Read Joseph’s latest columns on Forbes.com for tips and strategies for changing your behavior in 2013. And Now for the Toughest Influence Challenge of All: Changing Myself We have it all backward. We lament how the world is falling apart because other people won’t change. Health care costs soar because other people eat too much and exercise too little. The workplace is too political because others hoard information and resources. Others have dangerous political or religious views. Others are polluting the planet. And worst of all, "others" come to a full stop before entering the new traffic circles in my town. Sheesh! That’s why we all crave the ability to influence others. If only we could get them to change, our lives would be better. But over the past few years, I’ve gained an appreciation for those with the capacity to influence themselves. Unlike most of us, these successful individuals think of themselves as influence projects. They stand above themselves like interested scientists and consider the habits and proclivities of their favorite lab rats—themselves. By doing so, they develop insights, interventions, and strategies to behave differently. Read more Are You Facing Your Own Fiscal Cliff? If So, Odds Are You Got There the Same Way Congress Did. I’ve about had it with TV pundits and persons-on-the-street who decried the self-interested, short-sighted, infantile politics of Congress during the infamous "fiscal cliff" negotiations. It’s not that I’m not worried or irritated at the behavior that keeps bringing us to these predictable precipices. It’s that in pointing our fingers at Congress, we are distracted from looking in the mirror. Read more Related posts: Crucial Applications: REACH 2012 BIG Idea Video—Joseph Grenny Asks Two Important Questions Joseph Grenny Introduces Crucial Conversations Second Edition Joseph Grenny Says You’re On!: Keep Habits by Competing with Friends

Dashe & Thomson, Inc., a recognized leader in enterprise training solutions, announced it has partnered with McGraw-Hill, the content, software, and services-based education company, as they replace their existing financial management systems with a modern ERP solution. McGraw-Hill chose Oracle e-Business Suite, based on prior experience with Oracle’s products already used within the company. Dashe & Thomson is providing a number of services on the project including Custom Training. Project Atlas will help McGraw-Hill meet their global digital strategic growth by providing the right management information to the right people at the right time to make the right business decisions. Jolene Wilson, VP of Training and eLearning Development at Dashe, says "This is more than just software training for a software implementation. Dashe is helping to transform the way that McGraw-Hill does business. We are helping to define how Oracle EBS will impact the way users perform business processes and key performance indicators (KPIs) for each user audience. We will are tying business goals and KPIs back to the custom training we’re building for each group. In addition, we are creating an online learning and reference portal to support users during training, at go-live, and on-going." Atlas is more than just a systems replacement. It includes replacing Lawson Financials with the Oracle 12 E-Business Suite and redesigning the Corporation’s Chart of Accounts (COA) to address known deficiencies and leverage leading practices. Atlas will provide dramatic improvements in McGraw Hill’s management information capabilities and lay the foundation required to implement the remaining Atlas projects. About McGraw-Hill: With sales of $6.2 billion in 2010, McGraw-Hill has approximately 21,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. The company is based in New York, New York. Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global financial information and education company that helps professionals and students succeed in the Knowledge Economy. Leading brands include Standard & Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. More information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com About Dashe & Thomson: Dashe & Thomson provides customized training solutions to enable large-scale business changes - from enterprise-wide software to process reengineering. The company was founded in 1981 on the belief that knowledgeable users are the key to any company’s goal of achieving return on software investments. Dashe & Thomson provides highly experienced teams of instructional designers, training developers, trainers, online help developers, and e-learning specialists, using a project methodology developed over the company’s 30-year history. Dashe & Thomson consultants provide training services for both corporate and public sectors, and average more than 15 years of professional experience. To learn more, visit www.dashe.com The post Dashe & Thomson announces partnership with education giant McGraw-Hill appeared first on Dashe & Thomson.

Dashe & Thomson is now working with the Canadian, yoga-inspired, international athletic apparel company lululemon athletica. This experience will focus on Flex PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) implementation. Dashe & Thomson is applying their User Adoption Methodology and custom end-user training. The implementation will include a learning portal, a "Did you know" video series, and instructor-led training combined with an Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS) for their post go-live implementation. The post Dashe & Thomson announces partnership with leading athletic apparel company, lululemon athletica. appeared first on Dashe & Thomson.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joseph Grenny is coauthor of four New York Times bestsellers, Change Anything, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills, I love my sister dearly, but her behavior can be very negative and manipulative. Whenever she is discouraged, she develops passive aggressive behaviors and withdraws from me while simultaneously blaming me for our momentary dysfunction. Often, her perspective of self-loathing advances to the point of suicidal threats. In these crucial moments, I struggle with what to do. I feel that I enable her because I cling to her in an effort to prevent the threatened outcome. However, I also feel manipulated because she is using me to fill an internal void. I desire to help her, but I feel stuck in our relationship. I’m trying to set boundaries, but her manipulation and threats directly attack the boundaries I’ve set up. Please help. Signed, Uncertain  Dear Uncertain, The biggest obstacle we face in life is making wise decisions in the face of overwhelming emotion. It’s impossible for most of us to imagine how hard it would be to think clearly when a loved one is threatening suicide. I sympathize with your plight. You’ve tried to set clear boundaries, but when holding your boundaries seems like it could result in your sister making such a cataclysmic decision, it’s natural for you to second-guess your decision to hold those boundaries firm. Since your question involves very sensitive mental health questions, I asked Jodi Hildbrandt, a licensed clinical social worker I deeply respect, for advice. Here are some important principles to keep in mind as you hold crucial conversations—both with yourself and with your sister. 1. Get professional advice before proceeding. You need to describe your sister’s specific symptoms and behavioral patterns to a professional to determine whether she is at immediate risk of harming herself or others. If so, your response should not be to cave into her demands, but to get her compulsory help. If, after consultation, you are confident a significant portion of the issue is behavioral and not purely neurological or chemical, the following advice may be helpful. 2. Your sister’s problems are more about bad skills than bad motives. She has developed some maladaptive habits in order to manage her legitimately painful emotions. Withdrawal, self-loathing, threats of suicide, and passive/aggressive behavior are ways of escaping emotions she has no other skills to deal with. The only way those who love her can help is to help her—perhaps for the first time in her life—develop clear, concrete boundaries that keep her from using others as a scapegoat for the emotional pain she is dealing with. Please be clear that these boundaries are not just for her, they are also for you. Sometimes, the best way for her to learn to better care for herself is to experience others who are willing to courageously take care of themselves. Establish and hold boundaries for your own emotional health and to give her the option of improving her own. 3. Your belief that you can control your sister’s behavior is what is keeping you stuck. Your sister’s threats of suicide have persuaded you that your actions will determine her choices. This is not true. What is true is that your sister may use your actions as justification for decisions in her life, but that is her choice, not yours. The instant you choose to believe it is true rather than her choice, you become an enabler. You empower her to manipulate you and reinforce her own belief that others are responsible for her emotions. She is unlikely to become mentally healthy so long as you reinforce this belief. You are not responsible for your sister’s choices. You cannot control what she will do or will not do. Continuing to believe you can does not decrease the chance of her making a terrible decision. If anything, it increases it by distracting her from the work she will need to do to become more healthy. I’m guessing we’re not telling you something new here. I sense from your note that you already understand these ideas. So I hope by stating them here to simply bolster your confidence that this is an appropriate way to view the situation. With that said, here’s how to proceed: 1. Firmly and lovingly request time to talk about your relationship. I say "firmly" because she may want to avoid this kind of honest exchange. If she does, then be firm—create safety for her by clarifying your positive intentions: "I want to talk because I want a healthy, wonderful relationship with you. That is not what I believe we have right now. I am happy to wait until you feel okay having this conversation, but in the meantime, I will need to keep some distance from you to maintain my own health and peace. I hope you understand that." You are not responsible for whether she takes you up on this now or decides to wait a while. Do not water-down or apologize for the request. In fact, this firm and loving request is your opportunity to model for her the way she needs to care for her own emotional well-being. 2. Communicate clear, written boundaries. Carefully consider each behavior your sister enacts that is unacceptable to you. Let her know the boundary you will maintain if it happens again. Explain why you need this boundary—not as a punishment for her, but as a way of caring for your own needs. Help her understand how you feel when she does these things. For example, you might say, "When you said you were planning to kill yourself, I felt hurt, terrified, and angry. I felt resentful that you would put that responsibility on me when it is not mine. If this happens in the future, I will need to distance myself from you. It is not that I don’t care, it is that I will not allow you to manipulate me in that way. Instead, I will notify mental health professionals that you are at risk for harming yourself, and then will not have contact with you until you have gotten help." Helping her understand the natural consequences to you of her actions—if done in love and patience—can help her feel much differently about her choices. In fact, it is the only thing that can motivate her to change. She is likely so caught up in her own emotional world that she has no idea how her actions are affecting you and others. 1. Acknowledge her emotions, but don’t own them. While discussing these boundaries, be careful to listen to and validate any emotions your sister shares. Just don’t accept responsibility for them. For example, if she says, "You call yourself a sister and you will cut me off when I need you the most!" you could respond, "To you, my decision to not stay close when you threaten suicide seems hurtful and disloyal. Is that right?" Simply affirm that you understand the feelings she’s having and what she believes is causing them. Don’t argue with her logic or tell her she’s wrong. Just ensure she feels heard. 2. Focus and surrender. The hardest and most important thing to do is to be willing to accept whatever will happen in the future without feeling responsible for it. Do this by focusing on what you really want. You don’t just want a sister who is alive. You want a sister who is happy and healthy. You can’t get there from here. You will have to take uncomfortable steps into new habits and responses to do the only thing you can do to increase her odds of getting there. From there, you must surrender the illusion that there is more you can do. You cannot guarantee she will not take her own life any more than you can guarantee that she will become mentally healthy. All you can do is maintain the unhealthy status quo by continuing to do what you’ve been doing. It’s clear you love your sister. My hope and prayer is that some of these ideas will give you greater skill and resolve to do so in an even better way. With love, Joseph Related posts: Confronting Illegal Behavior Confronting a Coworker’s Temper Tantrums Changing Racist Behavior

MoneyGram International has a long standing relationship with Dashe & Thomson and continues today to deliver a training solution for their Retail Integration Project. This implementation includes instructor-led and web-based e-learning for their Servicing Center in Italy. Training is being conducted on the Oracle Financials, Savvion, SalesForce, the Real-time Credit System, and PowerTransact systems.     The post MoneyGram International and Dashe & Thomson together again appeared first on Dashe & Thomson.

We’re excited to announce that Dashe & Thomson has been named to the 2012 IT Training Companies To Watch List by TrainingIndustry.com. It’s an honor to be recognized for all of the hard work everyone here has devoted toward creating the best training and eLearning for our clients. The companies on the watch list were selected based on their new and innovative service offerings, company growth rate, and their unique vision and solutions for IT Training. From the press release: "This year’s list features a set of innovative companies that really stood out during our selection process. These companies have found their place in the market, have a great set of initial clients, and they show signs of strong growth," said Doug Harward, Chief Executive Officer of Training Industry, Inc. Our mission at Dashe & Thomson is to provide our clients with customized training and education to launch their company forward. While we see the results of our hard work from client success stories, it’s reaffirming to our mission that we were named to the IT Training Companies Watch List. Everyone at Dashe & Thomson is thrilled by the recognition and we look forward to continuing our innovative approach to eLearning and IT Training. The post Dashe & Thomson Named IT Training Company To Watch By TrainingIndustry.com appeared first on Dashe & Thomson.

The UnAccountables are gangs of renegades hiding in nearly every organization across the corporate frontier. Perhaps you’ve come head-to-head with the UnAble, the UnMotivated, the UnDiagnosed—or even all three—a time or two. When you found yourself in a showdown with one of these outlaws, did you know how to hold them accountable? Watch our new video featuring these bandits and learn more about our new Crucial Accountability Companion Course at www.vitalsmarts.com/unaccountables. Related posts: Special Announcement: Introducing the NEW Crucial Conversations! Accountability or Forgiveness? Seeking Accountability

Dashe & Thomson was recently recognized with awards from the 34th annual Telly Awards, the 19th annual Communicator Awards, and the 2013 Summit Awards . The awards highlight the remarkable online training created for the State of Minnesota as part of their Disability Benefits 101 program. "The goal of the Minnesota Disability Benefits 101 (DB101) campaign is to provide the public with resources, services, and tools to help persons with disabilities plan for the best work options while balancing work and benefits," said Jolene Wilson, Project Lead and VP of Training and E-learning Development. "The use of video in the campaign provided the public with much greater clarity and understanding in regard to using DB101 to achieve their goals." For the online video training, Dashe & Thomson received a Silver Telly Award (top honor) in the category of "Internet/Online Programs - Government Relations" and a Gold Communicator Award in the category of "Online Video - Public Service." Dashe & Thomson also won a Silver Communicator Award in the category of "Websites - Education" and a Bronze Telly Award in the category of "Internet/Online Programs - How-To/Instructional" for work on the Minnesota Disability Benefits 101 campaign. For the 2013 Summit Awards, Dashe & Thomson was honored with Summit Silver Awards in the categories of "Government Video" and "Education/Teaching Video." These awards reflect the outstanding work Dashe & Thomson consultants put into every client engagement. Learn more about Dashe & Thomson’s training services and visit the Disability Benefits 101 campaign to view the award winning work. The post Dashe & Thomson Win Awards For Online Video Training appeared first on Dashe & Thomson.

According to our recent poll, 43 percent of employees experienced a déjà vu performance review in 2012—negative performance feedback that surfaces year after year. Nearly two out of three employees say they’ve received negative feedback, and yet only one out of three has ever made a dramatic change based on this feedback. The research shows the typical performance review cycle includes managers giving employees the same negative feedback year after year with little effect on performance. One reason performance reviews are largely ineffective is employees lack the ability to put their performance feedback into action. In fact, 87 percent of respondents say they left their review without a plan for how to better meet their managers’ expectations. Here are seven tips for how employees can make the most of their performance reviews this year: 1. Ask for detailed feedback. Specific, behavioral feedback of both your accomplishments and challenges allows you to know the exact behaviors to replicate and change. After receiving detailed feedback, let your manager know you’re eager to learn and improve. 2. Visit your default future. Motivate yourself to change by visiting your "default future"—the career you’ll be stuck with if you fail to improve performance and are repeatedly passed up for promotion. 3. Invest in professional development. New habits always require new skills. Actively develop the skills you need to be viewed as a top performer through training, workshops, or books—but make sure this is only one part of a bigger change strategy. 4. Find a mentor. Changing habits requires help. Find a trusted mentor to encourage your progression and help you navigate the career development opportunities that exist within the organization. 5. Put skin in the game. Tie your performance to your compensation such as making your year-end bonus dependent on your ability to hit your improvement goals. Or set aside a portion of each paycheck. If you hit your goals, reward yourself at the end of the year. If you fall short, make out a check to a political party you oppose. 6. Control your workspace. Make your new habits easier by enlisting the power of your surroundings. If you’d benefit from close association with another team, ask to move offices. When possible, turn off electronic interruptions that keep you from being as productive as you need to be to move ahead. 7. Let your manager see your advances. Eagerly continue on the path to high performance. Nothing heals the wounds of disappointment like surprising and delighting your manager in the future. Register today to join New York Times bestselling author David Maxfield for a 40-minute webinar where he’ll share important insights from our recent research study, as well as applicable tips for making sure you don’t get caught in a negative review cycle. Related posts: Crucial Applications: How to Overcome a Career-Limiting Habit Crucial Applications: Office Haunting—How to Have Scary Conversations at Work Crucial Applications: Tax Refund Tips to Jump-start Financial Savings Habits

Dashe & Thomson is honored to be selected as a 2013 IT Training Company To Watch by TrainingIndustry.com. It is the second consecutive year Dashe & Thomson has been recognized as a leading IT training solutions provider by TrainingIndustry.com. Doug Harward, Chief Executive Officer of Training Industry, Inc., shared the criteria involved in selecting IT training companies for the list in a press release, "These companies exhibit strong signs of growth in a tough market and they demonstrate a dedication to meeting the needs of their clients." The companies included on the IT Training Companies To Watch List display new and innovative approaches to IT training solutions and retain a quality selection of clients. Dashe & Thomson is proud to once again be recognized as as a leading IT  training solutions provider. The post Dashe & Thomson Named "2013 IT Training Company To Watch" by TrainingIndustry.com appeared first on Dashe & Thomson.