90 Day Biz Success program starts Friday September 7th at 12 pm (EST)

Is this fall the time to take your business to your next level? The next 90 Day Biz Success Program will be launching next Friday September 7th from 12 – 1pm (EST) by phone.

We will be meeting twice a month by phone as a group to look at critical issues for your business success including:
* Creating or Refining your Business Vision
* Leveraging Your Marketing, and creating a marketing plan
* Identifying what gives you competitive advantage and what makes you unique as a business owner
* Critical business systems to have in place
* Developing your 2008 Business Plan

For the past several years I’ve taught small business studies at the post-secondary level, and run small business seminars for women entrepreneurs. I’ve also been a contributing author to Starting Your Own Business – A Guide for Women in York Region (YSSTAB, 2006). I’ve taken the best that I’ve taught and bundled it into the 90 Day Biz Success program, held by phone.

Space is limited to 8 business owners who want to move their business forward, while benefiting from the momentum and accountability of a group coaching structure.

I also meet with each participant once a month for an individual coaching call. Each week you will receive written modules on the topic prior to the call, and you can access the group call recording. Participants also receive 36 biz success tips into the email box, three times a week during the course of the program.

The cost for the program is $297 US (that’s right – less than $100 per month!).

I hope that you will consider joining me for September’s 90 Day Biz Success program – end the year off with a bang, and position yourself for success in 2008.

For more information, please visit the 90 Day Biz Success webpage, or email me at jennifer{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com.

Space is limited to 8 – you can register by PayPal or call me to pay by Visa by phone (Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960).

With best wishes for your business success,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
90 Day Biz Success Program
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

Change Management - The World Is Flat

One of my favorite summer reads this year has been The World is Flat (Release 2.0) by Thomas L. Friedman. It's very apropos given a lot of my recent posts on change management.

Many of you may have read it already, but if you haven't it's a great book which looks at many of the forces which have "flattened the world", requiring new perspectives, paradigms and ulitmately changing the way we do business.

Friedman goes through 10 of the forces which have helped to flatten the world - looking at topics such as podcasting, community developed answers such as Wikipedia (Wikinomics is another great book on this topic if you haven't read it yet). He also has a great section on how companies can cope with this flatter world.

It's a great read, particularly if you or your business is leveraging, or looking to leverage, change in today's business world. I also enjoyed the section on "globalization of the local" which discusses how this flattening of the world is strengthening local and regional identities in many instances. As a former global manager myself when the early face of "globalization" was not quite as positive -- it is amazing to see how technology is indeed flattening the world, and giving many of us the power to compete and be heard amongst the larger giants.

I hope that you'll consider taking a peak at The World is Flat -- I've added it to my bookstore via Amazon, where it joins many of the other books I've recently enjoyed.

Have a great weekend! I'm going to be retreating this weekend, running Relationships on Fire! a one day couples retreat here in Muskoka. My colleague and collaborator, Sharon Miller, and I will be running this again in the coming months, so if you couldn't join us this weekend in Muskoka we hope to have you join us next time!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized.com

Join Me Monday Evening at 8pm (EST) for Powerful Time Management Tips

Every month I hold a free Balance call, dedicated to topics which will enhance your work-life balance, productivity and effectiveness. Several of you may have listened to earlier podcasts from these calls (which can be found at the right hand side of this blog).

This month's call (Monday Aug 27th from 8-9pm EST) is on Powerful Time Management Tips, and I thought that you would be interested in joining me. There is no charge to attend other than your long distance charges.

During Monday's call I will be sharing with you five powerful time management tips, as well as doing some group coaching around the topic. If you are committed to focusing more on your leveraging your time this fall, I hope that you will join me.

To reserve your spot and receive the bridgeline information, please email me at info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com with Time Management Call in the subject. I will send you out the brigeline information.

I look forward to having you join me on Monday evening!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

The Value of a Break

Some of you will have noticed that I've been pretty quiet over the last couple of weeks here on the blog. I've been continuing to enjoy a change of pace working out of both Muskoka and Toronto - spending less time online and more time interacting with friends, family, clients and associates in person. They always say that change is as good as a rest -- and it sure has been.

Interestingly, my shift in focus has also led to some really exciting new in-person work with clients. As much as I love the "virtual" work I undertake with teams, organizations and individual professionals, nothing can replace the power and depth of in-person interactions.

I'm really excited about the oncoming fall as I will likely be engaged in some national travel and also some new projects. As well, some of my favorite virtual work and programs will continue, including the 90 Day Biz Success Program - set to launch on September 7th.

The launch of the Virtual Business Brown Bag Lunch last Friday was fantastic - thanks to all who joined me for the call! The next Virtual Business Brown Bag lunch is scheduled for Friday September 14th from 12:00 - 12:45 pm EST. Mark down the date! I'll be posting more information about the topic of September's call in coming days, and as always feel free to bring a friend or associate with you for this Virtual Brown Bag!

What break have you taken this summer? What's been the impact of that in your work? I'd love to hear your comments - as always, please feel free to comment below.

Have a great rest of the weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

A great change management resource

Last week I promised you another great resource on change management. What change has shown up in your work and life this week? How is change management affecting you? I am quite passionate about this subject particularly as the first seven years of my career entailed being hired by organizations that were just starting to go through the change management process -- and in all instances, something that wasn't discussed in the interview process.

As a result of these experiences, I learned pretty early on in my career that change is inevitable, and rather than getting frustrated or scared by the process, to recognize that it is just part of the process. Nothing is stable -- no surprise that I am a Gen Xer!

With economic indications on the horizon, it appears that we may be on another path of change management in the near future -- I may be wrong - and I hope so. Nonetheless, factors such as technology and globalization are continuing to turn the heat up on making change an every day issue in today's workplace.

So at the start of the post I promised a great resource on change management. If you are a manager, consultant or staff member I hope that you will check out Rick Mauer's Beyond Resistance website. He's got an incredible list of resources to access to support you in your change management effort.

Hope that you enjoy!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPCC, CPT
Potentials Realized

You are invited to the Virtual Brown Bag Business Lunch - Aug 10th at 1 pm (EST)

I’m pleased to announce that starting this month, I will be holding monthly Virtual Brown Bag Business Lunches ™. Similar to brown bags in the workplace (or maybe not) these are going to be interactive skill building and professional development topics related to the business toolkit. Our virtual lunches will be held by phone using a teleconference bridgeline and will focus on a different area of business success – leadership, team management, change management, small business issues, etc. Each month will have a different theme, and I am hoping to invite some guest speakers to join us in the near future.

Attendance is open to anyone who would like to join me for some learning and discussion. For the remainder of the year I will be holding the Virtual Brown Bag Business Lunches on the 2nd Friday of each month from 12 – 12:45 pm (EST). Bring your lunch and drop on in for an informative and interactive lunch time. You never know who may be on the line!

This month is an exception, with the launch of the Brown Bag series on Friday August 10th at 1 pm (EST). Our topic this month will be Developing a Marketing Action Plan. If you are a business owner, I hope that you will drop in for some tips and tool to amp up your marketing!

To attend, please drop me an email with August Biz Brown Bag in the subject line and I will be happy to send you the bridgeline information. Feel free to bring a colleague or associate! Note: callers will be responsible for their own long distance charges. There is no other charge to attend the call.

Future Virtual Brown Bag Business Lunches will be held from 12 – 12:45 pm (EST) on
Friday September 14
Friday October 12
Friday November 9
Friday December 14

Mark off these dates! The brown bag topics will be announced on this blog or at the end of the monthly call

I look forward to having “lunch” with you next week!

Curious about Coaching? View CBS Sunday Morning Report

Curious about coaching? CBS Sunday Morning ran an interesting story on coaching yesterday. You can view it here.

It provides a good overview of what coaching is, and how can support clients in business, life and the home. There's a great eight and a half minute video clip that you can view on the right hand side. I hope that you will check it out if you are curious about what coaching is all about.

As a Certified, Credentialized coach with the International Coach Federation myself, it was wonderful to see how they provided an overview of some of the diverse areas of the coaching profession, including leadership and executive coaching which I provide. They did not provide too much coverage of some of the other areas that I provide coaching in - career coaching, team coaching and group coaching. If you are interested in learning more about how coaching in these areas can support you, I hope that you will visit my website for more information.

I also offer a complimentary coaching session by phone (40 min) to interested individuals to see if I might be a good fit in supporting you to achieve your goals. To schedule a sample coaching session, please email me at jennifer{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com.

I look forward to hearing from you and would welcome your comments on the CBS spotlight after you have seen it -- please feel free to comment below.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
Group Coaching Essentials
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960 (across North America)
Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

Change Management: Are you ready for change?

Change is an inevitable part of today’s business environment. I’ve been thinking a lot of about change management lately, in part due to requests for facilitation support in this area from companies, as well as what’s showing up on the news and in my mailbox.

I just got a wonderful book from Elaine Beich, who I consider a master in the area of consulting and learning and development. I saw Elaine speak last month in Atlanta at the ASTD conference where she talked about Change Management tools and processes. Her new book - Thriving Through Change: A Leader's Practical Guide to Change Mastery - which I’ve just started is excellent. You can check it out at ASTD Press.

Elaine talks about how the pace of change is getting quicker and quicker. Did you know that the amount of information we are exposed to in one week of a New York Times newspaper is more than what our ancestors were exposed to during a lifetime in the 17th Century? Amazing.

Likewise, she talks about how information is changing at such a rapid pace that some of the information students are learning in the first year of university can be outdated by their third year. Incredible.

Whether you are a student, professional or business owner, how are you keeping abreast of the changes in your industry? What are you doing to be proactive with change, rather than reactive? How are you stepping out to embrace the ongoing changes?

I will be doing a series of blog posts on change management in the next few months – in part to answer some of the queries I am receiving from readers, as well as organizations I work with. What’s you biggest question regarding change? What tools do you need for your organization? What tools do you need as an individual?

I’d love to hear your questions and comments on change – feel free to comment below.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized.com

Are you a small business owner struggling with balance?

If so, you are not alone. There is a great article from SmartBiz.com's Jeff Cornwall, "Small Business Owners Still Struggle With Balance" which summarizes some of the highlights from American Express' Small Business Monitor on the subject.

Of particular note, the study found:

• Female entrepreneurs tend to be more stressed by work/life balance demands than men (71% to 62%)
• 67% found that being an entrepreneur required some sacrifices, particularly family and friends

On the flip side, it appears that business owners are relatively good at creating personal time during the work day (which for entrepreneurs is not usually the typcial 9-5). 64% of respondents indicate taking some personal time off during the business day. Interestingly, 45% consider taking time off during the business day a "guilty pleasure".

Some really interesting results and I hope that you will click on over to Jeff's article - especially as a business owner working on work-life balance issues.

If you are a business owner looking for some resources on work-life balance, I hope that you will visit my sister blog: Your Balanced Life! where I post regularly on work-life balance tips.

I also hold a free monthly call on issues related to work life balance, typically the 3rd Monday of every month from 8-9 pm (EST). This month's call is on Creating a Powerful Vision of Balance and will be held Monday evening, July 23rd at 8pm (EST). You can join me by calling : (218) 486-1300, access code 503003. Next month's call will be held on Monday August 27th from 8-9pm (EST) on Powerful Time Management Tools. Looking forward to having you join me (note callers are responsible for their own long distance charges).

Have a juicy weekend,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT

Potentials Realized

The 90 Day Biz Success Program starts Tuesday July 24th at 7pm (EST). Are you a business owner who is ready to make the leap from good to great and is looking for a fun, supportive 90 day accountability environment? If so, I hope that you will join us -- space is limited to 6 business owners.

HR Potpourri, Interviewing Tips

It's HR Blog Carnival Day over at the HR Thoughts, and Lisa Rosendahl, SPHR has done a terrific job of spotlighting some great HR blogs including my post on The Changing Face of Learning and Development.

Hop on over to Lisa's HR Carnival post and you'll be able to chew on a whole range of HR topics -- perfomance, recruitment and social networking. It's a virtual treasure chest!

Another one of my articles is now available at Ezinearticles.com "Interviewing Tips for Employers - Getting the Right People on the Bus". If you are tasked with hiring new staff over the summer months, you may want to check out the article for some tips on how to leverage your interviewing process. I hope that you enjoy!

I am getting ready to make my usual summer move later this week to Muskoka for at least a few weeks (hopefully six). I'll be working a few days a week for the rest of the summer, at a Muskoka pace. Chances are, you'll be hearing from me a little more often here at the blog. You can still reach me during this time during my usual contacts.

Enjoy this week's HR Carnival and also the Interviewing tips!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

The Changing Face of Learning and Development

With the continued rapid increase of global teams which often operate virtually, the way learning and development is delivered is also changing. I often receive requests from organizations regarding advice on trends and new techniques that they can use to build human capital (individually or in teams) in the rapidly changing business and global environment.

Technology continues to reshape how learning is delivered, and in recent months there have been some very interesting articles on how major corporations are leveraging technology to enhance learning and human capital management.

A number of larger US firms are now delivering training via podcasts. Noted for their adaptability when learning needs to take place, podcasts have the ability to deliver training just-in-time.

Another area which is garnering attention is the use of Second Life by many companies, both as a marketing tool and also as an innovative way to deliver training (typically informal). If you or your company are using Second Life, I’d love to hear from you--- what’s your experience been? How do you leverage it for learning and development opportunities?

The emerging generations (which include Gen Y and Gen X) have added to this push for the introduction of newer technologies for learning and development – which are more meaningful and relevant to the. This whole area is fascinating, and as some researchers are finding the way our brains operate is changing through the generations. I will continue build on former blog posts on intergenerational management in the future – from recent organizational requests it seems that this issue is continuing to be a hot one.

Recent Statistics are showing that learning budgets and hours of training for workers based in the US is continuing to increase (2006 ASTD State of the Industry Report). With an estimated $109.25 Billion being spent on learning and development annually, American companies are spending anywhere from 2 – 2.7% of their payroll on learning and development initiatives. This equals anywhere from $1424 to $1616 US/worker.

In contrast a number of recent studies here in Canada are showing that learning and training budgets and priorities are continuing to shrink (2007 Conference Board Learning and Development Outlook). In 2006 the Conference Board of Canada reported that on average 1.75% of payroll was spent on learning and development, or approximately $944 Cdn/employee. The 2007 figures released a few months ago show a slight decline in these figures.

What are the trends that you are seeing in the field of learning and development? What can be leveraged in your organization? What new initiatives would benefit your human capital pool.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments --- please feel free to do so below.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

New Start Date for the 90 Day Biz Success Program: Tues July 24th at 7pm

Are you a business owner looking to take your business and results from great to extraordinary? Every quarter I offer the 90 Day BizSuccess Program, an interactive group coaching program for business owners.

You have two more weeks to register for the next start date of the 90 Day Biz Success program. We will be starting on Tuesday July 24th (7-8 pm EST by phone). We will meet twice a month by phone for a one-hour group coaching session, and you will have the opportunity to schedule an individual group coaching session (30 min by phone) with me once a month.

During the program, you will:

* Develop or deepen your business vision
* Explore your unique strengths and abilities as a business person, identifying areas to leverage, and possible areas for synergy
* Identify opportunities for collaboration and partnerships with other business owners
* Develop your marketing strategy and budget
* Investigate how their business can leverage technology to build their client base and increase sales through an introduction to blogs, podcasts and other platforms
* Develop a concrete business action plan for the next year

We will also be exploring specific topics requested by the individual participants (i.e. leveraging social media, financial issues).

The program is limited to 6 business owners, and we will be meeting as a group on:
July 24, Aug 7, 21, Sept. 4, 18, October 9. Final Call Tuesday October 23/07. Calls will be recorded if you can't make one.

For more information about the program and to register, please click here. The cost for the program is $297 US or $119 US/month (the individual coaching sessions are worth that alone!).

If you have any questions about the program, please give me a call toll free at 1-866-217-1960. I look forward to having you join me!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
90 Day Biz Success Program
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized[dot]com

Stress Free Performance Appraisals

Are you looking for a great resource to “turn your most painful management duty into a powerful motivational tool”?

Stress Free Performance Appraisals by HR Professionals Sharon Armstrong and Madelyn Appelbaum, is an invaluable resource to any manager or professional charged with undertaking the critical activity of performance appraisals.

The book provides a comprehensive overview of the performance appraisal process, different approaches, and is chock full of useful checklists, self-assessments and tips to take your performance appraisal from ordinary to extraordinary.

Very clearly written for the everyday manager, this book is destined to become a well used resource in your management library.

You can order your own copy at Amazon today. Visit Sharon online at Sharon Armstrong and Associates .

Have a wonderful weekend,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT

Potentials Realized

Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Email: jennifer{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

Small Business Owners vs. Entrepreneurs

Over the next few weeks I’ll be immersed back into the world on small business development, as I am leading a program with two groups of fantatstic women small business owners.

One of the topics we are discussing right now is what is the difference between a small business owner and an entrepreneur. Are all small business owners, entrepreneurs? Can you be both?

Last summer there was a flurry of blog posts on this topic. You may want to check out:
Khurram Masood’s blog post on “Small Business owners” vs. Entrepreneurs : http://myowntrip.blogspot.com/2006/07/small-business-owner-vs-entrepreneur.html
Nick Williams

Small Business Owner Vs Inspired Entrepreneur: 10 Crucial Differences: http://www.sabusinesshub.com/section/content.php?SectionId=8&SubsectionId=12&ContentId=1293

Cornell makes an interesting distinction between small business ownership and entrepreneurship:
Here's a simple 3-step description of entrepreneurship:
* Thinking new ideas
* Doing new things
* Creating value in the marketplace
These three steps separate entrepreneurs from other business owners. Creativity, innovation, and unique value are the key ingredients of entrepreneurial businesses.

I too subscribe to the more academic distinction between small business ownership and entrepreneurism. While you can be a small business owner and entrepreneur, not every small business owner is an entrepreneur. Some of the characteristics which set an entrepreneur apart are:
* Higher levels of risk taking behavior. An entrepreneur has a much higher “risk threshold” and is willing to take more risks than the average small business owner
* Greater scale – Entrpreneurs are typically driven by going big (or going home). While many small business owners are content to stay small, entrepreneurs are driven to grow a business (and in many instances move on by seling the business – this process of growing businesses and moving on has led to the term “serial entrepreneur”)
* Innovation is key: Innovation is a key ingredient for entrepreneurs, part of their life blood
* Gifts to see opportunities – Entrepreneurs often have a gift to see opportunities where others don’t, or where others would fail to tred. What opportunities are you seeing in your business today? Will you take the risk to seize them?

What are your thoughts? What other differences do you see between entpreneurs and small business owners? Are you one? Both?

I would welcome your thoughts. Please feel free to comment below.
With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com
The 90 Day Biz Success Group Coaching program starts on July 10th (Tuesdays 7-8 pm ET twice a month for three months). Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Space is limited to 8, so register early!

Work Life Balance and Ethics

Ethics – What’s work-life balance got to do with it?

Deloitte and Touche’s 2007 Ethics and Workplace survey results found a very strong relationship between ethics and work-life balance. 91% of respondents to their annual survey stated that they believe “workers are more likely to behave ethically at work when they have a work-life balance”.

Why is this so?
Chairman of the Board, Sharon Allen, of Deloitte and Touce states,
“When you think about it, if someone invests all of their time and energy into their jobs, it may have the unintended consequence of making them dependent on their jobs for everything – including their sense of personal worth. This makes it eve harder to make a good choice when faced with an ethical dilemma if they believe it will impact their professional success."

The Deloitte and Touche 2007 Ethics and Workplace survey also found that the behavior of management, or at least direct supervisors, set the tone for ethical behavior (77%). At present approximately 30% of full time workers are not satisfied with their current work-life balance. Approximately one-third of full time workers, and nearly one-fifth of part time workers indicated that high stress levels cause conflict between work responsibilities and personal priorities.

So what can we do?

The study found that the top factors which would facilitate an ethical workplace were:
* The behavior of management (42%)
* The behavior of direct supervisors (46%)
Along with positive reinforcement for ethical behavior.

The study also found that compensation, flexible work schedules and benefits were the top three factors which influenced overall job satisfaction.

Download your own executive summary of the 2007 Deloitte and Touche Ethics and Workplace study here.

If work-life balance is a priority for you, I would also invite you to visit my sister blog dedicated to work-life balance – Your Balanced Life! Blog. You will find a treasure chest of work-life balance tips and exercises to support you in work-life balance.

I will be holding a free one-hour call next Monday, June 26th from 8:30 – 9:30 pm (EST) on Balance for the Summer Months. If you would like to join the call please email me at info(at) potentialsrealized (dot)com with Balance for Summer in the subject line. Participants are responsible for their own long distance charges.

I would also invite you to consider joining me for the 90 Day Your Balanced Life! Group Coaching Program which starts on July 17th (Tuesday 7-8pm ET). We will meet twice a month as a group, and once a month you will have an individual coaching session with me. You will also receive bi-weekly work-life balance tips into your email box throughout the 3 months of the program. The cost for the program is $119 US/month or $297 US for the program. Space is limited to 8, so register early (online registration available here)

Have a balanced week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer(at)potentialsrealized(dot)com

Presentation Basics

Are you looking for some great resources to amp up your next presentation? Did you know that speaking in front of a large audience is one of business professionals greatest fears?

Here are some great sites to get pointers from, to boost the impact of your next presentation.

1. Presentation Zen: Garr Reynolds Presentation Zen site is chock full of amazing insights, recommendations and tools for making your presentations sizzle. He walks his talk and shares personal insights in such a juicy way. Check out Presentation Zen for some amazing resources including a post on three strategic questions you should answer at the start of any presentation: Who are You? What do you do? and Why does it matter? These are an extension of a story from Brand Gap regarding a consultant who started every meeting with a client using these three questions.

Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter? - So simple, yet so powerful.

Read his post on: Why does it matter and What's your contribution here.

Having just completed a day and a half speaking presentation earlier this week, which involved coordintating a number of speakers, I think that these are two questions which can make or break a presentation - which I've seen firsthand repeated a number of times over the past few weeks.

2. Powerful Presentation Techniques from Paul Gibler, the Web Chef, CONNECTINGDOTS. Paul has over 200 blog posts at his PPT site...dig around there's some great stuff!

3. The PowerPoint and OfficeArt Team Blog from Microsoft -- this is not an extensive blog, but there are some neat pointers on how to leverage your powerpoint!

4. Fortify Your Oasis also has some fantastic postings on Presentation tips. Click on over to Rowan Manahan's blog. He's also got a lot of great stuff related to career management and working life.

Enjoy!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized

Talent Management: What Is It?

What is talent management?

The Buzz phrase talent management has been bandied around many recent conferences and meetings I have either been speaking at, or attending. So what exactly is talent management and why is it so important?

Talent management encompasses a range of HR, managerial and training functions including:
Recruitment and Selection
Assessments
Learning and Development
Leadership Development
Succession Planning
Performance management
Compensation
Human Resource Planning

So why is talent management so important? As I’ve reported in earlier blog posts , the war on talent continues, with skill shortages being forecast within the next five to ten years, as baby boomers start to retire. The cost for sloppy talent management can be high. For example, poor recruitment and selection leading to a poor fit for a new candidate can cost the organization up to a year and a half salary, taking into account the recruitment and selection process, onboarding costs such as training and development, lost productivity etc.

So who is in charge of your talent management programs? Is it HR? Is it the training department? ASTD and Brandon Hall Research recently conducted a poll to looking at who is in charge of the talent management processes and what are the trends. 60% of respondents indicated that training and HR operations are coming together in their organizations and 90% believe that the trends will continue. What does it look like in your organization?

I would welcome hearing your thoughts on talent management, the skills gap and structurally who deals with your talent management programs. Please feel free to comment below.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Brittton, MES, CPT, CPCC, CHRP
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

What's on your learning radar screen?

I've been a little silent blogging this week as I was attending the 2007 ASTD Conference in Atlanta. It was a powerful week spent with about 9300 learning and development specialists. While I was there I was privledged to facilitate three Learning Labs for conference attendees, which were attended by professionals from across North America, Poland, Malaysia, Japan, the UK. Thanks to all who participated -- I'd love to hear how you are moving ahead with your action steps!

I had wonderful engaging discussions with so many other delegates over the last five days. It was really encouraging to see that many of the issues I've been blogging about, and do work around, are really the up and coming trends and hot points for organizations today:

* Intergenerational Management and Leadership Issues
* Global Leadership
* Virtual Teams
* Values in Organizations
* Corporate Social Responsibility
*Leveraging the Human Captial within your organization

If this is your first visit to the blog, I'd invite you to poke around and click through the different categories. I'm sure that you will find something useful.

What's on your organization's learning radar screen right now? What issues would you like me to be discussing? Please feel free to post your comments below, or contact me directly at jennifer(at) potentialsrealized(dot) com.

Stay tuned for some very exciting upcoming posts, where I will continue to drill into some of these really exciting topics!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

HR Potpourri, Taking Your Team to Extraordinary

It's another exciting end to the week. My blog post earlier this week on Virtual Team Challenges has been picked up by the HR Carnival Blog hosted this week by Deb over at the 8 Hours and a Lunch Blog. The posts she's selected this week go all the way through recruitment, to on-boarding, training and team building. You can check out this week's HR Carnival here. If virtual team issues are also a passion for you, Robin Good over at Kolabora has also picked up the article. He's got a treasure-chest of really great links to articles on virtual teams and virtual collaboration -- I hope that you will check it out!

Another one of my articles has now been posted to EzineArticles.com. If you are looking to boost your team development process, please check out my article: Team Building Tips: Take Your Team from Great to Extraordinary. I hope that you will enjoy the article and take away some tips that you can use for your own team building initative. If you are looking for an external facilitator for your next retreat, team coaching or team building initiative, please feel free to contact me toll free at 1-866-217-1960.

I am off to Atlanta this weekend for the 2007 ASTD International Conference. I will be co-facilitating three sessions early next week for Coach attendees. If you are attending the conference, I hope that you will consider joining me on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday for the Learning Lab for Coaches. More information about this new conference component can be found in your tote.

Warmly,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Group Coaching Essentials
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

90 Day Biz Success Program Starts July 10th

Back by popular demand, the 90 Day Biz Success program starts July 10th. This powerful group coaching program is designed for both new entrepreneurs who are looking to launch their business, as well as experienced entrepreneurs who are wanting to accelerate to the next level.

This ninety-day program combines two group coaching sessions per month (by phone) along with a thirty minute individual coaching session with Certified Coach Jennifer Britton each month. Course participants also receive thirty-six business tips delivered to their email box, three times a week, as well as a toolbox of resources in the program workbook. Course size is limited to 8 business owners to ensure individualized attention.

The program will be held from mid-July to mid-October on Tuesdays from 7-8pm (EDT). The group calls will be held on July 10, 24, August 7, 21, September 4 and 18th with the final celebration call on October 9th. Monthly individual coaching sessions will held a time convenient for the business owner.

Benefit from the momentum created in a group environment, and join other business owners from across North America in this intensive business success program.

Participants will:
* Develop or refine their business vision
* Explore their unique strengths and abilities as a business person, identifying areas for improvement
* Identify opportunities for collaboration and partnerships with other business owners
* Develop their marketing strategy and budget
* Investigate how their business can leverage technology to build their client base and increase sales through an introduction to blogs, podcasts and other platforms
* Develop a concrete business and marketing action plan for 2007
One session will be dedicated to additional topics that matter most to participants.

The program includes:
* 7 one-hour interactive teleseminar programs;
* Bi-weekly topic module notes and resource links;
* 36 business tips delivered to your in-box, three times a week during the 90 day program;
* Three individual 30 minute coaching sessions with Coach Jennifer Britton (held once a month by phone);
* A group follow-up call one month after the program (at a time convenient for the group)

The cost of the summer program is $297 US (that's only $97/month) if paid in one installment. You can also pay in three installments of $119 US. Prices will be going up in September when the next 90 Day program starts. Space is limited to 8 and will likely go fast.

To register, contact me toll free at 1-866-217-1960 or pay by PayPal at the website. Further information about the program and our upcoming 5 week Developing Your Business Vision teleseminar program (starts June 18) can be found here.

I hope that you will join me for either one of these exciting programs this summer, designed to move your business forward!

With best wishes,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT

Potentials Realized

90 Day Biz Success Program

Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com