Author: admin

In today’s fast-paced and constantly evolving business world, leadership, effective communication, and emotional intelligence have become essential qualities for success. To stay competitive and relevant in the market, organizations need to invest in their employees’ development and provide them with the necessary training to enhance their leadership, communication, and emotional intelligence skills. In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of leadership, effective communication, and emotional intelligence training for organizations.

Leadership:

Leadership training programs can help employees to develop their leadership skills and become more effective leaders. Effective leadership is essential for organizations to achieve their goals and succeed in the market. With leadership training, employees can learn how to inspire and motivate their teams, delegate responsibilities, and make informed decisions. Leadership training also helps employees to develop their critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, which are essential for their success as leaders.

Effective Communication:

Effective communication is essential for organizations to ensure that their message is understood, and their goals are achieved. Effective communication training can help employees to develop their communication skills, which can lead to better teamwork, collaboration, and productivity. Communication training can help employees to learn how to communicate their ideas effectively, listen actively, and build strong relationships with their colleagues and clients.

Emotional Intelligence:

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and manage our emotions and the emotions of others. Emotional intelligence training can help employees to develop their emotional intelligence skills, which are essential for their success in the workplace. With emotional intelligence training, employees can learn how to manage their emotions effectively, communicate their feelings, and empathize with their colleagues and clients. Emotional intelligence training can also help employees to develop their interpersonal skills, which can lead to better teamwork, collaboration, and productivity.

Investing in leadership, effective communication, and emotional intelligence training can bring many benefits to organizations. These benefits include:

1. Improved Employee Performance: With leadership, effective communication, and emotional intelligence training, employees can improve their skills and become more effective in their roles. This can lead to better performance and productivity, which can benefit the organization as a whole.
2. Increased Employee Engagement: Training programs can help employees to feel valued and invested in by the organization, leading to higher engagement and job satisfaction. Engaged employees are more likely to be productive, innovative, and committed to the organization’s goals.
3. Better Teamwork and Collaboration: Leadership, effective communication, and emotional intelligence training can help employees to develop their interpersonal skills, which can lead to better teamwork and collaboration. Employees who can communicate effectively, manage their emotions, and empathize with their colleagues can work more efficiently and effectively together.
4. Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Effective communication and emotional intelligence skills can help employees to build strong relationships with clients, leading to better customer satisfaction and retention. Clients are more likely to do business with organizations that have employees who can communicate effectively and empathize with their needs.
5. Improved Organizational Culture: Leadership, effective communication, and emotional intelligence training can help to create a positive and supportive organizational culture. Employees who feel valued and invested in by the organization are more likely to be committed to the organization’s goals and values.

In conclusion, leadership, effective communication, and emotional intelligence training are essential for organizations to stay competitive and relevant in the market. Investing in these training programs can bring many benefits to organizations, including improved employee performance, increased employee engagement, better teamwork and collaboration, enhanced customer satisfaction, and improved organizational culture. Let’s talk today; you’ll be glad we did. You can contact us with this link.

Here’s a link to some of our courses and here are some of the organizations that have benefited from our services.

And, finally, here’s a link to a great article discussing the value of corporate training.

I have learned the four most important questions. Both my expansive career and my time on the Baldrige Board of Examiners taught me these questions. They work in business and life to help you evaluate your performance and keep you on track. They are:

1. How are you doing?
2. How do you know?
3. How should you be doing?
4. What are you doing to close the gap?

There is always a gap. These questions, thoughtfully considered, will give you a roadmap on how to improve. I’ve used them repeatedly and they always work. Try them today; I think you’ll have similar outcomes.

Let’s connect today.

We are in the training business, so you might expect us to be pro-training. We are. Because we understand training should be a priority and not relegated to when-we-get-around-to-it status. We know that there can be significant costs to inadequate training. Cracker Barrel was just reminded of that as well. We would be delighted to help you evaluate your training needs and craft a custom plan just for you.

Over and over again, we’ve witnessed the very real results of inadequate training. Make sure you are setting up your employees for success rather than failure. You never know when you will be faced with a jury (or the court of popular opinion) who believes you should have done a better job of training. Training is what we do and we’re good at it. We guarantee you will be pleased with the result.

Reach out today and let’s start a conversation.

We are wordsmiths. We have honed our writing and editing skills over decades.

We have training, experience, and state-of-the-art tools.

We now offer everything from simple proofreading and line editing to more complex developmental editing and coaching.

We offer quality services at competitive prices. We would love to talk today about how we can help meet your corporate communication needs.

Some attempt to excuse boorish behavior by saying something like, “Well, maybe I’m a little abrasive, but I mean no harm.” Intentional or not, you can cause harm by your words and actions. And Merriam-Webster agrees with us; being abrasive literally means “causing damage.” Don’t be abrasive.

We’re all stressed and attempting to navigate the new normal that COVID and so many other things have brought our way. Most of us are doing the best we can, with occasional slipups into bad behavior. As we end one year and begin another, it’s the perfect time for a little self-inspection. Are we abrasive? If so, there’s no excuse and we need to figure out how to change?

Don’t be abrasive and don’t tolerate it in others. If some of your employees are having trouble controlling their abrasiveness, we can help. Our professional etiquette classes have opened many eyes and saved several careers—and eliminated countless cases of “workplace heartburn.” Contact us today, we can help.  

It’s no secret; things have changed. Our world—and our workplaces—are different. Don’t you think it’s time for corporate training to change as well? Are you doing training just like you always have? You shouldn’t.

As we all seek to navigate the new normal, employee engagement is more important than ever. Employee engagement has never been a one-size-fits-all situation, but new workplace realities require a better approach for fostering and encouraging engagement. Today, it’s more of a partnership. Both employee and employer must work together to create a culture where everyone thrives.

Is your current approach to corporate training enabling excellence? Chances are it isn’t. Unfortunately, in the rush to handle the urgent, rethinking training often gets postponed until “someday.” And someday never comes. Talk with us about rethinking your training approach. We promise we’ll make it much less painful than you anticipate. Here’s a link to our contact page. Use it; we think you’ll be glad you did.

We have not lost the capacity to treat each other in a professional, kind, and civilized manner; but we may have misplaced it. The titles pictured above and many other similar publications are ample proof.

Clients often struggle to define what they are looking for—exactly—in corporate training. They talk in broad, general terms and tiptoe around their subject. The verbal dam usually breaks with one comment, and they can articulate what they are looking for: “Oh, you mean something like our No A**holes! class.”

“Exactly!”

They describe problematic workplace behavior that we all SHOULD know better than practicing but find far too prevalent today. Our class is engaging, kind, logical, and warm-hearted. It gently reminds us what is—and what is not—acceptable behavior. It is packed full of sensible, relatable, much-needed advice. And with a focus on legacy skills vs. resume skills, we are confident this will help your problem employees see what matters most—at work and in other parts of their lives. They will significantly improve their relationships with the people they spend the most time with: family, friends, coworkers, employers, customers, and neighbors.  

And while my response is tongue-in-cheek (we are far too professional to have a class with that name), we are more than qualified to nudge your employees toward more professional courtesies and protocols. We have worked for countless jerks over the years. We’ve learned how to deal with them—the hard way. And we can help others do the same. Do yourself and your employees a favor, book this class today. You’ll be glad you did. Email us at gary.lister@outlook and let start a conversation.

In another career, I had to suffer through annual diversity classes. And they were usually pretty lame. A good friend of mine from South Alabama always grumbled, “If they’d just give people a card when they were first hired that said ‘Y’all be sweet and act like you got some sense’ we could avoid all this.”

He was probably right. But they don’t give us “Be Sweet” cards and we aren’t always sweet. I have no crystal ball, but a few weeks ago in a LinkedIn post, I predicted that we’d need refresher training on how to be sweet when we returned to the workplace. Little did I know that my VERY FIRST post-COVID class would be on civility, diversity, and professional etiquette. I recently delivered a workshop to a great group of folks. They were polite, welcoming, and attentive. They were already actively demonstrating the course material.  

So, in addition to ditching sweatpants and t-shirts, many of us will need to leave the inconsiderate behavior behind as we return to the workplace. We may be a little rusty but manners, civility, and etiquette are always in style. So if you’d like to prepare your employees for success and give them an etiquette refresher, email me to start a conversation. We’ll be glad to help.

We are pleased to begin 2021 in partnership with Gordon State College. The Department of Continuing and Professional Education is sponsoring an outstanding series of leadership development workshops.

• 01/23/2020 – Leadership 101: Essential Tools for New Leads & Supervisors
• 02/27/2021 – Leading Millennials
• 02/30/2021 – Project Management 101
• 04/24/2021 – Developing Your Emotional Intelligence

These three-hour online classes will give you a solid introduction to the topic. More detailed training and follow-on courses will be available upon request.

For more information, contact cpe@gordonstate.edu or 678-359-5123.

We all have competitors. Our customers have options; how are they exercising their freedom to choose? Email our customer service guru at glister@gaptraining.co to learn more about the 11 impressions and how you can use them to your advantage. Our Customer Service Boot Camp may be just what your employees need to enhance your service and customer loyalty.

Everyone writes; not everyone writes well. We can help. Effective communication is your strategic advantage. Accurate, credible, clear writing is essential for business success.

Errors can be costly and counterproductive. Writing is a skill anyone can master. Our class delivers one-on-one coaching and developmental editing. It will make a profound difference in the quality of your organization’s correspondence. Your investment in this valuable course will earn rich dividends. It will help make your business communication more clear, persuasive, and credible.

This is a practical course; your employees will use their new and enhanced skills every day. It will help them communicate more accurately and develop their professional voice. The workshop and coaching sessions are well-structured and genuinely useful.

We have state-of-the-art software editing tools and decades of experience using the Chicago Manual of Style. Our instructor is a former speechwriter for an Air Force Commander, a former magazine contributing editor, an educator, a published author, and a master corporate trainer.

Group discounts and customized deliveries are available.

We are all eager to reopen. Customers want to come back. You – and your competitors – want them to as well. You have countess details to manage, but don’t overlook the reopening essentials and damage your brand. Let one of our experts serve as your on-site reopening consultant and trainer so you can focus on other things.

Protocol is the proper process you want your employees to follow – what to do. Decorum is more related to what you don’t want them to do. And etiquette is a combination of things to do and things to not do. Etiquette involves politeness, kindness, graciousness – all those things that make great experiences. It shows your care for others and helps ensure loyal customers.

We are surprisingly affordable and an excellent investment in training and coaching your employees. We enhance their soft skills and emotional intelligence and help make them excellent ambassadors for your business. Email glister@gaptraining.co or call 478-795-0095 today for a free consultation on how we can help your reopening go smoothly.

We all have them, and we want to help ease yours.

We want to ease your internal and external talent challenges.

We want to ease your engagement and retention problems.

We want to ease those poor relationships with supervisors or colleagues.  

We want to ease your leadership development and succession concerns.

We want to ease your customer service, diversity, and civility issues.

We want to ease your employee well-being, resilience, and mental health worries.

It’s what we do.

Publication after publication names skills gaps or talent shortages as one of their major pain points. Fixing skills gaps is what we do. It’s in our name. 

Your competition is already working on it. For example, Boeing is investing $100 million in upskilling, reskilling, training, and other workforce initiatives. And they aren’t the only ones; companies globally are seeking ways to retain and improve employees. Workforce development is one of the best ways we know.

Let’s talk today; you’ll be glad you did.

Tactical leadership skills are different from strategic skills – obviously. If you’re the Chairman of Board, CEO, President, Executive VP, etc., you definitely need to be concerned with strategy and vision. And you need to understand how to share goals, values, and visions with your employees.

Most of us aren’t in those lofty roles. Instead, we are concerned with what to do today, tomorrow, next week, and next month – tactics. And that’s exactly what this unique course delivers. It has its roots in our highly successful year-long master class on leadership. We’ve evolved the content and focus and moved it entirely online.

We’ve converted our popular Leadership Masterclass to a totally online format. Leave the strategic plans for the C-suite, this course is laser-focused on the tactical skills front-line and mid-level managers need to lead effectively. Signup today to be a part of the next cohorts.

You’ll meet new peers and contacts and gain new skills essential for leading today’s organizations. Sessions begin on May 10, 2020. Participants will become more efficient leaders by creating structures and processes to address organizational challenges. You’ll learn to lead teams effectively to meet organizational goals, with key insights and guidance. You’ll collaborate and network with fellow business leaders, and gain access to renowned thought leadership from our principal instructor.

During Week One, you’ll be welcomed with a personal call and introduced to your online learning and technical support network. You will then
begin connecting with fellow students.

Course materials include podcasts, video conferences (Zoom or similar platforms), self-study assignments in accompanying texts (please see below), and individual contact/coaching sessions.

Accompanying texts are Patton’s One-Minute Messages and Serve To Lead.

Start developing new skills or strengthen and enhance new skills today. Learn at your own pace; your time commitment will be about 2 – 4 hours per week. The program length is 4 weeks and the format is completely online with flexible start dates and multiple cohorts. You’ll interact with outstanding faculty and fellow high-potential learners.

Participants will learn how to better engage and motivate employees and create and execute tactical plans.

Group enrollments are welcome and discounts are offered for multiple participants from the same organization. Program tuition is $299 and includes the above textbooks shipped to your address.

Email glister@gaptraining.co or call 478-795-0095 for more information or to enroll.

When the COVID-19 crisis is over, your employees are going to need your help. I learned that a long time ago. We didn’t know it at the time but our workforce was suffering from PTSD. By only the sixth week or Desert Shield, our cargo delivery had exceeded that of the 1948 Berlin Airlift. We were doing more airlifts over a longer period of time than ever before with an aircraft built by Lockheed in the 1960s. Like old cars, these old planes required a LOT of maintenance and repair.

This unprecedented workload almost burned out both the fleet and workforce. We searched for ways to help employees cope with mandatory overtime, twelve-hour shifts, and seven days a week schedules. We wanted to shift from a crisis mode and return to normal operations. We turned to team building, but we got lucky on the method of delivery. We stumbled upon experiential education because we were searching for a way to make our training fun, enjoyable, relevant, and memorable. Many other companies, such as General Motors, Exxon, IBM, AT&T, Digital Equipment Corporation, Du Pont, Schering-Plough, Canadian Tire, General Electric, and Westinghouse also turned to experiential education around this time (1995).

I’m not sure about these other organizations, but we used things like giant beach balls, darts and blow guns, hula hoops, race cars, tennis balls, parachutes, blindfolds, eggs, green buttermilk, twenty-pound rocks, utility poles, ropes, kid’s play tunnels, water guns, cotton balls, and hand lotion. And our employees never forgot this training. If you can’t hear the discussion, processing, and facilitation, it looks a lot like play. But make no mistake, it accomplished, in exemplary fashion, our training goals. Our training techniques invited and supported growth – individual, interpersonal, and organizational. Participants learned new skills, or improved and enhanced existing skills, in the areas of team building, conflict management, creative problem solving, leadership, and followship. They gained both a greater appreciation for diversity and enhanced self-esteem.

Take it from someone who has helped guide a workforce to recovery, when this pandemic is over, your employees will need your help to return to normal. You won’t find a better corporate training tool than experiential education. You can read more about this remarkable aircraft here and learn more about our story and vintage experiential education from the 1995 Association for Experiential Education’s Annual International Conference proceedings. Drop me a line, or visit our Contact Us page. I’ll be happy to discuss with you and customize your very own program.

Our thoughts are with each of you during this this uncertain time. We extend our best wishes and support to all who have been affected. At Gap Training Solutions, we’ve always tried to positively contribute through our training, coaching, and consulting. We value our clients (current, past, and future) as you (and we) navigate the unknown.

We remain deeply committed to our mission of helping our clients. Stay well and thank you for your patronage and support over the years. Let’s stay connected and prepared to move forward once this challenge is behind us. We’ll be there for you. As always, our president and principal trainer can be reached at gary.lister@outlook.com and he always responds to emails.

Call us. We can help.

Today’s workplace is stressful. The American Institute of Stress conducted numerous studies which document stress and its insidious impact on productivity, profit, and employee wellbeing. Stress is a fact of life and the best employers deal with it proactively.

Nothing increases trust, teamwork, and communication like a talented facilitator presenting custom-crafted physical and mental challenges that can only be solved as a group. We’ve witnessed it time and time again. We excel at dealing with workplace issues that defeat others. We’ve saved the jobs of countless “problem employees” who were just about to be fired because they weren’t team players. Like Farmers Insurance, “we know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.” Let our experience and talent help you today. Let’s talk.

Delivering training is easy; it’s what we do. We’re trained, educated, experienced, and eminently comfortable in front of a class. It’s the actual selling of training that’s hard. No matter how grounded your value proposition, someone will always question “if it’s worth it.”

Training is a commodity – until it isn’t. Then organizations want you to solve their problem – and solve it NOW. Rapid delivery is one of our niches. We’re responsive. We develop crafted content quickly. We state in plain language what the terminal and enabling objectives are and give clients multiple opportunities to say, “Yes, that’s what I want” or “No, that’s not quite it…change this.”

We introduce the training session by telling participants what we will cover. We end the class by revisiting our objectives and asking, “Did we cover this adequately for everyone?” In the rare occasions when we didn’t, we revisit until everyone has a complete understanding of the material.

That’s the easy part. We do it incredibly well. We don’t have a single dissatisfied customer. But we aren’t salesmen or marketing experts. We have a tough time distinguishing Gap Training Solutions from the pack. That’s a shame because there are organizations missing out on some outstanding training.

Betonyourself.com agrees with us that packaging and selling training is the hard part. We trainers naturally focus on what we consider most important. We’re great trainers and we’ll continue to develop and deliver outstanding material – even if it costs us sales.

Let’s talk. You’ll be glad we did. Training is what we do and we’re second to none.

Our training NEVER looks like this!

It’s active, engaging, interesting, and works! Even serious subjects can be interesting and fun. We’ve found that helps with retention. So if you want to actually get benefits from your training dollars, contact us.

TrainingIndustry.com has 6 suggestions to improve comprehension and retention. We do all 6 and more.

We’ll make sure that even your serious subjects contain an element of fun that helps drive home important points. We’ve learned how to maximize knowledge retention and we’ll be happy do customize a program just for you. Join our long list of satisfied customers today. You’ll be glad you did.

We pioneered experiential education and team building for production and blue collar workers, especially within the United States Air Force. Not only did we train, our training produced outstanding results. It worked!

If you think your organization or your employees need a little more followship, turn to the folks who coined the phrase. We began using it way back in 1993 to describe exactly what you’re trying to get your employees to do. Our principal trainer’s pioneering techniques were so successful that he was invited to present the results at the 23rd Annual International Conference of the Association for Experiential Education. He’s a little bit grayer than he was in 1993 but just as effective. Let’s talk about what he can do for you. Contact us today and let’s start a discussion.

We aren’t the only ones who feel a little followship is needed. Fractus Learning, Modern Learners, Laurie P. Smith, Michael Pulley, and others believe followship is critically important. Interestingly enough, after being used for over a quarter of a century, the word still isn’t recognized by Microsoft Word and other software programs. It’s definitely time for a little followship!

Individual learning does not necessarily translate into organizational learning, much to the frustration of leaders everywhere. To be  most effective, learning must become collective. That is why team building and group experiential education activities are so productive. We’ve got some great (and fun) lessons just waiting to deliver for you. Contact us today and let’s begin a conversation on how we can improve your organizational learning.

We want to be the Harley-Davidson of training providers.

Seth Godin (and others) say: “Nobody gets a Suzuki tattoo.”

They get instead, Harley-Davidson tattoos. We hope to inspire that kind of devotion. HR and Training managers like us because of our short lead time requirements, quick turnaround, incredibly effective training, and competitive prices. Participants like us because our training is not boring. All our associates have been rank and file employees and we’ve sat through HOURS of boring, useless training. We work hard to make sure ours is different.

You may not know us yet, but you will. We’re working hard to make sure of it. You may never get a Gap Training Solutions tattoo, but if you every attend one of our events you may ALMOST feel like it. We’re that good. Wikipedia’s definition of brand loyalty sounds awfully familiar to us. Our clients come back again and again.

Try us today; you’ll like us, we guarantee it. Here’s a link to some of our successfully delivered programs; let us design one for you today.

Stories make all the difference. We humans are programmed for stories. Evolution taught it was advantageous to form groups and tell stories to share knowledge to help people understand and remember. Our early ancestors compacted their experiences and lessons while hunting and gathering and told stories around the campfire to share the knowledge with the rest of the group.

A story can soften a lesson, a prescription, or a directive. I can conceal how strongly I feel about an action one of my clients, colleagues, friends, or member of my family wants to take by telling a story with a moral. I don’t say “Don’t do it. That’s stupid. Are you out of your mind?” Instead, I tell a story.

Stories have been shared in every culture for millions of years – starting with rudimentary drawings by those people who lived in caves – as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and instilling moral values.

The ancient art of storytelling has made its way to the boardroom, but some people – including marketers – still wonder if it’s that big of a deal. The truth is, whether you’re trying to sell your product or service, your company or even yourself, you need to be able to tell a story. And bullets on a PowerPoint slide are not a story.

The South’s beloved short story writer Eudora Welty said this, “Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them. I suppose it’s an early form of participation in what goes on. Listening children know stories are there. When their elders sit and begin, children are just waiting and hoping for one to come out, like a mouse from its hole.” She also said, “A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.” She was talking about a verbal snapshot, not a photograph.

TED has a huge list of talks devoted to the art and value of storytelling. If TED is paying attention, you should too. The Professional Storyteller web site believes in the power of storytelling so strongly their motto is “Share a Story – Change the World.” They may be on to something.

You, me, all of us have stories…unique, wonderful, powerful, and profound stories. Let them come out…like a mouse from its hole. Learn to tell your stories. You’ll be glad you did.

Have you ever wondered how companies like Disney, Zappos, Chick-fil-A, and others have such delighted customers? It’s no accident. In fact, it’s quite deliberate, systematic, and planned. Your employees can also learn how to wow customers. Book our Creating Customer Service Magic class today and we guarantee you’ll notice a difference. Customer expectations have changed over the years; this excellent article by SaleForce does an outstanding job of highlighting time. We can help you deal with the changes. Email or call us today: glister@gaptraining.co or 478-795-0095. You can take a look at some of our hugely successful deliveries here.

The current breakdown of common civility, mutual respect, and public discourse is eating away at the very core of our norms and personal etiquette. We have an opinion, dang it! And we want to share it! ESPECIALLY because your opposite opinion is so STUPID!

Please don’t, no matter how strongly you feel. These dark days shall pass, and we’ll all – or perhaps most of us – will be nice once again. The pendulum always swings. In the meantime, rely on the old rules to keep you out of trouble. This article at thebalancecareers.com does an excellent job of highlighting “6 Topics to Avoid Discussing at Work.” You should read it; it will help keep you out of trouble.

If you or your employees need a little extra help, we are here to help. Our instructors are courtly, gracious, and unfailingly polite. We’re excellent examples and role models and can help improve toxic environments. Give us a call today; we’ve helped several organizations avoid hostile work environment and harassment complaints and litigation. We can do the same for you.

According to a recent Washington Post article, unemployment is at a 50-year low and headed lower. That makes your employees more valuable than ever…they know it and you should too.

Now’s the time to optimize your employees’ productivity and eliminate any skills gaps. Replacing employees – even mediocre ones – can be difficult, expensive, and time consuming. We can help; let us develop and deliver customized training to help your workforce be their best.

Rehabilitate and reskill / upskill; that’s so much more efficient and profitable than replacing employees. We excel and eliminating skills gaps. Give us a call today at 479-795-0095 and let us go to work for you.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/05/03/unemployment-is-year-low-it-might-drop-lot-further/?utm_term=.638a0e42a24c

If today’s prickly court of public opinion won’t grant a little deference to Morris Dees, what chance do the rest of us have? We’d better mind our manners. Dees, who conceived, birthed, and raised the Southern Poverty Law Center has been fired, as reported in this Washington Post article.

Times have changed. What may have been marginally tolerated in your youth – or even five years ago – is unacceptable today. We can help ensure your (and your employees’) executive presence is everything it should be. Invest a little and save a lot. The lawsuit or dismissal you avoid may be your own.

Let’s talk today; you’ll be glad we did. Email glister@gaptraining.co or call 478-795-0095 to learn what a difference an eight hour class can make. We’ll help you resolve your blind spots and keep you our of trouble. Don’t squander a lifetime reputation because of something you’ve “just always done.” It’s the twenty-first century and we should all act like it. The time for youthful indiscretions is long past.

A huge THANK YOU to Chick-fil-A, Bubba Cathy, and Mark Cathy for hosting the inaugural cohort of Leadership GDC yesterday at the Chick-fil-A Support Center and sharing their leadership insights, business philosophy, and absolute commitment to customer service. Gentlemen, your time was MOST appreciated (as well as Bubba’s ukulele performance).

S. Truett Cathy created an awesome legacy and you honor it with your service. We aim for Leadership GDC (Georgia Department of Corrections) to be a premier leadership development program. Exposure to outstanding organizations like Chick-fil-A will help achieve that goal.

We at Gap Training Solutions are ready and able to create a similar leadership development program for your organization. You’ll be delighted, we guarantee it. This program literally changed the face of leadership in the Georgia Department of Corrections and will continue to do so for generations of leaders. This program increased the value of participants to their organization; 98 percent went on to more senior roles.

In addition to Chick-fil-A, the cohort also visited Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Kia’s West Point Assembly Plant, the Georgia Center of Innovation, and the Georgia Ports Authority. If you don’t understand what leadership excellence, corrections, chicken sandwiches, nuclear submarines, and automobile manufacturing have in common, we should talk. It will be a great learning experience. The cohort experienced much growth, insight, learning, and had lots of fun and fellowship with their incredible hosts. Few can say they toured a nuclear submarine or had Bubba Cathy lead them in creating an organizational song on his ukulele.

If you’d like to learn more about Leadership GDC, here’s a short informative video that will give you more information.

Six different clients called us recently to deliver “emergency” diversity training. Each call was because of an incident of workplace harassment which was entirely preventable. Harassment can occur in any combination of working relationships: among employees or between employees and supervisors. Employers have a basic obligation to their employees – to provide a safe working environment free from discrimination and harassment.

Yet according to Harvard Business Review in this excellent article, employers are failing to meet this obligation and their dated approaches are as well. Our training is different. It is actually fun, innovative, interactive, and interesting. There’s nothing remedial about it. It will help change culture and avoid “emergencies.” And it will put you in an excellent position to defend the company from discrimination and harassment lawsuits – perhaps even bulletproof.