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March 2-3, 2015
ATD Telling Ain't Training Event, Austin, TX

April 13-14, 2015
ATD Telling Ain't Training Event, Louisville, KY

April 26-29, 2015
ISPI Performance Improvement Conference, San Antonio, TX

May 17-20, 2015
ATD International Conference and Expo, Orlando, FL

To learn more about engaging Harold Stolovitch to speak at your organization, click HERE

Harold Stolovitch and Erica Keeps are Certified Performance Technologists (CPT). The CPT designation is awarded by the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) to experienced practitioners in the field of organizational performance improvement, whose work meets both the performance-based Standards of Performance Technology and application requirements. For more information, visit www.ispi.org.

The Exemplary Performer
By Harold D. Stolovitch

This article was originally published in the March 2006 edition of Workforce Performance Solutions.

"How do I get top performance from my people?" This is a reasonable question, but watch out for the barrage of enthusiastic responses. I could hose down this page with miracle solutions, but the probabilities of any one of these miracle cures having a persistent, powerful impact on building and sustaining top performance over time is doubtful. If life were that simple, we would all be basking in the glow of overwhelming success.

Over the years, I have found that if you want top performance, your best bet is to start by studying your top people or, as the research literature labels them, "exemplary" performers. Everyone has an opinion about what makes for top performance. As a HR professional, you should only pay attention to hard evidence derived from actual exemplary performers.

Exemplary performers produce valued accomplishments far greater than those of their average colleagues. How much greater? To find out, click HERE and continue reading this article.

Another Adventure in China
By Harold D. Stolovitch

In November 2014, I had a new opportunity to visit China, this time to the

View of the Famous, Historic West Lake Park in Hangzhou

picturesque, but also very busy and bustling city of Hangzhou, only a one-hour bullet train ride from Shanghai. It was great to become reacquainted with friends and colleagues I had met and worked with on my last visit in April-May 2014 as well as to meet a host of ambitious, enthusiastic new people.

Harold Presenting at the HPI Forum

As with my previous visit, on the agenda were two main items: to promote Human Performance Improvement (HPI) processes and practices and to train business groups and consultants on how to evolve away from default, one-dimensional interventions such as training or coaching to a more systemic view of human performance at work. Both a large-scale event, with hundreds of participants, and two workshops were scheduled. What a pleasure to engage with eager, active professionals, both young and old, some with little or no knowledge of what I had to offer and others more seasoned and experienced. My mission was to demonstrate the value of "engineering" improved performance. I presented multiple examples at the macro (citing countries with large-scale initiatives) and micro (describing small business, local and not-for profit projects) levels with others in between.

The Hangzhou Forum on HPI with about 400 Hundred Attendees

At both the large-scale forum and in the workshops, my Chinese colleagues with whom I had worked last spring, presented, with real data, several examples of projects they had undertaken between May and November. They had formed teams of six members, each team selecting a real-world project, and had faithfully applied the HSA Engineering Effective Performance model and tools. They met weekly during the late spring and summer in a virtual environment guided by Dr. Xiaofang Deng, my Chinese colleague with whom I work closely. The results they produced are remarkable! In each instance, the teams were able to demonstrate highly positive return on investments (ROI), including one public utility case with a ROI of over 2,000%.

Dr. Xiaofang Deng Presenting a Summary of Two HPI Projects along with ROI Data

Overall, the large-scale and workshop sessions were wonderful successes. Our plan is to publish, within two years, a case book describing HPI projects of various sizes, complete with analysis findings, performance interventions and impact data including ROI for each case.

A Team Member from the HPI Spring & Summer Projects Presenting Data and Outcomes on Her Project

All in all, the visit to China was very worthwhile. New fans appear to have been attracted to HPI. New initiatives are certainly in the offing. Once again, I left China feeling that my visit had been a rewarding experience.

At HSA Learning & Performance Solutions LLC, we've seen a lot over the years.  We know the business of learning.  We know the role human performance plays in business success.  We know how to uncover and address needs, then create appropriate solutions.  We pride ourselves on helping organizations achieve high levels of performance - and success.  HSA is a leader in workplace learning and performance improvement.  Our proven learning and performance solutions have helped maximize employee performance at hundreds of organizations throughout the world.  Our principals, Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps, share a common passion - developing people. Together they have devoted a combined total of over 80 years to make workplace learning and performance both enjoyable and effective. Their dedication to improving workplace learning and performance is reflected in the workshops they run internationally on training delivery, instructional design and performance consulting. Together, they are co-editors of the first two editions of the Handbook of Human Performance Technology and co-authors of the best-selling, award-winning series of books Telling Ain't Training - Updated, Expanded and Enhanced, Training Ain't Performance, Beyond Telling Ain't Training Fieldbook and Beyond Training Ain't Performance Fieldbook published by ASTD Press. They are also co-authors of the Wiley/Pfeiffer Learning & Performance Toolkit Series.  To learn more, click HERE.