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    How to Crash - Proof Your Job Search
    Think you have the speed, endurance, and know-how to fix what’s broken? Bet not. The smartest people in the world are those who can leave their ego at the door, and know when its wise to seek help.Since crashes are usually preventable, when is it a good time to seek professional assistance…before or after the disaster? Talk to local firehouse or police headquarters and they’ll chant the mantra, “Prevention rules.” Smarter to avert the fire or crime, rather than fight it later. It costs much more after-the-fact. Same goes for your job search.• Gain better, faster exposure to opportunity and decision makers by setting a career foundation that’s heavy on target marketing.• Provide personalized solutions to employer needs and you’ll free yourself from the arduous process of blasting resumes blindfolded or performing cold-call networking to strangers.• Architect a master design to get there before you make your move instead of working it out on the fly, and you’ll be prepared for any contingency.Jo Ann Ridge, Vice President of the e-Commerce Group for R.L. Stevens & Associates Inc., http://interviewing.com/ a 24-year old international career marketing firm headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, who recently celebrated her 19th year with the organization says, “Most people don’t realize that their career affects every aspect of their lives.” She asked one attorney if he ever had a bad day at work and he responded that he’s had a “bad day” for the past five months. Yikes.There are five key reasons why workers won’t seek answers sooner and resist outside help. All are threaded with personal pride and paralysis of analysis:• “I took the wrong career path at the beginning, and now I feel stuck”<
    increase, this has become a critical element in public sector leadership development programs.

    Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

    360-degree survey tools provide feedback enabling leaders to realize strengths and areas for development based on their own and other’s perceptions. Typically such feedback comes from the participant’s direct supervisor, direct reports, and peers. Today, such processes can easily be facilitated on-line and feedback reports are comprehensive and detailed. Numerous vendors can now customize survey tools to reflect your organization’s competency model (see Tip One above).

    The feedback process, however, is only the start of the development process. It is recommended that the feedback be delivered in conjunction with opportunities for one-on-one coaching, as many participants find the feedback difficult to translate into everyday behaviors. A trained coach can assist the participant in making sense of the data. In addition, the participant should be expected to develop their own individual development plan that addresses competencies that are highlights in the feedback report. The individual development plan, once endorsed by the participant’s direct supervisor, should then become the blueprint for the participant’s leadership developmen

    Best In Class Sales Organizations Provide Extensive Sales Training
    What is your company doing to provide ongoing sales training to its sales team? Many companies assume that when they hire sales people that are already trained they don't need to invest in ongoing training. This is a big mistake. We see the best in class companies continuously working with their sales people to sharpen their saw and keep themselves at the top of their sales game.Sales training should become an ongoing part of your investment by sales management in upgrading and improving the skills of your sales force in order to stay competitive, learn new techniques, adapt to changing sales realities, and keep an open dialogue going between sales management and its people on how to improve sales performance. Sales training can be integrated into a number of different formats in order to improve sales team and individual performance for those companies hiring entry level individuals it's important that they be put through basic sales training on consultative selling methods. There are many training courses out there and many approaches.Many consulting companies provide this kind of training…we partner with a couple of them. They can be easily deployed to help your individual sales people to establish basic training. On top of basic sales technique training, most companies provide annual or quarterly training to their sales team as a part of their regular sales meetings. In addition to that, savvy sales managers always include a training topic in their normal sales meetings, whether it be typically 15 to 20 minute session on account strategy or covering a more advanced topic once a month. Integrating sales training into your sales management structure and your sales meeting structure is an important part of making sure that you're sharpening the saws of the individuals that are out there working to
    The most recent edition of Public Personnel Management, Winter 2004, focused solely on one of the hottest issues facing today’s public sector human resource professionals: workforce and succession planning. During the 2004 IPMA-HR International Training Conference, numerous sessions focused on the growing need to implement workforce and succession planning systems in order to address the mass exodus of workers that is anticipated in the next five to ten years. In both Public Personnel Management and at the conference, the issue of leadership development was cited as a primary tool for preparing the workforce for the future.

    Numerous agencies are incorporating leadership development as an element of their workforce planning efforts. Notable leadership development programs that have been documented include those implemented in San Diego County, CA; Henrico County, VA; Hennepin County, MN; City of Las Vegas, NV; City of Phoenix, AZ; and City of San Jose, CA. In my observation, many of the best practice elements in public sector leadership development are consistent between agencies. The purpose of this article is to share ten practices that appear to be common threads among agencies that are developing leaders internally to fill anticipated vacancies in the future.

    The following tips are provided as guidance to public sector organizations that may be interested in developing their own leadership development programs.

    Tip One: Base the program on a competency model.

    Before any training or development activities can take place, it is critical to identify the skills and competencies that will be developed as a result of the effort. As discussed in the Public Personnel Journal, Winter 2004, Henrico County developed 20 core leadership competencies including communication, critical thinking and decision making, organizational astuteness, and personal integrity. These competencies provided the framework for their development efforts. Other agencies, including the County of San Diego base their leadership academy on the same model as the multi-rater, 360-feedback tool that is used in the program.

    Whether your organization has an established competency model that is used throughout your human resource programming or not, it is critical to spend some time defining the skills that leadership program participants are expected to develop. For example, the City of San Jose conducted a survey of top managers, followed by round-table discussions to determine the competencies to be developed in their leadership program called The Art and Practice of Leadership.

    Tip Two: Allow participants to self-select.

    Each agency must determine for itself the best method for selecting leadership development program participants. Factors including collective bargaining influences, time, and the intended target audience may impact the process you use to identify participants. Some organizations are targeting potential future executives only while others are offering leadership development opportunities organization-wide.

    In my experience, the highest levels of success in terms of participant commitment result from a competitive process where interested participants apply to be involved. By self-selecting, rather than by being appointed, participants are more likely to clarify their purpose for wanting to take part in the program. When participants are mandated to attend a leadership development program, they are often reluctant to commit the time and energy into their development, and oftentimes, they do not fully understand why they are being asked to participate.

    The selection process you choose will depend upon the target audience for the program (entire workforce vs. middle managers). You may choose to use a written application, manager nomination, personal interviews, assessment centers, or other means by which participants compete for entrance into the program. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that participants have a choice in whether or not they participate in your leadership development efforts.

    Tip Three: Involve executives and elected officials in the development and implementation of the program.

    It has been said in numerous articles about employee and leadership development that without the full support and involvement from the executive leadership team, the program will fail. Top management must be involved in the development of the curriculum, the selection of the attendees, and in the presentation of the program. Their support is critical for the success and long-term viability of any leadership development program.

    Likewise, many agencies are finding that involvement by an elected official can also supplement the curriculum of a public sector leadership development program. For example, the City of Las Vegas invited a councilmember and the City of San Jose invited the Mayor to address their recent leadership academy programs. The official in each case addressed the class of leaders for up to one hour. They were asked to give their expectations for public sector leaders, and program participants were allowed to ask questions. The dialogue created in these forums allowed the organization’s future leaders to see the organization through the eyes of an elected official. A facilitated conversation that followed the presentation encouraged the participants to identify meaningful “take-aways” from the elected official’s comments. Because program participants have not likely interfaced extensively with an elected official, but will likely be expected to as their leadership responsibilities increase, this has become a critical element in public sector leadership development programs.

    Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

    360-degree survey tools provide feedback enabling leaders to realize strengths and areas for development based on their own and other’s perceptions. Typically such feedback comes from the participant’s direct supervisor, direct reports, and peers. Today, such processes can easily be facilitated on-line and feedback reports are comprehensive and detailed. Numerous vendors can now customize survey tools to reflect your organization’s competency model (see Tip One above).

    The feedback process, however, is only the start of the development process. It is recommended that the feedback be delivered in conjunction with opportunities for one-on-one coaching, as many participants find the feedback difficult to translate into everyday behaviors. A trained coach can assist the participant in making sense of the data. In addition, the participant should be expected to develop their own individual development plan that addresses competencies that are highlights in the feedback report. The individual development plan, once endorsed by the participant’s direct supervisor, should then become the blueprint for the participant’s leadership development

    Do You Need a Degree to Find a Job in Corporate America?
    You’ve worked your way up throughout your career, attaining a high-level rank through demonstrated achievement, dedication, and proficiency. One day, you find yourself needing to look elsewhere, and that’s where the old nagging doubt sets in: you never finished (or even started) college. What if this holds you back?First of all, relax. There exist countless professionals, managers, and even executives who do not possess a degree, yet these same job seekers successfully ascend the career ladder just the same. What’s their secret? Much the same as you, their bottom-line contributions and hard work had become a stand-in for that coveted diploma.Keep in mind that, as you pursue that next opportunity, there are a myriad of ways to pique an employer’s interest and win interviews, starting with the approach presented on your resume:Quantify Your Contributions Extracting accomplishment information of significance can be a challenge, but consider the payoff! Your resume must shout out this type of information in order to prove the consistency of your performance.For example, when working with a telecommunications executive lacking a degree, I discussed his leadership role in a high-profile project. The end product, “Eliminated $34M in rework, slashed staff requirements for task completion, and achieved 78+% ROI by leading sales and service delivery teams to identify core revisions” speaks for itself and cuts through any doubt about his abilities.Add professional training as proof of ongoing development. Many well-established professionals have attended hours of seminars, training sessions, and other educational opportunities in order to sharpen their core expertise.Be sure to keep a complete list as fodder for an educational section on the resume—and as eviden
    r own leadership development programs.

    Tip One: Base the program on a competency model.

    Before any training or development activities can take place, it is critical to identify the skills and competencies that will be developed as a result of the effort. As discussed in the Public Personnel Journal, Winter 2004, Henrico County developed 20 core leadership competencies including communication, critical thinking and decision making, organizational astuteness, and personal integrity. These competencies provided the framework for their development efforts. Other agencies, including the County of San Diego base their leadership academy on the same model as the multi-rater, 360-feedback tool that is used in the program.

    Whether your organization has an established competency model that is used throughout your human resource programming or not, it is critical to spend some time defining the skills that leadership program participants are expected to develop. For example, the City of San Jose conducted a survey of top managers, followed by round-table discussions to determine the competencies to be developed in their leadership program called The Art and Practice of Leadership.

    Tip Two: Allow participants to self-select.

    Each agency must determine for itself the best method for selecting leadership development program participants. Factors including collective bargaining influences, time, and the intended target audience may impact the process you use to identify participants. Some organizations are targeting potential future executives only while others are offering leadership development opportunities organization-wide.

    In my experience, the highest levels of success in terms of participant commitment result from a competitive process where interested participants apply to be involved. By self-selecting, rather than by being appointed, participants are more likely to clarify their purpose for wanting to take part in the program. When participants are mandated to attend a leadership development program, they are often reluctant to commit the time and energy into their development, and oftentimes, they do not fully understand why they are being asked to participate.

    The selection process you choose will depend upon the target audience for the program (entire workforce vs. middle managers). You may choose to use a written application, manager nomination, personal interviews, assessment centers, or other means by which participants compete for entrance into the program. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that participants have a choice in whether or not they participate in your leadership development efforts.

    Tip Three: Involve executives and elected officials in the development and implementation of the program.

    It has been said in numerous articles about employee and leadership development that without the full support and involvement from the executive leadership team, the program will fail. Top management must be involved in the development of the curriculum, the selection of the attendees, and in the presentation of the program. Their support is critical for the success and long-term viability of any leadership development program.

    Likewise, many agencies are finding that involvement by an elected official can also supplement the curriculum of a public sector leadership development program. For example, the City of Las Vegas invited a councilmember and the City of San Jose invited the Mayor to address their recent leadership academy programs. The official in each case addressed the class of leaders for up to one hour. They were asked to give their expectations for public sector leaders, and program participants were allowed to ask questions. The dialogue created in these forums allowed the organization’s future leaders to see the organization through the eyes of an elected official. A facilitated conversation that followed the presentation encouraged the participants to identify meaningful “take-aways” from the elected official’s comments. Because program participants have not likely interfaced extensively with an elected official, but will likely be expected to as their leadership responsibilities increase, this has become a critical element in public sector leadership development programs.

    Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

    360-degree survey tools provide feedback enabling leaders to realize strengths and areas for development based on their own and other’s perceptions. Typically such feedback comes from the participant’s direct supervisor, direct reports, and peers. Today, such processes can easily be facilitated on-line and feedback reports are comprehensive and detailed. Numerous vendors can now customize survey tools to reflect your organization’s competency model (see Tip One above).

    The feedback process, however, is only the start of the development process. It is recommended that the feedback be delivered in conjunction with opportunities for one-on-one coaching, as many participants find the feedback difficult to translate into everyday behaviors. A trained coach can assist the participant in making sense of the data. In addition, the participant should be expected to develop their own individual development plan that addresses competencies that are highlights in the feedback report. The individual development plan, once endorsed by the participant’s direct supervisor, should then become the blueprint for the participant’s leadership developmen

    Best Contact Centers
    The best contact centers must be leading providers of high quality contact center services. A contact center is the central point in an enterprise from which all customer contacts are managed. The contact center usually includes one or more online call centers but may also maintain other types of customer contact as well, such as e-mail newsletters, postal mail catalogs, website inquiries and chats, etc. A contact center is primarily meant for customer relationship management.The best contact centers will have ideal infrastructure that will enable the customer service representatives to attend personally to each customer. The customer service representatives are well trained in language skills and knowledgeable in U.S. business practices and customer service standards. Good contact centers will have good managers as well. The centers will have special software that would allow contact information to be directed to the correct people. The software should ideally be able to track contacts and gather relevant data in minimum time.Ideal contact centers provide strong, lasting and profitable customer relationships for the organizations. They always try to improve customer intimacy and assure loyalty. They attach great importance to customer feedbacks and improve their functioning accordingly.All excellent contact centers survive by the equation that employee satisfaction is equal to customer satisfaction. They realize that the most direct and easy path for achieving long term customer loyalty is to give employees the right tools to demonstrate care and take charge of the situation. Operational efficiency, effective monitoring and reporting are among the qualities one looks out for in a good contact center.The OverC international contact center network is a network of the world?s best contact centers
    ning influences, time, and the intended target audience may impact the process you use to identify participants. Some organizations are targeting potential future executives only while others are offering leadership development opportunities organization-wide.

    In my experience, the highest levels of success in terms of participant commitment result from a competitive process where interested participants apply to be involved. By self-selecting, rather than by being appointed, participants are more likely to clarify their purpose for wanting to take part in the program. When participants are mandated to attend a leadership development program, they are often reluctant to commit the time and energy into their development, and oftentimes, they do not fully understand why they are being asked to participate.

    The selection process you choose will depend upon the target audience for the program (entire workforce vs. middle managers). You may choose to use a written application, manager nomination, personal interviews, assessment centers, or other means by which participants compete for entrance into the program. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that participants have a choice in whether or not they participate in your leadership development efforts.

    Tip Three: Involve executives and elected officials in the development and implementation of the program.

    It has been said in numerous articles about employee and leadership development that without the full support and involvement from the executive leadership team, the program will fail. Top management must be involved in the development of the curriculum, the selection of the attendees, and in the presentation of the program. Their support is critical for the success and long-term viability of any leadership development program.

    Likewise, many agencies are finding that involvement by an elected official can also supplement the curriculum of a public sector leadership development program. For example, the City of Las Vegas invited a councilmember and the City of San Jose invited the Mayor to address their recent leadership academy programs. The official in each case addressed the class of leaders for up to one hour. They were asked to give their expectations for public sector leaders, and program participants were allowed to ask questions. The dialogue created in these forums allowed the organization’s future leaders to see the organization through the eyes of an elected official. A facilitated conversation that followed the presentation encouraged the participants to identify meaningful “take-aways” from the elected official’s comments. Because program participants have not likely interfaced extensively with an elected official, but will likely be expected to as their leadership responsibilities increase, this has become a critical element in public sector leadership development programs.

    Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

    360-degree survey tools provide feedback enabling leaders to realize strengths and areas for development based on their own and other’s perceptions. Typically such feedback comes from the participant’s direct supervisor, direct reports, and peers. Today, such processes can easily be facilitated on-line and feedback reports are comprehensive and detailed. Numerous vendors can now customize survey tools to reflect your organization’s competency model (see Tip One above).

    The feedback process, however, is only the start of the development process. It is recommended that the feedback be delivered in conjunction with opportunities for one-on-one coaching, as many participants find the feedback difficult to translate into everyday behaviors. A trained coach can assist the participant in making sense of the data. In addition, the participant should be expected to develop their own individual development plan that addresses competencies that are highlights in the feedback report. The individual development plan, once endorsed by the participant’s direct supervisor, should then become the blueprint for the participant’s leadership developmen

    Hanging Onto Your Customers
    What is a customer worth to your business? No matter what figure you come up with, the actual answer is that they are invaluable. Any customer or clients that you have, you should provide the best service to them so that they keep coming back - bringing their friends with them.You can maintain a customer base by providing them the services they need and expect. You can grow an ever expanding customer base by providing just a little bit more than your clients expect.Here are eight ways to provide exceptional customer service: SAY, "THANK YOU" Don't you appreciate the fact that your customers could be going somewhere else? If you appreciate them, then you need to show them that you do. As soon as you provide your service to your customer, you should show them that appreciation. Some people give small gifts, or take clients out to dinner. Generally, a simple "thank you" is all you need, however. They'll get the idea. I use post cards to say thanks. It costs less than a dollar for a postcard and postage. Plus, I get a lot of the cards for free, so it doesn't really cost very much at all. I always write some humorous (to me anyway) comment on the card so people remember my effort. I get lots of compliments on my cards from clients. . . who keep coming back. GO A VISITIN' One of the best ways to keep your clients thinking of you is to think of them first. If possible, you should visit them in their place of business. If you're making a sales call close by to one of your clients, just pop in and say hello. You don't have to stay long, they're probably busy anyway. Your presence there will be remembered. Ask them how they're doing, listen, shake their hand and then leave. Write down any needs that they might have, regardless of your abi
    said in numerous articles about employee and leadership development that without the full support and involvement from the executive leadership team, the program will fail. Top management must be involved in the development of the curriculum, the selection of the attendees, and in the presentation of the program. Their support is critical for the success and long-term viability of any leadership development program.

    Likewise, many agencies are finding that involvement by an elected official can also supplement the curriculum of a public sector leadership development program. For example, the City of Las Vegas invited a councilmember and the City of San Jose invited the Mayor to address their recent leadership academy programs. The official in each case addressed the class of leaders for up to one hour. They were asked to give their expectations for public sector leaders, and program participants were allowed to ask questions. The dialogue created in these forums allowed the organization’s future leaders to see the organization through the eyes of an elected official. A facilitated conversation that followed the presentation encouraged the participants to identify meaningful “take-aways” from the elected official’s comments. Because program participants have not likely interfaced extensively with an elected official, but will likely be expected to as their leadership responsibilities increase, this has become a critical element in public sector leadership development programs.

    Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

    360-degree survey tools provide feedback enabling leaders to realize strengths and areas for development based on their own and other’s perceptions. Typically such feedback comes from the participant’s direct supervisor, direct reports, and peers. Today, such processes can easily be facilitated on-line and feedback reports are comprehensive and detailed. Numerous vendors can now customize survey tools to reflect your organization’s competency model (see Tip One above).

    The feedback process, however, is only the start of the development process. It is recommended that the feedback be delivered in conjunction with opportunities for one-on-one coaching, as many participants find the feedback difficult to translate into everyday behaviors. A trained coach can assist the participant in making sense of the data. In addition, the participant should be expected to develop their own individual development plan that addresses competencies that are highlights in the feedback report. The individual development plan, once endorsed by the participant’s direct supervisor, should then become the blueprint for the participant’s leadership developmen

    Online Paid Surveys – The Complete Guide
    What are the online paid surveys? Online paid surveys are simply surveys you can participate online. The beauty is that you get paid for participate those surveys. The surveys are taken online so you can have access to them from where ever you want. You can take the survey from home, work, the public library or any other place with Internet connection. Taking an online survey usually takes no more then 15 minutes and everyone have a spare 15 minutes every once and a while. The great combination of the ability to take the survey almost wherever you want and whenever you want and to get paid for it makes the online paid surveys a very good source of income almost to everyone.How does it work? Every year the big companies spend a lot of money in advertising their products. Just think about all the commercials you see on television, newspapers or street ads. Most of this money is being spend on advertising new products and what do the companies have to do before releasing a new product? Market research. Today, on the Internet age the companies do their market research online too. This is where you get into the picture. The big companies are willing to pay you just for your opinion. They are willing to pay you money, they are willing to give you the product for testing and they are willing to give you all kind of free stuff as well. Sounds great, right? Well, it is.Where do I begin? You should begin here and now. All you need to start taking survey online is an Internet access and an e-mail box. Got these? Good, now let’s move to step no.2 Check the web for good surveys sites, there few good sites out there. Just go to Google or any other search engine and search
    increase, this has become a critical element in public sector leadership development programs.

    Tip Four: Use 360-degree feedback, individual development planning, and coaching as the core around which other development opportunities revolve.

    360-degree survey tools provide feedback enabling leaders to realize strengths and areas for development based on their own and other’s perceptions. Typically such feedback comes from the participant’s direct supervisor, direct reports, and peers. Today, such processes can easily be facilitated on-line and feedback reports are comprehensive and detailed. Numerous vendors can now customize survey tools to reflect your organization’s competency model (see Tip One above).

    The feedback process, however, is only the start of the development process. It is recommended that the feedback be delivered in conjunction with opportunities for one-on-one coaching, as many participants find the feedback difficult to translate into everyday behaviors. A trained coach can assist the participant in making sense of the data. In addition, the participant should be expected to develop their own individual development plan that addresses competencies that are highlights in the feedback report. The individual development plan, once endorsed by the participant’s direct supervisor, should then become the blueprint for the participant’s leadership development efforts.

    Because the feedback process can be so powerful, it is recommended that any leadership development program begin with this element, as it will provide the direction that each participant will need as they pursue the program. With their feedback, the participant can customize their leadership development experiences to address the identified needs. Because of this flexibility, 360-feedback is a highly recommended and popular tool.

    Tip Five: Implement action learning through project teams.

    Another popular tool for enhancing the leadership skills within public organizations is the use of action learning. Action learning is a typical educational approach where participants learn by addressing issues that are unique to their own organization and/or community. The format involves a continuous process of learning and reflection, built around learning groups of colleagues, more often with the aim of getting work-related initiatives accomplished.

    The City of San Jose is using action learning as part of their new leadership development effort. The program participants are divided into six, functionally-diverse teams. Each team is assigned one of the city’s corporate priorities which include:

    • Performance-driven government
    • Support for effective council policy-making
    • Effective use of technology
    • Customer service
    • City as an employer of choice
    • Neighborhood-focused service delivery

    Teams are guided by team sponsors, who are all members of the City’s executive team. Over a period of six months each team is expected to identify a City issue or project that needs attention. The teams research the issue, benchmark approaches with other jurisdictions, propose solutions the City could consider, develop a formal written report, and make a formal presentation in the City Council chambers as part of their program conclusion. The City Manager and other top executives will receive their presentations and provide feedback to each team. Whenever possible, the team will be given the authority to implement or participate in the implementation of their recommendations which may have citywide or regional implications. As a result, the participants are able to practice their communication and team skills as part of the process, receive feedback on their report writing skills, and practice making presentations in a forum that is new to many of them. They also have the opportunity to showcase their skills related to issues that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to explore.

    Tip Six: Use internal and external resources.

    As mentioned in Tip Two above, it is important to make full use of your organization’s executive leadership team sessions that directly relate to the organization’s strategic plan, culture, and expectations. However, other concepts may be better presented by individuals outside of the organization, who provide an outside or neutral perspective. You may also find that your organization does not have the capacity or expertise to address all the competencies included in your model. A balance of internal and external presenters provides participants with the opportunity to compare and contrast the agency’s approach with practices and methods used outside of the organization.

    Tip Seven: Maximize internal publicity.

    In every case, leadership development program participants dedicate a great amount of time and energy to these kinds of programs. Not only is it a commitment of the participant’s time, it is a commitment of their manager and staff’s time that cover for the participant when they are attending program activities. You can communicate the goals and outcomes of the program and recognize the importance of the effort by using internal communicating tools like email, newsletters and Intranet postings. Everyone who is touched by the program should understand its importance to the organization’s goals.

    Prior to the start of the program, formally introduce the participants to the organization and encourage each organizational member to support them. After the program, each graduate should be recognized using the same communication tools (email, newsletters, Intranet, etc.) and their managers and staffs should be thanked for supporting them. Internal publicity can help garner support and enthusiasm for the program and its goals.

    Tip Eight: Continuously adjust.

    The first version of any comprehensive program like this is rarely perfect. It is important to continually modify the program based on the feedback received not only from the participants, but from their managers as well. By continually improving the program, it will meet the needs of the organization, even as the organization changes. In every leadership development program I have developed and managed, the agenda and curriculum is modified during the program and after graduation to reflect the changing needs of the participants and the organization. It is critical to be flexible and to listen to the program participants and their managers in order to ensure the program continuously improves and maintains its credibility and relevance.

    Tip Nine: Celebrate the achievement.

    A learning opportunity such as a leadership academy or leadership development program requires a commitment of time and resources, not only on the part of the coordinators, but on the part of management and the participants. A graduation or other public celebration is critical to recognize the achievements of all the parties involved. The graduation does not need to be elaborate or lengthy. A brief

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