| Hello!
You may have heard... The economy is slowing down.
In this phase of the business cycle it's common for budgets to be "put on trial" to determine the business necessity of every dollar allocated or requested. During such a "trial" funds set aside for employee training and development are often seen as an expendable line item easily eliminated in an effort to save company resources.
Our lead article offers five tips for improving ROI on your training and development efforts that will help you defend this critical part of your organization's budget and keep it from being unduly cut during an economic slowdown.
Our second article examines the old cliche about the difference between ordinary and extraordinary being that little "extra." We'll offer some suggestions on how that little "extra" at work can take you from ordinary to extraordinary.
Power quote:
"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."
- Dale Carnegie |
| Five Tips for Improving ROI on Employee Training and Development |
 It's no secret - the economy is cooling down. When this happens organizations typically batten down the hatches and make a concerted effort to eliminate any unnecessary spending.
Frequently the training and development budget is the first to go during a recession and the last to return when the economy comes back around.
Why is this?
In an economic climate where every dollar must be spent wisely and must bring about a positive return on investment, training and development dollars aren't always seen as the best use of an organization's scarce resources as the return isn't always apparent.
Our lead article this week will help you defend your training and development budget and offers five tips for improving the ROI on these critical human capital investments.
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The Difference Between Ordinary and Extraordinary?
It's that Little Extra! |
 You've probably heard this cliché at some point or another. It's a cliché for a reason - it's true.
So if the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra, what exactly is that little extra?
Consider this:
- The Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 - auto races that take over three hours to complete - are rarely won by more than a couple of seconds. The average margin of victory over the last 10 years has been just 1.54 seconds.
- The difference between a gold and silver medal performance in timed events at the Olympic games it rarely more than 1/10th of a second.
- The average margin of victory in the last 100 major golf tournaments (U.S. Open, The Masters, The Brittish Open, and the PGA Championship) is less then three strokes over the course of a four day, 72-hole tournament.
What is the difference? That little extra. The extra effort by the pit crew, the extra determination and attitude of a track sprinter, or the little extra concentration by a professional golfer.
Think about how this concept might apply to your performance at work...
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| Featured Guru - Jack Welch |
 As far as big names in the business world go, they don't get much bigger than Jack Welch. Welch is well known for his illustrious 40 year career with General Electric, the last 20 of which he served as chairman and CEO.
For Jack Welch business is all about performance and is well know for his brutal candor with his direct reports.
So focused on performance was Welch, that he made a practice of firing the bottom 10% of his managers each year, while distributing bonuses and stock options to the top 20% of his managers. Welch's propensity for eliminating under-performers ultimately led him to be dubbed "Neutron Jack" by fearful employees after the nuclear bomb that vaporizes people but leaves building standings.
While Welch's approach to performance management has been criticized by some, there is little doubt that it ultimately contributed to much of the success that GE enjoyed under Welch's lead.
Jack Welch has authored several books including the best sellers Winning and Jack: Straight from the Gut. Along with his wife Suzy, Welch authors a weekly column for Business Week Magazine.
This week we'd like to feature an article by the Welches on the topic of succession planning that appeared in the November 15th, 2007 issue of Business Week. In this article Jack and Suzy take a look at a couple of major issues companies face when it comes to succession planning and offer a few suggestions for implementing a successful succession plan.
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QBQ! Personal Accountability QuickNote - Job Ownership and Real Organizational Leadership |
Job ownership is a phrase that is heard fairly often in the workplace these days. However do we really know what is meant by this term?
This week's QBQ! Quicknote addresses the issue of leadership and job ownership. True leaders are found at all levels of an organization.
Creating a culture of Personal Accountability should be a top priority for all organizations. Team members who think and practice Personal Accountability can bring about incredible changes for an organization. The blame game disappears, morale increases, and customer experiences are enhanced all thanks to the power of Personal Accountability.
The Rainmaker Group is proud to offer powerful day long QBQ! workshops instilling the power of Personal Accountability into teams and organizations across the country. For more information about these workshops or to purchase John Miller's books, QBQ! and Flipping the Switch Visit our website at: http://www.personalaccountabilityatwork.com
John Miller is author of QBQ! The Question Behind The Question, the authoritative guide to practicing Personal Accountability. |
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 Important questions for you:Is your organization living up to its full potential?
Is high turnover hurting your bottom line?
Do your team members create the powerful experiences your customers deserve?
Do team members have difficulty effectively communicating with others?
Bring The Rainmaker Group in to your organization and start realizing your organization's full potential. Together, we deliver powerful and motivating keynote speeches, design customized training programs and workshops, help identify barriers to communication, and much more. We don't sell training out of the box, but rather insist on customizing it to your needs! For more info, send an e-mail to info@therainmakergroupinc.com
Or call 1-866-988-7246
About us:
The Rainmaker Group is a People Maximization and Development group located in Bismarck, ND. Our mission is to help those we serve make their difference in the world.
We hope you found this newsletter interesting and informative. If you like what you read, please give us a shout, we'd love to hear from you!
"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart."
- Helen Keller
Sincerely,
All of us here at The Rainmaker Group
1-866-988-7246
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| For More Great Articles and Stories: |
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QBQ! The Question Behind the Question |
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| The Rainmaker Group Experience |
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Start Maximizing Possibility in your organization today! We offer a variety of services to help your organization realize its full potential. Check us out today!
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Five Dysfunctions of a Team
By: Patrick Lencioni
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Recommended Reading:
Winning
By: Jack and Suzy Welch
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| A Rainmaker Group Must Read:
QBQ!
The Question Behind the Question
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