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Letter from the Editor
I turned 50 last week. My family flew in from Minnesota. We threw a big party on my birthday and had over 100 of my closest friends there (okay, we called it an Oktoberfest and enticed people with free beer and food!).
In lieu of gifts, I requested that people bring items for the food pantry. At 50, what does a person need? In my case, not much – I have a hundred hungry friends!
For me, turning 50 has been more of a curiosity than a traumatic event. A few folks shared with me the obligatory colonoscopy jokes and I received a few over-the-hill cards. The thing is I’M NOT FIFTY. At least in my head I’m not feeling whatever I anticipated 50 to feel like.
I received a few gifts from my friends and family during our little private get together on Sunday. The one gift that brought me to tears was a gift from my parents. They had taken a picture at my sister’s wedding in 1976 and enlarged and framed the picture. It was a picture of me, decked out in a tuxedo, with that cocky/confident smile leaning against my first car. The picture is one of promise, of potential, of life.
Immediately after opening the picture, I began blubbering and my younger daughter came over to give me a hug. “The reason I’m blubbering,” I explained to my daughter, “is because when I look into my mental mirror today, what I see is that picture of myself back in 1976 – cocky, confident, full of potential. I don’t see the somewhat conservative, somewhat overweight, somewhat graying person others see through their eyes. THIS PICTURE is who I am."
Satchel Paige, the great black baseball player and one of 15 children (his mother didn’t rightly know if he was the first born or the 15th) didn’t know his own date of birth. He once asked a question that is good food for thought on any birthday, but especially your 50th:
“How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was?”
If I didn’t know, I’d be 18; 18 with 32 years of experience!
Terry
Christian Scott Joins Entelechy
Entelechy is pleased to announce its newest member of the team, Christian Scott.
Christian is a Performance Consultant responsible for the design and development of our training programs. He brings a diverse business background in training and operations. His experience spans a variety of industries with a particular focus on managed care. While working for Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, he held positions in Training, Process Improvement, Customer Service, Claims, and Sales Support.
Christian has a BA in Business Administration with a concentration in Management and a minor in Economics from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire. He is Six Sigma Green Belt certified and has received the Competent Leader designation through Toastmasters International.
To see who else is on the Entelechy team, visit http://unlockit.com/staff.htm.
Entelechy Customizes High Performance Management
Editor’s Note: We are often asked to differentiate Entelechy from other training companies such as AchieveGlobal, DDI, Center for Creative Leadership, Huthwaithe, Franklin-Covey and others. While Entelechy is similar to the above companies in that we end up with a training program and performance consulting services, there are two primary – and we believe critical – differences. Entelechy believes that most sales, management, or customer service models that other companies tout as “advanced” and “unique” are, in fact surprisingly similar. (In our former roles as training directors, we saw more than our fair share of slick sales pitches selling virtually the same concept.) Second, Entelechy believes that effective training is built around YOUR needs (not OUR flashy sales, management, or customer service model) and YOUR goals. In fact, at the end of our customization, we authorize you to use the training – even modify the training – to meet your changing needs. (Oh, and we don’t charge you for the privilege to use or modify the training!)
Over the next several issues of The Key, we’ll feature examples of the work we’ve done to create training that is more than a gimmick; training that creates lasting change for companies and individuals.
 A large international company recently approached Entelechy looking to increase the capabilities of their branch managers. Recent growth in the company meant that they needed to equip their branch managers for a changing role that required the managers to handle more responsibility as it related to managing their people, their clients, and their business.
Building from our High Performance Management curriculum, Entelechy developed a program focused specifically on their needs and the vision of the senior leadership team. The seven module course clarified the role of branch managers and helped build the skills necessary to manage their people and their business effectively. The training was designed to kick off a skill development initiative and introduced the three primary skills focus areas: people (employees), business (branches), and clients (customers).
The focus on people provided branch managers with skills in coaching and corrective action/problem solving. The business focus enabled branch managers
to a) develop impactful branch goals that support the company goals, and then b) determine the required behaviors from their staff to accomplish those goals. With a focus on clients, managers learned to leverage the four elements of a business relationship and tailor their interactions to meet the individual needs of each client.
As we developed each section of the training, the client reviewed and provided input to ensure that the training was truly the keystone for what is certain to be a very successful development initiative.
For more information on how Entelechy can customize a management training program for YOUR company, contact Terry at
ttraut@unlockit.com.
Entelechy Found in Interesting Places
Entelechy is often found in the most interesting places. The other day I received a request from the editor of
Focus On Shoes to reprint our article, Handling Challenging Situations With a Customer-Focused
Mindset, in their newsletter. The request – in my mind – speaks to the universality of the topics/skills Entelechy covers AND to the unique application of those skills to each person’s industry or business.
Please check out articles that we’ve written that have been picked up by others. If you’d like a listing of the articles we have available for publication in YOUR newsletter, please email
ttraut@unlockit.com.
Customizing Clipart
Like many of you, I come from a training background. Like
 many of you, we’re experts in group facilitation, engaging our learners, and creating instructionally sound materials. Yet, many presentation professionals are not graphic artists nor do we have a score of graphic artists helping us create our presentations. As a result, our presentations often may not adequately represent the professionalism and quality that we’ve built into our training.
Presentation Xpert:
http://editor.ne16.com/he/vo.asp...MailID=3433977
The Most Important Management Skill
 I’ve been teaching management and leadership skills now for over 10 years to new managers and supervisors as well as to seasoned veterans. I’ve worked with some of today’s leadership and management thought leaders and researchers including Tom Peters, Dr. Warren Bennis, Dr. David Ulrich, and Dr. Henry Mintzberg.
Business Performance:
http://www.businessperform.com/...skill.html
Who Cares about Blended Training?
A search on Google™ for “blended training solutions” yields almost 600 results. A search for “blended performance solutions” yields nine results. Which is the hotter topic?
Performance Express:
http://www.performancexpress.org/0310/mainframe0310.html
Successful Business Relationships
“What is an article on business building doing in a newsletter on HRD/HRM? Well, we have readers who are marketing training and consulting services, and this article will be of direct benefit to them. A more important reason, however, is that this article deals with value, competence, trust, and propriety – all the characteristics closely related to Dr Michael Heah's article on coaching, and that are vital ingredients for a successful HRD/HRM career. So there! Go read Terence R Traut's Successful Business Relationships.”
HRD Gateway:
http://www.hrdgateway.org/.../index.htm
The Key Archives
Of course, many of our articles are found first in
The Key. Subscribe to our free newsletter at:
http://www.unlockit.com/newsletter.htm.
And Now, Something Completely Different
Did you know that 35% of adults in my town of Merrimack have at least a four-year degree? Or that 57.4% of us have lived in the same house for 5+ years? Do you care? Maybe you’d care more about statistics for YOUR zip code.
Find out interesting statistics about any zip code (and even compare zip codes) by clicking on:
http://zipskinny.com/
Mailing and Privacy Information
You have received this email because you are in Entelechy's database of people that we've interacted with directly or indirectly or you've signed up for
The Key. If you've received this email in error, please click on
http://unlockit.com/newsletter.htm
to be removed immediately from our mailing database with our apologies. (If you have trouble with the optout link, please reply to this email directly and I'll personally remove your name.)
Send this email to your friends and colleagues who may be involved in training and the performance of others and could benefit from FREE performance tips, tools, and techniques.
Entelechy will not sell, rent, or otherwise provide anyone else your membership information for any reason. Period.
Terence Traut, President of Entelechy "unlocking potential"
ttraut@unlockit.com
phone: 603-424-1237
fax: 603-424-6361
http://www.unlockit.com
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