So, OK, it’s been awhile since your screens have been graced with one of our newsletters. I suppose most of the usual excuses apply: burn out, busy trying to make a living, writing a book (published in August, 2007), lazy, the dog ate it, etc. Well, here I am again; motivated, perhaps, by the launch of our new and improved website, this blog, and a host of issues that inspire me, perplex me, or just piss me off.

There are several things on my mind at the moment. I’m hoping that one or more of them will instigate some comment or rebuttal. First is the whole notion of “change.” It’s everywhere. All of the current candidates for President have used change as a rallying cry, and agonizingly morphed the concept into something that fits their preconceived agendas. Corporations are seeking changes in order to remain competitive, and to respond more effectively to the economic environment.

In most instances when the word “change” is invoked it refers to adaptation rather than innovation. That is, something has changed significantly in the environment and creates an alarm. The system being affected responds by trying to return to a homeostatic state. Organisms are the prime example of this process of adaptation. Organizations mimic this behavior, which is not altogether a bad thing, except they also mimic each other. In this way, a solution for one organization may be destructive for another. I marvel at the way companies attempt to implement programs, processes, and procedures that are contrary to their business and/or their culture because Company A got good bottom line results with it – or so it says in the press. Never mind that one year down the line company A tanks.

If you came across this posting because you were searching the web for tips on how to house train your dog, you have long since clicked away. If, however, you are a trainer or other HRD professional, you understand the frustration of being part of the organizational immune system battling diseases that are both externally created and self inflicted. A good friend of mine who happens to be a long-term HR professional once mused after the requisite number of cocktails that, “When most people enter corporate life they are issued a sword and a shield. In HR you get two shields.”

I have long been an advocate of the aphorism that, “The people closest to the problem are also closest to the solution.” Most of us in the training and development area are closest to the people whether we are employees or consultants. Often we are asked to help implement changes that are suboptimal because they haven’t taken into account the actual needs, the culture of the organization, or the resources needed to have a meaningful impact. Yet, we must soldier on if we are going to make a living and, hopefully at some point, influence real and effective change.


If we are to be of any real use to the people we serve, we need to incorporate an understanding of individual concerns in every action we take. Whether we are training, coaching, counseling, or setting policies for personal and professional development, here are five guidelines that we have promoted at TCPI in order to move with the times and remain effective.

1.Embrace your own insecurity. Realizing that you as well as those you interact with have dropped a few notches on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs scale helps you to "keep it real" when you’re helping others define their course. [http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/maslow.html]

2.Don’t undervalue what you do. If you have been good at what you do, you still are. Make necessary changes to adapt, but don’t fundamentally alter your approach to life or work. Present a consistent self in your work and your dealings with others.

3.Be responsive to constructive criticism and forget complex ROI schemes. I have yet to see one approach to measuring the payoff for training, coaching, or other change initiatives that accounts for all of the phenomenological variables that each learner brings to the event.

4.Pursue objectives that have a clear payoff. The rapid shifts in organizations over the last few years have placed a multitude of people in positions for which they lack the core competencies. For example, many of today’s young managers who come out the technical space were individual contributors and were not exposed to the variety of competencies needed to be effective managers.

5.Explore and adapt constructivist models for your training. Today’s time constraints and the need for learners to get up to speed quickly call for an emphasis on modeling and case study in training designs.

http://tip.psychology.org/bruner.html
http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/constructivism.html

The Chinese call 2008 the Year of the Rat. Believe it or not, that is supposedly a good thing. A Rat Year is a time of hard work, activity, and renewal. This is a good year to begin a new job, get married, launch a product or make a fresh start. Ventures begun now may not yield fast returns, but opportunities will come for people who are well prepared and resourceful. The best way for you to succeed is to be patient, let things develop slowly, and make the most of every opening you can find.