Wednesday
Nov172010
A little bathroom humor
Jeff ToisterOver the past year I've collected a few interesting pictures of signs in (or near) restrooms. They all made me stop and ask, "What are they trying to tell their customers?"
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Monday
Nov152010
Three things you need to know before going to training
When I facilitate training, I like to ask participants a simple question right before the class begins. "Why are you here today?" This shouldn't be a difficult question to answer, but too often it is.
Wednesday
Nov102010
What toddlers know about root cause analysis
Young toddlers are famous for asking the question, "Why?" It's too bad we don't ask that same question very often in the workplace because it turns out that "Why" is a very powerful tool for diagnosing the root cause of many performance problems. The simple technique, pioneered by Toyota, simply involves asking "Why?" an average of five times until you uncover the real cause of a particular problem.
Wednesday
Nov032010
Fun with word clouds
Communicating in writing seems so much more efficient that taking the time to draw up visuals, but our audience typically doesn’t feel the same way. As a trainer, a consultant, and as a leader, I’m constantly encountering situations where a visual can make the point far better than written or verbal words ever could. The challenge is creating a good visual is often difficult.
Monday
Oct252010
Is it time again for sexual harassment prevention training?
Most California employers know about the mandatory sexual harassment awareness training. Are you up to date? If not, it could mean big trouble. I was reading my October edition of HR Magazine and saw a headline that caught my attention, "Survey: 10% of Employees Report Harassment at Work". The article discussed global trends from a recent survey by Reuters-Ipsos and pointed out that 8% of respondents from the US claimed they have been victims of sexual harassment. These figures suggest that many workplaces are at risk for harassment claims if employers aren't diligent about prevention.