Rocky Mountain Chapter

February 2012, President’s Message

I recently enjoyed a performance at the Colorado Symphony. The concert was dedicated to the music and life of Mozart. In addition to the beautiful sounds of the music, I was drawn to the movement and coordination of the conductor. The conductor was mesmerizing because of the passion he showed for his craft and the musicians. Likewise, the musicians seemed mesmerized by the conductor as well – their gazes fixed on him during the performance waiting for instruction. Each instrument and each musician has a unique and critical role in creating the complete experience of the piece – they must all work together in concert (pun intended).

As I observed this interaction, I couldn’t help but find parallels to work we do in the learning and development profession. The passion of the conductor reminded me of the passion I see in the learning and development professionals I know. The passion stems from a desire to perform at the highest level possible not only for one’s self-edification, but also in order to please others. Like the symphony members, we must know and perform our craft with such passion and competence so that we are recognized as providing a service to others.

Like each musician in the Symphony, each employee in an organization has a unique and critical role in achieving the desired performance. Like the Conductor, our job as learning and development professionals is to orchestrate the best possible performance from these people. We are not there to perform all of the jobs, but rather we are there to fine tune the performance by using the many interventions in our bag of tricks including things like training, talent management, organizational development, coaching, etc. Like the conductor, we know a lot about the work of others, but the musicians (and in our case, the employees) are the experts in their craft. It’s not our job to be the expert, it’s our job to be the jack of all trades who can fine tune the expertise of others. Building that high level of comprehension and expertise is how I see the role of ASTD-RMC. Our chapter is there to hone your craft in all of the things in your bag of tricks. I look forward to seeing each and every one of you at a future ASTD-RMC event where we can hone our skills together.

Kevin Preston

ASTD RMC President 2012