The Springboard Project will recommend how to best equip the current and future U.S. workforce for success in the post-recession economy
Washington, D.C. – Today Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. corporations, announced the launch of The Springboard Project – an independent commission that will develop innovative approaches to help American workers acquire the new skills and the education needed to thrive in the 21st century’s evolving labor market. The commission, which will bring together a diverse group of education and business leaders, labor experts, union chiefs, academics, foundation heads and government representatives, is holding its first meeting today in Washington, D.C. “Given the transformations in the current economy and the long-term impact they will have, this is the moment for business and government to join forces with labor and the online community to make sure that our workforce has the training and resources to meet the demands of an ever-changing marketplace,” said William D. Green, chairman & CEO of Accenture and chairman of The Springboard Project. “I am looking forward to working with such an esteemed and talented set of experts to tackle the unique challenges the American worker faces today and will continue to face even after the recession passes.” Today’s meeting will officially kick off The Springboard Project’s nine-month mandate to develop innovative and feasible recommendations to the Obama administration, Congress, the private sector, labor and individuals. “American business leaders are optimistic about the future of our economy and the long-term prospects of American workers,” said Harold McGraw III, Chairman of Business Roundtable and Chairman, President and CEO of The McGraw-Hill Companies. “America’s talented workforce and strong history of innovation have helped us overcome economic hardship before, and we have assembled some of the nation’s best minds to help identify practical and productive ways to ensure today’s workers are equipped to help us succeed again.” The Springboard Project will:
The Springboard Project will issue its recommendations at the end of 2009. More information about The Springboard Project can be found at www.businessroundtable.org/springboard. ————————————————————————————————————————————————— |
Tag Archives: consulting
The New Untouchables
Last summer I attended a talk by Michelle Rhee, the dynamic chancellor of public schools in Washington. Just before the session began, a man came up, introduced himself as Todd Martin and whispered to me that what Rhee was about to speak about — our struggling public schools — was actually a critical, but unspoken, reason for the Great Recession. There’s something to that. While the subprime mortgage mess involved a huge ethical breakdown on Wall Street, it coincided with an education breakdown on Main Street — precisely when technology and open borders were enabling so many more people to compete with Americans for middle-class jobs. In our subprime era, we thought we could have the American dream — a house and yard — with nothing down. This version of the American dream was delivered not by improving education, productivity and savings, but by Wall Street alchemy and borrowed money from Asia. A year ago, it all exploded. Now that we are picking up the pieces, we need to understand that it is not only our financial system that needs a reboot and an upgrade, but also our public school system. Otherwise, the jobless recovery won’t be just a passing phase, but our future. “Our education failure is the largest contributing factor to the decline of the American worker’s global competitiveness, particularly at the middle and bottom ranges,” argued Martin, a former global executive with PepsiCo and Kraft Europe and now an international investor. “This loss of competitiveness has weakened the American worker’s production of wealth, precisely when technology brought global competition much closer to home. So over a decade, American workers have maintained their standard of living by borrowing and overconsuming vis-à-vis their real income. When the Great Recession wiped out all the credit and asset bubbles that made that overconsumption possible, it left too many American workers not only deeper in debt than ever, but out of a job and lacking the skills to compete globally.” This problem will be reversed only when the decline in worker competitiveness reverses — when we create enough new jobs and educated workers that are worth, say, $40-an-hour compared with the global alternatives. If we don’t, there’s no telling how “jobless” this recovery will be. A Washington lawyer friend recently told me about layoffs at his firm. I asked him who was getting axed. He said it was interesting: lawyers who were used to just showing up and having work handed to them were the first to go because with the bursting of the credit bubble, that flow of work just isn’t there. But those who have the ability to imagine new services, new opportunities and new ways to recruit work were being retained. They are the new untouchables. That is the key to understanding our full education challenge today. Those who are waiting for this recession to end so someone can again hand them work could have a long wait. Those with the imagination to make themselves untouchables — to invent smarter ways to do old jobs, energy-saving ways to provide new services, new ways to attract old customers or new ways to combine existing technologies — will thrive. Therefore, we not only need a higher percentage of our kids graduating from high school and college — more education — but we need more of them with the right education. As the Harvard University labor expert Lawrence Katz explains it: “If you think about the labor market today, the top half of the college market, those with the high-end analytical and problem-solving skills who can compete on the world market or game the financial system or deal with new government regulations, have done great. But the bottom half of the top, those engineers and programmers working on more routine tasks and not actively engaged in developing new ideas or recombining existing technologies or thinking about what new customers want, have done poorly. They’ve been much more exposed to global competitors that make them easily substitutable.” Those at the high end of the bottom half — high school grads in construction or manufacturing — have been clobbered by global competition and immigration, added Katz. “But those who have some interpersonal skills — the salesperson who can deal with customers face to face or the home contractor who can help you redesign your kitchen without going to an architect — have done well.” Just being an average accountant, lawyer, contractor or assembly-line worker is not the ticket it used to be. As Daniel Pink, the author of “A Whole New Mind,” puts it: In a world in which more and more average work can be done by a computer, robot or talented foreigner faster, cheaper “and just as well,” vanilla doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s all about what chocolate sauce, whipped cream and cherry you can put on top. So our schools have a doubly hard task now — not just improving reading, writing and arithmetic but entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity. Bottom line: We’re not going back to the good old days without fixing our schools as well as our banks. ———————————————————————————————————————————————- Friedman, Thomas L. “The New Untouchables.” Nytimes.com. New York Times, 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/opinion/21friedman.html>. |
Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry
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Strategic Planning Using Appreciative Inquiry
Overview:
Designed For:Professionals involved in the following areas: business, education, government, health-care, human services, non-profit organizations, and management and organizational development consultants. Learning Outcomes:Developing Your Organization’s Next Strategic Plan with Appreciative Inquiry will provide executive teams and planning committees an overview of how Appreciative Inquiry works and answer key questions, such as:
Material / Technical Requirements:
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Richard Lyons
![]() Richard E. Lyons has served as a professor of management, department chair, instructional dean, corporate trainer, faculty and staff developer, and independent consultant. His grounding in sound research and quality management practices, as well as deep learning from his varied experiences, has enabled him to exceed expectations of clients systematically. Richard launched his consulting and presentation practice in 1999, shortly after the publication of his first book, The Adjunct Professor’s Guide to Success. He has since authored three other books – Teaching College in an Age of Accountability, Success Strategies for Adjunct Faculty, and Best Practices for Supporting Adjunct Faculty. His extensive research on these topics and familiarity with best practices that align with that research undergird his consulting. The strategies that he espouses have been well received not only by clients, but also by audiences in dozens of presentations at varied academic conferences. Richard has presented on the campuses of community and state colleges, universities and proprietary institutions, in three countries. Besides traditional institutions, these have included historically Black colleges and universities, historically women’s institutions, and those that serve significant populations of Native American, Hispanic and other diverse populations. He also regularly utilizes webinars to deepen workshop participants’ mastery of critical learning outcomes. His travel experiences in over forty countries enable him to address issues in a global, futuristic context – a factor of increasing importance at many institutions. Active throughout his career in professional organizations, Richard presently serves on the board of the North American Council for Staff, Program and Organizational Development [NCSPOD]. Richard earned his B.A. in Management and M.S. in Business Education at Western Kentucky University, and his doctorate in college teaching and curriculum at the University of Central Florida. |
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Online Workshop Feedback
We thank you for attending and participating in one of our online workshops. We value working with you and look forward to hearing from you. We have made this short – as we know how valuable your time is.
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Webinar Feedback
We thank you for attending and participating in one of our webinars. We value working with you and look forward to hearing from you. We have made this short – as we know how valuable your time it.
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Randal Joy Thompson
For the last two years, she has helped staff at the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation in Baghdad, Iraq enhance their management skills and understanding of the global economy. She facilitated an Appreciative Inquiry with ministry staff during which the group drafted a preposterous proposition which expressed their dream for collaborative teamwork and a democratic, flat organizational structure. The group made serious individual and group commitments to achieving their proposition. Randal also taught course in cross-cultural communication and protocol for ten ministries in Iraq. She is now serving as Chief of Party on another project in Baghdad, responsible for monitoring and evaluating the US government project portfolio and conducting sector studies to support their future strategy. Randal has been a keynote speaker at several conferences, including the first and second International Women’s Conferences held in Romania in 1998 and 1999. She delights in inspiring her audiences to see their potential to achieve their dreams and work together on common opportunities to change their personal and social worlds. She combines humor with serious calls to action. She is particularly interested in helping organizations change creatively through the application of appreciative approaches. She is President and CEO of an organizational development consulting company in Reno, Nevada, “Getting to Excellence.” Randal works with government, private sector, and non-profit organizations as well a common interest groups. She especially enjoys working with women’s groups and organizations. She also delivers training in international development and how to effectively work in a globalized economy and cross-cultural communication. Randal has her BA in Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley; her MA in Philosophy and MBA from the University of Chicago; and her MA in Biblical Exposition from Capital Bible Seminary. She also has a Certificate in Organizational Development Consulting from Georgetown University and a Certificate in French Civilization from the Sorbonne. She has been certified by Company of Experts as an Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator. |
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The Connection between Style, Productivity, & Morale: Why it is Essential to Understand and Respond to Different Styles
How often do you get frustrated or upset as a result of how others have delivered their message or treated you? What about the times you’ve tried to communicate your point, but just don’t seem to get through to your audience? What’s the price you’ve paid for these disconnects in communications? How has it affected relationships and collaboration? What would be the benefit if it improved?
Anyone who has ever worked with others knows people approach situations differently. At times, these differences can create fresh perspectives, balance, and innovative solutions. Understanding personal style, and acting on that knowledge, can lead to improved performance, productivity, and morale.
Unfortunately, the converse can also be true. Often the differences in style lead to misunderstanding, mistrust, and frustration. This can then lead to lowered productivity and undesirable outcomes. Consider the following short (true) example:
I was requested by a client to coach an employee who was “having issues” with a team mate. As I sat down with the employee, something immediately became obvious… he was a matter of fact, direct, results driven guy. He acted quickly in an effort to hit his goals. His team mate, on the other hand, was relatively quiet, less direct, and seemed to take the words and actions very personally.
May not seem a big issue, but in this instance, they were required to collaborate on business opportunities. The bottom line… misinterpretations of styles and lack of insight into how to work with one another drove the two apart and cost the organization a deal worth more than $1M.
While this scenario might be extreme, conflicts, difficulty communicating with others, and less than optimal working relationships, are an everyday occurrence.
Your ability to understand your own characteristics/style, as well as those around you, can help you:
1. Identify personal tendencies
2. Adapt for improved communications and interpersonal relationships
3. Effectively meet the needs of yourself and others
4. Understand and respond to information and interactions more appropriately
5. Get things accomplished!
For many of us, it’s likely that you’ve been using information about social style on an intuitive level for many years. Formalizing that understanding is a next step to taking actions.
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Author: Sue Cooney
Check out Sue’s upcoming Webinar – “Foundations of Style: Behavior and the Bottom Line“ – premiering November 19, 2009 at 2PM (EST)
Supervisor Workshop Series
Designed For:
Perfect for new, experienced, and future supervisors. This is a skills based series led by experienced facilitators. Successful organizations recognize the need to hire and talented supervisors and employees
Looking to meet the challenges of the future? These workshops will give you the skills you need for today and tomorrow.
Purpose:
This workshop series provides an opportunity for supervisors to begin a journey toward combining a solid foundation of knowledge along with the skills development taught in this workshop to position you to meet today’s challenges and be ahead of the rapidly changing work environment.
Our Supervisor Series consists of workshops (30 hours of training*) that are facilitator-led, interactive, and engaging. Each workshop in this series may be taken separately. Once you have participated in 30 hours of training and completed the Action Plan Portfolio, you will receive a Supervisor Certification.
* Each workshop in the Supervisor Series is 3 hours each except for the Action Plan Portfolio which is 6 hours
Workshop Series Includes:
- Communication
- Maintaining good labor relations is not an optional requirement for a supervisor; it is how work gets done and how others perceive you. Learn how to develop and maintain relationships in union and non-union environments. Technology and the use of social media has changed how we interact and communicate. Do you feel like a Word Processor in an IPOD world? Learning to communicate in a multi-generational organization and engaging in new methods of communication are essential for your success.
- Employee Relations
- Maintaining good labor relations is not an optional requirement for a supervisor; it is how work gets done and how others perceive you. Learn how to develop and maintain relationships in union and non-union environments.
- Keep it Legal
- A safe and friendly working environment is good for morale and increases loyalty and productivity. Issues arise in the workplace all of the time. Learn the skills to keep yourself and your company risk free; identify potential problems; investigate complaints; be proactive; and take appropriate action when necessary.
- Managing Professional Relationships
- Successful relationships are essential to any effort to create sustainable change and ongoing improvement, yet they are often an overlooked or undervalued element of a supervisor’s responsibilities. Participants learn essential skills for developing and maintaining successful relationships.
- Motivating and Keeping Talent
- Hiring and motivating talent is a key part of any supervisors’ job. Learn the skills to encourage individual and team success and to build self-esteem and motivate employees.
- Supporting Change
- Change and its impact on employees and organizations is a fact. Supervisors learn the tools and techniques to lead change effectively in their work environment.
- Time Management
- Understand how your personality affects the way you manage your time. Techniques to manage your time and cultivate your interests and talents.
- Action Plan Portfolio
- Develop a work project to implement on the job is the outcome of the completion of these workshops. We offer guidance and coaching to achieve your intended outcomes.
Materials Required:
This workshop may require books, materials, online assessments, or the use of proprietary software which typically will be included in the cost of the workshop.
Customize Your Training:
Company of Experts, Inc. delivers its workshops in a variety of ways: on-site, hybrid, or online; providing users with the option to decide which learning method works best for their organization and/or individual.
If you would like to have this workshop on-site, please email Kathy at Kathy@CompanyofExperts.net to find out how easy and affordable this program is.
Space is limited, guarantee yourself a spot today!