Does Your Leadership Development Secure Results?Written by Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Leadership, leadership development and leadership training are “Hot” issues in today’s business world. A recent Internet search uncovered over 44 million hits on leadership, over 20 million hits on leadership development and 15.7 million on leadership training. Visiting an Internet bookstore revealed similar interest with almost 18,000 titles including key word of leadership, over 2,200 titles including leadership development and 1,400 titles with leadership training. Extensive research conducted by American Society for Testing and Development (ASTD) discovered direct training expenditures were 2% of payroll costs with another 10% of more in indirect costs. Daniel Goleman author of Working with Emotional Intelligence estimated that in 1999, U.S. companies spent $30 billion in emotional intelligence training focusing on leadership development. With all of this interest and dollars being invested in training and development for improved leadership, possibly now is time to assess your leadership development. The following evaluation is for you, your manager or your organization to determine effectiveness of current leadership development initiatives within your company. After taking this quick assessment, some thoughts and questions to consider have been provided to help you truly discover how to secure leadership development results that you desire and more importantly require in today’s highly competitive global business market. 1. Are learning engagements training (learning a new skill) or development (enhancing a current skill set to improve already learned skill)? Training Development 2. Is there a minimum of 50 hours of training or development per year devoted to development of necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes and habits necessary to become a world class organization? No Yes 3. Is training or development offered on a weekly or biweekly basis providing ongoing opportunities for application and feedback? No Yes 4. Is training or development offered on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis where learning engagements exceed 6 hours per day without opportunities for application and feedback between learning engagements? No Yes 5. Is training or development aligned with current organizational goals and supported from top down by CEO and executive committee? No Yes 6. Is training or development based upon “core” competencies? No Yes 7. If training or development is based upon “core” competencies, how many times have you had to repeat training? None 1 time 2 times 3 times 4 times+ 8. Is training or development based upon “desired” results? No Yes 9. If training or development is based upon “desired” results, how many times have you had to repeat training or development? None 1 time 2 times 3 times 4 times+ 10. Is training or development based upon weaknesses or upon strengths of each individual within organization? Weaknesses Strengths Thoughts and Questions for Your Consideration Now, that you have completed this straightforward assessment, following thoughts and questions are designed to help you determine effectiveness of your current leadership training or development. 1. Are learning engagements training (learning a new skill) or development (enhancing a current skill set to improve that already learned skill)? Training Development If answer was training and objective is to learn a new skill, you are right on target! However, if your people already possess skills, then learning needs to focus on development. Development goes beyond training and works to build What’s In It For Me (WIIFM) leading to What’s In It For Us (WIIFU). 2. Is there a minimum of 50 hours of training or development per year devoted to development of necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes and habits necessary to become a world class organization? No Yes If answer was Yes, GREAT! You and your organization are committed to your people and to reaching that next level of success. However, if any part of answer was NO and you want to create a World-Class Organization, how are you going to achieve that goal? Much of traditional training or development focuses on only knowledge and skills. Yet, performance failure more often than not is because of poor attitudes and habits. Attitude redevelopment is KEY driving force to changing behaviors and securing sustainable results. Remember, if your people have spent at least 20 years learning something, 1 or even 10 hours per year will not significantly change their behaviors.
| | Printing Development for best outputsWritten by Marlon D. Ludovice
Printing, name used for several processes by which words, pictures, or designs are reproduced on paper, fabrics, metal, or other suitable materials. These processes, sometimes called graphic arts, consist essentially of making numerous identical reproductions of an original by mechanical means, and printed book has thus been called first mass product.The history of printing, which by its very nature is considered to be most thoroughly documented of any history, practically identical with that of relief, or letterpress, printing (printing from a raised surface). Historically speaking, bulk of all printing has been produced by this entirely mechanical method. Modern printing techniques, however, increasingly rely on photomechanical and chemical processes. In recent years computer technology has become important and adds up to complexity of printing procedures. The various printing techniques were long been observed by ancient communities. In fact in application of signet stones is possibly earliest known form of printing. Used in ancient times in Babylonia and elsewhere, apparently both as substitutes for signatures and as religious symbols, devices consisted of seals and stamps for making impressions in clay or of stones with designs cut or scratched on surface. In east, Chinese favorable invention made available use of paper. However, in west movable metal type was first cast with printing paper on middle and use oil-based inks. Today, machine is used to transmit inks from a printing plate to printed page called a press. The first printing presses, such as those of 16th century and earlier, were screw-type presses designed primarily to bring pressure on printing form, which was placed face up in a flat bed. The paper, generally dampened, was pressed against type by movable surface, or platen. Then next thing was introduction of iron as substitute for screws. In 19th century improvements included development of steam-powered press; cylinder press, which uses a revolving cylinder to press paper against a flat printing form; rotary press, in which both paper and a curved printing plate are carried on cylinders; and a practical perfecting press, which prints on both sides of a sheet of paper simultaneously.
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