Really! What you learn is up to you. Retention works best if it is self-motivated. But it is up to us trainers and managers to give you the best means of obtaining the information you need and are motivated to learn. There are various methods and modalities. By methods, I mean approaches to training; by …

Stop at the red and go on the green. Wait your turn. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Certain timeless rules are better obeyed than broken. But are there certain rules that may need to be broken? In today’s constantly changing business world, many of the rules that guided previous generations …

Does the evolution of tech and communication mean our methods must drastically change? Social media has already changed how we do customer service, and the rise of prominent posters, or powerful groups (who hasn’t heard of the mommy bloggers?) continues to affect the ways we handle issues. With infamous moves ranging from the sensational, like …

How well are you getting everyone onboard the change train as it’s pulling out of the station? Change creates uncertainty for employees about their job, their responsibilities, their livelihood. No matter the kind of change or the extent, it is crucial that leaders communicate with employees early, often and well. Part I provided these first …

In an article I wrote called How to Make Training “An Affair to Remember I didn’t talk a lot about different training methods; I was concerned mostly with the trainer’s role and responsibilities in making classroom instruction most effective. For a long time I highlighted this point on my website. Even though some time has …

How do you start out on the right foot so that everyone will get on board the change train quickly? No matter the kind of change or the extent, it is crucial that managers communicate with employees early, often and well. When the change message is not well-defined and well presented, people tend to respond …

Here is a familiar scenario for some of us who perform projects for customers: a request for some work comes in. We have (or know where to get) the capability, the skills the personnel. Having performed similar work before, we even have references. The catch? Geography. Either the customer, or key performer(s), or the project …

The following guest article, by crisis consultant Tony Jacques, puts some hard figures behind the constant warnings us crisis managers give to plan for and protect against reputation damage. When Share Price Puts a Value on Brand Reputation Share price might not be everything – but for many organizations there is nothing but daylight way …

As a manager, it is your job to ensure that the work gets done right, on time and on budget. If not, then you must correct the situation first coaching and then with discipline. That may seem to you a time-consuming, unpleasant task but it’s part of your responsibility as a manager. If you don’t, …

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) contains a list of steps or directions to follow for accomplishing a particular task. It is a set of approved guidelines consisting of steps that have to be followed from inception to completion. Having an SOP standardizes tasks and eliminates confusion about particular tasks. Up front, an SOP contains the …