February 1, 2009

Table of Contents:

Keeping Up: Current Events

The New Boomers: According to the website Age Curve Research.com Generation Y will easily become the largest generation in US History, dwarfing the Baby Boomer Generation by over 25 million, and outgrowing Generation X by over 30 million.

Is e-Learning already passe? Studies by several authors show an emergence of m-Learning, the "M" stands for mobile. A standard set of authoring and learning tools will soon be available for your iPod , with integration ability with most enterprise level learning management systems.

Sign of the Times: Just a few years ago on a meteoric rise Starbucks was opening stores at an alarming rate. This week coffee giant Starbucks closed 900 stores across the nation after reports that 1st quarter profits fell 69%.

Training Sessions, Seminars and Workshops: Freshening Up Your Skills in 2009

Part 1 (of 3)

In this three-part series, we will to get back to the basics, and perhaps look at them in a new way. Helping adults learn is a unique skill that you or the trainers you work with have, no doubt, refined over time.

We are going to take a look back at the skills make the most difference when engaging a group audience in learning new skills, products or processes.

Is Teamwork the Source of Creativity?

As unlikely as it sounds, studies have shown that the great ideas and plans don't come from idea generating sessions. Although this squelches our belief in the traditional brainstorming session, read on to learn how successful innovation takes place.

Editor’s Note 

Ramp It Up! 
 

The recession, financial markets turmoil, layoffs and general uncertainty has caused many companies to take a very cautious approach.  However, those that are proactive are formulating plans to increase sales and market share.  A very inexpensive, but effective way to accomplish increased sales is with the Sales Profile.  Call us at 800.282.3374 if you have questions or an interest in significantly increasing your sales

Book Report

The Power of Less
Leo Babauta

In today's economy one thing is clear. We're trying to do more with less. The Power of Less, as a book title, certainly begs all of the right questions.

What can we do to reduce our expended resources? Waste? And how can we maximize our time in order to reach our pinnacle of individual and organizational effectiveness? This book reads quickly and provides the promised answers.

 

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Situation Room
Finding Talent Quickly in a Narrow Field

Your company is thriving, even in the difficult economy. You have opened several new locations in order to keep your production in line with demand. The level of technical skill you require of your workers is high, as the product you manufacture is specialized. While you were in your initial growth stages it was always easy to spot and recruit the right talent. However now that you are in a state of quick growth it seems as though the once-easily spotted talent is getting harder to find.
 

After searching for union apprentices to no avail, and contacting skilled laborers from competing firms became harder as the workforce expanded, you were left with two choices. The first was to work directly with the technical schools and programs that teach the technical skills, or you can attempt to advertise in a newspaper for laborers in peripheral fields.
 

By working with the schools and programs you would be getting younger, less experienced workers - which in your field is frightening as the learning curve can be steep. However you may also be getting employees who are less expensive and who may have been learning next generation technical skills.
 

By advertising for employees outside of your narrow scope you will be getting laborers who are familiar and deeply experienced with the industry and some of the machinery, but who also may be more expensive and set their ways - which can cause conflict and expensive re-work.

Given the needs of your business, what would you do, and why?

Send in your solutions!

Author Profile

John C. Maxwell

Not many authors have had the type of impact on leadership thought that John C. Maxwell has had over the past 10 years. This prolific writer has penned a whopping 20 books over the past decade, and has created an industry that is uniquely his own - along with a sizable fan base that come along with a powerful message that seems to speak directly to the souls of his readers. Over 16 million copies of Maxwell's books have been sold to date.

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