May 2008

Leadership Development
What were you thinking?

As heads of learning, you may not have the personal ability to impact decision making above your pay-grade, but you do have the authority to ensure that effective training is applied and reinforced within the organization in critical thinking, leadership and ethics. Managers and executives must be thoroughly schooled in these disciplines and clearly understand the impact that each has upon their decisions and the consequences to their organization. Read more…

Innovation
Discovering the true meaning of innovation

In recent history I’ve observed an increased interest in the development of innovation programs within many companies. At the same time, I’ve seen quite a bit of confusion over what innovation programs should be designed to deliver. Words have meaning and innovation is a term whose meaning can be rather confusing when it is bantered about without explanation. Read more…

Performance
Making a real difference

While the drums of a pending recession continue to beat, there are mixed messages being sent. There is no doubt that high gas prices and the housing market debacle are highly visible and are causing changes in consumer behavior. However, other less visible economic indicators point to a turnaround in the second half of 2008. Read more…

Kirkpatrick’s Column
Evaluating instructors

Program coordinators should be very tactful in “helping” instructors by offering suggestions, especially if the instructors are members of top management within their own organization. One practical approach is to let instructors know ahead of time that reaction sheets will be used and that ratings will be compared with a standard. Instructors are usually eager to meet or beat the standard. Read more…