While the Academy Awards ceremony was underway on the west coast, another gala black tie event took place in Orlando, FL when Training Magazine announced its annual Training Top 125 Awards. Companies that receive this recognition earn it the old fashioned way , they provide world-class training to employees to improve their business effectiveness as well as to create winning teams in the marketplace. The top five recipients were The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., PriceWaterHouseCoopers, LLP, EMC Corporation, Verizon Wireless, and General Mills. As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, I’ve had the privilege of doing training and organization development work for Minneapolis-based General Mills for a number of years and I am delighted to see that they were recognized as a “top 5 performer this year , a designation they richly deserve.
A feature article on Training Magazine’s website about this company using training to drive a core business process is a great example. What impresses me about General Mills is they try to hire the best people they can and instead of treating them like an expense item on the income statement, they view their people as assets on the balance sheet and they continue to invest in them and their success and development. From comprehensive training programs, to 360 degree feedback, to individual development plans as well as carefully thought out programs around retention, career development, inclusion, and onboarding of experienced hires, they strive to be best in class. Kudos to General Mills!