Articles in this newsletter:
Making lunch more productive
While most people want to be winners, employees at the Oneok company in Channahon were determined to be losers. In fact, they had a competition to see who would be the biggest loser and Joliet Junior College (JJC) helped them get started.
"They searched our website and found our seminar on dieting in our Health and Wellness section," said Amy Murphy, director of Corporate and Community Services for JJC. "After some discussion with them, we determined that we should make this seminar a Lunch and Learn and scheduled a class for March 7. Dr. Dan Beal showed them how to become big losers and healthy winners with his one hour course called Diets Dont Work."
Dr. Beal is a chiropractor with a graduate degree in nutrition. He teaches many seminars for JJC including the Lunch and Learn program on dieting. Commenting on his experience at Oneok, Beal said, "The weight loss lecture was fun, I had a good and lively group. The main questions were on detoxification and how to cleanse the body safely and effectively."
According to Oneoks Operation Manager, Victor Dufour, Beals lecture had an impact on the employees. There is more discussion on detoxification and even a couple employees have started their own detox programs with their spouses, said Dufour. He is also willing to do another seminar on a different or similar topic.
Oneok was founded in Oklahoma in 1906 and is a distributor of natural gas and natural gas liquids. It has many locations including the Channahon Region office where the training was delivered.
Dr. Beal has done programs for other businesses as well, said Brenda Large, personal enrichment coordinator for JJCs Corporate and Community Services division. Recently he delivered a seminar on headaches for the Hornton Group in Orland Park. Similar to Oneok, they saw one of our Health and Wellness classes and we helped them make it a Lunch and Learn program. The interesting thing about Hornton is the fact that they broadcast the seminar to their other location in Michigan.
The headaches lecture covered many different types of headaches and a number of natural solutions for them including trigger point therapy. My classes are always about sharing information and getting the audience involved, said Beal. His headaches class, for example, had a lot of questions about doing trigger point therapy at home and the weight loss lecture had a lot of questions about detoxification.
Beal also teaches open enrollment programs for JJC. Some of his classes include Backwise - The Owners Guide to a Healthy Back, Solution for Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, and the Natural Solutions to Digestive Problems which deals with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Colitis, and Chrons Disease. Dr. Beal brings a wealth of knowledge to these seminars which have proved to be helpful for a lot of people, said Large.
Beal believes teaching is a big part of his practice. I do a lot of patient education and community lectures and I find that I really enjoy sharing and teaching, he said. It is always satisfying to see students who are very nervous about science end up enjoying the class, doing well, and learning.
To learn more about the Lunch and Learn program at JJC or to schedule a lunch program at your business, contact Amy Murphy at (815) 280-1418, or e-mail amurphy@jjc.edu.
Motivating employees is a 3-step process
If the first quarter of the new year could be better, maybe the problem is motivation. Is your staff on board with all the changes and goals for this year? Perhaps senior management is dragging their feet, or maybe an unexpected problem cancelled funding for a new program causing stakeholders to lose interest?
Whatever the reason, most department managers and supervisors will have to find a way to deal with it because their goals are probably not going to change. But, accomplishing them will require more than a meeting from the supervisor or a memo from senior management. Getting people on board and moving toward the same goal requires three steps: staff involvement, accountability, and follow-up. Lets look at each.
Staff Involvement
It is the job of a supervisor to accomplish goals through the talents and skills of others. But doing that successfully requires more than simply telling people what needs to be done. Sometimes it is necessary to engage staff members in the process by seeking their opinions and ideas on how to best achieve those goals.
The more a supervisor involves his or her staff with how to best accomplish a goal, the more they will feel ownership of that goal which is critical for success, said Amy Murphy, director of Corporate and Community Services for Joliet Junior College. It also helps a supervisor achieve the other two elements of motivation: accountability and follow-up.
Accountability
The next phase of motivation is to make people accountable for their role in achieving the goal. That means they must either complete their part of the process, or explain why it is not done. Accountability is absolutely necessary for success, said Murphy. If a supervisor just assigns a task to a staff member, but does not require them to explain why it didnt get done, the goal will never be achieved.
Follow-up
There can be no accountability without a supervisor following up with a staff member to see how they are progressing and to provide assistance when necessary. If a staff member knows a supervisor will be checking on their progress, they are more likely to want to accomplish their task, said Murphy. It is also a good time to find out what problems the staff member may be having with it. For example, the staff member may need the cooperation of another department, but is unable to meet with the manager. This is a good time for the supervisor to talk to the other manager about giving the staff member the help he or she needs.
It is also a good idea for the supervisor to meet with staff members as a group periodically. That way everyone can see the big picture and have a sense of how their department is progressing.
Achieving Success
Getting those goals accomplished this year is still possible. Any supervisor experiencing problems with staff motivation should consider the three-step process.
We offer many courses to help both new and experienced supervisors learn the kind of leadership skills needed to accomplish any business goal, said Murphy. Our Frontline Supervision program has benefitted many companies train their newly appointed or hired supervisors.
To learn more about Frontline Supervision, or any other business program offered at Joliet Junior College, call Mike Sillar at (815) 280-1423, or e-mail msillar@jjc.edu.
JJC Executive Named One of the Top Young Trainers in 2011
Training Magazine selects their top 40 training professionals
In March, Training magazine named the winners of its 2011 Top Young Trainer awards, recognizing the top 40 training professionals age 40 and under. Among them is Amy Murphy, Joliet Junior Colleges director of Corporate and Community Services (CCS).
"I was surprised to learn that I was named for this honor," said Murphy. "It is a real privilege to be part of this group of professionals."
Brenda Large, personal enrichment coordinator for Corporate and Community Services, nominated Murphy. After reviewing the criteria, I felt Amy was a perfect fit. She has dedicated her career to providing trainings, for industry, business, small business, communities and individuals in a variety of capacities. Amy works tirelessly to identify training needs whether for an individual or large corporation and all sizes in between, and targets the delivery to provide quality education to meet specific needs. As a supervisor, she encourages staff to step outside the box and find creative ways to meet the needs of our customers.
Through her leadership, the CCS division has added many new programs including truck driver training and sustainable energy courses in wind turbine and photovoltaic technology. She is also director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center.
Murphy has been with the college for over 20 years. During this time, Amy has proven herself a supportive leader who strives for excellence in the program of services our department provides to the public. Whether for job seekers, small businesses, large corporations or community programming, Amy exemplifies the qualities of a strong leader in her tireless efforts to provide quality, progressive, educational programs, said Large.
Murphy is engaged in the community she serves. She is on numerous boards and chambers of commerce and in the fall of 2010, was elected President of weTRaIN, an organization made up of the community colleges workforce development offices throughout the state.
I think the most significant reason Amy was named one of the top 40 young trainers is her dedication to the training needs of her clients, said Large. Whether it is for a corporate client or an individual who needs help, Amy gives 110 percent.
Murphy will be given the award at Training Magazines Training 2012 Conference and Expo in Atlanta, GA in February 2012.