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Volume2, Issue1
Message from CDC Manager
Certification Training Programs
September	Workshops
October	Workshops
November	Workshops
December	Workshops

Certification Training Programs:

Professional Human Resources Certification (PHR, SPHR)

PHR and SPHR certification endorsed by the Human Resources Certification Institute shows that the holder has demonstrated mastery of the domestic or international HR body of knowledge and, through recertification, has accepted the challenge to stay informed of new developments in the HR field.

The PHR and SPHR exams are completely voluntary. Organizations or individuals may choose to incorporate PHR and SPHR certification as a condition of employment or advancement. Individuals should determine for themselves whether the use of this process — including its eligibility and recertification requirements — meets their needs and complies with applicable laws.
The PHR and SPHR designations are a visible reminder to peers and co-workers of the holder’s significant professional achievement. PHR- and SPHR-certified professionals should proudly display their certificates and use their credentials on business correspondence.

Certified Treasury Professional (CTP)

In the financial sector, the Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) designation endorsed by the Association for Financial Professionals is the mark of highly skilled professionals who are serious about their profession, an asset to their organization and meet the high standards of an internationally recognized organization. More and more employers faced with critical staffing decisions are looking at CTP certification as an added value in prospective employees. In fact, many organizations seek only people who are certified.

Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)

The Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation endorsed by the Institute of Internal Auditors is a prerequisite for personal career and organizational governance success. It is the only globally accepted certification designation for internal auditors and remains the standard by which individuals demonstrate their competency and professionalism in the internal auditing field. The CIA exam is by far the most comprehensive review of the profession available. Candidates leave the programs enriched with educational experience, information, and business tools that can be applied immediately in any organization or business environment — regardless of the industry type or organization size.

A Decision-Making Schism

Managers and employees have widely different views about decision making in their organizations, according to a recent survey done by Yankelovich Partners for Kepner-Tregoe, a consulting firm. Also, the percentage of managers and employees who agree that decision making is on the right track is low.

Here are the survey results, along with our suggestions for bringing their viewpoints closer together and boosting those percentages:

• 49 percent of managers and 27 percent of employees agreed that “We involve the right people.” The solution to raising these numbers is easy – and obvious. Always involve two groups: the decision makers and those most affected by the decision. Many organizations ignore the payoff in creative thinking. Decisions fail when the decision makers treat those in the second group like rich relatives. They want something from them but hope they don’t have to associate too closely with them to get it.
• 41 percent of managers and 21 percent of employees agreed their companies “encourage creativity.” Perhaps too many organizations suffer from the “couch potato” syndrome. They hit the mute button to silence all those “commercials” about creativity’s payoff in productivity and profit. We could list many ideas to boost these numbers, but we’ll stick to a few basics: Train everyone to think creatively; seek ideas from all organization levels; react positively to all ideas, even those that seem absurd. Reward employees for ideas and suggestions, including those you don’t use.
• Forty-one percent of managers and 21 percent of employees said “yes” to “We consider enough alternatives.” We believe the low numbers here stem directly from the problems already discussed. When you fail to involve enough people or encourage creativity, you’re like a horse wearing blinders. You plow straight ahead, overlooking important alternatives. And one of them could be the best solution to your problem.
• 30 percent of managers and 12 percent of employees agreed they “consider the risks.” We know we’re harping. But again, the likely cause for these low percentages lies in the first item on this list: ignoring those the decision will affect the most. When you do that, you’re sure to miss the warning bell that could head off a big blunder.
• 30 percent of managers and 18 percent of employees went along with “We make the purpose of decisions clear.” The culprit here is rushing to decide before you’re clear on the “why.” Because if you’re not sure, you certainly can’t make the purpose clear to those involved. And when you can’t, you create morale problems faster than a state-of-the-art computer operating system opens a program. The result: Your decision draws weak support, meets passive resistance or sparks out-right opposition.

When your best employees want to quit, here’s what you can do to keep them

If your top employee comes to you and says he is leaving the organization, don’t panic. There are things your can do to keep that person on board.

T.J. Rodgers is CEO of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. His industry is so competitive that he constantly worries about losing his best employees to the competition. So, he has developed a plan of attack to use when an employee threatens to leave. In the last year alone, says Rodgers, his plan has “saved” four vice presidents from leaving the company. Here are the four things you must remember:

• Act right now! Rodgers says you have to act within the first five minutes of hearing the news. Cancel the next thing on your schedule, and devote full attention to this employee. Any delay – even something as simple as saying, “I’ll talk to you this afternoon” – is unacceptable, says Rodgers.
• Don’t let word get out. Do your best to keep the news a secret, says Rodgers, because if word gets out, the employee may follow through on his or her plan to leave – just to avoid the embarrassment of a public reversal.
• Listen hard to the employee. And then fight hard to save him or her. But before you can fight, says Rodgers, you have to listen. Find out why the employee wants to leave. Is it for a better job or more money? Is the employee bored and looking for a change? Rodgers says that if you are willing to really listen, 90 percent of the time you can make a good argument that it’s in the employee’s best interest to stay. Let that person know that you believe quitting would be a mistake, and that you will work hard to help him or her rectify that mistake.
• Call in your biggest guns. Your boss should never be too busy to sit and talk with a talented employee. For that matter, neither should your boss’ boss. Go as high up as you have to, in order to show the employee that you’re serious. Rodgers says that if it requires the president of the company to get the job done, then the president has nothing more important to do than sit down with the employeeThink again. Satisfying customers is the ticket that will get you in the ball game, but it by no means guarantees that you win the game, says Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, a management consultant, professional speaker, and author of Winning Management: 6 Fail-Safe Strategies for Building High-Performance Organizations. In his seminars, Rinke always asks attendees to think of a recent service encounter that they have had with a company.

Reprinted with permission from the Manager’s Intelligence Report, www.ragan.com (800) 878-5331

“One surefire way to go out of business is to satisfy all your customers,” says expert.

Think again. Satisfying customers is the ticket that will get you in the ball game, but it by no means guarantees that you win the game, says Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, a management consultant, professional speaker, and author of Winning Management: 6 Fail-Safe Strategies for Building High-Performance Organizations. In his seminars, Rinke always asks attendees to think of a recent service encounter that they have had with a company.

“People consistently recall the extremes,” says Rinke. “The service providers who messed up and the service providers who exceeded their expectations. Seldom does anyone recall a service provider who has met their expectations.”

What that means, according to Rinke, is that if you and your team members consistently exceed your customers’ expectations, those customers will remember you and your organization. Otherwise, you will be off their radar screen. And if they forget you, they will not think of you the next time they, a friend, family member, or acquaintance needs the type of service you offer. And if enough people forget about you and your organization often enough, you’ll feel the impact directly on your bottom line!

So, the question becomes: How do you exceed customer expectations? Rinke says you do it by getting every customer to say “WOW!” One way to do this is to take a look at what your competition is doing and do something different.

Example: AquaGuard, a Beltsville, Md.-based waterproofing company, has achieved exceptional growth by being very aggressive service providers in an industry that has a very poor customer service track record. AquaGuard’s strategy is driven by their mission, which every team member knows by heart: “To achieve unrivaled customer satisfaction and ‘peace of mind’ by providing the highest quality, most innovative waterproofing services.”

The way they execute this mission is to start every customer interface on a positive note by avoiding high pressure sales techniques. In fact, prospective customers are urged not to schedule an appointment with a technician until after they have talked to several AquaGuard customers, who serve as references. That is the first “WOW!” that customers say.

Also, the technicians who call on customers serve in a consultative capacity to help solve the customer’s problem – not just make a sale. If a problem can be solved by merely attaching downspouts that have come off during the last storm, the technicians will do it at no charge. That is the second “WOW!” If, on the other hand, the customer requires waterproofing, an estimate will be provided that typically will be more costly than their competitors’.

Several days after the work has been completed by friendly, highly skilled technicians who have been trained in customer service, an AquaGuard representative calls the customer to make sure that the work has been completed to the customer’s complete satisfaction. That follow-up call is the third “WOW!” And, if the customer is not delighted, AquaGuard will cheerfully fix the problem to the customer’s total satisfaction. That’s the fourth “WOW!” Of course, fixing a customer’s problem shouldn’t be a “WOW!” but it is in the waterproofing business.

Finally, after the first big rain, the customer will receive one more call, to ascertain whether or not the waterproofed area will stay dry. “Now that’s a knock your socks off, triple ‘WOW!’” says Rinke. “Customers are so blown away by this call that they can’t wait to tell their neighbors, their friends, and their relatives. Which is exactly AquaGuard’s long-term strategy.”
In short, for AquaGuard, it is far more important to generate positive word of mouth advertising, the most powerful and effective advertising strategy at the disposal of any business, than to make a sale.
Has this strategy had an impact on the bottom line? You be the judge: Even though AquaGuard shut down their telemarketing department in 1997 – because it was not in keeping with their mission, vision, and core values – they generated 28 percent more sales in 1998, with 46 percent fewer employees and 48 percent lower cost.
If you like those results, says Rinke, then get started now! “Develop a service driven philosophy, let every employee know that the objective is to get the customer to say ‘WOW!,’ provide employees with intensive training, empower them to exceed every customer’s expectation, aggressively measure service satisfaction, and tie employee rewards to service improvements,” he says. “Will that help grow your business? Absolutely! After all, there are many organizations who satisfy their customers, but there are only a few that consistently get their customers to say ‘WOW!’”
Reprinted with permission from the Manager’s Intelligence Report, www.ragan.com, (800) 878-5331

Going Over the Boss’ Head
Here are a few things to do if you find yourself in the scary position of trying to decide if you should go over your boss’ head:
• Talk to the boss first to make sure you’re not misreading the situation. You may think the boss is up to no good, but the boss may have a good reason for his or her actions. If the boss stonewalls you, that’s the time to say you feel you must go to higher-ups.
• Handle the boss’s rejection of your business idea by saying you respect the boss’s judgment but want permission to take the idea further. The boss might surprise you with a green light. But if the boss says no, drop it – unless you feel your idea is so crucial to the organization that you must press on.
• Prepare a fallback position in case you lose the battle. If you take on the boss and lose, chances are good you may have to leave – either on your own or by being fired. So before you act, look within and outside your organization for other jobs.
• Transfer or quit if you can’t live with the boss’s decision. But do this only if the situation affects only you. If it’s an illegal or ethical problem that could harm or destroy the organization, you are obliged to act.

A Morale-Building Menu
Select what you think will work for you from this employee motivation menu:
• Spend equal amounts of one-to-one time with all your staff members. Even a 10-minute coffee break will show you care about them and want to hear any questions or suggestions they may have. Try to schedule one-on-one breakfasts or lunches with staff members several times a year.
• Keep track of staff members’ anniversaries and family birthdays.
Suggestion: Tell a staff member to leave early on a birthday or anniversary if you know the person is planning a party that evening.
• Encourage humor. Reason: Productivity increases when people are having fun, and it drops when they’re not. Also, laughter helps people deal with stress.
• Offer training and education services that meet individual needs and also benefit the organization. Reason: This shows staff members you care enough to invest in them.
• Get rid of any “pickles” on your staff whose sourness affects everyone else. The only thing worse than staff turnover is keeping the wrong people on board.

Controlling Workplace Gossip
Accept the reality that gossip is part of the workplace. But take these steps to control it:
• Keep people well informed. They crave information, and if they don’t get it, they’ll guess – and gossip about their guesses. If you don’t already communicate directly with employees – in print or electronically – you should. Or perhaps you need to meet with employees more often.
• Stay mum about decisions or coming events that you can’t yet reveal for sound business reasons. In fact, don’t even hint at this kind of information, because hints will power up the rumor mill faster than the whole story.
• Identify people you know you can rely on to let you know what’s hot on the gossip grapevine. This will often let you stop rumors and gossip before they damage the organization.
• Treat persistent and malicious gossip as you would any performance problem. Act fast to let offenders know you won’t tolerate the behavior. And make clear that their performance reviews will take a look at how well they’ve stuck to giving co-workers only accurate information.

Reprinted with permission from the Briefings Publishing Group, www.briefings.com, (703) 518-2337

Use these ‘tech tips’ to wow the audience to your next presentation
If you are using a laptop and presentation software to deliver presentations, there are a few simple tricks that will really add pizzazz to your next speech. The following tips are for Microsoft’s popular PowerPoint software, but other makers of such software have similar features:

1. Write directly on your “slides.” It’s a handy technique to be able to write directly on your electronic slide (i.e., your screen) much as you would an over-head transparency. Select the menu at the bottom left of the screen, and change the mouse pointer to a “pen” icon. You can use the pen to write directly on your slides. The notes are temporary, and will disappear when you go on to the next slide.

2. Don’t bother to reinvent the wheel. If you have slides that you’ve used in other presentations that would work in a current one, you can easily get them. Select the “insert” pull-down menu, then choose the “Slides from Files” option. Then, select the “Find Presentation” option, choose “Browse,” and locate the file that has the slide in it. Select “Open,” then choose “Display,” and go through the presentation to find the slide you want to copy. Select it, and then click “Insert.” The slide will appear in your current presentation – automatically formatted to fit in with your other slides.

3. Use sound to make a point. Adding sound effects to a slide is a great way to make a point during a presentation. And it’s easy to do. Select “Insert,” then “Movies and Sounds,” then “Record Sound.” You’ll have, from left to right, three buttons: “Play,” “Stop/Pause,” and “Record.” Click “Record” to start recording your sound, and “Stop” when you’re finished. The sound will play whenever that slide is shown. If you want to temporarily disable the sound from a slide, select “Slide Show,” then “Set Up Show,” then hit the button to select the “Show Without Narration” option.

Reprinted with permission from the Manager’s Intelligence Report, www.ragan.com,
(800) 878-5331

First Employment Fair For Executives & Middle Management Fair:

“The American Chamber of Commerce has been providing online recruitment services for over seven years now, giving a chance to reputable multinational corporations to search for appropriate candidates through our continuously expanding database of competent job seekers. And now we thought it would be the right time to take it a step further and offer this chance to both employers and to job seekers to take advantage of direct interaction.”
Dr. Taher Helmy, AmCham president

Recruiting Advice

Adopt these tips the next time you hire:
• Show applicants your employees doing their jobs.
• Have your employees talk about their duties and a typical day on the job.
• Encourage your employees to be candid about the most stressful and most rewarding parts of their jobs and why they like working for the organization.
• Avoid vague words such as “exciting,” “challenging” and “rewarding” in your ads and other recruitment materials. Instead, sell the job’s benefits.
Example: “We offer flexible hours, competitive wages, a friendly atmosphere and an opportunity to advance after management training.”

Reprinted with permission from the Briefings Publishing Group, www.briefings.com, (703) 518-2337

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