Investor's Business Daily, June 21st, 2007
Employees, firms and cities get ahead when they make continuing education a priority, says Gary Snodgrass, chief human resource officer at energy firm Exelon EXC.
Snodgrass, a 35-year industry executive, and Exelon support WorkForce Chicago 2.0, a citywide initiative that encourages employers to educate their employees.
Five years after its inception, Mayor Richard Daley is one of WorkForce Chicago's biggest fans. It lets him tout the city's educated work force to corporations considering locating in the Windy City.
"He's showcased it at mayoral conferences," Snodgrass told IBD, "and Philadelphia and St. Louis are now in the process of starting up their own programs."
Through Workforce Chicago 2.0, the city surveys employers on learning and development practices, then recognizes the leaders. The city then devises plans for companies that need to catch up.
"Learning never stops for successful people and successful organizations," Snodgrass said. Some tips:
Look in the mirror. The first step is assessment. Individuals and corporations must be honest about their skill sets. "There's a tendency to blow smoke at each other," said Snodgrass. "It's hard to be self-critical. You have to have a no-holds-barred discussion with yourself."
Consider options. Employees don't have to go back to college. "Take an online class, get in a study group, get on a task force, volunteer," Snodgrass said. "Learning can take place anywhere."
Get an apple. In his book "Stepping Up: 12 Ways to Rev Up, Revitalize or Renew Your Career," Snod-grass recommends learning by teaching. He discovered the benefits of standing behind the lectern while teaching an MBA class.
"Little did I know how much work was going to be required," he said. "But did I grow? Did I learn? Yes."
Follow a leader. Ritz-Carlton Co. has earned two Malcolm Baldridge National Quality awards for its first-class service. According to Vice President Diana Oreck, an emphasis on training helped put Ritz-Carlton on top.
"In many companies, when the economy goes south, the first thing that goes is training," she said. "Here, from day one, there's been this amazing gravitation toward training."
In 1999, Ritz-Carlton opened a leadership center to formally teach its winning formula to such noncompeting companies as Macy's and Starbucks SBUX.
Check the curriculum. Before signing up for training, check whether that program content transfers to your corporate culture. Also look for real-life planning. "We build in action plans while the student is still here," Oreck said.
Commit to implement. Oreck says getting results from training depends on a company's willingness to put what it learns into action. "One company had their customer satisfaction improve by 10 percentage points in 18 months," she said. "They took it seriously."
Other companies enjoy the talk, but don't take the walk.
"They just can't seem to implement it because the real world gets in the way," Oreck said.
