Home > News > June 2004 > 09-Jun-2004

Keynote Speech by Pat Crull, 2004 Chair, ASTD Board of Directors

Delivered on Monday, May 24 at the ASTD 2004 International Conference and EXPO Washington, D.C.

"ASTD is 60 years old this year. That’s older than most of us and certainly older than our memories of how the profession used to be. Look back with me for a few minutes. ASTD was started by 12 men with a powerful idea: that training could fix some of the manpower problems in the United States after World War II, and that together, trainers could do more than any one of them could do alone. That’s the power of a professional society, and it’s the power we have today more than ever before – to change things on a grand scale.

"I want to fast forward to the last 10 years and look at the progress in our profession. It’s these last ten years that I think have produced the most dramatic change for us. It’s been true in my career; my guess is it’s been true in yours too. Let’s look at some of things that have shaped our professional lives in the past decade.

"The first is the knowledge economy – the fact that most jobs today depend on brain power, not the physical power that once drove the manufacturing economy. If making the most of brain power is anyone’s job, it is ours. That fact, more than any other, has cemented the link between learning and performance in the workplace. That link is what gives us our seat at the table.

"That link is what has created the role that many companies call the Chief Learning Officer. It’s a role that didn’t exist ten years ago. The knowledge economy has boosted training to the enterprise level – a place of influence many of us have aspired to reach. At the enterprise level, we have influence but we also have accountability. Our work is under the direct gaze of CEOs and Boards of Directors who expect us to meet the same performance measures as any other corporate officer.

"The second thing that is shaping our profession so dramatically is technology. Whether you approach learning technology with timidity and caution or with zeal and passion, there is no doubt that it is rewriting the rules. The ability to move beyond the scale of a classroom to the scale of the whole enterprise, and, at the same time, keep learning truly personal will change training in ways we have just started to understand. I believe that this kind of challenge to our thinking will produce extraordinary results for our profession.

"The latest edition of Learning Circuits, ASTD’s phenomenal e-learning magazine, features an article by Tony O’Driscoll from IBM. Tony O’Driscoll writes about the on-demand enterprise that technology makes possible. He says: "The Internet itself can be conceived of as a world-wide community of learners. How would our concept of learning in organisations change if we began to view ourselves as facilitators of learning communities in which the full collaborative might of the Internet is wielded to build relationships and foster innovation?” A challenging
thought!

"The third influence is the global nature of everyone’s work. Even local prganisations that operate in one community or one market are affected by our shrinking world. This was made clear to me at last year’s conference in a session with chapter leaders. One person, from a small town in Iowa, mentioned the demands on her to have better global understanding. I asked her: "Is your organization global?" And she replied, "No, but everybody we do business with IS global."

"The fourth factor that I think is pushing us forward is the need for speed. At my last two organisations – McDonalds and now with Toys “R” Us, Inc. – I have never produced so fast or felt such a sense of urgency. Like many of you, I am more comfortable when I can proceed after analyses and can test and retest before I put learning products out, but I don’t have the luxury of time. I bet today neither do you. Frankly, I don’t see us going back to a condition where that is possible.

"Even if the economy continues to improve, the lessons we’ve learned from the last few hard years have reached so many people that there will be no room for anything that isn’t focused on making organisations better … faster. Once you’re lean and efficient, there’s no returning.

"I started my career in this profession 23 years ago as a training manager working at the Arthur Andersen/Accenture Center for Professional Development. Today, as Vice President of Training and Chief Learning Officer, I have the opportunity to work at the highest level of my organisation. I connect the work of my team to the company’s strategic goals. I partner cross-functionally. I can prove that what we do produces results in the business. I can talk business with my peers at the executive level. I’m telling you this for a reason: to show that the doors are open in our profession to make a real difference.

"My situation is not unique. There are thousands of people like me working at the top of major corporations to maximize the power of learning. There are thousands of consultants doing this work, too. And there are thousands of you who are on these same paths – in large and small organisations, in the public and private sector – in all parts of the world. Our profession is relevant in more ways than it has ever been in our 60 years. This is a time of great promise for those with a passion for this fabulous profession, a profession that makes such a difference to both the organizations and to the individuals we serve.

"I would be remiss not to suggest some action we can take to capitalize on this critical moment in our professional journey – the moment when we step into relevance as never before. On Sunday, you heard Tony Bingham, ASTD’s CEO, talk about his vision of a time when no company and no chief executive ever questions the relevance of our profession – a time when our contribution is as nquestionably necessary as accounting or marketing or any other core business function.

"How can we use these promising times to make that vision a reality? Here are four lessons I’ve learned (and frankly re-learned) that I believe will help all of us take full advantage of the opportunities facing us in today’s environment of promise.

• Be strategic. Know your organization’s business and your industry inside and out, and make it your mission to play a critical and essential part.
• Focus on employee commitment and satisfaction because they affect quality, effectiveness, and the bottom line.
• Grow in your profession. Challenge yourself to think differently. Ask yourself if you’re stuck in an old paradigm?; how long it’s been since you championed something new?; how much you have yet to learn? That’s kept year 23 of my career as exciting and challenging as was year one.

"A week like this – with hundreds of learning opportunities both formal and informal – is a gift. It’s a gift I give myself. I intend to use my time here at the ASTD International Conference and Exposition to the maximum. I plan to leave exhausted and exhilarated on Thursday from all I’ve learned, from meeting so many of you, and from the challenging ideas I take away. I hope you will join me in doing the same! Thank you."

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