Training Services

"Training" is almost as ambiguous as "Change Management."  This page will reveal a sampling of my training experience and the training related services I provide.  But first, here are a few bullets outlining my training philosophy and approach:

• No learning without doing, no doing without learning!
• Avoid "Death by PowerPoint" whenever possible... PPT is an important tool, just avoid its misuse as a mind numbing weapon!
• Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand.
• Training out of alignment with reward systems and management support is waste.

Training to support Process Change

Successful cycles of change rely on effective communications.  Within the communications umbrella lies formal training.  Formal training can include:

• Project Selection - High-involvement approach to quickly identify and agree key projects.
• Project Component Training - During process development workshops, participants are trained on each step prior to participating.
• Change Agent Training - For organizations committed to developing internal Change Agents, training supports the mentorship process.

Lean Training

Masters of Lean Change Management will warn that you must take the principles of Lean and translate them into the context of your business and culture.  My recommendation is to first "Try out Lean" by having someone like myself facilitate a project.  But once you know that you want Lean attributes incorporated into your company's DNA, well-designed training interventions are essential.

For example, at AMD, I was chosen to provide the one-on-one "Lean Qualification Training" for the top 25 executives in the company.  Partnering with a Porsche Consulting Rep, we would deliver a two hour discussion covering the following:

• Basic philosophies and principles of Lean
• What's in it for you and AMD?
• Executive management's role in the coordinated management of change
• The habits and behaviors which must end / be sacrificed in order to truly lead by example
• Program and project updates relevant to that executive's function

Workmap Based Training

At AMD, the phrase "Customer Centric Innovation" had been the marketing brand promise for 5 years but the average employee had no idea what it meant in their daily work lives.  I was chosen to lead a company-wide project which produced interactive workmap-based training.  Features and results:

• Breakout groups of 5 students each read self guided materials aloud, performed educational exercises / games and shared their rich stories and perspectives.
• While the 1/3 reading and 2/3 dialog training approach is challenging to design, it pays rich dividends in comprehension and boosted energy levels.
• Answer cards ensured that the student's thought process arrived at the intended destination.
• Participants frequently state that, "All training should be delivered in this format!"

Software Training

 Software implementations and training have been a constant theme throughout my career.  Here are some examples which highlight my experience:

• The Texas State Comptroller's Office rolled out a single payroll system to 120 state agencies in order to pay 250,000 employees.  The Cobol mainframe software was an unbelievable training challenge.  I learned the deep power of interactive exercise-based training and was assigned to develop and rollout new courses.
• My favorite project role at Dell: The worldwide rollout of Oracle Financials.  I will never forget attending the 30 person project leadership meeting where it became evident that "training development" meant documenting everything in PowerPoint.  UGH!!! I stated, "This is a death by PowerPoint intervention!  Please let me show you a better way!"  They listened and most importantly empathized with the users.  We packed everything we could into interactive exercises before building minimal supporting documentation in PPT.