As a result of this discussion, L&D professionals will be able to:

1. Differentiate among business, performance, individual and organizational capability needs and requests.
   
2. Walk through an alternative approach to conducting a needs assessment using the “Zap the Gaps” mapping model from Dana Robinson. This model allows the training consultant to conduct conversations with business leaders and teams which will directly tie needs to business performance.
   
3. Differentiate among transactional, tactical and strategic work, using criteria to determine whether a situation requires a strategic or tactical implementation.
   
4. Form action plans that support application on the job of skills developed in the workshop.
   

Speaker: Nancy Libardoni

As background, I had the pleasure to first work with Dana Robinson and receive training from her on an ominous day in history: 9/11. As one could imagine, all our world came to a halt and so did the performance consulting training. But Dana returned and the 3-day training was completed, as well as another 3 day session the following year. I learned that taking a more strategic approach with my business leaders allowed me more credibility and a deeper entry into their world of priorities. By doing so, I was able to make the case for change, new programs, and alternatives to training that I would not have been able to do without this approach.

I completed 2 major projects with coaching from Dana during my tenure as a director of training at Gillette, and the results made direct business impact. As I moved further along in my career, I continued to apply key concepts and use the approach I learned from these experiences.

At Gilbane these last 7 years, it became very clear that in qualifying for Training magazine’s T125 list, demonstrating business impact was extremely critical to earning a place in the top 50. I feel all training professionals can benefit from this approach and will build greatly assist them in building credibility with their business partners.