Welcome to the January 2008 issue of Rise & Shine
Your Leadership Solutions and Resource Newsletter!
"The times they are a changing …"
New Horizons (News from RSC)
We always tell the folks we work with that one of the greatest compliments you can receive as a supervisor or leader is to see the people you work with successfully move on to the next stage in their career development – even if it means they must leave your organization to do it!
As Bob Dylan once said, "The times they are a changing …" Here at Rising Sun Consultants, 2008 bring two significant changes.
First, after three years of working together as a Leadership Team (and 10 – 12 years of working together outside of Rising Sun), we are very proud and pleased to announce that Lynn Lehman is ready to take the exciting step of starting her own business!!
As many of you know, two years ago we started a new division of Rising Sun called Training Support Services (TSS) which Lynn was heading up. After much discussion as friends and colleagues, we have fully supported Lynn’s desire and decision to step out on her own.
While Lynn will remain connected with Rising Sun as one of our senior Associates, beginning January 15th, Lynn will begin work on her new venture:
Training Design Plus partners with Central Pennsylvania organizations on a part-time or as-needed basis to design and maintain in-house employee training programs. As a "training specialist at-large," Lynn addresses many common training programs with the following solutions…
A company's training content exists only in their trainer's head.
Solution: Standardized Training Materials
Staff doing training in the company do not have a background in training.
Solution: Trainer Coaching
The training staff is overwhelmed and training projects are backlogged.
Solution: Part-Time Training Assistance
Organization leaders don't really know how effective their in-house trainers are.
Solution: Training Audits
Organization leaders are not sure how to go about measuring the effectiveness of their training programs.
Solution: Training Evaluation
For organizations that want consistent and professional in-house training for their employees, Training Design Plus may be the answer. If you want more information, please contact Lynn at 717-503-9999, and visit her website at www.trainingdesignplus.com.
At the same time as we are saying good-bye to Lynn, we are also extremely pleased to introduce the newest member of the Rising Sun family!
Help us in welcoming
Olga Blouch
Director of Client Relations
Olga holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania. She received her Masters of Education, with a Major in Training & Development, from the Pennsylvania State University.
Working for one of the nation's leading health insurers and largest health insurance company in Pennsylvania, Olga provided training and consulting in the areas of team building, effective communication , customer service, time management, effective meetings, interviewing skills, performance management, effective delegation, stress management, and effective speaking.
In addition to her training experience, Olga has also had extensive project management experience working with a leading regional health services company. In managing corporate wide projects, Olga utilized strong leadership, team building and interpersonal skills to obtain team cooperation and achieve corporate goals. Complimenting this background, Olga also has supervisory experience in working with training staff and managing long-term projects for external clients.
With a strong value for community service, Olga demonstrated her ability to inspire others and make a vision become a reality through volunteer work with a non-profit organization,. In her role as President, Olga led a one and a half year project, directing over 500 volunteers in both fund raising and construction of a $100,000 playground for the community.
Bright Lights (Tips/Solutions)
Change and Transition … are they one and the same?
Webster's Dictionary says that the word change is a verb. The word itself, therefore, implies movement or action. On the other hand, one important component of the "change process" that is often overlooked and underestimated is transition. Webster's defines transition as "passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another…" Sounds a lot like change, doesn't it? That is where the problem lies. Organizations and businesses today see change and transition as one in the same. We believe they are very different.
"Change implies making … an essential difference, often amounting to a loss of original identity" (Webster's Dictionary). If you notice, in this definition of change, the concept of loss is introduced. When change occurs, loss also occurs. Unless we allow opportunity for people to deal with the losses associated with change (transition), the change never really is implemented effectively. In other words, "change" is the what and "transition" is the how.
Whenever change occurs, transition goes with it. In order to be effective, we need to involve the people affected by the change in the change process. We need to allow a process to occur which deals with people's emotions. There needs to be intentional efforts made to allow people to experience their losses and deal with their emotions.
World Views (In the News)
Embrace the Edge -- or Perish
The periphery of today's global business environment is where innovation potential is the highest. Ignore it at your peril
Most all of us are familiar with the concept of "the edge". Edges are the peripheries of the global business environment, the places where innovation potential is the highest. In today's fast-moving business world, playing on the edge increasingly is the best way to gain an edge.
Edges define and describe the borders of companies, markets, industries, geographies, intellectual disciplines, and generations. They are the places where unmet customer needs find unexpected solutions, where disruptive innovations and blue oceans get birthed, and where edge capabilities transform the core competencies of the corporation.
Edges are increasingly significant as the global business environment speeds up. In a world of accelerating change, what's born on the edge transforms the core with breathtaking speed. A few short years ago, both India and China were marginal players in the global economy. Now they are central players. Not long ago, the Internet was a specialized communication platform for scientists. Now it's a center for commerce and advertising.
- Engage. Too often, executives get intrigued with the edge and arrange field visits to explore this strange terrain. Insight rarely comes from such casual visits. Instead, executives need to identify and focus on challenging business issues to engage edge participants productively and drive real insight.
- Sustain relationships on the edge. A lot of the current effort in open innovation focuses on short-term transactions to gain access to existing resources. To get the full value of the learning that's occurring on the edge, executives need to find ways to build long-term, trust-based relationships with edge participants.
- Bring the edge to the core. In too many cases, companies set up remote outposts on the edge that become isolated and alienated from the core of the business. Senior executives need to identify challenges confronted by the core where insights from the edge can be helpful and sponsor initiatives to bring participants from both domains together around these issues.
(Adapted from John Hagel and John Seely Brown, Innovation on the Edge, November 2007)
Rays of Hope (Stories/Parables)
Come to the Edge
Come to the edge, he said.
They said, we are afraid
Come to the edge, he said.
They came.
He pushed...and they flew.
~Guillaume Apollinaire |
Thank You
On behalf of all of us at Rising Sun Consultants, we want to thank you for reviewing the January edition of our Rise & Shine Newsletter and we want to wish you all …
Great Success, Health and Prosperity in the New Year!!
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your interest in Rising Sun Consultants and we invite you to visit our website (www.risingsunconsultants.com) and encourage you to submit a question for a future addition of Rise & Shine.
Until next month: Always Keep Your Eyes on the New Horizon! |
