FROM THE PRESIDENT – Greg Adamson
Summer is a great time to catch up on reading and resources
Let me tell you a story, and you can tell me if it’s fiction or nonfiction. It’s a short story.
You’ve probably heard the premise before: It’s summertime, and life is moving more slowly. People are less busy and have time to relax.
Done laughing yet?
OK, so maybe summer isn’t a slow time for all of us, but for many of us, it has its moments: Weekends at the beach or on the couch, a quiet evening at home or even (cue sounds of angelic choir) vacation or staycation time.
Far be it from me to fill your already busy schedule more. Still, I’m an educator at heart, and I sometimes can’t help but assign homework. Consider it optional and there will not be a quiz later, but if you’re looking for some light summer reading, I have a few suggestions you might not have thought of.
Here’s a list of books I’ve enjoyed recently, and I think make good reads for your free time. They’re at least loosely tied to training:
- Think Again — Adam Grant
- The 6 Types of Working Genius — Patrick Lencionil
- Great Leaders Have No Rules — Kevin Kruse
- Decoding Greatness — Ron Friedman
- The Good Life — Robert Waldinger, M.D., and Marc Schulz, Ph.D.
- The Wisdom of the Bullfrog — Admiral William H. McRaven
- Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World’s Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations — Josh Bersin
Maybe the thought of sitting down with several hundred pages is a little daunting. So let me offer a second list, one that’s very LTEN-centric. Summer can be a great time to catch up on some things you otherwise might have missed, and LTEN has a wide range of resources waiting for you.
- LTEN Focus on Training magazine — OK, it’s not a book, but we publish enough content that it could be. This year, LTEN took Focus magazine monthly, so you’re looking at the sixth issue of this year … and our digital library goes back to 2011. Visit www.L-TEN.org/focus to access current issues, and there you’ll find a link to the full library of magazines. With stories about LTEN members and their learning initiatives, as well as best practices and thought leadership articles, there’s hopefully something in each issue to spark your innovative ideas.
- Bonus Focus online articles — There’s always news to share and timely articles that might not align to formal publication schedules. That’s where Bonus Focus comes in — it’s an online collection of articles by LTEN members, industry experts and thought leaders. We have a library of articles that’s 10 years old this year, so there’s more than a few resources you might not have discovered yet. You can read them at www.L-TEN.org/bonusfocus.
- LTEN webinars on demand — This one might be more “listening” than “reading,” but you’ll learn either way. Each LTEN webinar is recorded and archived for on-demand access, and if you missed a program the first time around, the recording is waiting for you. We’ve made a commitment this year to aim for weekly webinars, at least, and so far we’re beating that goal, with about 30 webinars added to the archives in the first five months. Visit www.L-TEN.org/on-demand-webinars to check out the full library.
- LTEN Excellence Awards posters — It’s possible I might have surprised you with this one but hear me out. At the LTEN Annual Conference later this month, we’ll give out the 9th Annual LTEN Excellence Awards. Each year now, we give award finalists the option to submit a poster that details the award worthy work they’ve done. Those posters are displayed at the conference, we have a formal poster session where people can present their work to attendees and we share the posters on the LTEN website. It’s unprecedented access to what LTEN members are successfully building for their organizations, and you’re sure to find inspiration there. Check out the posters are at www.L-TEN.org/awards.
- Everything else on the L-TEN.org website — There’s so much to discover here: member news, white papers, our Industry Brief newsletter, conference resources and more. On every page is something to learn, someone to meet, a thought to share. Visit www.L-TEN.org to get started.
I hope this list gives you some never-stop-learning ideas for whatever “extra” time you may find this summer. And I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Until then…
Greg Adamson is president of the LTEN Board of Directors and executive director, sales training, for Olympus Americas. Email Greg at greg.adamson@olympus.com.
