Posts Tagged ‘Thankful’

Thanksgiving

November 22nd, 2010 - by Angela

thanksgivingI really, really like this time of year.  After enduring the hot summer, I love the cooler weather and all of the Fall/Winter holidays.  I also like how people’s attitudes seem to change some during this time of year.  They are more thankful, giving and caring.

In view of this, I often ask my students in class what they are thankful for this time of year.  Because we are in a training class at their corporate location, I often get answers relating to their work, job, company, etc.  I think it is great that they can reflect back and see the good that comes from their job or from the organization they work for.  Often, I know that I get bogged down in the details and tasks of my job that I fail to think about the big picture of my job/career.

As we struggle back from the economic recession, many of my students admit that they are just thankful to have a job.  Others say that they enjoy their work team and even like their boss/supervisor.  My favorite comment is when they say they are thankful for the great stuff learned in class and for a good trainer. In most classes there is one person that is determined to remain a pessimist and decides to not have anything to be thankful for that day.  I usually try to encourage them but then leave it alone.

Of course, as I’m talking about being thankful in class, I think, “I need to blog about this!”  Here is my technology and training “thanks” list for this year:  Office 2010 and Windows 7 (and enough work to be able to purchase both), great students, wonderful organization to do training for, blog ideas that come from no where, and getting to do the job I love for another year.

What are you thankful for this year?  Leave a reply in the comments and let me know!

Thinking Long Term

April 12th, 2010 - by Angela

gold-watch1Last week, I wrote a friend of mine an email for her birthday.  I started thinking about how long we had been friends…over 32 years! I met her when we moved to Texas when I was just a little kid.  My sister and I walked around in our neighborhood and asked if there were any little kids to play with at each house.  We met Krista on our second day in Texas.

Over the years, we developed a strong friendship with Krista and her parents.  We had so much fun on our adventures, along with getting in trouble, too.  Despite those times when we were grounded after getting in trouble, my family and I still look back down memory lane at the fond times we spent together.

My sister and I were very shy at the beginning of our friendship with Krista. It took some courage, some faith, and sometimes the benefit of the doubt in those early days of our friendship.  Thankfully, we had many, many laughs mixed in, which definitely helped us solidify our relationship over the years.

In light of the reflections on my long-term friendship with Krista, I think about my business relationships through Versitas.  I am so blessed with several clients that we have developed great relationships with over the years.  It has been nice to watch the relationship with these clients bloom over time.

I find it very rewarding to be able to go back to do a class and to get to visit with students I’ve helped in a previous class.  I love hearing about how they are using the skills that they learned in a prior training session to work more effectively. Getting to see the results of my labor really makes my day!

From a trainer’s perspective, it is great to have these long-term relationships with clients.  It tells me that they like what we are doing in training and that they realize how important training is to their corporation.

Of course, every client has to start out as a new client. We enjoy every class that we do, even if it is just a one-time session.  Don’t get me wrong…I love meeting new people and working with new corporations and individuals. I like the diversity and change that comes with new clients.

I’m thankful that at Versitas I get to work with a great mix of new clients and long-term clients.  It is great to watch the development from a new client to into a strong training partnership over time.