A VITAL Organization

There are times when we need to recite the meaning of the associations we've developed. After some time passes, we forget the fervor that went into striving to earn the distinctions those associations merit and symbolize. The initials become tantamount to year-old tattoos. We're no longer aware that they're even there; they're simply part of who we are.

An employer needs to know (or is that "wants" to know) what the initials "C.A.C." mean. Well, if you look up the organization that issues that certification, you'll find it is issued by the California Staffing Professionals Association (CSP), the California complement of the American Staffing Association (ASA).

Check the CSP home page and you'll discover they bill themselves as a "VITAL" organization. But all of those letters are capitalized. That means "VITAL" is an acronym. What the letters stand for are concepts that are representative of what the organization is and qualities it offers.

Visionary

Integrity

Training

Advocacy

Leadership


There are a number of certifications that are available through evaluative testing performed by both the national as well as the state-level organizations. Successful performance will earn the applicant a particular designation to represent their knowledge and expertise. The ASA lists the types of certifications available through them. The CSP (Certified Staffing Professional) used to be the initials for the credential earned through the CSP organization. That state designation changed its name circa 2000 and became known as CAC or California Accredited Consultant. It still represents the same accomplishments. The rigors are limited to California laws instead of state as well as federal laws. It still requires knowledge of ethical practices.

The CSP has a continuing education requirement; the CAC does not. (Please, don't ask me why.) In a way, the lack of continuing education requirement is a bit disappointing. But when you consider that one who is passionate about their profession will be taking as many steps as possible to remain abreast of industry practices and knowledge, it makes sense that the requirement no longer exists. Additionally, one who is actively practicing will in all likelihood also be attending chapter meetings and thereby staying up to date on innovations through the educational section of each meeting.

You may be wondering about the significance of certifications and credentials. (Maybe you're not.) Unearthing the language that provides the official CSP explanation of their CAC brought me to a site called Designation Check. They have a page, Credentials Explained, where the various types of credentials are explained, whether there are any differences between a "designation" and a "certification", and more. It's useful to gain an understanding and appreciation of the document (or the initials) that represents the distinction the person holds. It appears Designation Check's specialty is in the area of finance. The information they provide is reliable with regard to certifications for any industry. Certification is a standard practice for any profession.

Back to being a VITAL organization. Back to an examination of whether you've found a consultant. Some have dotted all their "i"s and crossed all their "t"s. They've earned their credential through a valid organization that maintains their standards over time. NOLO tells us about other aspects of starting a consulting business in California. One of them is having a license, which can be a simple as obtaining a fictitious business name (a "dba") through the county where the business is being conducted. It's good for five years. It's required because it helps the public realize it is a business they're dealing with or a group of owners who are operating under a particularly formulated name; it isn't the name of an individual. Also, the dba basically tells the (local) government that this is a business and it may pursue and defend its rights in a court of law under the registered name of the business. Otherwise, the individual doing business under that name has no standing. (Further explanation is required but in another writing.) Once the registration is renewed, so is the standing. The legitimacy of the business is otherwise not affected.

Likewise, if the certifying organization has stopped requiring continuing education and proof of it, the prudent practitioner will continue to enhance their knowledge through various alternative (but reliable) channels and keep track of those "credits". They will continue to be vital, especially if they've needed to step away from things for one reason or another and later decide to re-enter the field.

As with any other profession when you're evaluating the consultant, you'll want to do some screening. Pay attention to what they've been doing in lateral areas. Should you decide to hire them, you'll start them on what should be manageable and then increase the difficulty level as your relationship evolves and your organization can become VITAL because of the quality input you've chosen.

Resources:

• California Staffing Professionals Association
  
• American Staffing Association
  
• Credentials Explained
  
• NOLO Starting a Consulting Business
  
• Why Become Certified
  
• How Professional Certificates Can Help Jump-Start Your Career
  

Sponsored Links:

• PHR/SPHR Certification Exam Preparation
  
• Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used
  

OD Cautionary Lessons

There are times when teachable moments happen in a spontaneous way. You're not looking for them but they sort of leap in front of you as though challenging you to see whether you'll speak up or let them continue to fester. There are many risks when these situations arise.

• The company brand suffers
  
• Customers become annoyed and abandon the store or even the entire company
  
• Customers take their business to the competition
  
• Lack of training becomes obvious, causing further deterioration in credibility
  
• Your business looks ridiculous
  

In an effort to avert these and other consequences of poor development initiatives and poor hiring strategies, here are a few cautionary lessons.

Cautionary lesson 1: Assign personnel to areas where they are most effective and then train them to learn and take on gradually increasing duties.

Cautionary lesson 2: Make certain a customer is treated with respect at every phase of contact. If they do not receive immediate attention because of high traffic, let them know that they are part of a queue and will be attended within the next [insert reasonable number] minutes.

Cautionary lesson 3: Don't put the customer through a chain of referrals that exceeds 2 unless it is absolutely mandatory. If the referrals are necessary, provide some reasonable explanation.

Cautionary lesson 4: Don't allow the wait time between referrals to amount to more than 2 minutes if at all possible. If the wait is longer, provide a reasonable expectation of when service will be provided.

Cautionary lesson 5: The customer will not be impressed when attending to their needs is put off by allowing the associate tell the customer they cannot be served because the associate is too busy doing something else that's more important. Don't be surprised if the customer responds that they have something else to do as well.

Cautionary lesson 6: When the employee is falling down on customer service, back office reprimands don't help rebuild brand. Asking the employee in the presence of the customer if the employee has knowledge about the service that was supposed to be delivered helps in the understanding on both sides of the equation. Immediately begin serving the customer while the employee watches and learns.

Cautionary lesson 7: Sometimes the customer who's being put on hold and referred around the store to all the personnel until they're back to the original is actually some type of expert who could be a consultant for your office. Refer to Cautionary lesson 2. Consider the image of the company that begins to form in the customer's mind as these types of scenarios evolve.

Chaos is one way to describe it. Is that what was intended?

Sponsored Links:

• Serves You Right: You Are Responsible For Customer Service
  
• The Customer Rules: The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service
  

A Guide to Sarbanes-Oxley, Part Two

by

Niquette M. Kelcher
October 2002 -- In Part One of this series, we discussed how the Sarbanes-Oxley Act came to be, outlined its major provisions, shared accounting and finance professionals' reactions to SOA, and explained what it means to the accounting profession.

If you missed Part One, click here. Here's what's covered in Part Two:

• How managers can implement SOA into the company culture
  
• How to keep staff members educated and informed
  

How Managers Can Implement SOA Into Company Culture

Creating new laws and expecting companies to follow them is one thing, but efficient implementation of them is another. Clair Raubenstine, former president of the Institute of Management Accountants, emphasizes the crucial "tone at the top."

According to Raubenstine, "Companies need to communicate that they are resisting the pressures of the financial community and setting realistic goals. Don't set goals too high for the sales staff, for instance. Additionally, managers should encourage open lines of communication between management and staff. Management needs to 'walk the talk.'"

Ethics programs, already a staple in many companies but expected to pop up in more, also should be implemented. Raubenstine suggests companies establish ethics hotlines and assign ethics coordinators so employees can report suspected misconduct without penalization. 

"Management has to continually educate personnel what the company rules are and educate people on how their role fits in with the total organization and the overall mission of the department. Employees need to feel like they are a part of the business," explains Raubenstine.

In turn, he continues, finance and accounting professionals need to recognize that there are more penalties that could be imposed on individuals for not properly reporting financial matters throughout the ranks. "Companies will expect more from their employees so management is properly certifying the financial information," says Raubenstine.

Yvonne LaRose, a Business Management and Personnel Consultant for Executive Recruiting Entrances, agrees that managers need to set an example. "Managers lead by how they conduct themselves; their staff takes their cue on what is important and how to do things based on how managers handle situations. Thus, managers should incorporate into their routine a pattern of following good practices," she explains.

Additionally, adds LaRose, "when reports are presented to a partner or manager, there should not be a rubber stamp approval. Managers need to take the time to actually review the document(s) and ask questions about numbers -- and even sources of information -- to ensure that they know what is there. If there are red flag issues, they should be addressed. Staff should be put on notice that those types of issues are important and attended to at the source so that matters are rectified and the problem abated."

In a SmartPros FMN segment, Dr. Jonathan Schiff, professor of accounting, Fairleigh Dickinson University and president of Schiff Consulting Group, gives similar advice. Schiff says financial managers "should have good documentation of plans, as well as programs in place, that try to do more than merely react to what Congress may come up with, or what the SEC may come up with. They need to be more proactive in designing systems of control that are competitive within one's industry and which raise the level of acumen across management."

Free guidance on corporate ethics is available from a variety of associations. Through the IMA, financial professionals can now get free, confidential guidance on ethical issues via the IMA Ethics Hotline. 

"When financial professionals call the toll-free hotline, their inquiries will be forwarded to an experienced ethics counselor, who provides confidential guidance," explains IMA president Margaret Butler. "This hotline is particularly well-suited for small businesses and solo practitioners who need guidance on ethical issues."

The IMA also offers to corporations the use of its Standards of Ethical Conduct for compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Similarly, Financial Executives International encourages companies to adopt its Code of Ethics model (Word doc).

How to Keep Staff Member Educated and Informed

Despite the disruption SOA may cause, the show must go on. Says Wyatt: "As with anything new, accounting firms should encourage reading and study." Companies must continue to perform -- and given the current economy they must perform within a limited budget.

So how can managers ensure their staff is up to speed on the new requirements? SmartPros culled expert opinions and various studies on some cost-effective methods for educating accounting staff members on SOA and related topics.

E-learning.

Webcasts and online continuing professional education are among the most efficient and cost-effective means of staying on top of the profession because companies are spared many expenses by educating staff in the office or at home at their own computers.

Nucleus Research reports that thousands of ongoing return on investment (ROI) studies for Global 2000 corporations indicate that companies adopting e-learning initiatives recognize "first-tier benefits including reduced costs for travel, human resources overhead, regulatory compliance, and customer-support costs." Additionally, second-tier benefits include "improved employee performance that directly impacts profitability." Nucleus found that most organizations could gain significant returns from even modest investments in e-learning technology."

Adds LaRose: "Seminars are an extremely valuable tool in developing a greater appreciation of the terms and nuances of the Act. From these trainings, professionals and leaders will be able to get immediate, first-hand answers to the initial questions -- answers that will build understanding of what is involved and some approaches to responsible attention to details."

Books (hot off the presses)

An entire library of accounting and finance books related to the upheaval of the industry have been published, including material on detection and prevention of fraud, audit committee and ethics handbooks, investor guides, cost management resources and management primers.

Book recommendations from SmartPros:

• The Financial Numbers Game by Charles W. Mulford
  
• Take on the Street by Arthur Levitt
  
• Ethics for CPAs: Meeting Expectations in Challenging Times by D. R. Carmichael, Dan M. Guy, Linda A. Lach
  
• The Audit Committee Handbook by Louis Braiotta, Jr.
  
• Financial Statement Fraud: Prevention and Detection by Zabihollah Rezaee
  
• Paying for Performance: A Guide to Compensation Management by Peter D. Chingos
  
• Valuation of Companies in Emerging Markets by Luis E. Pereiro
  
• Essentials of Corporate Performance Measurement by George T. Friedlob, Lydia L. F. Schleifer and Franklin J. Plewa Jr.
  

Resources:

• Third Party Management for Financial Services, free Third Party Management in Financial Services Illustrated graphic download to visualize and develop an effective approach to managing third party risk in a GRC context.
  
• OCEG Events
  
• OCEG CLE Webinars
  
• OCEG Resource Collections
  

Sponsored Links:

• Building Public Trust: The Future of Corporate Reporting
  
• Fraud 101: Techniques and Strategies for Detection
  
• The Real World of Finance: 12 Lessons for the 21st Century (Wiley Finance)
  
• Chairman of the Board: A Practical Guide
  

Do Your Employees Really Need Training?

During the economic recession, companies cut back on employee training. Now that the economy is recovering, many companies are renewing their training programs. In some cases this renewed commitment to employee training and development is needed to increase employee engagement. However, some companies view training as a "one size fits all" solution to decreased employee engagement.

Before you jump on the training band wagon, you might want to consider performing a training needs assessment (TNA). A TNA is an activity that helps to determine if training is needed. 

Why should you perform a TNA? First, a TNA will prevent you from implementing training for performance issues when those issues are not related to the employees' lack of knowledge, skills, and/or abilities (KSAs). Second, a TNA will ensure that your training program has the correct objectives, content, and methods. Third, a TNA will help you to determine if your employees have the basic skills to understand the training material(s). Fourth, a TNA that involves upper and middle management as well as experienced employees will help you gain the support you need to implement an effective training program.

A TNA has five parts:

1. The reason(s) for the training. Examples of the reasons for training include new laws/regulations, poor employee performance, new products or technology, customer satisfaction, and so on.
2. An organization analysis determines organizational goals, if the organization has the resources (personnel, equipment, or money) to perform the training, and if poor employee performance is caused by a gap in KSAs or a lack of motivation.
3. A task analysis identifies the tasks that employees perform to do their jobs. The task analysis includes how frequently the task is performed, it's importance in performing the job well, and if the task requires previous experience or training in order to be performed well (difficulty). Also, the task analysis should include the KSAs that employees need in order to perform the task.
4. A person analysis determines if employees have the basic skills needed to understand the training material and if employees understand the training's relevance to their job duties.
5. The desired outcomes are basically what you expect employees to learn from the training.

There are many methods you can use to obtain the data necessary to perform these analyses: annual reports, questionnaires and surveys, employee performance appraisals, subject matter expert panels, interviews, market research, existing job and/or task analyses, or manuals and handbooks. 

The bottom line is this: by not performing a TNA, you run the risk of wasting the company's money and time on a training program that is irrelevant, unnecessary, or incomprehensible to employees. 

The Value of Undercover Boss

It's important for the boss to get a hands-on sense of how the business is operating and who's responsible for keeping the ship afloat. Some bosses simply don't have a sense of what the business is about until they (quite literally in some instances) get their hands dirty with the typical grind. That's why "Undercover Boss is so important to business executives.

There are far too many instances of executives who run a business by top-down orders and who don't try to find out what's actually happening on the floor or in the field that makes those orders unrealistic.

More importantly, those in the job market have an opportunity to do business and company research about opportunities either in that company or else in that industry. People have the ability to see more than the typical job out there waiting to be filled.

Earning Letters to Be a Leader

A recent community discussion was raised about the need for a degree and/or certification in order to be eligible for hire as a Human Resource professional. Many perspectives are offered in that discussion. Most lean toward experience and skill plus certification. I remember a lecture from my undergrad Management instructor about being a leader and the qualifications for that role. He set forth the concept that you don't need to have a degree nor a background in the business nor industry that you're leading. What you do need is a knowledge of how to run a business and how to lead. The other details can be delegated to trusted advisers and consultants who are experts in that particular area and who do not have some hidden agenda for power grabbing of their own.

A university degree says the individual has been taught how to think and reason through issues. They have been exposed to the latest principles and concepts. They have managed to pass the academic tests structured to evaluate how well they grasped those concepts. Unfortunately, it became vogue during the '80s and '90s to negotiate an A in whatever course was taken so that the true value of the grade was watered down. Even having a 4.0 academic standing now leaves room for speculation.

Certifications are good milestone checks for how well a person has gained a good understanding of the principles. To the extent they are required at periodic intervals and evaluate new practices and concepts in addition to the basics, they are very useful. But certifications are expensive propositions. In this economy, they are for those who have the funds to take them or work for an employer who is willing to sponsor taking the test.

Which brings me back to the qualifications of a leader. The person has proven experience from many situations and venues. They understand the importance of continued education and endeavor to stay abreast of technology and practices. They look to case studies for guidance where they have no direct experience of their own.

To the extent they demonstrate the essential characteristics of a professional in deportment, demeanor, appearance, and respect for others, in addition to using good judgment, the person without all the letters but with a great amount of experience is just as qualified in many respects.

As a closing thought, some years ago a woman who was a practicing lawyer talked with me at a networking function for recruiters and HR pros. She wanted to transition from law to HR but was getting a lot of resistance and being told she didn't have the necessary qualifications. What I interpreted was that HR folk are extremely territorial. Even though she had the advantages of being a professional from another industry as well as the necessary knowledge of the law as it would apply in essentially all of the situations that would present to her, the established population didn't want an outsider to infiltrate the ranks. Incidentally, I've checked her LinkedIn profile and it appears she finally broke through.


Sponsored Links:

• Hard hat required: district leaders--even those with limited school construction experience--can successfully manage projects to create the best ... An article from: District Administration
  
  
• Leaders and Leadership in Education
  

Open to Suggestions

It isn't too often that a company will be receptive to unsolicited suggestions for improvement. But one of the FedEx Kinko's (now known as FedEx Office) facilities was ripe for change and accepted the assistance.

The site came to my attention as a customer. Morale was extremely low. Employees carped and complained about nearly everything. Gossip was running at a regular clip and all downhill. It was around October or November when things simply tanked.

The employees spoke openly among themselves and in front of customers about the poor management styles and the even worse training that were imposed on them. They recounted horror stories. The tales were reminiscent of others told in other places; I always thought they were manufactured for the sake of the publication in which I read them. These were real.

There came a day when the gossip reached a high point. The complaints were coming from three or four who were clustered in an area. Although their voices were modulated, the content of what was being said was more than understandable. People were being publicly belittled and chastised. Training and explanation were luxuries that seldom occurred.

I finally reached a point when I could no longer be silent. There was one complaint in particular that was being repeated by nearly all of the workers in the store. I took one of the employees aside and confirmed what I'd heard as a complaint. She was the one who recounted the story most recently. She had been belittled in front of customers and fellow employees. I recommended to her that if it occurred again that she ask the supervisor to please not say such things to her in public. Follow up that statement with a request that they set aside a time to talk privately in order to discuss the issues at hand. The employee acknowledged the advice and we parted. The subject was not raised between us again.

Usually issues regarding morale will linger until the subordinate can't stand the situation any longer and just leaves. This case was different. Withing a month, the gossip clusters dissipated. Open remarks about the lack of ability on the part of management also abated. A new air of professionalism took over all shifts.

At the beginning of this month, the supervisor brought two of his team members into an area where I was working. He wanted to have a brief coaching with them. What he did was compliment them on the work they had done and give them kudos for the way things were handled. He finished his words by adding a summation, "Good job, guys." And then he hi-fived them both.

The branch is still operating at a much higher level of morale and professionalism. The communication seems to be better. The verbal skills of the workers seems to have gotten better; there are fewer grammatical errors. In fact, the workers seem to be happy and enjoy what they're doing more.

This appears to have been a case where the supervisor did not have a need to push his point down everyone's throat. He had no mission to prove he was always right and a driving need to bully anyone and everyone in sight. He was open to that initial volley of talking this over privately rather than berate the worker on the spot in public.

The growth in turning this into a more professional office setting continues. I can only say this proved to be one of those times when the right message sank in and got implemented in the right way.

Hospital Recommendations Upheld

The impact of the announcement left a humming chill in the air that resonated for several minutes. It made the listener want to stop and wait for the next sounds, the syllables that would unfold the remainder of the story, reveal the inevitable. Then the realization came that the suspense would have to wait until July 31 or later.

It was the morning of July 23. Radio news announced that U.S. inspectors had just arrived at King-Drew Hospital for a surprise evaluation visit. The hospital has a long history of troubles, poor performance by the workers, lack of discretion, and a nickname that sends shudders down the spine -- Killer King.

Earlier this week, the outcome of the inspection was announced. The hospital will be closed. In fact, one reporter stood in front of the empty building yesterday and spoke of the falling action of this drama. No emergency patients were being accepted. Ambulances were being redirected to other hospitals. Existing patients in the various specialty wings were transferred throughout this week to other facilities.

It was not the equipment that failed. It was not the integrity of the building that lacked. It was not 100 percent of the staff. But there were too many who were charged with the welfare of individuals who could not perform their duties. One reporter cited the fact that a worker could not accurately calculate the dosage that was to be dispensed to a patient. Another could not read the indicators provided by their equipment. Another left things unattended and problems arose.

This does not account for the tales of people being summarily lumped together as stereotypical entities rather than unique individuals. This does not include condescending statements that belittled the patients, making them feel less than human. And the fact that the hospital personnel would provide directions to one part of the hospital campus to another that on any occasion could be accurate or not is also not in the measures of credibility.

This last issue is important because if a person is seeking treatment for a health condition, it is highly likely that navigating two or more blocks to go from one part of the plant to the outlying bungalows on the campus may not be an easy task. Although there was a shuttle, it was difficult to actually catch it because it did not show up at the intervals that were supposed to be its rounds.

It was the screening and testing of personnel that caused the fall. The measures that were too low. The lack of taking charge of a situation that was not acceptable and letting it "slide" because the person in question needed a break. But a hospital, the health and welfare of people striving to live and care for theirselves, is not a place where people should let things slide. An individual's integrity at that point is one of the most critical issues and of paramount importance.

Let this second failure and ultimate closure be a lesson to Human Resource and recruiting professionals. Let this be a lesson to schools and universities. In preparing the people who will work in these environs, there should be care to make certain that their grades accurately reflect ability. Attention to detail is premium and should be part of the main concerns of the candidates. A first mistake can be forgiven but it needs to be attended with remediation. A second mistake needs more drastic measures.

In a previous post, there was an observation that some of the personnel showed signs of being heavily medicated on anti-depressants. Yet they were still on full duty in critical areas and managing records and documents. We will not speculate on whether the records always got into the correct files or not. The sins of the overall facility make that thought to terrifying to consider. But again, management and Human Resources should have worked together to find some means of providing time off until the reason for the medication was resolved and then return the worker to their position.

But that brings me to yet another observation about the personnel. So much reliance on using pills to cure anything and everything, from the least to the greatest. Again, there was no screening with regard to whether that medication was appropriate. In fact, some medications that have been found to be contra-indicated for use were still being prescribed. Other medications created physical dependency on the drugs (not addiction) that cause the condition to worsen and require higher doses. But the patient was still seen as the stereotype who would be suseptible to the family of related maladies. Indeed, the medications being prescribed would become the precipitants of the related conditions and add to the number of issues with which the patient contended rather than actually healing and freeing them from dependence on artificial remedies. Perhaps this last indictment is a failing of the training rather than the practice or the hospital. I will invalidate it -- for now.

We say in the recruiting industry that we are in pursuit of the "qualified talent." King-Drew shows us where things can go when we do not hold our standards as high as possible and settle for less than qualified. But King-Drew's Personnel department, no doubt, was attempting to give these "D" and "F" performers (according to Yaroslavsky) another chance at making it in a reputable facility. Unfortunately, they were given the chance to make it but not the support and supervision necessary to actualize it.

TAGS: organizational development, staffing, screening, qualified, competency, King-Drew Hospital,

Where Does Money Come From?

Those of you who are parents (or aunts or uncles) have probably heard the question from the youngster on the order of, "Where do babies come from?"

You look around the room, blink a bit, speculate about how far back in the process you should go or whether you should just gloss over the entire thing, a la stork story, and then seize on a direction and follow it.

How many youngsters ask, "Where does money come from?" or "How do we keep all of this stuff we have here?" or while in the store, "Can we pay/afford this?"

Where does money come from?

We talk about the trained workforce, the one that asks the critical questions and either knows the answers or else knows how to find them. But do they have a sense of cost of business and economics? It appears to our youth (and some adults, as well) have the impression that money is simply pulled out of the air. If it's needed, it will appear from some invisible source and line the bank account. The impression is also that they believe those who have it (money) have an ever-lasting supply of it.

What's disheartening is that even when the "deep pockets" says there is no budget (or sponsor, or funds), the words seem to be brushed off like a bad case of dandruff. The overuse, misuse, and cavalier depletion continues. The appearance is that there is an acclimation to having wants and demands catered to without heed to the sacrifices necessary to accommodate the unearned reward. Unfortunately, they are oblivious to the evidence of sacrifice; the demands and expectations simply continue or increase.

Where does money come from?

More importantly, we need to develop a future workforce that is mindful of the answer and appreciates what it takes to earn the revenue. Actually, the development needs to start at a time that is not somewhere in the future. The development can and should start now, today, with our present workforce. And it is entirely possible to do this without allocating funds and time for a tremendous training program.

It's too simple. It's a bit like the purloined letter.

Each supervisor has a team of workers. The team should be made aware of what the goal is and what it costs to make goal and still have a profit. Where project profit is not easily measured because it's loading or packing widgets, there's another solution to encouraging time efficiency and therefore profitability. Structure some type of informal competition to measure who can pack the most within a certain time frame without incurring an injury. Then focus on those members' exceeding their personal best. Delta Environmental Consultants seems to have gotten the formula with their development and retention strategies.

There have been companies that were about to go under. Delta Airlines is a prime example of that situation. Rather than lose their jobs, the employees rallied. They focused on where the costs were and what it would take to save the company. The employees decided to become the owners. The result: the employees are still keeping the planes in the air and the customers happy. The employees are making some tough choices under sensitive circumstances. But they're still flying. The point is, the employees developed an appreciation of where the money comes from and how to make it stretch to cover the needs, make a profit, and not kill the cash cow. Rather, they need to learn how to make their department the cash cow.

With proper on-the-job training that includes cost and profit awareness, efficiency, appreciation of goodwill, and the importance of repeat business, it is definitely possible for us to reverse the forecast of a qualified talent drought in 2010. Any one of them will be able to answer the question, "Where does money come from?"

training, value of money, value of time, organizational development,
ShareBuilder 401(k)