In today’s business environment, talent is the major differentiator.  And developing and retaining that talent is one of the most significant drivers of employee engagement…which in turn is the key to critical business outcomes like revenue, profitability, innovation, and customer loyalty.

We have all heard the closing lines: "What will it take to get you to sign today?" or "Would you like 5 or 10 in the initial order?" or even "We have a special offer, a 15 percent discount, but only if you will commit to signing now." Yet, we all know the gimmicks don’t work—and they certainly don’t lead to lasting customer relationships.

When confronted with the question, "Is training working?"  utilizing benchmarks can arm you with insight to determine how well training is doing within your organization, and also provide insight into how you stack up against your competitors.

Managing multiple locations and their regional/territory teams requires a unique set of leadership skills and strategies. Join us to learn five key practices of how to lead from a distance effectively. Drawing from our recent national retail industry research study, we will explore the leading practices learned from surveys, interviews, and observations of some of the most productive and profitable multiunit managers on the planet.

Whether it's an online meeting, a webinar, or live online training, engagement is on everyone's mind. Will it be worth the time to attend, or will it be an opportunity to check email?

The Role of Environment, Microlearning, and Social Collaborative Tools In a recent session titled HOW TO ENGAGE MODERN LEARNERS: WHEN TO "PUSH' AND WHEN TO "PULL",  we discussed when we should embed "Pull Learning" content into the flow of work. That discussion was grounded in the principles of Modern Workplace Learning, and I suggested that considering the 5 Moments of Learning Need was a good way to determine when pull learning was most appropriate.  While formal ‘push’ training is often best for when people are learning something new, and for when things change, a strong argument can be made that ‘pull’ learning lends itself to the following moments of need: When learners need to build on concepts that they learned in a more formal training environment When they need to apply what they’ve learned When things go wrong

A recent study asked sales leaders to name the top challenges holding their organizations back. The number one answer?  An inability to cut the time it takes new salespeople to close their first deals.

Most designers, trainers and leaders are so accustomed to producing highly antiseptic lessons - clean, organized and controlled. However, this kills the fun and relevance of the lessons. Fortunately, they agree that using stories would add context and engage learners. Their difficulty is where and how to find stories that support their content.

Learning-by-doing is the key to technical training.  But, technical training is evolving as there is more demand for modularized content, self-paced labs, and virtual participation.  

Every leader needs a framework to become and remain successful. When all is said and done, there are five critical business levers that, when used properly, turn good leaders into great ones.

Does your organization struggle to find a balance between mandatory and elective training? CEO of BizLibrary, Dean Pichee, will take you through the challenges and benefits of both types of training and discuss how to find the balance you’ve been trying to achieve. He’ll give you real examples of what has worked for companies in the past and recommendations to help your organization succeed in the future.

Everyone knows that gaining access to executives is often critical to success in B2B sales. On one hand, technology like Caller ID, Voicemail, and Email Filters have made it harder than ever to reach C-Level executives.

Training and learning professionals are in a bubble - cocooned in their own world of realities. Slowly, their profession starts eroding. They become irrelevant and misplaced. Their realities are shattered.

Training Matters… but what about culture?  Corporate culture drives results and longevity; "good" cultures create engaged employees, higher retention, and more flexible organizations.  This sounds great, yet too often the next step in this line of thinking is an all-hands survey, one that ends up recommending things like monthly birthday parties and brighter conference room paint. 

Deloitte’s Global Human Resources Trends indicates that employee engagement (and culture) is the number one challenge facing business leaders.  But they sadly claim, that organizations are only ‘somewhat ready’ for this challenge.

The 5 Levels of Leadership webinar will provide a complete framework for developing influence for yourself and others inside your organization. This program covers the upsides and downsides of leadership, as well as the key beliefs and behaviors that a leader must practice in order to advance to the next level.

Managers and leaders find themselves stuck in three vicious circles. They’re frustrated by teams who have become overdependent on them. They’re overwhelmed by the amount of work they have to do. And they’re disconnected from their own Great Work - the work that has impact, the work that has meaning. Sound familiar?

Everyone is looking to develop employee onboarding that gets new recruits up and running faster than the competition, whether it’s closing their first deal, conducting their first client meeting, or managing their first high-profile project. But how?

Belief drives behavior! Success in sales doesn’t just happen because someone follows a mechanical set of process-driven rules. It begins within the head and heart of the salesperson. The challenge today is that most sales managers aren’t equipped to understand or address these internal drivers/barriers, much less engage in a meaningful conversation about them with their reps. Unfortunately, that can lead to sales leaders to ignore the emotional side of selling and end up with an anemic sales team or a revolving door of talent. 

Wouldn’t it be great if you could create training material quickly and easily without having to spend a whole lot of time and money designing your assets from scratch or having someone do them for you?

As senior business leaders focus on shrinking performance gaps and skill shortages to execute upon business strategies, they’re also driving their L&D functions to be more strategic.  In September and October 2015, TRAINING Magazine and Wilson Learning Worldwide conducted a research study to examine what it means for L&D to be more strategic, best practices of those organizations that lead the way, and what organizations aren’t doing but should do to be recognized as a strategic L&D leader.

Fairly new to training and still trying to figure out this Adult Learning Stuff? We’ve got you covered!

In today’s complex business environment, the ability to create meaningful and collaborative connections with colleagues and clients is more essential than ever. In this webinar, Beth Wagner, Fierce Master Facilitator, will deep dive into seven core behaviors that will help you achieve greater effectiveness in your everyday interactions. Our tools will enable you to create positive organizational change and give you a new way to relate to people at work, home, and in every area of your life.   

The Project Sponsor’s role on a  project is the single most critical predictor of project success. That said, many if not most Project Sponsors have no idea what they are supposed to be doing. Imagine Captain Pickard from Star Trek - "Make it so!" That’s the extent of the contribution for most organizational Sponsors. It’s up to you as the Project Manager to cultivate the Project Sponsor.  For you project to be successful, you must make sure the Project Sponsor is successful.