Presidents Message

During our learning event program last month our presenter, Diane Siefkes, polled the group to find out how many and to which social media networks each of us belongs. The vast majority of us belong to more than one. I think many of us felt pretty good to be in that sort of company; the hip, happening, tech savvy crowd. We raised our hands with zeal then threw our shoulders back letting the others in the room bask in our coolness. Then she asked how many of us are active in those networks.  Some of us weren’t so cool anymore. I know personally that my LinkedIn account has quite a few cobwebs; and aside from an occasional message to a friend or family member, my approach to Facebook is somewhat voyeuristic. I watch the stories on Facebook like some people watch soap operas. I’ve watched relationships start, marriages end, battles with cancer, Disney vacations and more. However, to say that I have used Facebook as a tool to improve the connection I have with friends, family and people who have similar interests to mine would be a lie.

Many of us are in the same boat. One person at the meeting told me, “Today was the first day I have ever seen my LinkedIn page. Bailey, Lauerman built it for me, but I’ve never used it.” I think we see the magic of these technologies and figure that good things will just happen. If we have professional looking LinkedIn pages employers and clients will beat a path to our door; all of our long lost cousins and high school chums will seek us out if we post our smiling faces on Facebook. Then, when it doesn’t happen, we blame the technology. We do the same thing with everything from health clubs to professional organizations.

 When something isn’t producing the results you had expected you must ask yourself if you have put enough in to realize any sort of return. Return on investment isn’t possible without investment. I’m not talking about membership dues; paying your dues and then lamenting that you get nothing in return is like buying a hammer then wondering why the family portrait is still sitting on the floor.

We have made the Power of 2 membership easy. This gives you membership to both our local chapter and ASTD National in one easy purchase.

• Power of 2 is the first membership option listed on the membership page of our website.
• You only enter your information once.
• You (or your employer) only cut one check. Particularly convenient if your employer only pays for one membership for you per year, as it is a package membership with a cost savings built in to the low price.
• We handle all of the paperwork for your ASTD national membership.

The door has been opened; it’s up to you to take full advantage. You can pay your dues and peek in on all of the juicy things ASTD is doing or you can pick up the hammer and get to work. Use these tools for what they are designed to do: keep you up to date with advances in the field, make connections that will help your career, provide discounts on professional learning opportunities and make a difference in the lives of your learners and colleagues.

At the chapter level we have a number of great opportunities for you to be involved:

• Two different ASTD national certificate programs.

        o   The Coaching Certificate is being offered in June.

        o   The Advanced Designing Learning Certificate Program is set for  September.

• Dennison Bhola, Ph.D.  will be our featured speaker in June.
• A number of different committees are forming or looking to add members.

An ASTD National membership offers myriad of benefits too long to list, including:

• T+D Magazine
• T+D Webcasts
• Discounts on things from books to automobile insurance.
• Discounted registration for ICE (ASTD’s International Conference & Exposition) scheduled for May 2012 in Denver.
• Many other national conferences and learning opportunities throughout the year.

An ASTD membership is what you make of it. You may pay your dues and adorn you resume and LinkedIn page, or you can achieve the return on your investment that is available to you. For more information on how to maximize your membership, please feel free to reach out to any of ASTD-Lincoln’s board members or long time members.

Kev

When I was a kid, our television brought into our living room three entire networks of programming and several local channels that were found on the UHF dial. Reception and picture clarity often depended on the strategic placement of people in the room and tin foil antenna boosters. Today, I have hundreds of stations beamed into my living room (bedrooms, family room, kitchen) from space. I am WIFI’ed, digital, cellular, LinkedIn, and Facebook friends with people whom I have never met in person. My children laugh at the primitive technology in my “when I was your age” speeches and we have to draw straws (there’s an app for that) to determine who gets to use the Kindle Fire first.

I can credit the colleagues I have in ASTD for dragging me into the 21^st Century. I have gone from Etch-A-Sketch to (almost) iPad in less than a decade. While I have yet to earn my Techno-Geek pocket protector, I am much more comfortable using today’s technology… I’m blogging for Pete’s sake!

Speaking as someone who used to be very quick to dismiss advances in technology and passing fads, I encourage you to attend our February program and workshop. We are calling the event the Social Media Tool Kit and it promises to have very valuable information to benefit you both personally and professionally. I have used Facebook as a learning tool, my connections on LinkedIn and with ASTD pointed me toward my current employment, and I have connected with family, friends and colleagues all over the world via these tools and others. I have yet to venture into the world of Twitter; mostly due to my inability to express myself in 140 characters or fewer.

Social media gives us new and exciting ways to learn, connect, network and plug into a global community of learners and teachers. Attend the February event and discover how these tools can benefit you.

The January event gave us a great start to 2012. I was particularly pleased with the number of guests we had in attendance. The most effective marketing tool we have is our membership, so keep talking about ASTD to your friends and don’t hesitate to ask a board member to help facilitate the enrollment process for anyone interested in joining us.

Kev

I heard someone tell recently of being set up on a date by a friend. She accepted the invitation and the mystery man took her to a fine restaurant, dinner, drinks, and dessert. Then, as he was tending to the last remaining crumb of turtle cheesecake and chasing it with a sip of coffee, he excused himself to the men’s room. When he hadn’t returned for nearly 20 minutes, she grew concerned. She asked the waiter to go to the men’s room to make sure he wasn’t ill or hurt or worse. The waiter returned to inform her that there was no one in the men’s room, and her concern turned to rage. She was left with a $200 dinner tab and no ride home.

As unfortunate as this story is, I would imagine that similar situations happen with groups ranging from Cub Scout Packs to PTAs. Having been involved with other organizations and seeing the messes left for the incoming president, I feel fortunate to be assuming the responsibility of ASTD-Lincoln President. I’m not being stuck with a $200 dinner bill or left alone to sink or swim. Our chapter is on pretty solid ground.

We survived the downturn in the economy and have bounced back, thanks to the efforts of our leaders and membership. The quality of our programs and workshops is unmatched, and 2012 looks to be even more exciting. We have a strong working relationship with ASTD Nebraska. Our board of directors is a passionate, creative, and hardworking group of professionals.

During my year as president, I would like to see our chapter build a stronger connection to the business leaders in our community. I would like to grow our membership and our members’ connection to ASTD- National. And I would like to give our members the opportunity to showcase and be acknowledged for their professional achievements.

My two major goals for 2012 are to establish an executive advisory board with business leaders from the Lincoln area. This group of executives would help us identify issues that our chapter could address with our events and programs, and help us find ways to better serve the local community in the area of workplace learning and performance. Also, I would like to revive and revamp the Community Impact and Workplace Learning and Performance (WLP) Champion awards. As the WLP authority in Lincoln, we must acknowledge the work individuals and organizations are accomplishing in the area of employee learning.

I turn to you now to step up and make these things happen. Feel free to contact me, or any board member, to find out how you can become more involved in one of the strongest ASTD chapters in the country.

Kev

“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.” - Louis L’Amour

As the end of the year rapidly approaches and I happily (and sadly!) turn over my position of ASTD-Lincoln President to Kevin Mattran, I look back on the accomplishments, struggles, and the non-stop learning opportunities that were made available in 2011. In November the ASTD-Lincoln Chapter celebrated its 35 anniversary and yes, there was cake! A HUGE thank you to all the past presidents, board members, and committee members who have helped grow the field of training and provided high quality monthly programs and special events.

December 5 – 9, 2011 has been designated by ASTD National as Employee Learning Week (ELW). This is an opportunity for organizations to showcase employee learning and organizational development. A proclamation was signed by Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman, stating December 5 – 9 to be Employee Learning Week in the State of Nebraska. This was submitted as a dual proclamation by the Lincoln and Nebraska (Omaha) Chapters of ASTD.

The annual awards ballots have been tallied and will be presented at the December learning event. You do not want to miss out on the holiday event at Hillcrest Country Club…networking, socializing, and a wonderful presentation on enjoying the holiday season. We are also collecting monetary donations for Foodnet, Inc. Our goal is to raise at least $500 for those less fortunate within our community.

And although I will remain on the Board of Directors in 2012 as Past-President, it may appear my work here is done. However, it is just the beginning of many new adventures! I will now be in an advisory role for the current Board members, will continue to attend learning events, and will always promote the Chapter and the field of workplace learning and development.

Happy holidays and cheers to the New Year! And now, heeeerrrreee’s Kevin!