Spring Has Sprung—Have you?

It may have taken a long time but believe it or not, spring has sprung.  It has been a long, hard winter and many of us, including myself, are looking forward to what the spring will bring.  Is your organization in the same mindset…has it been a long hard road for you…are you ready to look ahead?  This edition of Potentials takes a look at the trends in training on both a local and national level.  We also feature one of the best-selling products devoted to the future-Mixing Different Generations.

Trayla Carter	Cathy Harmon

We’re excited this spring about a couple of things at ATW.  First, we’ve got two great trainers that have joined our team.  Trayla Carter and Cathy Harman both bring exceptional experience in corporate training and have already started to work with many of you.  If you haven’t had a chance to meet them, look forward to it, they do a great job! 

The second thing we are excited about is our new Bus Tour: Building a High Performing Team.  This program will be held in Newton, IA at the Iowa Speedway.  The training compares corporate teams to racing teams.  Participants will be bused to the track, will spend the day at different parts of the track, and will identify tips and techniques to build high performing teams in their organizations.

They always say that the one good thing about winter in Iowa is that spring is coming.  Sometimes we wonder…

Have a great one!

Todd McDonald
President – ATW Training & Consulting, Inc.

• Leadership Development: Central Iowa’s 2008 Hot Training Trend
• Future Training Trends
• Leadership Resources
• Featured Product: Mixing Four Different Generations
• Upcoming Public Training Offerings

This fall, ATW Training and Consulting, Inc. conducted a survey of businesses and non-profit organizations in Central Iowa in an attempt to determine what training issues the organizations were facing, and how they plan to allocate their training resources in the near future.  Out of the 150 individuals that were surveyed, an impressive 103 completed at least part of the survey resulting in a 69% response rate. So what were the results? 

Not surprisingly, the most important issue training professionals face today is a lack of resources.  Additional issues include not enough time to schedule classes and be proactive, not enough training dollars to invest, not having enough people to manage the training needs and not being able to fill classes because employees are too busy to attend. Another challenge that came to the top of the list was not having meaningful metrics to demonstrate the business impact of training. Considering the lack of resources, it is more important than ever to point training dollars to the bottom line and have the ability to tie training to performance. One of the other areas of concern was leadership development.   As the Baby Boomer generation begins to retire, it is critical that there are leaders ready to fill the gaps.

What are the top priorities for the training departments that were surveyed?  An overwhelming number of respondents listed Leadership Development for all levels, not just top executives. Other priorities include effective needs assessment to ensure quality training and technical training for the ever changing technical environment. Providing quality onboarding programs for new employees and new supervisors is also a priority of respondents.

When asked to assess the upcoming year, survey participants ranked the employee groups to which they would allocate 2008 training resources. 77% indicated that their supervisor group was their top priority group. In today’s world people are often promoted to a supervisory level because of their technical abilities. Unfortunately that does not always mean they have the communication and leadership skills necessary to be effective managers. The second and third priority groups to receive training resources are non-supervisory employees (68% response) and middle management (62% response).

So what subject matter seems to be the most important in the next year? By far, the largest category was leadership. The next topic area with the highest response rate was customer service, followed by performance coaching and communication skills. Out of the top seven categories, five of them are what most businesses refer to as “soft skills” (customer service, coaching, communication, teamwork, and interpersonal noskills). Considering the ranking of these “soft skills”, a better term might be “essential skills”.

Although technology has changed the training industry, the survey showed that most classes are still taking place in a traditional classroom. Blended learning, which includes classroom instruction and technology, is being used at some companies. Technology-based or computerize self-study learning, which includes teleconferencing, is another avenue for training.

To view the results of the entire survey, please click on the following link http://atwtraining.com/downloads/Survey_Results.pdf.

Training has definitely evolved through the years, and it will continue to change.  There are six future training trends to look for: 

1. Learning will evolve beyond training.  In the past, training was considered in the classroom with the instructor in the center.  Now, the learner is the center, and training happens in several ways, not just in the classroom.  Examples of other learning opportunities include knowledge bases, experts, mentors, information repositories, virtual communities, and live events.
2. Blended Learning will be redefined.  Blended learning used to mean classroom +  on-line classes, in the future--blended learning will use a wide variety of learning opportunities such as: classroom, performance support, communities of practice, experts, and coaching.
3. Learning will move to the workplace.  Today, the work we do is interrupted for many things like meetings, and training.   In the future, learning and work will be so integrated; you won't know when you are working, and when you are learning.  For example, many people don’t attend Microsoft Word classes; they read a help guide embedded in the document they are working on.  They read at their own leisure, and only learn what they need to know.  Training in the classroom is still important--but this kind of training will shift from the "data dump" philosophy to more of a "action learning" philosophy.
4. Learning and E-learning will be less course-centric, and more knowledge-centric.  For example, many of the Learning Management Systems today only hold courses.  For example, if you do a search on Java Development you only see the courses that address this subject.  The future trend will be to capture all knowledge bases for a certain subject.  So if you search for Java Development, you will find classes, books, experts, info repositories, virtual communities, and live events for that subject.  This creates a wider variety in learning opportunities.
5. Learning & E-learning strategies will adapt differently to different levels of mastery.  There are several levels of learners...novice, competent, experienced, master/experts.  Novice and Competent learners need more of a "push" for learning.  They have common learning needs, and require more of a "data dump".  However experienced and master/experts need more of a "pull" for learning--unique learning, more informal, personalized.  For example, today we hear that executives dislike training; this is partly because the "classroom training" doesn't fit their learning style.
6. Web "2.0" will revolutionize learning.  The web has had gone thorough several stages.  Early on it was mostly reading material, and much more passive.  Today it has expanded and it is more dynamic.  Features include: IM, e-learning, face book, blogs, google, youtube, etc.  From a training perspective, we need to make sure people have access to all the tools the web has to offer.

As training continues to evolve the responsibility for learning has shifted from the learning professional to the learners.  Learning professionals will need to make sure each learner has the skills they need to take control of their learning.  Learning professionals will also have to adapt their training programs to include a wider variety of learning opportunities beyond classroom and on-line learning. 

*This information came from a Training & Development Webcast: Future Trends in Training & Development on December 18, 2007.  

Wherever you look, locally, regionally or nationally you see that organizations are focused on developing their leadership team.  Here is a list of top selling books on the subject of leadership.  Please note that those with an asterisk (*) have training programs associated with them offered through ATW.

Selected Books on Leadership:

• Where Have All the Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca
• *The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
• First, Break All The Rules: What The World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
• It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by D. Michael Abrashoff
• Launching a Leadership Revolution: Mastering the Five Levels of Influence by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward
• *Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
• You Don't Need a Title To Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference by Mark Sanborn
• *The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell
• True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George, David Gergen, and Peter E. Sims
• *The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization by John C. Maxwell
• Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable About Destroying the Barriers That Turn Colleagues Into Competitors by Patrick Lencioni
• *Gung Ho! by Ken H. Blanchard and Sheldon M. Bowles
• *Servant: A Simple Story about the True Essence of Leadership by James C. Hunter
• *Developing the Leader within You by John C. Maxwell
• Leadership Is an Art by Max Depree

*Selected from Barnes & Noble’s top 100 best sellers in Business Management

Mixing Four Generations in the Workplace
	Generation conflict costs billions of dollars in lost productivity to organizations like yours worldwide - not to mention the incalculable effects on motivation and morale. Now there's help with generational expert Cam Marston's new DVD course, Mixing Four Generations in the Workplace. This program will educate and stimulate positive interaction among your people. It will also dramatically reduce workplace conflict and provide managers and supervisors with strategies for dealing with recruiting, retaining, and motivating, using the generational differences in a positive way. For More information: http://www.atwtraining.com/training_products/?p=LCOM101
Pricing: Purchase VHS: $795.00 Purchase DVD: $795.00 DVD 5-Day Rental: $395.00
To Order, Click here or call 515.727.0731 today!
Upcoming Public Training Offerings Please join ATW Training & Consulting, Inc. at any of the training opportunities described below. START YOUR ENGINES!  Building a High-Performing Work Team ATW races into spring on April 3rd with a special preview of its latest program: START YOUR ENGINES! Building a High-Performing Work Team.  Human Resource and Training professionals are invited along for a special audit of this brand new program, which departs from Des Moines by bus and arrives for a day full of thrills and learning at Iowa Speedway. This one-of-a-kind workshop relates the teamwork qualities of a successful NASCAR team to what it takes to be successful in your own organization.  Hosted at Iowa Speedway, America’s premiere state-of-the-art motorsports facility, the day balances classroom learning with experiential activities and a track tour.  There just might be a surprise or two as well. Participants will depart from the workshop with a custom-designed victory plan and a solid understanding of the difference between good and great teams.  ATW’s race school directors have a track record of success, and have all the details covered to put you in victory lane. For more information on the Special Audit Rate or to register, contact ATW today at mark@atwtraining.com or 515-727-0731.  Hurry!  Participation is limited to the first 30 registrants. For more information or to register, click here. 2008 Iowa Employment, Training & Benefits Conference Again this year ATW is proud to sponsor the 2008 Iowa Employment, Training & Benefits Conference.  With 150 people attending last year’s conference, the expectation is for even more in 2008.  The conference, scheduled for April 23rd at Prairie Meadows, will be the premiere conference focused on the most critical employment issues likely to affect Iowa employers this year. Executives, HR Personnel and Training Specialists from private, public, and non-profit entities can all benefit from the conference.  A range of speakers and forums will be represented, providing up to date information and best practices.  For more information or to register, click here.
For more information on these or other upcoming topics, please contact Mark Purcell at 515.727.0731

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