Inspiring Solutions Newsletter

Inspiring Solutions Newsletter - Volume 41 - January 2009


Change is in the Air

We hope you enjoyed a nice holiday with family and friends and your New Year is off to a good start! One can’t help but feel the spirit of change everywhere…especially after this week’s awesome inauguration!

As a follow-up to our last issue that focused on “Your Feelings About Change”, let me share with you what we learned from your responses. If you missed our last issue, visit http://www.inspiringsolutions.com/newsletterarchive.


We thank those of you who completed the assignment and responded to our questions and shared your testimonials on http://www.inspiringsolutions.com/comments. We love to here from you!
 
The first question asked “In what area of your life are you experiencing the most change?” 98% of the responses said most of your change is in your job. Other responses included in your family, finances, the economy and politically. This tells us that most, if not all companies are revising the way they do business.

The second question asked “How do you feel about this change?” Ironically the responses were almost evenly split with 50% feeling scared (not wanting to think about it) and the other 50% feeling excited (wanting the change to happen quickly!). These polar opposite reactions to change within an organization can cause frustration, alienation, discontent, loss of productivity and numerous communication problems.

The final open-ended question asked “What is your greatest challenge in dealing with change?" As you could imagine, we got a variety of responses such as:

  • Lack of information.
  • Choosing the correct path to a desired outcome.
  • Keeping up with or ahead of our competition.
  • Revising our business approach to better serve our customer base.
  • Shifting the mindset of those around me to accept the changes.
  • Understanding new leadership.
  • The fear of the unknown and not knowing what to do.
  • Wanting change to happen quickly.

Whether you responded to those questions or not, do the answers to the questions sound familiar to you and what’s happening within your organization? Like it or not, change is not going away anytime soon. Therefore, why not accept it, embrace it and even enjoy it!
 

 Feature Article

Proactively Manage Change

Never before in the history of our economy is it critical for organizations of all shapes, sizes and industry tighten their belts and develop strategies to assure future success. A recent study of executives and training managers in over 500 corporations in North American reported an increased desire to utilize external resources for solutions. So often times an unbiased, fresh perspective on an age-old problem can overcome significant challenges and cause major breakthroughs.

The 2009 Diamond Dashboard Report for the Training Outsourcing Industry reported a significant increase in the use of outsourcing, making use of customized products and services tailored to address their needs. Buyers clearly identified five key drivers as the most important characteristics in selecting a strategic partner or provider:

  • Knowledge and expertise
  • Ability to execute
  • Innovation and leadership
  • Value for the money
  • Brand reputation

This was music to our ears! Although we’ve been in business since 1991, we continue to refine our products and services to best meet the needs of our clients. Our promise is to inspire people with practical solutions for positive change. We have found our clientele has a variety of issues, budgets and needs; therefore we have a variety of ways to deliver solutions for them. We pride ourselves in helping clients as much or as little, as slow or as quick as they’d like change to be implemented. We have several different types of clients which could be described as:

Do-It Ourselves: These companies have internal “champions” who are looking for resources to use themselves to help hire, train and motivate their workforce. They may have limited budgets so they purchase learning assessments, videos, books and comprehensive training kits to conduct the training themselves. If this is you – visit www.InspiringSolutions.com


Buffet-Style: These clients are aware of the variety of resources we provide and continuously use our products and services to meet their needs. We appreciate them bringing the challenge to us and collectively we develop a solution. If you want an overview of our services – send Michele@InspiringSolutions.com a request for a flier called “REAL Solutions.”

Big Picture: These clients want to step back from what they’ve been doing and evaluate processes and systems that may no longer be meeting the needs of their customers. We guide them through a strategic planning process to refocus and recharge their leaders. If this sounds like what you’d like to do – call us at 866-225-1249 for a complimentary overview…by phone or in person. We’ll even send you a Strategic Planning Handbook if you call before January 30th!

 
 Special Offer - Limited Time Only

A Very Special Offer from Inspiring Solutions!
Order online and get 2008 discount prices!

  • Save an additional 10% off every order over $100!
  • FREE Standard (Ground) Shipping on all orders over $100 until January 31!
  • Shop Now!

This offer is valid only until Midnight of January 31, 2009!

 Strategic Planning Handbook

The Strategic Planning Handbook, written by Michele Matt, CSP is designed to help your company successfully develop and implement a strategic plan.

Receive a FREE copy when you call us by January 30! Our toll-free number is 1-866-225-1249.

Strategic Planning Handbook