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 A
Message From The President
From
Sharon Boller
President, CIASTD
The
Value of Recognition
At
the annual ISPI (International Society for Performance Improvement)
conference, I attended a session titled "Incentives,
Motivation and Workplace Performance: Research and Best Practice."
The research project involved two components - a review of
the literature to see what research has taken place on the
effectiveness of incentives and a survey of organizations
to determine current practices and results. Forty-five studies
were included in the literature review and 400 organizations
were part of the survey. The bottom-line result presented
by the researchers? Cash-based incentives work. Organizations
that provide some type of tangible (money/gifts) incentive
increase performance by an average of 22%. Individual-based
incentives increase performance by an average of 19% while
team-based incentives increase performance by a whopping 45%.
I
had lots of questions as I listened to the presentation. I
wanted to know how long the performance increase was sustained.
(Did it only last as long as the incentive program or did
performance experience a permanent gain?) How much money or
how elaborate a gift did it take to increase performance?
Most importantly, what do intangible incentives (i.e. awards
and recognition) do to performance?
The
researchers admitted they couldn't answer my questions. More
significantly, they found no quantitative studies on the effects
of intangible incentives. So…I guess I'll have to use
my own intuition as to the value of recognition, which I think
is hugely overlooked.
On
May 2, CIASTD held its first-ever program intended solely
as a way to recognize outstanding volunteers, acknowledge
individual contributions, and provide a small token of appreciation
in the form of an award. The volunteer bucks our volunteers
have been accumulating for the past 15 months were used to
bid on an array of great items and the volunteers were treated
to a motivating presentation by Leslie Yerkes on integrating
fun into our workplaces. The evening was capped off by presentations
to several of our CIASTD members who have demonstrated outstanding
leadership and commitment to our organization.
I
think those who attended found the evening motivating and
gratifying. I think people found a sense of satisfaction in
hearing the chapter publicly acknowledge their specific contributions
to the chapter. We all felt a sense of community, and those
who received awards felt appreciated. Will this sense of appreciation
and recognition translate into increased performance? My theory
is that the answer will be yes. I believe the individuals
who had volunteer bucks to spend and those who received awards
feel good about the organization and about their fellow members.
They like the affiliation because they see value in it and
feel valued in return. All these positive feelings will translate
into continued involvement.
Will
my theory prove to be true, and is this the reason we gave
people awards? I hope my theory is true, but it isn't why
the CIASTD board gave out the awards or recognized our volunteers.
We did so because we truly do appreciate what our volunteers
do for CIASTD. A genuine sense of gratitude for the talents
and time that people lend to our organization inspired the
awards and permeated the May 2nd event.
My
bottom-line? Businesses should take heed. Whether someone
is an employee or a volunteer, their performance will be a
reflection of how valued they feel. People who feel valued
and appreciated tend to feel more positively toward the organization
they are supporting. They want to contribute and they want
to be a part of it.
Sharon
is the founder and president of Bottom-Line Performance, Inc.
She has been in the field of training and development for
more than 15 years and has gained extensive experience in
instructional design and performance consulting.
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New
Members
In
each issue of The Facilitator, we will list members that have
joined or re-joined CIASTD since the previous issue. Since
the last issue of The Facilitator, we have signed several
new members. To see a
list of the new members, click
here. If you are a member of CIASTD, and would like access
to the complete membership list, it is available on our web
site at www.ciastd.com.
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Member
Profile
Meet
Sonya Showley
By Scott Horvath
As
a regular feature of The Facilitator, "Member Profile"
features a profile of a randomly selected member of CIASTD.
At every meeting, we will randomly pick a member from those
attending, and profile them. The idea is to help everyone
get to know each other better.
In this issue, we are profiling Sonya Showley.
Sonya has a strong background in training and development.
Following graduate school, she embarked on a career in training,
management and organizational development that has lasted
over fifteen years in the field. She is currently employed
by Right Management Consultants as Vice President, Consulting
Services. Right Management Consultants, www.right.com, is
a global career transition and organizational consulting firm.
Prior
to graduate school, Sonya was first employed with a rural
program as a social worker. In this position, she worked with
the developmentally disabled in a five-county area. Following
this, she was employed in what she terms "a series of
endeavors" that included managing a small health food
store, selling wine and selling advertising for a local business
media outlet.
Sonya
characterizes an early event in her career as a training and
development professional as having a profound and exciting
effect on her future. Acting on the advice of a mentor, she
branched out as an OD practitioner, which, in turn, led to
a team assignment in the creation of OD department for a local
hospital. The team partnered with an external consulting group
called Block, Petrella, Weisbord. Over the next two years,
Sonya worked with Peter Block and Mary Weisbord and credits
them for "pretty much everything I know about the work."
She states, "What a great initiation into real OD work."
Sonya
has one daughter, two granddaughters and three cats. In addition,
she shares a "wonderful" relationship with a man
who also works in the training and development field.
When
we asked what advice she would provide to new professionals,
Sonya relied, "There are so many options within this
business. Look for the work that aligns with your passion.
That's where you will be most successful." Sonya is proof
positive that passion will guide you far.
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Volunteers
Needed
The Communications Team of CIASTD is looking for volunteers
to help with Publicity and the Newsletter. Volunteering is
an excellent way to get more involved with the CIASTD organization
and to meet other training professionals. The Newsletter is
looking for writers to help write stories and the Publicity
Committee is looking for people to work on a variety of sub-committees.
Time commitments are minimal (we know everyone is busy!) and
you can be involved at a level that is comfortable for you.
If you are interested, you can contact the Newsletter Editor,
Jay McNaught (jmcnaught@cinergy.com
, (317) 838-2151); Publicity Chairperson, Krista Skidmore
(skid11@msn.com, (317)
815-3829,) or the VP of Communications, Debbie Featherston
(feathers@iei.net, (317)
595-0315).
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CIASTD
Continues Volunteer Bucks
Do
you wonder what those funny "bucks" are that you
get when you come to CIASTD meetings? Beginning in March 2001,
CIASTD began issuing Volunteer Bucks. Members were able to
use them to purchase great gifts at the CIASTD
Spring Fling Silent Auction. Hang on to those bucks…
you'll be able to use them at a future event!
Members
may earn Volunteer Bucks by doing the following…
Serve
on the Board of Directors $50
Attend Board Meetings $5
Be a Committee Chair $40
Be a Committee Member $20
Attend Committee Meetings $5
Be a Monthly Program Chair $10
Be a Monthly Program Greeter $10
Attend Monthly Program $5
Bring a Guest to Monthly Program $20
Present Monthly Program $50
Attend Fall Forum $30
Submit Article for Newsletter $40
Sponsor New Member $20
Join CIASTD $20
Renew CIASTD Membership $25
Complete HPI Certificate Program $50
The
program will be retroactive to January 1, 2001. Any member
that has met any of the above since January 1, qualifies for
the appropriate Volunteer Bucks. For further information please
call the CIASTD office at (317)- 841-1395.
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May
Meeting
The
May 17 CIASTD meeting will feature a presentation by Brenda
Richmond titled, "E-Learning Trends" The meeting
will be 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. at the Ivy Tech State College, Fourth
Floor Auditorium. (Note: There will be a Cranberry Juice Cocktail
hour from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.) Ivy Tech State College is located
at 1 West 26th Street near downtown Indianapolis. Free parking
is available behind the building (enter just north of Fall
Creek off Illinois St.).
While
training trends and terminology change and evolve, you cannot
afford to ignore e-learning. Learn why this new trend is here
to stay and why your organization should also move toward
planning and implementing an e-learning solution. This session
will help make sense of all the information, options, and
terminology and provide you with the tools and knowledge to
start implementing your solution. For those of you who have
already started to implement, discover new ways to enhance
your offerings.
Attendees
will learn how to recognize the current terminology and trends
as e-learning exists today and how to identify the benefits
and drawbacks of using technology for learning. Those attending
will also learn how to identify accepted standards and guidelines
for e-learning design and development and to recognize components
of an e-learning strategy. They will learn how to differentiate
services provided by e-learning vendors.
This
presentation will be beneficial for anyone responsible for
managing or implementing training in his or her organization
or business area: Training Managers, HR Directors, Training
Professionals and instructional designers
Brenda
Richmond is from 1st Class Solutions. Brenda Richmond combines
her 20 years of education, technology, and business experience
to provide her perspective on the continual evolution of training
and training technologies. She has been involved in the design
and development of curriculums for e-learning strategies since
1998.
Click
Here to Register Securely on the Web
April
Meeting
Business
Success: Coaching vs. Mentoring
The
April 19, CIASTD featured a presentation by Mark Hershman
titled, "Business Success: Coaching vs. Mentoring." Mark
is truly passionate about coaching. To introduce the topic
of coaching, Mark explained, "Coaching is one of the
most liberating experiences I've ever had in my life. When
I leave here I'll be able to look back and say, 'I made a
difference in people's lives.'"
Mark
began his presentation with a tribute to taxes that he titled
the Internal Revenues Theme Song. This was a rap song (it
was the first time that Mark ever did a rap publicly!) that
portrayed the far-reaching impact of taxing and the IRS. What
an appropriate way to open an April meeting…
"Leaders
today need to incorporate both mentoring and coaching into
their methods," according to Mark. But what is difference
between the two? Mark explained that the experts disagree.
He had the group members write their own definitions and then
discuss their definitions.
No
matter how you define coaches and mentors, Mark says they
are important people. "Stalk good mentors - up, down
and sideways" quoted Mark. Mark believes that good mentors
need to be good coaches. They need to be brokers, and they
need to be role models. Finally, they need to provide opportunities
and to be an advocate for the mentee (the person being mentored).
Mark
listed some characteristics of a good mentor:
- Interpersonal
skills
- Contact
person
- Recognize
accomplishments
- Excellent
leadership skills
- Know
her/his field of expertise (usually the mentor and
mentee are in the same field)
- Risk
taker (most people are somewhat risk adverse)
- Facilitator
Mark
offered a list of top ten tips that he got from Nancy Henry
of the Northwest Educational Lab.
-
Maintain regular contact
- Be
honest
- Be
non-judgmental about a person personal life
- Avoid
excessive assistance - sometimes people need to
learn the hard way
- Don't
expect to have all the right answers - don't try to
bluff your way through
- Be
a facilitator for resources and networks
- Be
clear about expectations and boundaries
- Avoid
being overwhelmed
- Keep
things confidential
- Hang
in there
Mark
presented a formal definition for mentoring: Mentoring is
a private relationship between two individuals based upon
a natural desire for development towards an organizational
object. The relationship is a non-reporting one and infringes
on none of the organizational structures.
Coaching
Mark used an example to illustrate a picture of coaching.
He described the difference between a therapist, a trainer,
and a coach in teaching someone to ride a bike. The therapist
would try to prepare you the person by helping them understand
and deal with their feelings. The trainer would prescribe
practice and make sure the person was physically prepared.
The coach would be running beside the person and pushing from
behind, and staying with the person until the person had reached
his/her goal.
Mark
stated that he has never seen trust develop so quickly as
in a coaching situation. He listed several reasons that coaching
has proliferated:
-
Environmental culture
- Rapid
change
- Related
business structure
- Need
for a respectful model
- Faster
methods for alignment
- Partnerships
- Accountability/Responsibility
- Development
of people
Mark
listed several typical coaching situations:
-
Shadowing
- Critical
manager in trouble
- Corporate,
change, merger, acquistion or transition
- Technical
expert made manager
- Poor
performer
- High
potential
- Assimilation
Mark
went on to tell about coaching conversation:
- Establish
focus (ask, "What would you like to accomplish
by the end of the meeting?" "What would look different
when you have succeeded?")
- Discover
possibilities
- Plan
the action
- Remove
barriers
- Recap
(accountability is very important - the person will
commit to doing something before the next session.)
Mark
stated, "The key to the conversation is to develop open-ended
questions and then to LISTEN."
Mark
explained the difference between an external coaching model
versus an internal coaching model. As an external coach, Mark
feels it is very important for him to get the "buy-in"
of the person to be coached. He can't coach a person if they
don't want to be coached. He also emphasized the importance
of confidentiality. He will never report back to the boss
about the person he is coaching. He must gain and maintain
the person's trust and this requires total confidentiality.
There are four phases to the external coaching model:
 1.
Preparation
2. Discovery
3. Coaching
4. Long term planning
Mark
had everyone attending complete a coaching style assessment.
He warned that you should never blindly accept results from
assessment tools, but that they can be useful to help you
understand yourself or a person you are coaching better.
Mark
gave a formal definition for coaching: Coaching is an ongoing
partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results
in their personal and professional lives.
How
do you measure ROI for coaching? Sometimes it is difficult,
but Mark said that many times there are coaching outcomes
that do impact the bottom line. In fact, he suggested that
if more training had a coaching component, the training would
be less likely to be cut in times of budget crunch.
Mark
Hershman is absolutely passionate about coaching. He has been
coaching for over ten years and is the former president of
the Executive Coaching division of Jennifer White's group.
He is the Past President of the Greater Indianapolis International
Coach Federation. He is a certified RESULTS coach and is certified
to train coaching skills for CCUI.
If
you are interested in learning more about coaching or mentoring,
you may find the following bibliography helpful.
Effective
Coaching - Terry Bacon
Be Your Own Coach - Barbara Braham and Chris Wahl
The Portable Coach - Thomas Leonard
Work Less Make More - Jennifer White
Coaching for Performance - John whitman
Coaching Successfully - John Eaton and Roy Honson
Be Your Own Executive Coach - Peter deLisser
Coaching:Evoking Excellence in Others - James Flaherty
Living Your Best Life - laura Berman Fortrang
Masterful Coaching - Robert hargrove
Masterful Caoching Fieldbook - Robert hargrove
The Handbook of Coaching - Frederick hudson
Coach Yourself to Success - Talane miedaner
Take Time for Your Life - Cheryl richardson
Co-Active Coaching:New Skills for Coaching Poeple Toward Success
in Work and Life - Laura Whitworth & Asso.
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