One morning while on vacation, Wendy and I went through the resort's buffet line for breakfast. We got our food, set it down at a table by the pool and then left the table for about four minutes to get our beverages and talk to a fellow guest. 

When we returned, our breakfast was being ravaged by local birds. Eggs, potatoes, bread and fruit were being eaten, tossed about and generally destroyed. Other guests were sitting nearby, but they were unconcerned and not trying to protect our food. 

A metaphor formed before our eyes. Similar to how Wendy and I did not protect our food, many organizations do little or nothing to protect their training investments.

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While on vacation recently, Wendy and I were having a mid-afternoon snack when this guy sat down with us. He introduced himself as Gary and said he was on the staff of the place where we were staying. Gary was friendly yet considerate of ‘not overstaying his welcome’ as we talked about the food, weather and island activities.

Later that day, he was at the entrance of the dining room greeting guests as they came for dinner (see photo). At the end of the evening, the staff put on a show for the guests. Guess who was in the show dressed up in a goofy outfit and even singing a song? You guessed it, Gary.

You may wonder how one gets such a neat job as this. You may also wonder just what Gary’s job is. Is he their public relations manager? Is he on the entertainment team? Perhaps he is in sales and marketing?

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Though it happened in 2003, I remember it like it was yesterday. A cold, snowy night in San Francisco, a few days before Christmas. Earlier that day, I had conducted a Kirkpatrick Four Levels® Evaluation Certification – Bronze Level program in Chinatown and had taken a cable car to Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner. Having gotten a late start, it wasn’t until around 11 pm that I began heading back and finally found a cable car departure point. 

There was only one more cable car running for the night, and it would arrive soon. There were about eight of us waiting for what felt like an hour. We were all shivering. There was also a homeless man among us. He was heavily bearded, roughly dressed, and appeared to be as cold as the rest of us. I remember his smile and bright eyes. He was singing Christmas carols as he politely walked among us.

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A note from Jim about the value of Kirkpatrick certification

Hello,

I overhear conversations in the office with callers asking about Kirkpatrick certification. I thought I would take a few minutes to explain, from my own point of view, the benefit and value of getting Kirkpatrick certified.

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