Effective Training & Development?

by Steve Browne on Feb 23, 2012, 8:50 AM | 1 comment

The mild winter put people in the mood for in-depth discussion about February’s HR Roundtable in Cincinnati topic – How do we keep Training & Development today?

There was a particularly large crowd who gathered to take on this topic and the get them started, Steve offered the following three questions to stir things up:

What things hinder effective Training & Development in companies today?
How do people retain what they learn?
What is the VAST difference between “Training” and “Development?” Read more…

HR Management, Talent Management

Do You Have a Jeremy Lin Hidden Somewhere on Your Staff?

by Tim Sackett on Feb 21, 2012, 10:45 AM | No comments yet

“Linsanity” has taken over New York and the NBA! Do you even know what it is?

Let’s begin with some background: “Linsanity” refers to Jeremy Lin the up-start point guard for the New York Knicks who seems to have materialized out of thin air. How up-start? In his first four NBA starts with the Knicks, he scored more than Allen Iverson, more than Shaquille O’Neal, more than Michael Jordan, and the tops since the NBA and ABA merged in 1976.

Where did he come from? Harvard – he was a good player in college, but not a star. Was signed and released by both Golden State and Houston and spent some time in the NBA Developmental League before signing a 10-day contract with the Knicks (which has turned into a longer term deal).

Jeremy Lin coming onto the scene in the NBA is akin to you knocking down a wall in your house and finding $50 million. It doesn’t happen. Professional sports are professional because they have and find the best – they scout talent 24/7/365 – and they do make mistakes, but rarely does potential get missed. Read more…

Talent Management, Training & Development

Why Training is Just Not Enough to Launch Your Young Rock Star Employee

by Eric Chester on Feb 15, 2012, 7:40 AM | 1 comment

You post an entry-level sales position and sort through an avalanche of resumes to find a few that seem worthy of face time. After hours of boring interviews with candidates you know don’t have what it takes to make it in your organization, you suddenly encounter your next rock star.

He makes a dazzling first impression, is quick on his feet to give all the right answers, looks you in the eyes and convinces you that he’ll work tirelessly to drum up all kinds of new business for you. Reminiscent of yourself when you were in your 20s, you extend your hand and welcome him to your team.

Six weeks later, your rock star shows up late for the third time, has already asked for next Friday off to serve as the best man for his buddy’s wedding in Vegas, and he texts throughout your weekly sales meeting. Read more…

Training & Development

Making Learning Matter: 11 Simple Commandments to Influence Behavior

by Stephen M. Paskoff on Feb 14, 2012, 10:40 AM | No comments yet

By Stephen M. Paskoff

“They‘re simply not getting it. Managers, executives and employees are saturated with information and they’re zoning out. We give our leaders and employees great training videos to watch. We have them go to classes that address our issues. We deliver engaging e-learning and we send them reminders. But something’s not working. They aren’t applying the key points they’re supposed to learn. How can we fix this?”

In the last 25 years, I’ve heard this frustration expressed about initiatives focusing on topics ranging from discrimination to abusive conduct to encouraging the raising of concerns to ethics and compliance responsibilities. Yet, the dissatisfaction persists, even as new technologies have dramatically improved our ability to reach everyone at anytime with customized, specific and interesting content at their desktop. Read more…

HR News & Trends

Office Romances: Millennials Feel They Have a Positive Impact on Performance

by John Hollon on Feb 13, 2012, 8:55 AM | No comments yet

Here’s another reason why Millennials are so different from the other generations in the workplace: not only are they more open to office romances, but they see them as having a positive effect on their morale and job performance.

According to a new survey of American workers by Workplace Options and Public Policy Polling, “opinions about inter-office romances differ widely across generations.” That’s not a big surprise, but what does jump out from the research is how much of a difference there is. For example:

A whopping 84 percent of Millennials say they would engage in romance with a co-worker, compared to 36 percent of Gen. X workers, and 29 percent of Baby Boomers. Read more…

HR Insights, Training & Development

The Quest for Excellence: It’s Why Learning Never, Ever Ends

by Ron Thomas on Jan 30, 2012, 7:45 AM | No comments yet

“I will be glad when this is all over. I will never have to study anything anymore.”

That was a statement from my daughter during finals week in her senior year of college at Penn State. She sounded worn out. As I listened on the other end of the phone, I looked at my watch and realized it was too late to respond to that. I knew she was not in the mood to be receptive.

Last week, I was in Pittsburgh leading two seminars for the Human Capital Institute (I am a faculty member). As I spoke, I kept emphasizing the need for constant learning.

As I thought of that statement I realized the model for professional learning and development has changed tremendously. There once was a time when I would choose to attend a couple of learning events per year. When I returned from them, the vast majority of the time the courseware would eventually end up in the credenza in my office. Read more…

Training & Development

Maximizing the ROI on Employee Training with Mobile Learning

by Chad Udell on Jan 19, 2012, 8:50 AM | 2 Comments

No executive in their right mind would argue with the fact that employee training is a basic business necessity. When organizations experience growth, change or competitive pressure, gaps emerge between what employees know and what they need to know in order for the company to remain relevant in the marketplace.

Good training bridges those gaps and impacts bottom line measurements like productivity gains, cost reductions and customer satisfaction levels as well as improvements in employee safety, morale and team building.

But here’s the rub: According to the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), U.S. businesses invest more than $125 billion per year in employee learning and development. That’s a lot of cash. Yet in today’s economic climate, employers and HR teams are being asked to do more with less – and for many executives, that means carefully calculating the costs, benefits and potential returns they will receive from learning technologies before they invest. Read more…