Use What You Have

Today we have a guest post from NACCM Speaker Trace Belcher. Trace Belcher is Talent Manager and Technology Training Administrator at Jewelry Television® in Knoxville, TN. He manages the eLearning function for over 2000 employees as well as implements advanced Customer Care (Sales and Service) training for in-house employees and 3rd party vendors. Trace will be speaking on “Climb That Sandwich! Capturing the Passion and Productivity of Your Team.” on November 18th at the NACCM conference in Anaheim, CA.

Hello all, Trace Belcher here. I am looking forward to speaking at the NACCM in November. My topic will be "Climb that Sandwich" (strange title I know, but you will have to check out my session for the complete explanation).

I wanted to introduce myself to the group and tell an old story (well, not THAT old, I'm only 40) about the main reason I went into consulting in the first place.

My dad, up until he retired this year, has been a brick (and block and stone) mason for years. When I was about 12, I saw him one day loading up his truck to go to a job site. I saw among his equipment an instrument called a "transome" (basically a "sighting" scope used to measure the grade of land). To me, though, it was just a really cool telescope.

I asked my dad if I could play with this really neat telescope (please, dad, please, please, please?). His response stays with me to this day. He replied, "No, you don't know how to use it; and having a tool you don't know how to use is the same as not having that tool."

Disappointed that day, yes, but I've taken that wisdom across America: Use the tools you have! Why spend the money, time and effort to build or buy extra utilities when you haven't discovered all of the scope and power of what you have? What pay 3rd-party vendors to do what the talent in your own organization can do?

Use what you have, after all, it's better than "not having that tool."

See you in November,

Trace