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Greetings!
The first meeting of the new year is here. Below is all the
information you will need to join
us.
Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Time: 5:30 - 7:15 p.m.
Place:
Washoe Medical Center, Remedies, Reno
Cost: Full ASTD
members - free
ASTD Member -
$10
Non-members - $15
President's Message from Chris Champagne 
I never know what to say in these things. (Pat and Shelley were always
so smooth in these little Presidential missives, they are a tough act to
follow!) With 2005 upon us, and the planning retreat a recent event, I
thought I'd give you a line on what we're looking at for this year.
The way I see it, we're a professional association, and the primary
purpose of professional associations is to service the needs of the
members. So if it doesn't enhance or support the professional endeavors of
our members - we're probably not doing it. I see the primary goal of this
chapter is to make you guys better at what you do. So that's the measuring
stick I plan to use for allocation of chapter focus and resources this
year.
Second, after refining and defining the missions and purpose of this
chapter, we're getting into branding. There are many aspects of the
community that don't know who we are and don't know what we do. This year
will be the beginning of changing that. We'll be exploring synergistic
relationships with allied organizations, and we'll be taking a more public
presence in the community.
I also want to thank outgoing Board members and welcome the incoming
crew. Chapters don't run without a solid core of motivated volunteers, and
we've been blessed the past few years with an exceptional crop of willing
talent.
(I jokingly describe non-profit volunteer groups by saying
"they are like bad girlfriends - black holes of emotional need." Many
folks are a bit hesitant to write a blank check for volunteer efforts,
especially considering how busy we all seem to be these days. In the
member survey, many of you said you would be interested in serving on
projects and committees - if those commitments were clearly defined and
limited in scope. We're working on that. The Board always needs help with
events and committees, but we're not looking for a blank check. This isn't
some clique or inside crowd. It's your chapter, and if there's some way
you think you can help, then just let any of us know!)
Looking
forward to a fun-filled 2005!
Chris
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Don't Ask A Cow to Analyze Milk |
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Please join us on January 19, 2005 when Dr. Gino
Borges presents “Don’t Ask a Cow to Analyze Milk”. Dr. Gino Borges
helps inquisitive professionals identify, understand, and treat the
five universal challenges that they encounter:
Why
our achievements don’t equal satisfaction
• Why we
often feel isolated though surrounded by others
• Why we torture
ourselves with thoughts about what could have been and should occur
• Why we sometimes lose faith in ourselves despite our
accomplishments
• Why we dwell in the past and obsess about the
future
Dr. Borges is a diligent and dedicated student of human (and some
animal) behavior. Utilizing real-life experiences, including his
many “humbling” experiences on his parents’ dairy farm, he weaves
tales that will make you laugh as you are inspired to think
differently about everyday challenges. People who hear him come away
with an enhanced perspective and renewed sense of how their thinking
and communication practices shape day-to- day well being.
Specifically, people who hear Dr. Borges learn how to...
•
Secure a strong sense of self- accomplishment
• Create
indispensable relationships
• Thrive in the midst of
uncertainty
• Cultivate self-trust
• Live meaningfully in the
present
A firm believer in pragmatic education, Dr. Borges
believes that knowledge is a privilege that can be most effectively
shared not in the form of yet another exhausted and exhausting
academic lecture, but through compelling narratives of actual human
experiences. His approach provides real and practical education in
the form of an entertaining keynote address. Many clients hire him
to break up the monotony of industry-specific speakers.
Gino
Borges received his Ph.D. in communication and public psychology
from Purdue University. He currently delivers keynote speeches at
campus functions, community events, and professional/corporate
settings. He has accepted invitations to speak throughout the United
States. Whether he is speaking to audiences of over five hundred,
one hundred, or small groups, Dr. Borges creates a comfortable and
welcoming environment that challenges his audiences to think
critically about the five universal struggles through the
application of his unconventional wisdom to their professional and
personal situations. For more information on Dr. Borges go to www.borgesa
ndwhite.com
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Live and Learn: So, you want to Direct? by Kurt
Frohlich |
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The New Year brings with it a chance to wipe
the slate clean, embrace change, and ponder new opportunities. Among
these, especially within the training and performance improvement
ranks, is the desire to “Direct.”
You know the story: When
Oscar-winning actors are interviewed about their next big challenge,
the answer is inevitably, “I’d really like to Direct.”
So it
is with trainers - especially those of you who have already spent
years honing your “acting” skills. During the course of your career,
maybe some opportunities arose to wet your “Director’s” appetite.
Perhaps you have won some “cameo roles” managing a training-related
project. Or maybe you’ve written a couple of “scripts” (training
materials). Or maybe you find yourself giving “acting lessons” to
the up-and-coming newbies who are cutting their training teeth. If
this has happened to you, a little voice starts whispering, “I
could’da been a contender,” which is otherwise known as the urge to
start your own consulting practice.
So what does it REALLY
take to succeed as a training consultant? Let’s take a look (while
stretching the “Directing” metaphor to its breaking
point):
Do you have entrepreneurial “star
power”?
• Great trainers can make poor business
people. Just as star employees often make poor managers, star
trainers are not guaranteed success as consultants. If you don’t
have entrepreneurial drive (i.e. passion and a relentless desire to
succeed no matter what), you’re better off staying where you
are.
• Can you make your own luck? Successful consultants
make it look easy. They’re busy all the time, the money comes in at
a steady pace, and quality of life improves seemingly like magic.
However, just as a professional athlete makes a sport look easy, a
successful consulting practice is the result of hard work…not luck.
Can you sell your services to make a better-than-average yearly
income? Do you have superb written and verbal communication skills?
Do you have the expertise and experience to handle a variety of
consultative opportunities and situations? Will you recognize those
opportunities when you see them? Can you handle rejection? Do you
know when to ask for help? Can you work long hours and weekends to
meet a deadline?
• Can you thrive in uncertainty? There are
times when consultants don’t know exactly where their next paycheck
will come from. Do you have the discipline to save for the lean
times? Can you maintain a positive outlook while in between
projects?
• Consider what you’re giving up with that steady
day job. 401K matching, profit-sharing, paid sick and vacation time,
and most importantly: MEDICAL INSURANCE, all represent income and
will become additional expenses when you go out on your own. These
can amount to many thousands of dollars per year. Can you replace
all of the above AND still make enough money to live better than you
are now?
Do you have a strong “supporting
cast”?
• Your family and friends MUST be behind your
new venture 100% or it will fail. Ironically, those folks are also
the ones who may be the most negative, and may actually try to
undermine your success.
• You MUST retain outstanding
accounting and legal services. Preferably those who have experience
helping business start-ups in your local area AND who also have
other clients in your field (so that they understand what you do).
This is not a team to skimp on. They will recommend the right
business structure for you (sole proprietor, LLC, corporation) keep
your taxes as low as possible, teach you how to hold on to more of
your hard-earned money, and will keep you from being sued.
•
You MUST secure the services of one or more reputable insurance
carriers. At the very least, you’ll need coverage for Commercial
Auto (at least $1 million), General Liability (for damage or theft
of workplace items or events that may occur at the workplace),
Worker’s Compensation (if you have any employees), and Errors &
Omissions (at least $1million to cover if something you say or write
causes harm, whether actual or simply alleged). Note that most
companies mandate that you have these types of insurance in place
before they will even do business with you. And don’t forget about
providing sufficient health and life insurance policies for you and
your family (which for a family of 4 can be as high as $600 to $800
or more per month).
Where are your “roles” going to
come from?
• Before leaving your current job, can
you secure at least six months of lucrative consulting
work?
• Before approaching any prospective clients, check to
see if you signed a “non-compete” agreement with your current
employer. If you did, you may need to honor the non-compete time
frame. Ask your lawyer to make sure.
• Do you have enough
money set aside to survive for at least six months? Sometimes those
“sure thing” consulting jobs fall through or lose funding - even
after a contract has been signed. It’s part of a consultant’s
reality. Can you survive it?
• Do you have good credit? As a
consultant, you will be selling what you know or will be providing
some type of service, but you still need some essentials. These
include a computer, productivity software, office equipment,
business cards, letterhead, a web site, brochures, insurance,
business licenses, advertising, etc. At the very least, plan on
$5,000 of start-up expenses, even if you plan on working from home.
You’ll need good personal credit to obtain a company credit card for
some of these purchases. Sometimes a home equity loan can do the
job, but get it BEFORE you leave your current job or you may not
qualify until you have two years of business ownership under your
belt.
• Are you comfortable being your own sales and
marketing department? No matter how good they are at a particular
job, some people can’t (or don’t like to) sell. You probably won’t
be able to hire a sales and marketing team, so are you able to
adequately describe your services to company decision-makers? Do you
know how to price your services appropriately? Can you negotiate a
binding contract? Can you convince a CEO to pick your company over
another? Can you look a Training Manager in the eye and tell him or
her that your training solution costs $500,000…and fully justify
it?
This is by no means an exhaustive checklist. It’s just
meant to get you thinking about some of the realities of sitting in
the “Director’s chair.” It’s not meant to discourage you either.
When the whole venture is clicking, it’s extremely rewarding,
provides a measure of schedule flexibility, and a level of control
not usually found when working for someone else. But you have to be
very aware of your capabilities, aptitudes AND the financial
realities before taking the plunge.
Sometimes, great actors
do make great Directors. But sometimes great actors are meant to be
great actors.
Recommended reading:
Getting Started in
Consulting, by Alan Weiss, PhD
Million Dollar Consulting, by Alan
Weiss, PhD
Flawless Consulting, by Peter Block
Kurt Frohlich got the bug to “Direct” 3 years ago, when he
founded Apex Performance Solutions (www.solutions
byapex.com). He is also Director at Large and President-Elect of
the Sierra Nevada ASTD chapter.
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