Blogs - Chief Learning Officer Network

What are the top 5 Telecommuting jobs?

The trend to allow more and more employees to work from home is just starting. Most companies know who their top producers are and will do almost anything to keep them happy including letting them work from home. The traits of most top producers are they tend to be self motivators, hi-tech savvy, natural leaders and able to accomplish a task in any enviroment (i.e. airport, golf course, Starbucks, home office, at their company desk or watching their kids little league baseball game). Which jobs… Continue

Posted by Craig Pfister on July 2, 2009 at 7:02pm — No Comments

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9 Ways to Boost Productivity with MS Word

Our consultants rarely come across a question that hasn't been asked before. Experience and stats prove that most users have problems with the same general areas of an application. And although modifying font and line spacing in a document isn't excessively time-consuming, when you add up the minutes it takes to make those type of changes to every document created, and scale that across a company with 3,500 PC users, the productivity loss becomes a lot more substantial.

Everyone wants…

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Posted by Jen Darr on July 2, 2009 at 10:59am — No Comments

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Out of Office, Out of Mind

It's officially summer and the Fourth of July is nigh. It's time to turn on your away message and get lost. But before you do, make sure you are covered. Here are some tips to keep your e-mail house in order while you enjoy the season: OUTLOOK 2007's Improved Out of Office Assistant The Out of Office Assistant has changed significantly in Outlook 2007. If you click on the tools menu and select Out of Office Assistant, you will see a dialog box that is somewhat… Continue

Posted by Jen Darr on June 29, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

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How Big is Your Blind Spot?

So now another high-profile male political figure has come clean about his lack of integrity. The past couple of years have been busy ones: from Spitzer and Edwards, to Kilpactrick, Ensign, and now Sanford. ABC News even has a web site devoted to "Politicians Who Cheat": http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/popup?id=7893148 There's 17 featured in all, all male (but that's a subject for a different 60-Second Email™). One question that has come to my mind every time I see the disgraced politico at the… Continue

Posted by David Harper on June 26, 2009 at 8:47am — No Comments

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The Future of the Mobile Workforce

In a May article eWeek envisioned a mobile workforce in the near future, where employees were issued images rather than hard drives, and could get most, if not all, of their work done on the go, using a laptop or a smart phone. With the recent high-profile smart phone and netbook releases, plus the growing interest in cloud computing and Google Apps, are we any closer? Apple, Google and other companies who hold a stake would like you think we are, but the analysts are weighing in with a big, f… Continue

Posted by Jen Darr on June 25, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

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Outsourced Partners vs. Temps: A Side-by-Side Comparison

The economy may be showing some signs of rebound, but that doesn't mean CIOs are back to their old spending habits. In fact, according to a report released this month by Gartner, four in 10 CIOs significantly cut budgets in the first six months of 2009. What, or whom, to cut is never easy, especially when the software for the upcoming migration has already been purchased. It's easier to drop services than it is to lay off employees; services don't have a face or a family. And temps appear to be… Continue

Posted by Jen Darr on June 24, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

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Outsourced Partners vs. Full-timers: A Side-by-Side Comparison

The economy may be showing some signs of rebound, but that doesn't mean CIOs are back to their old spending habits. In fact, according to a report released this month by Gartner, four in 10 CIOs significantly cut budgets in the first six months of 2009. What, or whom, to cut is never easy, especially when the software for the upcoming migration has already been purchased. It's easier to drop services than it is to lay off employees; services don't have a face or a family. Realistically, however… Continue

Posted by Jen Darr on June 24, 2009 at 3:00pm — No Comments

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IT Buzzwords: Mobile Edition

With all the recent press about the Palm Pre, Google's Android and Apple's newest toys, I thought I’d focus this entry of IT Buzzwords on phrases related to mobile devices. We know you’ve been nodding your head in agreement when your colleagues (or underlings) discuss the pros and cons of the 3GS, even though you have no clue why the world is so miffed about tethering and MMS. Here’s a chance to school yourself, so you know what your employees will be griping about in the near future.… Continue

Posted by Jen Darr on June 24, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

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This Week in Office 2007

We've said before, but we will say it again: One of the common myths about an Office 2007 migration is that it will be an easy, fluid transition, like any other software upgrade. But it's just that - a myth. Office 2007's user interface is radically different from previous versions. The File menu is gone. So are the toolbars. This radical change in interface causes migration questions that are different from those that were typical in other Office version migrations. One of the greatest differ… Continue

Posted by Jen Darr on June 24, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

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Staffing Redux: Making it Through the Recession

This year promises myriad challenges for CFOs across the globe. Chief among them, according to a December 2008 USA Today study, are increasing productivity and profitability. The study asked 1,400 CFOs which issues would take top priority in the coming year. Thirty percent said increasing productivity, while 20 percent saw boosting profitability as a priority. It's no surprise, considering the global economic condition, one that's been punctuated by layoffs, hiring freezes and other cost-cutti… Continue

Posted by Jen Darr on June 23, 2009 at 2:51pm — No Comments

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3 Lessons for a Future (or Current) IT Leader

You can weather the economic downturn lamenting the halcyon days of boundless IT spending and grand tech projects, or you can treat it as a challenge, as a time for reflection and behavior modification. At least that was the sentiment at the mid-May MIT Sloan CIO Symposium, where CIOs and their ilk met to discuss – what else? – the recession and its effect on the role of the CIO. Ripples from the conference traveled to industry publications, blogs and Twitter, with writers offering their take o… Continue

Posted by Jen Darr on June 23, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

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Open Letter to a CIO

Dear Mr. CIO: I understand we're in a recession, and the pressure for you to prune your budget is great, but how on Earth do you expect to get the same quality IT outsourcing for less money? I didn't major in business, but I do know that in a capitalist society, nothing is free. Didn't they teach you that in economics 101? Here's the thing: Trying to save a dollar here and a Euro there during a recession is shortsighted. You need to think long-term. To try to envision the copious ROI that will… Continue

Posted by Jen Darr on June 23, 2009 at 1:55pm — No Comments

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How Office 2007 "Exposed" Bill Gates

People inside Microsoft have openly related a story about Bill Gates' initial evaluation of Office 2007. He congratulated them on a number of new features, but the additions weren't exactly fresh; they were introduced with Office 97. Hearing about Gates acting human is always a pleasure, but why would anyone at Microsoft admit that he didn't know about features that had been a part of one of his company's premier products for 10 years? (Another question: How is it that they still work there?)… Continue

Posted by Jen Darr on June 23, 2009 at 1:50pm — No Comments

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Six Steps to Apply Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team

As speakers, facilitators and consultants, we are often asked by our clients to focus on the subject of teamwork. One of our favorite resources is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. Below are some ideas on how you can apply the principles outlined in Five Dysfunctions to your organization. Step #1: Read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team cover to cover. One of the things that amazes our team about business books (or other resources) is the scribble or nod factor. In conversation… Continue

Posted by Jeff Brainard on June 23, 2009 at 7:35am — No Comments

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What’s in Your Organization – Transparent or “Power-Leadership”

Posted by: Jonena Relth, CEO and Leadership Evangelist It’s interesting that leadership is once again such an important issue. Have you noticed that we start paying closer attention to what our leaders say and do following the failure and/or fall of otherwise respected leaders? And given the leadership issues today, why would anyone want to be a famous leader? We should learn by the mistakes of others, but nay, when given the opportunity to lead, most of us gravitate towards seizing more and m… Continue

Posted by Jonena Relth on June 19, 2009 at 1:51pm — No Comments

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The Role of Leadership - Embrace Technology Change

Posted by: Jonena Relth, CEO and Leadership Evangelist Acceptance and immersion of change should start and be modeled from the top. I’m looking for examples of exemplary leadership. Please comment and tell us about a leader you admire. I must admit that I can’t remember a time when my personal or corporate life, or that of our clients, wasn’t experiencing some sort of change. We all expect change, not too many of us like “to change” or relish “change pushed upon us,” but it’s a way of life in… Continue

Posted by Jonena Relth on June 19, 2009 at 1:48pm — No Comments

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Surviving in Turbulent Times

Marshall Goldsmith for Success Television I was recently asked the following question: "The economy will always have its ups and downs. That's why our company has two playbooks: one for running the company in an up period and another in a down period. If we enter a down period, we immediately… Continue

Posted by Success Television on June 16, 2009 at 9:48am — No Comments

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Editor's Blog: Training Can Be the Difference Between Life and Death

Lest anyone is still telling you that training and development isn’t critical during a time of tightened budgets and “right-sized” workforces, look no further than USA Today this week for evidence to the contrary. According to an article in Tuesday’s edition, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that the agency will be stepping up inspection of training programs for regional airline pilots in response t… Continue

Posted by Mike Prokopeak on June 10, 2009 at 1:13pm — 1 Comment

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Customer Service Training

There is no doubt that the very reason a business is in existence is to make money. How is that going for you with the present state of the economy? Are you attracting new customers? Are you meeting your customer retention performance goals? Are you building on your reputation as a leader in your industry? Do you back your product or service with competent engaging customer service? Some things to ponder as the dynamics of your competitive landscape continually change around you. Layoffs, bankr… Continue

Posted by Roy Hudec on June 8, 2009 at 1:07pm — 4 Comments

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Keep the Talent Engaged

Marshall Goldsmith for Success Television

Keeping employees committed and motivated during tough economic times seems like a tall task, especially after downsizing or program cutbacks. I hear this concern everywhere I travel these days. Who doesn't? My friend Joe Wheeler, Executive Director of The Service Profit Chain I… Continue

Posted by Success Television on June 4, 2009 at 5:17pm — No Comments

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