By Linda Bush, Ph.D.

Last month I issued a bogus list of the TOP TEN reasons people do not go into the training and development field. You might recall them:

10. They liked being labeled “behavioral” in grade school.
9. They think ADDIE was Mager’s great aunt.
8. They think ROI is a big, sparkly fish.
7. They think needs assessment means something needs assessment.
6. They think benchmarking may be illegal in the National Parks Department.
5. They think the Kirkpatrick model is a blonde.
4. They think best practice is a good rehearsal.
3. They think HPI stands for “Having Perfect Intentions.”
2. They confuse OD with BO.
1. They think Six Sigma is a rock group.

__________

This month I compiled a serious list of why people do go into training and development that includes responses I received from local members:

10. To change behavior
9. Experience the joy of learning new things
8. To help people
7. Help raise people’s consciousness
6. Personal growth
5. Having a positive impact on the performance of people translates into a positive impact on the performance of the organization
4. To affiliate with people who have a sense of humor
3. Help organizations function optimally
2. Who stops learning, grows old
1. To help people & business achieve peak performance & maximum quality of life

People in training and development usually enjoy learning. Here are several learning opportunities at upcoming CIASTD monthly programs:

• July 23 – Experiential Learning
• August 27 – Stories that Trainers Tell
• September 24 – Manufacturing Concept Learning Lab
• October 22 – Employee Loyalty and Engagement
• November 11 – Fall Education Conference

A final thought:

“I am still learning.”

--Michelangelo

[Top]

Andrea Moore
Learning and Performance Improvement Consultant
By Fred Oaks, Facilitator Staff Member
[A regular feature of The Facilitator, Member Profile introduces a member of CIASTD randomly selected at a sponsored event. The idea is to help everyone get to know each other better.]

Vivacious Andrea Moore leads new member orientation sessions for CIASTD. If anyone can instill a positive sense of expectation among our organization’s newcomers, she can!

Andrea has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development from Indiana State University. Upon graduation, she began working for Premier Farnell in Chicago. She is still working for them today, six years later. This is an uncommonly lengthy tenure in one’s first job, but Andre loves what she does.

She began as an HR Generalist and moved into a training role within 18 months. Her current job title is Learning and Performance Improvement Consultant. The fit with ASTD is obvious. “I have a global role, supporting employee development and managing our Group Online Learning Center.” She says. “Premier Farnell is based in London, so I occasionally travel overseas to work with colleagues. This has allowed me to visit some exciting places across Europe. My passion is individual growth and development and I love working one-on-one with people to help them through challenges and accomplish their goals. I love delivering training, particularly when it involves individual coaching.”

Recently Andrea attended a Breakthrough Thinking Workshop in Holmes Chapel, England through her organization. “It was an amazing experience, both personally and professionally,” she says. “Personally, it was a spiritual experience that has validated my professional and personal path. Professionally, I was able to work with Senior Leaders from across the globe and interact with many different cultures. I was able to work with content that is near and dear to my heart; there’s no doubt that one day I will be facilitating a similar type of session!”

The focus of the workshop was on individual state of being and the fact that who we are shapes our world. “We are in control of it all – circumstances aren’t happening to us, they are happening through us and we are creating our reality – all the time. It’s very liberating to understand this responsibility. I now have an opportunity to bring this awareness to my organization and really make a difference.” As a result Andrea is focusing on individual contribution and feelings and helping others to take responsibility for both.

Andrea recently moved to Indianapolis from Chicago. Her beautiful two-year-old daughter, Mayson, is the light of her life. “She definitely keeps me busy!” Andrea declares. Andrea also loves music, and takes weekly piano lessons (although she struggles to make time to practice). She also enjoys reading and outdoor activities such as riding her bike, playing tennis, and running.

Several months ago, Andrea read the book, Conversations with God, and found it to be very consistent with her beliefs and ideals. The book has become one of her all time favorites, and she recommends it to anyone who feels like they are always searching for something.

Andrea is always searching for books on her favorite website, www.Amazon.com. She buys books several times a month. Her advice to new professionals is, “Follow your heart and listen to your intuition! If you feel passionate about something, relish that and do all you can to learn about the topic and share your knowledge with others – your passion will be contagious!” Andrea’s passion is contagious, too. You don’t have to be a new member to catch it – just introduce yourself at the next CIASTD meeting!

[Top]

Jack: Straight from the Gut
By Jack Welch with John A. Byrne
Published by Warner Books, New York, NY, 2001

Review by Jay McNaught
[Periodically, in The Facilitator, we try to review books that might be of interest to those involved in training and development.]

Jack: Straight from the Gut is first and foremost a biography of Welch and a detailed description of his efforts at GE as he rose to CEO of the mega corporation. So… you may be wondering why this book is being reviewed in a newsletter that targets people who work in training and development. The answer is that there are sections of this book that can be very interesting to anyone involved in corporate training.

Throughout the book, Welch makes it very obvious that he see staff development and training as essential to the health of the organization. There is a wonderful chapter where he describes his deep dive in re-invigorating the training center in Crotonville. He ultimately transforms Crotonville into a first class corporate university.

One of the things that Welch did was to revitalize and elevate its importance. They had three courses that focused on leadership: (EDC) executive development course, (MDC) management development course, and (BMC) business management course. They changed from doing case studies to tackling real issues at GE. Michigan professor, Noel Tichy, introduced “action learning.” By applying the learning directly to real-life problems and projects at GE, the learning became real and practical. Courses were three weeks long, and structured so that students could present their projects at the Corporate Executive Council.

They also gave Crotonville high visibility and prestige by having their executives teach classes on a rotating basis. Welch himself often addressed the classes and personally reviewed many of the projects and ideas emerging from the “action learning” activities.

In 1988 they began conducting “work-out” sessions. These were like town meetings, facilitated by outsiders. The purpose was to identify bureaucracy that was getting in the way of productivity. There was a great quote in the book from a middle-aged appliance worker, “For 25 years, you’ve paid for my hands when you could have had my brain as well – for nothing.”

Another big concept presented by Welch was the “boundary-less organization.” His idea was to knock down barriers everywhere… internal and external. They did away with the NIH (not invented here) attitude. Along with this, they started rewarding teams instead of individuals for ideas.

Welch also made and interesting statement concerning outsourcing, “Your backroom is somebody else’s front room… Back rooms by definition will never be able to attract your best. We converted ours into someone else’s front room and insisted on getting their best. That worked for us so many times. This is what outsourcing is all about.”

As you can see, this is an interesting book for trainers. And the sections that aren’t about training are equally engaging. If you haven’t read it yet, give it a read. I think you’ll find it thought-provoking and engaging.

[Top]

In case you didn’t notice, we have two new staff members writing for The Facilitator this year. They are Fred Oaks and Eric Denney. Fred is responsible for the “Member Profile” articles, and Eric is responsible for the articles about the upcoming meetings. Both stepped forward in response to a plea for help printed in this newsletter. We appreciate their willingness to volunteer. When you see them at the CIASTD meetings, be sure to let them know how much you appreciate their work.

[Top]