The document is the January/February 2012 issue of Training magazine, which features articles on the top corporate training programs as ranked in Training magazine's annual Training Top 125 list. Verizon is ranked number one on the list for 2012, while Farmers Insurance is ranked number two. The issue also includes articles on the training programs at Miami Children's Hospital, Mohawk Industries, McDonald's, and others that made the top five of the Training Top 125 for the first time.

1. THE SOURCE FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
www.trainingmag.com
INSIDE:
FARMERS INSURANCE; MIAMI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL;
MOHAWK INDUSTRIES, INC.; MCDONALD’S USA, LLC
BEST PRACTICES & OUTSTANDING INITIATIVES
New Number Is
Verizon’s1Communications company nets
the top spot on the 2012 Training Top 125
$35
JANUARY/
FEBRUARY
2012
$35
NUARY/
BRUARY
2012

2. Farmers InsuranceSM
ranks among the top 125 best corporate training programs in the world.
We know that better training means better resources for our customers, and when it comes to
insurance, great support makes all the difference. To find an agent near you, visit farmers.com.
©2012 Farmers Insurance

3. contents
Verizon’s New # Is 1
Verizon rings in 2012 in the top spot on the Training Top 125.
BY LORRI FREIFELD
Farmers Insures Success
Farmers claims the No. 2 spot on the Training Top 125 with a
forward-thinking training strategy linked to its primary mission:
FarmersFuture 2020. BY LORRI FREIFELD
Miami Children’s Hospital Puts People First
Finding the right people and nurturing them to provide the best care
to patients adds up to a stellar learning and development treatment
plan for Miami Children’s Hospital. BY MARGERY WEINSTEIN
Mohawk Maximizes Learning
Empowering workers to take charge of their learning goals,
using social networking to facilitate collaboration, and providing
enhanced employee benefits set Mohawk up for a year of training
excellence. BY MARGERY WEINSTEIN
McDonald’s Recipe for Success
McDonald’s USA,LLC,is famous for its burgers and fries.But last year,
its training organization made a name for itself with learning programs
that ensure its customers continue to receive the level of product and
service they have come to expect. BY MARGERY WEINSTEIN
34
42
52
60
28
34
42
52
60
FEATURES
TOP 5
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 VOLUME 49, NUMBER 1
www.trainingmag.com
training JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 | 1www.trainingmag.com
28

4. 2 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
64 Training Top 10 Hall of Fame
Microsoft Corporation and SCC Soft Computer are the
newest inductees into the Training Top 10 Hall of Fame,
joining the ranks of the 11 companies named to the hall since
its inception in 2008.
66 The Training Top 125
Training magazine’s 12th annual ranking of the top
companies with employer-sponsored workforce training and
development.
108 Best Practices &
Outstanding Initiatives
Training editors recognize innovative and successful learning
and development programs and practices submitted in the
2012 Training Top 125 application.
118 Accelerating
On-The-Job Training
2012 Training Top 125
winners share their best
practices for accelerating on-
the-job training (OJT).
4 Online TOC Web-only content
6 Editor’s Note A Higher Calling
BY LORRI FREIFELD
10 Training Today News, stats, and business
intel BY LORRI FREIFELD
14 Soapbox Paychex Train-the-Trainer
Partnership Program BY LISA GREEN
18 Soapbox ROE: Demonstration of
Training Value BY DR. JAMES D. KIRKPATRICK
AND WENDY KAYSER KIRKPATRICK
22 How-To Motivate, Engage, and
Involve Your Team BY BRAD KARSH
24 World View Focus on Singapore
BY JESSIE LEE MILLS
26 World View Focus on the Multicultural/
Multi-Language Classroom
BY LESTER STEPHENSON
126 Best Practices T&D for Global JVs
and M&As BY NEAL GOODMAN, PH.D.
128 Training Magazine Events Let’s Do It!
BY TONY O’DRISCOLL
130 Trainer Talk 6 Magic Training Phrases
BY BOB PIKE
134 Talent Tips Transparency in Training
BY ROY SAUNDERSON
136 Last Word Hear Ye, Hear Ye
BY MICHAEL ROSENTHAL
DEPARTMENTS
www.trainingmag.com
FEATURES (CONTINUED)
108
(page 2)
118

5. What’s the secret behind a smart training program?
n
y
...and more - all for an unbeatable price.
powered by
A Learning Management System
Visit us at Training Conference booth #615
Find us online at: www.InquisiqR3.com
that thinks like you.

6. online contents
4 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
Lakewood Media Group
PO Box 247, Excelsior, MN 55331
Corporate: 952.401.1283
Subscriptions: 847.559.7533
Website: www.trainingmag.com
EDITORIAL:
Editor-in-Chief Lorri Freifeld 516.524.3504
lorri@trainingmag.com
Contributing Editor Margery Weinstein
margery@trainingmag.com
Columnists Neal Goodman, Kendra Lee,
Neil Orkin, Bob Pike,
Peter Post, Michael Rosenthal,
Roy Saunderson, Jason Womack
Art Director David Diehl 646.932.3402
daviddiehldesign@gmail.com
Webmaster Matt Tews 763.712.8555
matt@trainingmag.com
SALES & MARKETING:
Publisher Mike Murrell 952.401.1283
mike@trainingmag.com
Account Executive Gary Dworet 561.245.8328
gary@trainingmag.com
Account Executive Lori Gardner 952.544.6906
lori@trainingmag.com
Marketing Manager Kris Stokes
kris@trainingmag.com
Art Director/Promotions Susan Abbott
susan@abbottandabbott.com
Production Manager Tony Kolars
tony@trainingmag.com
Audience Marketing Director Vicki Blomquist
vicki@trainingmag.com
CORPORATE & EVENTS:
President Mike Murrell 952.401.1283
mike@trainingmag.com
VP, Finance/Operations Bryan Powell 612.922.9399
bryan@trainingmag.com
VP, Market Strategy Philip Jones 612.354.3525
phil@trainingmag.com
VP, Expositions Dick Powell 952.417.6504
dick@trainingmag.com
Brand Products Director Joyceann Cooney-Garippa
917.923.8052
jcooney@trainingmag.com
Conference Director Julie Groshens
julie@trainingmag.com
Conference Manager Leah Nelson
leah@trainingmag.com
SUBSCRIBER/ADVERTISER SERVICES:
Copyright Permissions Copyright Clearance Center
(Print & Online) 978.750.8400; info@copyright.com
Custom Reprints The YGS Group, Anastasia Minichino
(Print & PDF/Digital) 800.501.9571 x100
anastasia.minichino@theygsgroup.com
List Rental Manager TriMax, Paul Kolars 651.292.0165
pkolars@trimaxdirect.com
Subscriber Customer Service 1.877.865.9361 or 847.559.7533
(Address Changes, Back Issues, ntrn@omeda.com
Renewals) Fax: 847.291.4816
Leadership Development Tool Kit
In “The Trainer’s Handbook of Leadership Development,” Karen Law-
son, Ph.D., CSP, presents a practical, easy-to-use leadership develop-
ment tool kit easily adaptable for both group and individual application.
http://trainingmag.com/article/leadership-development-tool-kit
Open Communication Boosts Profit
While communication typically is considered a “soft skill” that’s often
overlooked in machine-filled manufacturing plants focused on produc-
tion, many of the ills in manufacturing are actually symptoms of poor
communication.
http://trainingmag.com/article/open-communication-boosts-profit
3 Leadership Lessons for 2012
Occupy Wall Street—a movement that consciously chose not to have
“someone in charge”—is a fascinating case study in leadership at a
time when the world needed it more than ever, whether in politics,
social entrepreneurism, or business.
http://trainingmag.com/article/3-leadership-lessons-2012
Podcast: Insights on Manager-Led Development of Employees
Corporate Leadership Council Director Kimberly Shells shares research
findings and discusses how manager-led development can help
managers drive employee performance and development.
http://trainingmag.com/article/podcast-insights-manager-led-
development-employees
Interested in writing an online article for www.trainingmag.com?
E-mail Editor-in-Chief Lorri Freifeld at lorri@trainingmag.com.
Your source for more training tips, trends, and tools
www.trainingmag.com
On www.trainingmag.com, the online
home of Training magazine, you’ll find
these Web-only articles. Send your
feedback to lorri@trainingmag.com.
Follow us online here:
Twitter: @TrainingMagUS @LorriFreifeld
LinkedIn: http://goo.gl/oHokF
Facebook: Facebook.com/TrainingMagazine
YouTube: YouTube.com/TrainingMagUS
Google+: GPlus.to/TrainingMagazine

7. “Pfeiffer helps us satisfy our
clients and really make a
difference in the organization.”
—Renee Harness and Jo Bell,
Managing Partners, Third Eye Leadership
When trainers need solutions, they Ask Pfeiffer.
Learn more at www.pfeiffer.com
New Releases and Bestsellers!
Essential resources for training and HR professionals
Sivasailam “Thiagi”Thiagarajan
and TRACY TAGLIATI
Activities to
WAKE UP and
ENGAGE
Your Participants
Jolts!Jolts!
Co-published with
CERTIFICATION
P E R F O R M A N C E - B A S E D
How to Design
a Valid,
Defensible,
Cost-Effective Program
JUDITH HALE
Essential resources for training and HR professionals
Facilitator’s Guide
A PROGRAM FOR USING COURAGE to TRANSFORM THE WORKPLACE
BILL TREASURER
Author of Courage Goes to Work
Essential resources for training and HR professionals
RESPECT
JACK WILEY BRENDA KOWSKE
Delivering Results by Giving
Employees What They Really Want
Get the
Leadership
Challenge
Practice app for
your iPhone!
Available in e-book formats.

8. editor’s note
6 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
Lorri Freifeld
lorri@trainingmag.com
V
erizon rang in the New Year with a new number: The telecom company
earned the No. 1 spot on the 2012 Training Top 125. Farmers Insurance
claimed the No. 2 spot, while Top 5 newcomers Miami Children’s Hos-
pital, Mohawk Industries, and McDonald’s nabbed Nos. 3, 4, and 5, respectively.
Some 24 new companies broke into the Top 125 this year, with Capital One
and Sprint Nextel Corp. debuting in the Top 50. The majority
of the companies are in the health/medical services, real estate/
insurance, business services, and finance/banking industries.
Here are some overall statistics from the quantitative analysis
of the 2012 Training Top 125 applications:
• The mean revenue was $5.9 billion U.S. and $11.3 billion world-
wide. The mean training budget was $145.5 million, representing
4.52 percent of payroll.
• The mean number of total employees trained per organization
(including independent contractors and franchisees) was 41,890,
with 18,462 trained in the classroom and 38,438 trained
online. A mean of 557 courses were offered as instructor-led sessions; 1,494
as online self-paced modules; and 113 as virtual instructor-led class-
rooms. Some 94 percent of applicants have a technological infrastructure to
support the delivery and management of training.
• The average number of full-time and part-time trainers was 232 and 395,
respectively.
• Some96 percentof applicantshave atuitionreimbursementprogram. Amean of
8 percent of eligible employees made use of tuition reimbursement programs in
thelastyear.Organizationsspentameanof$3millionontuitionreimbursement
programs.
• Some 97 percent of applicants use employee satisfaction surveys, and 98 percent
use competency maps and personal/individual development plans. Only 64
percent tie managers’ compensation directly to the development of their direct
reports.
• On the evaluation side, 57 percent of applicants utilize Return on Value; 72
percent utilize Return on Investment; 56 percent utilize Balanced Scorecards;
and 45 percent utilize Six Sigma. The Kirkpatrick Levels of Evaluation are more
widely used: Level 1 (96 percent), Level 2 (95 percent), Level 3 (90 percent),
Level 4 (82 percent).
• The average length of employee service is seven years, and the average turnover
rate is 16.5 percent.
• Internal candidates filled a mean of 33.8 percent of job openings, while
employees referred a mean of 21 percent of new hires.
Two companies were inducted into the Training Top 10 Hall of Fame in 2012:
Microsoft Corporation and SCC Soft Computer. See p. 64 for more on what
makes their training so effective.
Newfor2012,theTrainingbrandlaunchedanextensivesocialmediacampaign.See
p. 4 for links to our pages on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Google+.
We look forward to even more interactive interaction with you!
A Higher Calling
TRAINING EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Raymond D. Green, CEO, Paradigm Learning, Inc.
Bruce I. Jones, Programming Director,
Disney Institute
Nancy J. Lewis, former CLO and VP, ITT
Corporation, and former VP, Learning, IBM
Rebecca L. Ray, Ph.D., Managing Director,
Human Capital, The Conference Board
Nick Schacht, President and CEO, Learning
Tree International
TRAINING TOP 10 HALL OF FAME
Brent Bloom, Senior Director, Global Talent &
Development, KLA-Tencor Corporation
Cyndi Bruce, Executive Director, Center for
Learning and Development, KPMG LLP
Jim Federico, Senior Director, Platforms &
Operations, Microsoft Corporation
Gordon Fuller, Global Design & Development
Leader, IBM Center for Advanced Learning
David Gauci, Director, Worldwide Talent &
Organization Capability, Pfizer Inc.
Daniel J. Goepp, Managing Director, Learning
& Development, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
Vicente Gonzalez, Learning and
Development, Booz Allen Hamilton
Donald Keller, Chief Learning Officer and VP,
Global Education & Development,
SCC Soft Computer
Diana Oreck, VP, Leadership Center,
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
Bill Pelster, National Director, Talent
Development, Deloitte Services LP
Kevin Wilde, VP, CLO, General Mills, Inc.
2011 TOP 10 YOUNG TRAINERS
Amy Stewart Anneé, Senior Director,
World Wide Sales Learning, Automatic Data
Processing
Daniel S. Cooper, CEO, ej4, LLC
Lisa Green, Training Manager, Paychex, Inc.
Tina K. Hall, President/Chief Catalyst,
Kirsi Consultancy
Elissa Hoehn, Executive Professional
Development Trainer, Skill Enhancement &
Development, Merck
Scott Kaplan, Director of Sales-West Coast,
Myxer
Nate Kelly, Senior Learning and Education
Manager—Tiger Institute for Health Innovation,
Cerner Corporation
James P. Orlando, Assistant Vice President,
Academic and Alumni Affairs,
Einstein Healthcare Network
Jessica Parisi, Partner, BTS USA
Sarah Reed, Learning & Development
Specialist, Sacramento Municipal
Utility District

9. Kudos!
KPMG LLP congratulates Training magazine’s
2012 Top 125 honorees on their achievement,
and on their outstanding contributions to
the development of their people.
We also salute our fellow members of
Training’s Hall of Fame, and the dedicated
professionals of KPMG’s Business School
who work every day to take training
effectiveness to the next level.
kpmg.com
©2012KPMGLLP,aDelawarelimitedliabilitypartnershipandtheU.S.memberfirmoftheKPMGnetworkof
independentmemberfirmsaffiliatedwithKPMGInternationalCooperative(“KPMGInternational”),aSwissentity.All
rightsreserved.PrintedintheU.S.A.TheKPMGname,logoand“cuttingthroughcomplexity”areregisteredtrademarks
ortrademarksofKPMGInternational.25410NSS

12. WANT TO HAVE A WICKEDLY SUCCESSFUL 2012? Vickie Milazzo, RN, MSN,
JD, owner of Vickie Milazzo Institute and author of The New York
Times bestseller, “Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman” (Wiley, 2011,
www.WickedSuccess.com), has some ideas about where to start:
1. Break the feel-good addiction. Remember, where you
focus is where you’ll yield results. And because we like
to feel good, we gravitate toward what’s easy instead of
what’s productive.
2. Stop being the Chief Everything Officer. Don’t say, “Yes,”
by default. By saying, “No,” to some things, you will
have the time and energy to say, “Yes,” to the right
things.
3. Don’t try to do something big every day. You eat a whale
the same way you eat an apple—one bite at a time. The
wickedly successful understand that to accomplish
any project, you can’t expect to do it all at once.
4. Stop hanging with the biggest losers. “Stick with the
winners. The view from the top is meant to be shared.
Find someone who’s already there to share it with, not
someone who’s never seen it.”
5. Expand what you’re willing to believe about yourself. Any
time you find yourself entertaining doubts or trying
to limit what you think is pos-
sible, remind yourself of your past
successes.
6. Don’t wait for conditions to be
perfect. You may have to redefine
what success looks like for you.
7. Surround yourself with as many
successful mentors as possible. Don’t
be afraid to ask for advice. And
when you get good advice, don’t be
too proud to follow it.
8. Regenerate your passion for work.
When you take this inward look,
it is entirely possible you’ll see the
path ahead going in an unexpected
direction. Your passion might lead
you somewhere else.”
9. Take care of yourself first. Don’t be
so busy taking care of others that
you forget to take care of yourself.
You can’t be your best self if you’re
not your own self.”
10 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
by Lorri Freifeld
TO SUBMIT NEWS, research, or other Training Today tidbits, contact
Editor-in-Chief Lorri Freifeld at lorri@trainingmag.com or 516.524.3504.
news, stats, & business intel by Lorri Freifeld
Make Room for Something New
Happy New Year... and “Welcome back to work!” Now, look around your desk and
your office. Is there clutter? Are there stacks of papers or files? Do you feel the
“stress of the undone?”
To do meaningful work, and to focus on your most important things
(projects, events, clients, etc.), you need to
be in an environment with fewer distractions.
Reduce the psychological burden of “stuff” in
your space. Delete, purge, and recycle a few
things to make room for new ideas and new
resources to start the new year.
When you do too much rapid refocusing,
you lose the power of thought on projects that
deserve more. The myth of multitasking would
have you believe that while working at a desk
where you can see e-mail, answer your phone,
review printed documents, and write ideas on a
notepad—all at the same time—is productive.
Sorry to say, it’s not.
Get rid of everything you can and reduce
what might be coming in. Because people are
busy, they let a backlog pile up over the last six
weeks of each year. Unsubscribe from e-mail
newsletters, magazines, book-of-the-month
clubs, perhaps one ad-hoc committee you
joined last year. Try the “unsubscription” for
three months; at the end of those 12 weeks,
you can re-up if you want to.
For more information, contact Jason. Jason@
WomackCompany.com / www.twitter.com/
jasonwomack
Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA
www.womackcompany.com | www.twitter.com/jasonwomack | Jason@WomackCompany.com
Productivity Coach’s Corner
Products & Services >>Taxi Training Changes the Brain >> Tech Talk p. 12
2012 Resolutions
news, stats, & business intel
Products & Services >>Taxi Trai

13. Lack of senior-level support has
emerged as the main obstacle to the
implementation of global leadership
development programs, according
to an online survey of nearly 400
senior managers and executives
conducted by AMA Enterprise, a
specialized division of American
Management Association that
offers advisory services and tailored
learning programs to organizations.
Organizations experiencing the
greatest success with their global
leadership initiatives tend to be
those whose senior management is involved in the actual implementation of such
programs, says Sandi Edwards, senior vice president for AMA Enterprise.
training JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 | 11www.trainingmag.com
>> Management Concepts Inc., a
provider of training to the federal
government, announced its exclusive
collaboration with the Society for
Human Resource Management
(SHRM) to develop and offer HR
training curricula for federal agencies.
Six courses initially will be offered and
will focus on federal market HR, talent
acquisition and development, HR as
a strategic business partner, building
credibility in HR, human capital
effectiveness metrics and workforce
planning.
>> DIDMO, architect of cross-platform
mobile application creation solution
Magmito, and Success Associates
(SA), a provider of learning, employee
development, training, and coaching
solutions, have partnered to offer
a mobile extension of SA’s current
distance learning platform, SkillBuilder.
Key modules from the SkillBuilder
system will be optimized for mobile
devices and delivered as Magmito-
generated apps.
>> iCIMS, a provider of Software-as-a-
Service (SaaS) talent management and
acquisition solutions, and Tracker Corp.,
a provider of software for immigration
management, Form I-9 compliance, and
E-Verify regulations, formally expanded
their partnership. iCIMS now will
offer Tracker I-9 software and E-Verify
compliance as part of its Onboarding
Solution.
>> Ground handling business Servisair
chose Intelex to support training
programs across its UK and Ireland
sites via its Web-based business
performance solution. Previously,
Servisair had relied on isolated training
systems across each of its 24 sites in
the UK and Ireland.
Partnerships&Alliances
THE LATE COMEDIAN
George Carlin once
said, “Do you hate your
job? Sorry to hear that.
There’s a support group
for that. It’s called
EVERYBODY, and they
meet at the bar!”
As a consultant on
employee engagement
to major health-care
companies, Melissa Evans understands
that feeling well. Her solution to it, how-
ever, is a little “uncorporate.”
“It’s a fact that most people don’t like
their jobs,” says Evans, also author
of “Sole to Soul: How to Identify
Your Soul Purpose and Monetize It”
(www.soletosoulbook.com). “Accord-
ing to a recent survey published by
Time Magazine, fewer than half of
American workers—45 percent—are
satisfiedwiththeirjobs.Thisisthelowest
percentage since 1987.”
Her solution is for work-
ers to get in tune with
potential careers and job
choices that plug into
their passions as a person.
She suggests people ask
themselves the following
questions:
• What do you want?
• How do you want to
feel?
• Why should you change course?
“The first thing most people do when
they don’t like their job is to look for an-
other one,” she says. “While that’s valid, I
have to question the wisdom of running
from a bad job as opposed to pursuing a
good one. The problem is, most dissatis-
fied employees identify a good job as one
that simply pays a little more and is not
where they currently work. A good job, a
good career, is far more than that.”
What is the main obstacle you encounter in
implementing global leadership programs?
Time: 15%
Complexity of
the program:
8%
Cultural
differences:
7%
Other:
5%
Lack of
executive
support:
39%
Cost/
budget:
26%
Take This Job and…

14. 12 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
>> Whiteboard Products launched
a suite of its environmentally friendly
products that will help improve the
way businesses in the U.S. and
Canada train, present, learn, teach,
and brainstorm. The supercharged
whiteboard on a roll sticks with
static to any flat surface. Users
simply unroll the whiteboard, tear
off a sheet along the perforation
(or roll it out to make a 65-foot-
long whiteboard), and place it
on the wall. Additional products
now available include the Magic
Blackboard for colored displays and
a Clearboard that can be written on
with dry erase markers.
>> Meridian Knowledge Solutions,
LLC, released a new version of
its flagship learning management
system, Meridian Global LMS
2011.2.2, with features that let
employers mold the product to
the way their training department
and employees conduct business.
The new features include a mobile
capability that tailors the pages of
the LMS for a user’s smartphone
browser, as well as on-the-fly
reporting that taps into and delivers
whatever data an employer needs
for analyzing learning. Meridian also
is offering versioning of content,
digital signatures, audit trails, and
password configurability that comply
with Title 21 CFR Part 11, making
the Meridian LMS an option for
medical device manufacturers, drug
makers, and biotech companies.
>> Lectora e-Learning software
unveiled a new tool that instantly
translates all text on its global
Website, www.Lectora.com, into
more than 50 languages in one
click. This translation tool enables
anyone from around the world to
easily access e-learning products,
information, resources, and tips
to increase professional and
development skills.
Products&Services
>> Novero introduced the Solana
Tablet/PC. With a simple twist,
this slim laptop screen rotates to
create a mobile 10-inch tablet for
reading, games, or hundreds of
applications. It contains two USB
ports, audio and microphone jacks,
video output, built-in card reader
and SIM card slot, Windows 7, and
Android 2.3.
>> Mediasite by Sonic Foundry,
Inc., unveiled Mediasite 6, the
latest version of the lecture capture
platform. New capabilities available
in Mediasite 6 include: live or on-
demand streaming of any Mediasite
presentation to an iPad, iPhone, iPod,
Blackberry, or Android device using
HTML5 and H.264; system-wide
search for words and phrases in a
single presentation, a presentation
catalog, and across the Mediasite
library based on indexed slide
text, captioning transcripts, and
presentation metadata; and enhanced
Mediasite analytics with embeddable
analytics widgets and iOS-friendly
reports.
>> James M. Kouzes and Barry Z.
Posner, authors and founders of best-
seller “The Leadership Challenge,” in
conjunction with Pfeiffer, an Imprint
of Wiley, launched The Leadership
Challenge Mobile Leader Tool, a
mobile app available for $4.99 in the
App Store for the Apple iPhone, iPad,
and iPod Touch.
In the new study, Maguire and col-
league Katherine Woollett followed a
group of trainee taxi drivers and non-
taxi driver controls, capturing images
of their brain structure over time and
testing their memory. At the start, study
participants showed no differences
in either brain structure or memory.
Three to four years later, the researchers
found an increase in gray matter in the
back part of the hippocampus of those
trainees who qualified as taxi drivers.
Changes were not observed in those
trainees who failed to qualify, or in the
non-taxi driver controls.
As London taxi drivers in training
are learning how to navigate the
city’s thousands of streets, the expe-
rience actually changes the structure
of their brains, according to a report
published online in Current Biology,
a Cell Press publication.
The findings add to evidence that
learning changes the adult brain and
should come as encouraging news
for life-long learning, says Eleanor
Maguire of University College London.
To become a licensed London taxi
driver, trainees must learn 25,000 streets
and their complicated layout, as well as
20,000 landmarks. The learning process
generally takes three to four years, cul-
minating in a series of exams that only
about half of trainees ultimately pass.
Maguire’s earlier studies of London taxi
drivers showed that they have more gray
matter in the back part of a brain struc-
ture called the hippocampus compared
to non-taxi drivers, and less in the front.
The hippocampus plays important roles
in memory and spatial navigation.
Taxi Training Changes the Brain

15. Congratulations to the 2012 Training magazine Top 125 winners
Vanguard
invests in
world-class
training
Vanguard commits to providing
employees with resources, tools,
and programs for continuous
learning. We’re proud to be part
of this community of companies
dedicated to offering world-class
training opportunities.
Vanguard.com/careers
Vanguard is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
© 2012 The Vanguard Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

16. soapbox
14 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
The program allows the Paychex Training Department to provide more
training to employees without increasing the department’s headcount.
BY LISA GREEN
K
elly Schnupp never thought participating
in a three-month program to enhance her
training skills would have such a powerful
and immediate impact on the company’s bottom
line, but her experience with the Paychex Train-the-
TrainerPartnershiphasleftherpleasantlysurprised.
A specialist in the Paychex Employee Screening
Services group, Schnupp participated in the pro-
gram in hopes of gaining some additional training
skills and incorporating some training functions
into her current role. After attending, she worked
with her supervisor to conduct a series of training
sessions to educate more than 100 sales representa-
tives about the benefits of the employee screening
product. As a result, sales representatives have been
more actively selling the product, and every month
has shown a year-over-year increase in new clients.
Since Schnupp began this initiative, monthly sales
have consistently been higher than the previous
year’s month, with some months having double the
numberofnewclientsthantheyearprior.According
toSchnupp,theprogram“gavemetheconfidenceto
network and search for additional opportunities to
grow the product I service.”
In my role as a training manager for Paychex,
Inc., Kelly Schnupp is just one of the many tal-
ented and knowledgeable employees who visit my
office to express a passion for training. Many of
these employees are more senior in their position
and serve as subject matter experts for their busi-
ness unit. They are eager to take on new challenges
but may be limited by a lack of training expertise.
At the same time, I am constantly faced with
prioritizing the work my small team is able to
accomplish. As a national provider of payroll and
human resource services for America’s businesses,
Paychex, Inc., offers a suite of more than 70 prod-
ucts and services, with 12,000-plus employees
servicing 564,000 clients nationwide.
With the growth of our employee base and prod-
uct set, the demands on our training resources
have grown exponentially. While we are experts
at training our larger population job roles (Payroll
specialists, Human Resource managers, Sales rep-
resentatives), some of the less common job roles
associated with smaller products do not receive the
formal training they need.
Combining this gap in knowledge with the
abundant “natural resource” of our business unit
experts, it seemed a logical step to better engage
these employees to help us deliver training to a
wider audience. The Paychex Train-the-Trainer
Partnership enhances the training skills of a select
few business unit subject matter experts, giving
them the tools and confidence to educate peers
and fellow employees. By engaging these individu-
als, we achieve some key business objectives:
• Provide more training to all employees
• Improve service levels and client retention
through enhanced training
• Promote training consistency and compliance
with company policies
• Train and retain experienced employees
• Create a “bench” of ready talent for future
training roles within the organization
As a training organization, we also expand
our sphere of influence within the company and
become a more integral partner with the business
unit, providing support and resources to achieve
mutual goals. Ultimately, we are able to provide
more training to our employees without increas-
ing our Training Department headcount.
IDENTIFYING TALENT
How do we determine which employees should be
selected for the program? After identifying what
we were trying to achieve with the program, we
developed an applicant questionnaire and associ-
ated scorecard that was weighted to give preference
to employees who had:
• Client or employee training responsibilities
• Potential to add value to team, department, and
Paychex
• Future training career path or goals
Paychex Train-the-Trainer
Partnership Program
Lisa Green is the train-
ing manager, HRS and
H&B Operations, at the
Paychex Training and
Development Center.

17. Life at ADP. It’s more than helping to drive our success as a global leader in workforce solutions. With
us, you are inspired to achieve your best within a performance-oriented environment. We give you the
tools to succeed, with continuous opportunities to train and advance.
We are proud to be among Training’s Top 125 Companies.
We acknowledge our learning teams for bringing their passion for education to
our culture. And we salute our associates for their constant desire to grow. Join
us at ADP, and discover how we’re counting on you to come in and make a real
difference, every day.
innovation extensive training individual impact
ADP believes that diversity leads to strength. We are an equal opportunity/affirmative
action employer; M/F/D/V. The ADP logo is a registered trademark of ADP, Inc.
All other logos and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © ADP, 2012.
ADP.COM/CAREERS
Count me .in

18. • Existing training skills and competencies
• Manager approval and support for the program
• At least two or more years’ tenure at Paychex
• Preference is given to applicants who have at-
tended other communications-related corporate
training programs
Managers are asked to nominate employees, gain
second-level management approval, and have their
nominated employee fill out the applicant ques-
tionnaire. An application committee reviews and
scores all applications, and the employees with the
highest scores are discussed further and reviewed
to narrow the selection to 12 participants. Appli-
cants who do not make it into the program are
given feedback about how to increase their chances
for acceptance into a future program.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
The program is a structured three-month experi-
ence that requires an 85-hour time commitment.
The program includes:
Five Days of Instructor-Led Training
Instructor Abijah Nicholson ensures that the train-
ing includes plenty of opportunities to practice
new skills and receive feedback. Upon completing
the instructor-led session, participants are able to:
• Define and demonstrate training, facilitating, and
presenting
• Identify participants’ training needs
• Create a lesson plan that incorporates the range of
learning preferences
• Develop visual aids and supporting materials
• Manage difficult participants and tough topics
• Deliver training using distance learning tools
• Deliver a 10- to 15-minute demonstration of skills,
which is reviewed with their assigned mentor
Mentoring and Shadowing
with Experienced Paychex Trainers
At the beginning of the program, participants are
assigned a trainer mentor, who gives the partici-
pant career advice, describes the realities of being a
trainer, and provides one-on-one feedback about the
participant’s training skills. Mentees shadow mul-
tiple trainers to see different training styles in action
and discuss each shadow session with their mentor.
Group Facilitation Practice
Participants meet as a group throughout the
three-month process to practice their facilitation
skills in a supportive and encouraging setting.
They each are assigned a session and a topic, and
take responsibility for researching and facilitating
a discussion on their assigned training. In these
sessions, participants are encouraged to:
• Share their experiences and observations
• Learn about other training techniques and
resources that are not discussed in the class
•Shareideasfortheirfinaltrainingcertificationand
give each other feedback on their lesson plans
Final One-Hour Training Session
Evaluated for Official Certification
During the program, participants are required to
perform a needs analysis on their own business unit
and produce a list of training deliverables for their
manager. The manager and the participant decide
together what topic will be delivered for the partici-
pant’s final training certification. As trainees create
lesson plans, their mentor provides direction and
feedback on overall structure and activities. Many
participants perform a dry run of their training ses-
sion for the mentor to receive constructive criticism
before their final assessment.
The participant schedules the final training and
prepares the classroom, inviting at least seven em-
ployees from their business unit, their mentor, and
the Train-the-Trainer instructor. The instructor
assesses all the elements of the training to ensure
the training employs sound training techniques.
Graduation
Participants who complete their final assess-
ment and receive certification are invited to a
celebratory luncheon with their manager and their
mentor. Each participant is recognized as a Certified
Training Partner, and the director of Training and
Development speaks to them about continuing their
partnership with our training organization.
THE CONTINUING DIVIDENDS
Upon completion of the program, participants are
equippedtoprovideneedsanalysisfortheirbusiness
unit, develop materials that are cohesive and adhere
to copyright law, deliver just-in-time training to
their team, and are better able to partner with the
Training Department to accomplish key training
initiatives. These employees are motivated to teach
others within their business unit and are sought
after for promotions and other career opportunities.
To date, six of our program graduates have gone on
to become full-time trainers in the company.
www.trainingmag.com
soapbox
16 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training
Visit http://trainingmag.com/article/soapbox-paychex-train-train-
er-partnership-program to read the full-length article.

20. R
eturn on expectations (ROE) is a fool-
proof way to show the value of training
in the terms desired by key stakeholders.
ROE demonstrates the degree to which train-
ing initiatives satisfy the expectations of key
business stakeholders. Assumptions that may
assist training professionals include:
• Key stakeholders are high-level managers or
executives.
• Stakeholder expectations primarily include
the accomplishment of the organization’s
highest-level goals and mission.
The Kirkpatrick Foundational Principles out-
line at a high level the key considerations in
creating positive ROE.
1. The end is the beginning. Showing the value
of training begins before a program even starts.
Training professionals should be clear on the Lev-
el 4 Results the organization exists to accomplish.
These aims nearly always highlight sales and
profitability in a for-profit company or mission
accomplishment in a not-for-profit organization.
A specific initiative also has leading indicators,
or short-term measurements, that show the initia-
tive is on track to make a positive
contribution to the highest-level
results. Typical leading indica-
tors include employee retention,
customer satisfaction, and new
product sales, and are often the
targets identified as desired pro-
gram results.
Every major initiative should
focus on one or more leading
indicators that key stakeholders
feel will most affect the organi-
zation’s Level 4 Results. This will
generate ROE.
2. Return on Expectations is
the ultimate indicator of value.
Whenever executives request
employee training, learning professionals must
ask them questions sufficient to clarify how
the training would contribute to the highest
organizational results by advancing the lead-
ing indicators. This is a negotiation process
in which the training professional ensures the
expectations are satisfying to the stakehold-
er and realistic to achieve with the available
resources.
Learning professionals often need to convert the
typically broad, un-quantified expectations into
observable, measurable leading indicators by ask-
ing the question, “What will success look like to
you?” These leading indicators become the targets
upon which collective efforts are focused.
Next, learning professionals should work with
managers to identify the critical behaviors that,
if performed consistently on the job by training
graduates, most likely will produce the desired
results. Once these key items are determined,
training professionals can assess if training
is the appropriate intervention. If so, they can
proceed with the traditional identification of
learning objectives and program design. If
not, they can offer their assistance with other
soapbox
18 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
Return on expectations (ROE) demonstrates the degree to which training
initiatives satisfy the expectations of key business stakeholders.
BY DR. JAMES D. KIRKPATRICK AND WENDY KAYSER KIRKPATRICK
ROE: Demonstration
of Training Value
Dr. James D. Kirkpatrick
and Wendy Kayser
Kirkpatrick work together
in Kirkpatrick Partners,
the One and Only
Kirkpatrick Company.
They are the creators of
the Kirkpatrick Business
Partnership Model and
the New World Kirkpatrick
Model. They welcome
questions and comments
at information@
kirkpatrickpartners.com.
For more information, visit
kirkpatrickpartners.com.
Level 4: RESULTS
Level 3: BEHAVIOR
Level 2: LEARNING
Level 1: REACTION
To what degree targeted outcomes occur
as a result of the learning event(s) and
subsequent reinforcement.
To what degree participants apply what
they learned during training when they are
back on the job.
To what degree participants acquire the
intended knowledge, skills, and attitudes based
on their participation in the learning event.
To what degree participants react favorably
to the learning event.
FIGURE 1: The Kirkpatrick Model

22. targeted interventions.
Training professionals should ask stakehold-
ers during this process what evidence is required
at each level to show the initiative is a success.
Defining measurement methods, tools, and
techniques at the start of the initiative makes
evaluation much easier to perform.
3. Business partnership is necessary to bring
about positive ROE. Once there is a clear
understanding of the result to be accomplished,
the next step is for training professionals to
work with business managers and supervisors to
create a tactical execution plan.
Historically, learning professionals have
focused most of their efforts on training events
(Levels 1 and 2). However, the largest ROE
actually occurs at Level 3, on the job after
training. To achieve maximum ROE, training
professionals and front-line managers must
work together before, during, and after training
as a unified force.
When participants return to the job after train-
ing, required drivers must be in place. These
are processes and systems that reinforce, moni-
tor, encourage, or reward the performance of
critical behaviors on the job. Training pro-
fessionals should work with managers before
training to design the required drivers and
to provide as many tools and aids as possible.
After training, they should check in with manag-
ers and support them in their efforts. Agreement
on roles and responsibilities at the beginning of
an initiative is critical.
The degree to which drivers are implemented
relates directly to the extent to which critical
behaviors are performed. The performance of
critical behaviors is what yields the business-
level results that comprise ROE. The partner-
ship between training and business departments
in planning and executing a strong required
driver package is perhaps the largest predictor of
program success.
4. Value must be created before it can be
demonstrated. Training events alone typically
result in only 15 percent transfer of learning to
on-the-job behavior (Brinkerhoff, Robert O.,
“Training Impact Evaluation Senior Managers
Believe and Use,” Get Zeroed-In on Learning and
Measurement, Issue 6, 2006). The successful
implementation of the required drivers cre-
ates the other 85 percent of learning transfer
required to accomplish ROE.
In general, training professionals should
spend fewer resources on formal training
(Levels 1 and 2) to allow for more on-the-
job involvement after training (Level 3).
A dashboard is an effective tool for track-
ing and communicating the progress of
initiatives. It should include the highest-
level results, leading indicators, critical
behaviors, and required drivers. The dash-
board should be updated and reported on
a regular basis to show if the initiative is
on track to achieve the desired results. Any
areas not hitting their targets can be addressed
so the initiative stays on track to achieve the
planned ROE.
5. A compelling chain of evidence demonstrates
your bottom-line value. Following these five prin-
ciples makes demonstrating the value of training
and related reinforcement straightforward. The
evidence to be collected is defined clearly at the
beginning of the project by the stakeholders, and
data is collected throughout the process.
This chain of evidence includes both quanti-
tative data and testimonials from people who
participated in the process. This combination of
evidence creates a story that is easy for everyone
to understand and appreciate. Because the plan
was created and executed in partnership and
agreement, there is no question regarding what
evidence is important and what results should be
highlighted.
If partnership has occurred throughout the pro-
cess, and any areas falling below target have been
corrected, the desired ROE will be achieved.
www.trainingmag.com
soapbox
20 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training
A dashboard is an effective
tool for tracking and
communicating the progress
of training initiatives. It
should include the highest-
level results, leading
indicators, critical behaviors,
and required drivers.
Visit http://trainingmag.com/article/roe-case-study-us-federal-
government-agency to read the highlights of an impact study
conducted by an organization that successfully delivered
positive ROE to its stakeholders.

23. 2146RDP012012
Miami Children’s Hospital is proud to have been designated a Top 125
Training Organization for the past six years. Our mission is to provide hope
through advanced care for our children and families.This starts with working
together to develop our most precious asset – our people, empowering
them to be the best they can be for children, families and one another.
Miami Children’s Hospital is renowned in all aspects of pediatric medicine
and is home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern
United States. Congratulations to our educators, partners and leaders whose
commitment has made us one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals.
We are a Top 125
Training Organization!

24. how-to
22 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
I
t is no easy task to motivate, engage, and
involve your team, and it certainly doesn’t hap-
pen overnight. Even today’s most prominent
business tycoons admit the most difficult part of
their job is managing and leading their people.
Take the late Steve Jobs, for instance. Jobs obviously
made extraordinary contributions at Apple, but he
spoke openly about his struggles in his role as CEO.
Jobs learned from mistakes, and his analogy for
what builds strong businesses was spot on:
“My model for business is the Beatles. They were
four guys who kept each other’s negative tendencies
in check. They balanced each other, and the total was
greater than the sum of the parts. And that’s how I
see business. You know great things in business are
never done by one person. They’re done by a team of
people.”
Whilethereisnoalgorithmforbuildingandmain-
taining all-star teams, there are a few strategies you
can employ to improve the engagement of
your team and, in turn, your bottom line:
Ask! What better way to find out exactly
how to motivate, engage, and involve your
team than to simply ask? You may be sur-
prised. What motivates one person may
not work for another. Customize your
approach to engage every team member.
Defy the golden rule. Itisn’tabouttreat-
ing people the way you want to be treated.
It is about treating people the way they
want to be treated. Learn how individu-
als on your team like to communicate,
and adhere to their preferences.
Give credit where credit is due. Everyone on your
team wants their contributions to be recognized
and appreciated. Simply say, “Thank you!” Your
behavior will be contagious, and the habit of
“thanks” on your team will make everyone feel val-
ued and vested in the business.
Set small milestones. Everyone enjoys achiev-
ing goals and celebrating success. If you have a big
annual goal, set monthly milestones that can keep
your team motivated and connected to the goal.
Figure out a fun incentive that will inspire everyone
to reach those monthly checkpoints.
Embrace change and new ideas. Archaic,
bureaucratic practices stifle creativity and inno-
vation. Encourage and implement new ideas from
your team. Remember: If you always do what
you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve
always gotten.
Give feedback—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
You know that spinach leaf that gets stuck in your
teeth after lunch? No one wants to be the one
to alert a co-worker of the spinach, but every-
one wants to be alerted that it is there. The same
applies to feedback at work: It can be difficult to
deliver, but everyone wants to hear it. Your team
wants feedback, and it’s crucial to making them as
productive as possible.
Let go. We know no one can do it as well as you
can, but you need to delegate to give yourself time
to complete tasks more appropriate for your level.
The added responsibility will motivate your team to
take it to the next level.
Have fun. An engaged team enjoys going to work.
Play 10 minutes of Boggle in the afternoon, institute
a fitness challenge, or hold a sandwich swap to keep
the positive energy flowing. Let your team design
what the fun looks like.
Managing a team is challenging, but it’s reward-
ing and worthwhile if you invest the time and the
effort.
Motivate, Engage,
and Involve Your Team
There is no algorithm for building and maintaining all-star teams, but there
are a few specific strategies you can employ to improve the engagement of
your team. BY BRAD KARSH
Brad Karsh is
president of JB Training
Solutions, a training
and development
company based in
Chicago, IL, dedicated
to helping individuals
succeed in the
workplace through
Webinars, e-learning,
and live training
workshops. For more
information, visit www.
jbtrainingsolutions.
com.
Play 10 minutes of Boggle in
the afternoon, institute a fitness
challenge, or hold a sandwich
swap to keep the positive energy
flowing. Let your team design
what the fun looks like.

25. T H E R I G H T T R A I N I N G
M A K E S A L L
T H E D I F F E R E NC E.
C E R T I F I C A T I O N P R E P. H R C O M P E T E N C I E S .
E M P L O Y M E N T L A W . D I V E R S I T Y .
L O T S M O R E .
On Site. Online. Advancing Your Workforce.
OrgTraining@SHRM.org | 703-535-6496 | www.shrm.org/trainmag
12-0035

26. world view
24 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
Focus on Republic of Singapore
Singaporeans do not like to lose—be it face or money. BY JESSIE LEE MILLS
F
ormerly part of Malaysia, the Republic of
SingaporewasfoundedonAugust9,1965.Its
strategic location on major sea lanes and its
industrious population have given the country an
economic importance in Southeast Asia dispro-
portionate to its small size. As a country without
any natural resources or agriculture, it relies
solely on the skills of its people. Singapore believes
in providing the best basic and higher education
to supply and maintain the required skills needed
by the economy in order to develop continuously
and improve its economic competitiveness. To
that end, the Singaporean economy grew a stag-
gering 14.5 percent in 2010, the second-highest
rate in the world that year.
The government encourages training for the
workforce; companies can claim a percentage
of their training expenditure from a government
agency.
To conduct effective cross-cultural training in
Singapore, there are a few points to remember:
• Training venue and dress code: Singaporeans
are capable multitaskers; thus, it will be more
productive for the trainer and participants if
the training can be conducted off site. If this
is not possible, then gently but firmly lay down
some ground rules when it will be convenient
for participants to make or return phone calls
and check e-mail. Dress appropriately for
the business culture; e.g., business attire for
offices and smart casual for factories or working
with a group of young technical participants.
• Cultural sensitivity: Participants will come from
a diverse and multicultural workforce. Do your
homework, make sure you know about the
company they are from, and learn their culture
in order not to offend and lose their respect,
which, in turn, will make you lose face.
• Materials and schedule: Make sure you have
printed materials for the participants, and try
and keep to the time line you set on the agenda.
Food plays an important part in Singaporeans’
daily life. Make sure there are appropriate
breaks with refreshments, and whatever you
do, make sure there is a reasonable
break for lunch. You can organize top-
ics of discussion for the lunch break,
whereby the participants can sit at a
topic table they like. Confer with your
contact at the company to check on
the timing for lunch.
• Recognition: Outline and highlight
the benefits of the training, and make
sure participants receive a certificate
for the training.
• Team participation: It is helpful to
start a session with an icebreaker
that will involve the whole group.
Coming from a collective culture,
Singaporeans tend to hold back on
their opinions; therefore, encourage
them to speak up and participate. At
the same time, do not to force the
issue, so they do not lose face.
OTHER TIPS
• Coming from a multicultural and diverse popu-
lation, some Singaporeans may resist or resent
the idea of cross-cultural training.
• An impressive resume demonstrating your
qualifications and experiences as a training
professional is a must.
• As usual, politics and religion are taboo
subjects. t
Jessie Lee Mills is a
senior associate with
Global Dynamics, www.
global-dynamics.com.
Mills was born and
educated in Malaysia
and Singapore and
has more than two
decades of professional
experience working in
Europe, Asia, and the
U.S. in the areas of
sales, market research,
and cross-cultural
leadership development
and cross-cultural
competence training.
She is GDI’s leading
U.S.-based Singapore
expert. She can
be reached at
305.682.7883 or
programs@global-
dynamics.com.
Singaporeans are capable
multitaskers; therefore, it will be
more productive for the trainer
and participants if the training
can be conducted off site. If this
is not possible, then gently but
firmly lay down some ground
rules when it will be convenient
for participants to make or return
phone calls and check e-mail.

28. world view
26 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
Lester Stephenson
is a freelance writer,
technical trainer, and
consultant in South
Carolina. He has
traveled and worked in
35 countries and 49
states. The material
in this article comes
from his sometimes
hard-earned and
occasionally
embarrassing
experiences teaching
people from all over
the world.
Focus on the Multicultural/
Multi-Language Classroom
The multiple culture/multiple language classroom is the new reality. It offers some
unique challenges, but they can be overcome successfully with awareness and
genuine effort. BY LESTER STEPHENSON
I
t is becoming increasingly common for train-
ing classes to have students from all over the
world. But it is impossible to adapt teach-
ing styles and classroom culture to a student
from India when sitting next to him is one from
Vietnam, behind him is one from Iraq, and
nearby is someone from Mexico and another
from Atlanta, GA. Throw in language issues,
and the task facing the instructor can be
overwhelming—even intimidating.
The multiple culture/multiple language classroom
is the new reality. It offers some unique challenges,
but they can be overcome successfully. Here are
some strategies that can help:
• Remember that the burden is on the instructor to
create a good learning atmosphere. The course
introduction sets the tone for success. A warm and
friendly introduction establishes a positive learn-
ing atmosphere that promotes learning.
• Do not worry about doing something that is
offensive in a participant’s culture. They are
now in your culture, and their greatest concern
is whether their English skills are good enough.
Cultural differences are secondary and, in
some cases, irrelevant. They know how much it
cost to travel here. They are willing to do what-
ever is necessary to get their money’s worth.
• Be friendly and courteous. Smile a lot; smiles work
in any culture.
• Have each person introduce themselves, de-
scribe what their company does, how long
they have worked there, what they do for their
company, and—this is important—what they
expect to learn from the course. Comment on
or ask questions about a couple of their answers.
• Try to pronounce their names; if you can’t, say
something such as, “My mouth is having trou-
ble forming those words.” Then keep trying.
They will appreciate the effort.
• Go over the syllabus and schedule so learners
will know what is coming. Explain the break
schedule, restroom location, and any rules for
the building. Plan on a longer than usual safety
brief to not only explain safety rules but the
reason they are necessary.
• Never shy away from the language issue. It will
not go away, so meet it head on. Point out at the
beginning that you and the class may have dif-
ficulty understanding each other. Emphasize
that if you are not clear, they must ask you to
repeat what you said. Addressing language dif-
ficulties up front demonstrates a commitment to
their learning. They know language is going to
be a problem. By bringing it up at the beginning,
it ceases to be a barrier, just a communication
problem everyone is working to solve.
• Be on guard to avoid using slang and idioms.
• Never pretend to understand a difficult for-
eign accent. Admit you are having trouble
understanding. Ask the speaker to slow down.
Never hesitate to clarify your understanding by
repeating the question.
• Never shout. Hearing is not the problem. Slow
down and speak clearly without raising your
voice. If you talk fast, be consciously deliberate
in your speech. Southerners have an advantage
here because they often naturally speak slower.
• Try to learn a few words in the language of your
trainees. There are Websites available that will
help. One, www.omniglot.com, actually pro-
nounces the translated words. The best source for
learning new words is your trainees. Ask them
how they would say, “Take a break” or “Let’s go
to lunch.” Be prepared for laughter when you try.
Just laugh along with them.
• Keep in mind that many cultures do not like
small group activities or role-play exercises.
Nevertheless, they will readily perform actions—
individually or in groups—to practice a new skill.
As a trainer, you are the host. You are engaged in
the action of helping your learners. That includes
ensuring a pleasant experience and good commu-
nication, as well as dispensing subject matter. t
For the full article, visit http://trainingmag.com/article/world-
view-focus-multiculturalmulti-language-classroom.

29. You’re an
inspiration
Congratulations 2012 Training Top 125 award
winners and Hall of Famers.
© 2012 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership. All rights reserved.

30. Verizon rings in 2012 in the top spot on
the Training Top 125. BY LORRI FREIFELD
28 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
Verizon’s
New # is
1
FROM LEFT: Al Torres, VP, Human Resources, Verizon Telecom & Business;
Martha Delehanty, SVP, Human Resources, Verizon Telecom & Business; Alan Gardner, VP, Human Resources,
Verizon Wireless; Magda Yrizarry, VP, Corporate Human Resources, Verizon; Lou Tedrick, VP, Human Resources, Verizon Wireless.
O
ne may be the loneliest number,
but Verizon isn’t complaining.
After appearing five times in
the Top 10 over the last six years, the
telecommunications company captured
the No. 1 spot on the Training Top 125
for the first time in 2012.
Despite a relatively flat training budget and a work
stoppage that resulted from the expiration of union
collective bargaining agreements, Verizon remained
#1 VERIZON

31. steadfast in its commitment to effective training tied to corporate
strategic goals—and had the results to show for it.
“We focused on the major training initiatives that would
advance our strategic business goals and business unit/
functional-specific initiatives,” says Al Torres, VP, Human
Resources, Verizon Telecom & Business. “We remained rela-
tively flat on full-time staff across Verizon, but we increased the
number of internal subject matter experts (SMEs) significantly
to help drive key initiatives deeply through the organization.”
Verizon’s three main business goals for 2011 were:
1.Tobuildabusinessandworkforceasgoodasitsnetworks.
2. To lead in shareholder value creation.
3. To be recognized as an iconic technology company.
Verizon’s strategic business units (BUs) align BU-specific
priorities with the overall company’s business goals and core
values. “Our federated L&D organizations, supporting each BU,
establish training priorities/initiatives that align with each BU’s
priorities and Verizon’s business goals and values—top to bot-
tom and across,” says Magda Yrizarry, VP, Corporate Human
Resources. “In fact, if a training request does not link strategi-
cally with one of these priorities and Verizon’s business goals and
values, it’s not supported.”
CREATING SHAREHOLDER VALUE
Creating a leadership culture that leads for shareholder value
was one of Verizon’s significant training goals in 2011, and the
company’s implementation of Leading for Shareholder Value
(LSV) was a key lever for cultural change, says Yrizarry.
Verizon launched a customized executive education initiative
in partnership with Duke Corporate Education in February
2011. Sponsored by new President and CEO Lowell McAdam,
LSV is a 1.5-day mandatory executive education program de-
signed to help senior leaders understand how to drive long-term
value creation. The program provides senior leaders with tools,
frameworks, and metrics that help them analyze how their deci-
sions and actions affect shareholder value (SHV).
Each LSV session is led by CEO McAdam and CFO Fran
Shammo. The first session was delivered to Verizon’s top 50 lead-
ersandfeaturedakeynotepresentationbyRobertLane,aVerizon
Board of Directors member and former chairman of John Deere
Company. Lane used SHV as a unifying metric at Deere while
quadrupling the company’s stock price over 10 years. As part of
the program design, Yrizarry says, senior leaders are placed in
cross-business unit and cross-functional teams and given an as-
signment to identify obstacles preventing Verizon from creating
more shareholder value. Each team recommends actions that
will remove those obstacles. At the end of each session, each team
reports to a panel of top executives. As a result of these recom-
mendations, Yrizarry notes, several cross-functional/cross-BU
improvement initiatives are underway, including:
• New capital budgeting and allocation processes.
• New Voice of the Shareholder measurement process.
• New device life cycle management process.
• New Process Improvement/Lean Six Sigma consulting and
curriculum.
In addition, during the program, each senior leader submits
an Individual Accountability Plan (IAP). These IAPs are aligned
with “value drivers” or metrics by which shareholders, analysts,
and potential investors assess company performance. Each se-
nior leader selects one to two actions he or she will commit to as
part of driving SHV. The IAPs then are digitized and provided
to Lowell McAdam and business unit presidents for review and
follow-up.Morethan300seniorleadersnowhaveSHVIAPsthat
will be incorporated into 2011 performance reviews and, where
appropriate, into 2012 performance agreements, Yrizarry says.
“We’ve also created a shared networking site on our intranet to
provide senior leaders with key resources, such as an interactive
SHV map with a quick tour job aid and a ‘Shareholder Value’
communicationskittobeusedforemployeemeetingsorforother
leadership communication opportunities,” Yrizarry notes.
Eight LSV sessions were delivered to senior leaders between
February and July 2011. Verizon now plans to drive shareholder
value deeper into the organization by delivering LSV to its 2,300-
plus director-level leaders. A pilot for directors was launched in
2011 in EMEA and APAC and will be delivered to all U.S.-based
directors in 2012.
SCHOOL SPIRIT
At the other end of Verizon’s leadership development spectrum,
“we are focused on attracting and retaining the best talent from
colleges and universities as we see this as critical to building our
leadership funnel for the future,” Yrizarry says. In 2011, Verizon
rolled out a new “Verizon Leadership Development Program”
(VLDP) across the enterprise. VLDP objectives include:
• Becoming college students’ first-choice employer.
• Capturing a larger share of exceptional talent.
• Building future bench strength across Verizon.
• Grooming future leaders.
“VLDP recruits the highest-performing college graduates
at strategic partnership schools with 10- to 12-week Verizon
internships and semester-long co-ops as a primary feeder pool
for the full-time college hire VLDP,” Yrizarry says. VLDP cur-
rently supports Finance, Network Operations, Engineering, IT,
Human Resources, and Marketing. After graduation and upon
hire,participantscompleteaminimumoftwojobrotations.The
number and length of job rotations varies between functions
over the course of two or three years in the program. All VLDP
hires experience a 24-month customized leadership curriculum
road map focused on cultural immersion and self-awareness,
operational effectiveness, high performance, and leadership
preparation. In addition, each function has a functional-specific
curriculum road map and experiential development activities.
INNOVATION LEADS TO ICONIC STATUS
Innovation is at the core of who Verizon is, according to Verizon
Wireless Human Resources VP Lou Tedrick, and “it’s essential to
be a leading innovator in order to achieve our goal of becoming
aniconictechnologycompany.Our4GLTEnetworkiskeytoour
future ability to deliver innovative technology to our customers.”
Prior to rolling out its 4G LTE network in December 2010,
www.trainingmag.com training JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 | 29

32. Verizon delivered 60,000-plus hours of 4G LTE technology and
device training to its front-line Sales and Service reps between
January and August. “We’ve maintained a one-stop online per-
formance support 4G LTE Resource Center for employees to use
at the moment of apply,” Tedrick notes.
Verizon’s L&D team is engaged when product development
begins, she adds, so the workforce has the appropriate train-
ing for a successful market launch. Of note were two iconic
device launches: iPad (late 2010) and iPhone 4 (February 2011).
Working with Wireless Marketing, Sales Operations, Customer
Service (CS) Operations, IT, and Apple, Verizon deployed iPad
training, including operating systems (OS) training—preparing
reps for iPhone 4. “They have the same OS, so we built employee
OS knowledge early through the iPad launch,” Tedrick says.
iPhone 4 Awareness online training modules and job aids were
deployed the day Verizon’s iPhone 4 was announced. Between
announcement and launch, instructor-led training covering
the device, Iconic Sales Portal, business processes (i.e., store line
management), and technical support and troubleshooting was
delivered to 55,000-plus Sales and CS reps. “We also launched an
online iPhone 4 Resource Center, a one-stop-shop for training
and breaking news/updates,” Tedrick says.
Tablets entered Verizon’s portfolio in fourth quarter 2010
(iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab). 2011 tablets included: iPad2,
Motorola XOOM, and Samsung Galaxy 10.1. To ensure front-
line representatives had the knowledge to drive and support
tablet sales, Verizon deployed hands-on training, positioning
role-plays/videos, customer use cases, selling tips, and used
Yammer for sharing tablet sales successes.
BENCHMARKING SUCCESS
With the volume of training taking place—
particularly on new products and technology
—just how does Verizon measure its effec-
tiveness? At the onset of a training initiative,
“we work with key stakeholders and business
partners to define what success will look like in
terms of employee knowledge, behaviors, and
targeted business results,” Tedrick says. “Then,
we ideally get a pre-training ‘snapshot’ of
knowledge, behaviors, and/or business results
to compare with a post-training snapshot.”
Verizon Wireless (VZW), for example, uses
a CS New Hire Training (NHT) Scorecard
to monitor new hire performance at 30, 60,
90, and 120 days post-training. “Working
with our CS Operations Leaders, we mea-
sure new hire performance on a set of CS key
performance indicators such as ‘Entire Rep
Performance,’ ‘Quality,’ ‘First Call Resolu-
tion,’ and ‘Average Handle Time.’” Tedrick
says new hires consistently meet the ex-
pected key performance indicators (KPIs)
by 120 days post-training and that VZW has
used this scorecard to determine curriculum
changes needed for a CS NHT redesign and
for targeted reinforcement training.
Likewise, Wireline’s “Sales New Hire Class of 2011” onboard-
ing program has shown significant results. Launched in January
2011, the five-day “green” program has been completed by 500-
plus new hires.
The “Class of 2011” provided foundational training that
ensured new hires quickly achieved a level of competency that
30 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
FAST FACTS
• Total number of employees and independent contractors⁄
franchisees trained overall annually: 286,411
• Annual revenues: $106.6 billion
• Average length of employee service: 12 years
• Percentage of job openings filled by internal candidates:
51 percent
• Percentage of new hires referred by employees: 33 percent
• Total number of employees and independent contractors⁄
franchisees trained annually via instructor-led classroom
sessions: 179,140
• Total number of employees and independent contractors⁄
franchisees trained annually via online, self-paced study:
286,411
• Number of courses offered as instructor-led classroom
sessions: 990
• Number of courses offered as instructor-led virtual classroom
sessions: 337
• Number of courses offered as online-self-paced modules:
11,440
BACK ROW, FROM LEFT: Michael Flanagan, Steven Englehart, Jeffrey Batiste. MIDDLE ROW, from left:
Gabby Diogo, Kristen Columbo, Jason Mesiarik, Andrea Arnowitz, Susanne Rovida-Shepard, Renee Ryan,
Nate Thomas. SEATED, from left: Cheryl McCullough and Lori Satterfield.
#1 VERIZON

34. would accelerate Verizon’s sales/revenue objectives. The pro-
gram equips participants with knowledge and skills in sales tools
and systems, strategic solutions (IT Services, Security, Mobility,
Communications, Networking), and job-specific processes and
procedures. Evening “homework” reinforces learning. Partici-
pants collaborate on an executive-level presentation modeling
expected behavior. Post-training participant feedback is provid-
ed to participants’ managers.
Some 44 percent of graduates are at 75-plus percent of per-
formance plan (historical ramp-up is six-plus months), and 30
percentareexceedingquota,accordingtoTorres.“Feedbackfrom
leaders is that these new hires have contributed to Wireline’s 17.8
percent increase in strategic services revenues (approximately 48
percent of global enterprise revenues). Our quality of hire (reten-
tion measure) is 95 percent.”
DELIVERY CHANGES
On the training delivery front, in 2011 Verizon consolidated its
last two Wireline learning management systems (LMSs) into
its enterprise-wide LMS, VZLearn, so the entire company is
now on one system. VZLearn is used to deliver online training/
assessments, schedule classroom/distance learning sessions,
publish course catalogs, track participation/learning history,
and provide completion reports. “We now share learning
content assets, reducing content development cycle time/cost
and saving $1.2 million annually in licensing and headcount,”
Torres says.
Tedrick says video/audio podcasts are fast becoming one of
Verizon employees’ favorite means for learning quickly. “We’ve
built videos to demonstrate system processes for our B2B sales
team—accessed from within their primary sales force automa-
tion tool. Videos demonstrating new devices provide a quick,
effective, on-demand learning approach.” Viewership is viral,
Tedricksays,with employeesrecommendingtopeersavideoles-
son they just watched in a manner of minutes. Indeed, Verizon’s
DROID Charge by Samsung video reached 1,240 views shortly
after it launched.
“We distribute videos via VZTube, our internal YouTube site,”
Tedrick explains. Year-to-date total videos watched: 1,478,412;
audio files played: 13,084; total VZTube members: 83,398.
Viewership statistics on existing videos are used to make rec-
ommendations for future videos. Tedrick notes that low views
on a particular video type are taken into consideration when
planning future videos that are similar in style and message.
Verizon also expanded its My NetWork Social Networking
platform for peer-to-peer collaboration to include My NetWork
On-The-Go in 2011. Employees now can access My NetWork
features using their mobile devices.
In 2011, Wireless L&D and IT launched Yammer.com. “We
took a ‘bottoms-up’ approach to making Yammer available
and have seen organic growth with more than 8,000 members
and 484 groups using social networking features (i.e., message,
polls, and praise),” Tedrick says. Sales teams use Yammer to post
questions and share sales success stories and best practices. One
region’s Motorola XOOM sales increased significantly as a result
of reps’ best practice sharing.
Wireless launched Device Forums for Sales and CS reps to
communicate technical issues, solutions, and/or shortcuts, tips,
and tricks. Moderated by Verizon’s Marketing organization and
its device manufacturers, Device Forums average 34,000 views;
1,030 user posts/replies; and 630 moderator replies month-
ly. Early rep postings on technical issues with new software
releases helped Marketing fix issues before they became wide-
spread. Verizon piloted Device Forums with a few Retail regions
before rolling out enterprise-wide.
“We’ve found that the keys to success for social media is to
‘pilot’ or ‘trial’ first, so you can work out any issues before
expanding to a wider audience, and if you track the impact on
KPIs, it can be a good case study to share with leaders who may
be concerned about the net impact of social media,” Tedrick
says. “Additionally, we’ve found that taking a ‘low-key’ ap-
proach to social media for learning has let learners try things
out for size, then recommend it to their peers. The result is
organic versus forced utilization.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Verizon currently is exploring the use of tablets for deliv-
ering Online Performance Support System (InfoManager)
content at “moment of apply,” particularly for its Retail
representatives, Tedrick says. “This way, our Retail rep-
resentatives will have access to the information while
interacting with our customers and not have to step out of
their sales process flow.” Verizon hopes to have it available
by mid-year 2012.
Looking ahead to 2022, Torres and Tedrick envision a
workforce that is well-versed in using personalized mobile
online performance support at the moment of need. The
executives think L&D teams ultimately will be facilita-
tors and moderators of user-generated content. “We also
think L&D teams will be able to spend more time as true
business partners focused on developing and deploying
individualized and team learning solutions that deliver
strong business performance.” t
32 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
QUICK TIPS
Verizon Human Resources executives Al Torres, Magda Yrizarry, and
Lou Tedrick offer the following tips to organizations seeking to create
effective training programs:
• Alignment with business goals and initiatives is key. Involve the
target audience and their first-line leaders in the development and
pilot process so they have input to ensure training is relevant and
ownership to help drive the initiatives forward.
• Know what is core and critical and eliminate everything else that
becomes “scrap” learning.
• Have key measurements of success identified at the onset so you
can quickly evaluate if it’s working or not—then course correct
before it is too late.
• Doing all of the above helps you prioritize what’s core, critical, and
most effective, so if you’re faced with cutting costs and/or cutting
training, you can do so with a level of certainty versus “gut feeling.”
#1 VERIZON

35. Peter Block’s Flawless Consulting Workshops are the Pieces that Create Connection.
Every staff function seeks to work collaboratively to become a trusted business
partner in an environment where they need to have influence without direct control.
Fortunately, Designed Learning’s Flawless Consulting workshops, continually
enhanced by Peter Block, help change conversations with your internal clients and
get your expertise fully used.
These powerful workshops are the missing piece in any staff
person’s professional development. That’s why hundreds of
organizations have brought the Designed Learning workshops
to their site over the past 30 years.
Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting
Your Expertise Used is now in its third edition.d
CONNECTION
CREATES IMPACT.
Call us today at 1-866-770-2227 or visit us
at www.designedlearning.com to bring
these workshops to your location and to be
connected and get better business results.
Use code TM1 and receive a pamphlet by Peter Block.

36. “Strategic goals in our organization ultimately are tied to our
primary mission called FarmersFuture2020, aspiring us to sig-
nificantly grow the company’s size in the next eight years,”
explains University of Farmers Senior Vice President
and Chief Learning Officer Annette Thompson. Three
primary focus areas drive toward this aspiration.
The first is expanding into new markets, as 51 percent
of the country’s property and casualty business is in
markets virtually untapped by Farmers, Thompson says.
“We are extending customer reach as we develop thou-
sands more of the ‘best trained’ exclusive agents. We’ve taken a
proven blended curricula for agents in their first two years and
modified it to intensify coaching within the program.”
34 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
Farmers
Insures Success
I
t’s not surprising an insurance company would have an
insurance policy for the future. But Farmers Insurance
takes that strategy one step further, setting its sights on
2020 with a far-reaching plan to foster growth, productivity,
and leadership development through intensive training.
FROM LEFT: Annette Thompson, Senior Vice President and
Chief Learning Officer, University of Farmers; Jim Harwood,
University of Farmers Vice President; and Mike Cuffe,
University of Farmers Claims Vice President.
Mark T. Cusack, Executive Director, University of Farmers,
Independent Agent ( IA) Operations, is pictured on p. 40.
#2 FARMERS INSURANCE
Farmers claims the No. 2 spot on the Training Top 125 with a
forward-thinking training strategy linked to its primary mission:
FarmersFuture 2020. BY LORRI FREIFELD

38. Farmers’ AgencyPoint model, which leverages the University
of Farmers’ intensive training, is critical to the firm’s expan-
sion into five new states through 2012. “In our AgencyPoint
states, new agents reside with local trainers and undergo a
more immersive experience than we’ve ever offered previously,”
Thompson says. “The new model is designed to deliver similar
learning; but with a more intensive and personalized training
support model, we anticipate business results from this effort
to be even stronger.” Blended instructor-led and online train-
ing, with coaching modules, anchor Farmers’ legacy agency
training—these components are driving a 75 percent conversion
ratetofull-timestatusandmonthlysalesthatexceedgoalby13.5
percent, Thompson says.
The second focus area is to increase productivity, as Farmers
seeks to balance revenue growth with a profitable business mod-
el. New in 2011 was Farmers’ brand strategy, which positioned
learning,throughUniversityofFarmers-themedadvertisements,
as developing the industry’s best people. In-house, numerous
learning programs supported productivity enhancements. “Our
Breakthrough systems training drove a 50 percent reduction in
call volume and 60 percent faster transaction processing time for
an approximate $19 million annual cost avoidance,” Thompson
notes. “Our ‘Leading the ServicePoint Way’ program improved
transaction time by three minutes per call in call centers. And
we continue to benefit from recent revisions made to our agent
onboarding program, which reduced training time by three
months per agent, saving the organization nearly 1 million
instructor-led training hours annually.
Lastly, Farmers aims to develop leaders to excel today and
in the future. “We need to ensure a stable leadership pipeline,
integrating our leadership competency model, in the midst
of a challenging market, recent acquisitions, and the need for
continued growth,” Thompson says. “Our leadership compe-
tency framework targets 14 universal competencies with varying
mastery levels by role to every employee in our organization.
Several core leadership programs keep a focus on ongoing
development for tomorrow’s leaders, including differentiated
leadership learning within our call centers, claims department,
and field management.”
The new Presidential Leadership Program (PLP), devel-
oped in conjunction with the Ronald Reagan Presidential
Library, is a catalyst to grow future leaders at Farmers and
in the broader business community. The program focuses
on emotional intelligence, health, and wellness as corner-
stone components in the development of highly effective,
inspirational leaders, according to Vice President, University
of Farmers Claims Mike Cuffe. Built by an in-house team
of leadership development, instructional design, writing,
graphics, video, Web, and new media professionals, PLP
hosted more than 400 executives, directors, and managers in
16 three-and-a-half-day sessions at the Reagan Presidential
Library in Simi Valley, CA. “Focusing on the leadership traits
and emotional intelligence demonstrated by American presi-
dents, PLP teaches participants to analyze those behaviors
and use them in creating a personalized leadership devel-
opment plan,” Cuffe says. “The curriculum incorporates
reading, self-study, classroom activities and discussions, and
sessions on health, wellness, and nutrition. Participants then
partner with two or three fellow graduates to continue their
journey to inspirational leadership by sharing ideas, seek-
ing feedback, and celebrating successes together with one
another and on the PLP micro site.”
Adds Thompson, “We use numerous additional approaches in
our leadership development pursuits, including classroom events,
mentoring programs, coffee chats pairing senior leaders with
emerging talent, and other experiential offerings. From a leader-
ship readiness perspective, turnover in leadership pools runs less
than 5 percent—better than our company-wide attrition rate.”
36 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
MEMBERS of the University of Farmers Agoura, CA, team.
#2 FARMERS INSURANCE

39. © 2012 CenturyLink, Inc. All rights reserved.
Savvis Global Learning and Development is committed to the investment in human capital
by enabling the Global IT revolution through transformational learning.
Savvis, a CenturyLink company, is a global leader in cloud infrastructure and hosted IT
solutions for enterprises. Nearly 2,500 unique clients, including more than 30 of the top 100
companies in the Fortune 500, use Savvis to reduce capital expense, improve service levels
and harness the latest advances in cloud computing.
For more information, visit www.savvis.com or www.centurylink.com.
Savvis is honored to be
standing in such good company.
We are proud to be recognized as one of Training magazine’s top 125.

40. PRIVILEGED TO SERVE
Besidesleadershipdevelopment,twoofFarmers’greatesttraining
needs in 2011 were driving a different level of sales performance
and increasing customer experience skill sets, according to Vice
President, University of Farmers Jim Harwood. “While we have
robust sales learning paths and resources, we wanted to take it
to another level, embedding the ‘Farmers Way of Selling’ into
our culture. To deliver on this goal, we stepped back from a pure
learning approach, creating a series of three ‘Consultative Sales
System’ (CSS) professional designations as a focus for
recognition, which also included incentives for achieving
each designation.”
The next step was creating the infrastructure needed to
bothsustainandscalethedesignationprogramfor15,000
agents. This involved engaging more than 500 agency
support employees and managers in both achieving their
own designations, a specialized “evaluator” curriculum,
and hierarchy to assess and ultimately award CSS Des-
ignations using video-based assessments. Supporting
each audience was a robust blended learning platform
incorporating multiple online and six two-and-a-half-
day instructor-led sessions, which supported a three-tier
designation. “With the infrastructure put in place
throughout 2011, we’re generating excellent agent excite-
ment and uptake, which will be key to expanding the 15
percent lift in new business we historically have achieved
for participants in our sales programs,” Harwood says.
From a customer experience perspective, University
of Farmers proposed and led a cross-functional team in
creating a robust performance improvement solution,
“Privileged To Serve” (PTS). In addition to non-learning
solutions such as harmonizing Coaching, Quality Assur-
ance, Recognition Programs, and Customer Experience
(CE) surveying approaches across the organization, PTS
re-engineered Farmers’ Customer Service curricula. PTS
targets more than 2,900 call center representatives and
their leadership teams. “PTS enhances customer service
skills by developing and supporting new behavior sets
aroundunderstandingandempathizingwiththecustom-
er, getting to issue resolution quickly and correctly, and
dealing with emotionally charged situations,” Harwood
says. “Results include a 3.4-basis-points improvement in
CE scores overall and exceeding a key customer satisfac-
tion metric after more than two years of effort.”
DELIVERY ADVANCES
When it comes to training delivery, additional sig-
nificant infrastructure advances occurred with the
facilitation of distance learning, virtual classrooms, and
the creation and deployment of an updated learning
portal that more strongly aligned corporate leader-
ship competencies with the best offerings in Farmers’
broad learning library, says Director of Employee
Development Steve Mulder. “We are working to cre-
ate an employee-driven, competency-based learning
environment that is housed on a learning portal and
combines e-learning, distance learning, social learning, text,
and video elements. The initial step is to create the structure
and seed it with L&D-created and or/selected content. Eventu-
ally, as much content will be created and provided by the user
community as the L&D team.”
“We’re all aware of the rapid rise of smart mobile technology
and the recent emergence of tablets as a game changer,” adds
Director of Learning Strategy & Performance Art Dobrucki.
“We’ve incorporated both in our delivery. In the intermediate
FARMERS INSURANCE built a new 58,000-square-foot campus in Grand Rapids,
MI. The classrooms allow a 360-degree view of the materials being presented,
fostering more interaction and positive participation by learners. Above, members
of the University of Farmers Michigan team.
38 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
#2 FARMERS INSURANCE

41. SuperCertificate®
REWARD
$100
Congratulations Training
Top 125 Award Winners From
Motivate your
employees and customers
alike this year with the
SuperCertificate® REWARD! You’ll
be giving them the gift of choice and
the opportunity to redeem it for over 200
name-brand gift cards. Personalize and
customize your program to make it a
true success and we’ll handle the rest!
The best part is, the SuperCertificate
never expires or loses value
making your program
something they’ll never
forget.
Contact us today at 877.568.8405
or visit us at www.GiftCertificates.com/business to learn more
We are proud to be working with 16 of Training
Magazine’s Top 125 Companies including
…..
Will you be next?
All gift cards are subject to terms and conditions. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. © 2012 GiftCertificates.com Corporation. All rights reserved.

42. 40 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 training www.trainingmag.com
term, we see the promise of mo-
bile technology for learning not so
much for course delivery, but rather
as a vehicle for performance support.
Recent efforts with mobile for our
sales force have included integrat-
ing dozens of performance support
assets in our internal mobile sales
application.”
Farmers has been quick to jump
into the tablet world, beginning with
a modest investment to acclimate
its learning team to this technol-
ogy, Dobrucki says. “We moved
quickly from experimentation to a
number of pilots where we had our
own learning moments, and recently
invested in a significant number of
tablets for classrooms.”
Executive Director of IA Operations Mark T. Cusack notes
Farmers implemented iPads to disseminate instructions and
handouts for skill practices during New-to-Role training and
also used iPads as recording devices for video replay of and
immediate feedback on skill practice sessions. “iPads also are
being used for audience response capabilities, quick access to
Internet assets during class, and moving away from paper for
content delivery and cost control.”
The construction of Farmers’ newest 58,000-square-
foot campus in Grand Rapids, MI, also “allowed us a great
opportunity to build on our dreams and, more realistically,
our needs,” says Cusack. “The classrooms allow a 360-degree
view of the materials being presented, fostering more interac-
tion and positive participation by the learner. There are three
projection surfaces, effectively moving the ‘front of the room’
to the center middle of the facilitation space. The classrooms
also contain Polyvision Eno WhiteBoards, which are essen-
tially whiteboards that interact with the Internet. Trainers
can manipulate visions on the screen and pull up Websites as
needed during training sessions.”
Farmers also is continuing growth in the use of video for
learning, communications, and collaboration across the
enterprise. The firm has a dedicated broadcast studio in its
West Coast corporate university. And the new Michigan cam-
pus has a multimedia creation and editing studio, as well as 10
dedicated Webinar broadcast booths.
Social media is being used within the learning community as
an additive to the learning process, including more than 1,500
communities and 300 active blogs. “Materials are delivered
via our platform prior to training—class members are intro-
duced to one another prior to the training event, as well as
the instructor (whether virtual or on site),” Cuffe says. “Post-
training, learners move to a community of practice, where a
virtual conversation continues, and many of the outcomes
are recorded.” The coaching curriculum features some of the
heaviest social media usage. “We now have a community of
coaches and master coaches who continue to learn from each
other despite the diverse audiences
they support and the broad geograph-
ic distribution,” Cuffe says.
Given the heavily regulated nature
of the insurance industry, Farmers
was quick to place the platform within
its firewall and create a robust social
media policy backed up by strong gov-
ernance. “We also were committed to
annual training in areas such as anti-
trust and best practices of social media
as keys to success,” Cuffe notes. With
that foundation in place, Farmers then
executed on a 14-month communica-
tion strategy, including five-minute
weekly training modules available on
the company’s employee portal tar-
geting the topic to the top 175 senior
leaders in the company.
WISH LISTS
While Farmers is far along the learning delivery continuum,
L&D executives would never say, “No,” to additional fund-
ing. “Our wish list for the future would include the expansion
of our leadership programs to include new curriculum on
employee engagement that would increase the capabilities of
our workforce,” Thompson says. “Health and wellness is the
new frontier of employee engagement, as organizations come
under pressure to improve because of regulatory financial
implications, and also to compete as an employer of choice.
This war for talent also will create more accelerated learning,
more coaching, strong career pathing options, and in-the-
moment technologies so as to recruit and retain tomorrow’s
talent in a growing competitive environment.”
In addition, Thompson says, “new mobile phone technolo-
gies present a whole new way of learning how to learn and will
change our paradigm of learning. In the past, ‘know-how’
was a critical competency for one to be successful. However,
with access to the Internet and applications, a more critical
competency will be that of ‘learning how.’”
Dobrucki notes an unlimited budget for training would
“allow us to invest money in acquiring or sourcing even
higher-quality learning assets. Having rich auditory and visual
elements, as well as learner-driven interactions through simu-
lations, can make a big impact.” Additional funding could be
used for professional narrators and broader incorporation of
streaming video, breakout rooms, whiteboards, and advanced
annotations,” Dobrucki says.
Finally, Thompson points out, knowledge management and
succession planning will become increasingly more impor-
tant as Baby Boomers move into retirement. “Currently, in
many parts of our organization, more than 40 percent of our
key knowledge workers will retire in the next five to seven
years. The knowledge they have will be lost unless we take
aggressive steps to capture and manage that knowledge for
the future.” t
Mark T. Cusack, Executive Director, University
of Farmers, Independent Agent (IA) Operations
#2 FARMERS INSURANCE

43. CHANGING THE ASSESSMENT INDUSTRY FOREVER.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Please see www.mhs.com/ei for more information.
1-800-456-3003 or growyourbusiness@mhs.com
NEW EI MODEL
Predict Performance: Psychometrically driven with real-world application.
Sound Science: The foremost scientifically validated and reliable EI assessment in
the market provides you with invaluable insight only captured with the EQ-i 2.0.
REPORTS
Customizable and flexible: Add your own logo, turn features on/off… all to
create a report as unique as the clients you deal with every day.
Business-centric Design: Unparalleled professional design… a report you would
be proud to present to your clients.
EQ-i 2.0 PORTAL
Easy to use: Saving you time and money.
Unmatched user experience & flexibility: Invite, manage and generate reports
in one intuitive online web application. Personalize your experience and do
what you want, the way you want to do it.
Much more than just a scoring platform:
growing your expertise.
an authority in Emotional Intelligence.
Making you the Authority in
Emotional Intelligence.

44. Finding the right people and
nurturing them to provide the
best care to patients adds up to a
stellar learning and development
treatment plan for Miami Children’s
Hospital. BY MARGERY WEINSTEIN
FROM LEFT: Loubna Noureddin,
Director, Organizational and
Clinical Development; Rula
Sater, Manager, Organizational
Development; and Michael
Kushner, Senior Vice President
and Chief Talent Officer, Miami
Children’s Hospital.
#3 MIAMI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Miami
Children’s
Hospital puts
People First

45. Our Values