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Greetings!
Our Next Meeting is Wednesday March 16,
2005
Washoe Medical Center
Remedies Meeting Rooms,
75 Pringle
Way
Time: 5:30 - 7:15 p.m.
You asked for it...you got it!
Meet and greet
your fellow members, as well as your 2005 Board of Directors, through a
series of structured (and fun) networking activities led by fellow member
and performance coach, Mr. Chuck Sweeney!
Because of the construction in and around Washoe Medical Center, you'll
need to enter the property from the Second Street entrance (west on Mill
St., right on Kirman, right on E. Second St). The professional center
garage is the most convenient place to park.
President's Message from Chris Champagne 
Spring seems upon us, which is a welcome break in the winter cycle of
steel gray skies and snow drifts of only a few months ago. We're moving
forward with several events and opportunities that will be coming up this
spring and summer, and 2005 is looking to be a good year to be a local
member! We're only a month away from our ICE conference winner being
announced, we've got a Covey event coming very soon in May (details to
come) and we're looking at even more events for the summer and fall.
One thing we've been trying to pay closer attention to is the request
for more networking time with members at events and meetings. We're going
to respond to that in several ways, but one thing we're going to start at
meetings is the 10 second introduction, so everyone gets a chance to
introduce themselves, their companies and their skill sets so we can all
know one another better and can share in opportunities. So don't be
shocked next meeting if you are asked to stand up and tell everyone a bit
about yourself.
The seasons are changing, and it seems like new life and energy are
being breathed into everything. Winter always has a way of creeping back
for a week or two before it's finally over (I've lived here too long), but
I'm really excited about what's coming together for our chapter this year.
Enjoy the sun and see you next meeting!
Chris
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Book Review: The Power of Personal
Accountability |
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 by Chris Champagne
"The Power of Personal
Accountability- Achieve What Matters Most to You"
by Mark Samuel
and Sophie Chiche
The first three lines of this book say it
all:
"This book is about accomplishing what matters to you.
It is about what gets you up in the morning. It is about looking
back at your life and liking what you see."
Mark Samuel began his "accountability revolution" through years
of coaching and consulting. He defines personal accountability as
doing what we say we are going to do. Simple as that. Simple and
powerful - yet hard to execute for many people.
I've read many books on personal growth,self- actualization and
leadership. Samuel is on to something here. His style is clear,
concise and effective. At 122 pages, this not a long read or a hard
read. But often the most simple turns of phrase create a lot of food
for thought. I think about this book nearly every day. It is
sticking with me.
The two key parts are his accountability model, where one loop is
what he calls the "Victim Loop." The opposite in the figure eight
model diagram is the "Accountability Loop." The trick is knowing
where you are in those loops at all times. The second key part that
stuck with me is that he speaks to recovery. Basically, his model
allows for course correction and "getting back on the horse." This
whole paradigm is much more a lifestyle, much like Covey's 8 Habits.
Can you really do it 100% of the time? Samuel doesn't think so. So
he shows you how to recover if you get off track and re-align to the
path you desire.
Go visit the IMPAQ Web site at www.impaq.com. They have an online
newsletter and more information for the curious. I highly recommend
the book and think the world would be a very different place if
everyone got on board with this kind of thinking.
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Live and Learn: The Trainer / Rock & Roll
Connection? |
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 by Kurt Frohlich
I tried, but I didn’t
time it right. I managed to miss the first opening act, but had to
suffer through the second one while waiting for the headliner.
As I endured death metal classics for the next 45 minutes, I
searched desperately for my happy place. In doing so, I thought of a
previous training company job in which the staff and I could have
put together a better garage band than was currently in front of me.
We had musical talent on guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, saxophone,
and even a female lead singer! But for some reason, our band
(tentatively named “Learn or Die”) never took off.
This streak of frustrated musicianship within the training
community seems to be widespread based on the many trainers I’ve
talked to over the years. But the question remains: How did we end
up taking roll when we really wanted to Rock &
Roll?
When you break it down, the two professions have a lot
in common. Consider this:
• Most trainers and musicians love being the center of attention
on our respective “stages.” It has also been rumored that both
professions have their share of prima donnas, (though I’m sure this
can’t be true of trainers).
• Some trainers and musicians
write what they “perform”, while others deliver content written by
others. In either case, you’ve got to “sell” it so the audience
“buys” it.
• Those of us who “write our own lyrics” put our
hearts and souls into something our audience may not like. But when
they do...is there anything more rewarding?
• Feedback for
poor training may involve low evaluation scores or a complaint to
your boss. Unhappy rockers throw full cups of beer. In either case,
the feedback is pretty effective.
• Trainers’ fans write nice
comments on evaluation forms and say kind things. Musicians have
bras and underwear thrown at them, and then they invite their
favorite fans back to the tour bus. (Hey, wait…that’s not the
same!).
• There’s a lot of pre-class planning and setup that
goes into delivering a quality training event. Let’s face it - we
need roadies.
• Some musicians make millions, lose millions,
acquire and then kick a drug habit, owe the IRS, get married and
divorced five or six times, declare bankruptcy, and then tell all on
"Behind the Music". As trainers…oh, wait, never mind.
• As
trainers, we have our favorite classes just as musicians have their
favorite songs. Yet at times, we get tired of delivering the same
material over and over again. But true professionals strive to keep
the material fresh for both ourselves and for our audiences no
matter how many times we’ve performed it.
Thankfully, the opening act is wrapping up. They’re a young,
energetic punk/thrash/death metal band, and I don’t get them…but
their fans are enthusiastic. In the end, I give them credit. They’re
out there living the dream many of us gave up a long time ago. Maybe
one day they’ll end up in one of our Train-the-Trainer
courses.
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Great benefits for National ASTD members |
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By Jeanne Underwood: VP of
Administration
If you aren’t yet an ASTD National member,
maybe now’s the time to check out the website at www.astd.org to peruse all the great
benefits. My personal favorite is the ExecuBooks subscription – a
$99 value for free with your membership. I just received a great
e-summary on Alex Pattakos’ Prisoners of Our Thoughts, based on
Viktor Frankl’s Principles at Work. Other benefits include T + D
Magazine, Quick-read summaries of the news affecting the training
industry, ASTD State of the Industry Reports, Discounts on ASTD
Products and Services, a Career Center, and much more.
What does this have to do with my role on the Board as VP of
Administration? As I mentioned at our membership meeting last month,
one of my responsibilities is to ensure that our chapter maintains
100% compliance with the Chapter Operating Requirements (CORE)
established by the National ASTD organization. CORE consists of a
set of 17 performance guidelines for all of the Society’s chapters.
They are designed to help chapters deliver a consistent set of
benefits to members, through covering key programs, services and
activities required for effective chapter operations.
CORE #15 requires that a minimum of 20 chapter members must
maintain joint local chapter and national chapter memberships. All
of the Board of Directors are required to have dual membership, yet
this still leaves us short of the 20 required.
Here’s where we need your help! If you are a National member,
please send us an e-mail with your national membership number and
the month/year of your expiration.
If you aren’t yet enjoying the benefits of National membership,
join the group that reaps the rewards while supporting us here at
the local level. Use CH#8103 on all your purchases – membership,
products and services – to ensure that we are credited at the local
level. Thanks for your help.
Jeanne
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