“Fantastic!” “Exhilarating!” “Enlightening!” “Thought provoking!” Superlatives being hurled about Broadway’s Producers or a blockbuster movie? Guess again! These were some of the comments that were expressed by attendees at DCG’s Benchmarking Session on May 14, 2001 at the New York Transit Corporate Center.
Jim Chernesky of Crompton Corporation said, “The session was excellent. All the presenters did a superb job of relating to business issues and productivity, and made me reflect...the topic of memory and learning were both enlightening and entertaining.”
Debbie Vidiksis of Dendrite Corporation had this reaction: “The process improvement methodology issue at my company is currently in place but not substantiated by anything structured….what I witnessed at the benchmarking is that we need more to get to the benefits and the strategy...it opened by eyes!”
Nathan Forde of Orlando’s Florida Hospital said, “I had a chance to meet so many interesting people who are setting new goals and sharing their results with others...matching with their accomplishments made me get new ideas for my company. I now realize through my conversations with Tony Buzan, Vanda North and Tony Dottino that the issue of diversity at Florida Hospital can be addressed with what the brain can do and I will be getting together with Tony Dottino to help me accomplish my goals.
Don Benenson of Greenpoint Bank said, “The day had a positive impact. When I heard Jim Snook and Steven Daquila of ConEdison speak everything came together. I could see where the skills being taught by DCG are making a difference.”
A communication to me by Scott H. Smith of Tampa Energy Corporation was quite poignant. “With the events that occurred in NY and DC this past week, you (Tony Dottino) and Jackie have come to mind. I hope that you both are fine and that your clients in NY have been managing through this situation. (Please see What’s News) I am proud of our national response of support and am hopeful that only good will come from this evil tragedy.
I have felt a degree of connection with the WTC tragedy, in that I was just up in NY for the first time in May. I stayed at the WTC Marriott, which I know is no longer there and spent a bit of time in and around both towers during my short visit, which I will never forget.”
Scott continued, “Reflecting on my participation in the Benchmarking, the presenters offered a compelling case for organizations to engage in new strategies focused on evolving from a corporate survival minded approach to a business results oriented approach. Techniques that have been in use that involve improved communication between leadership and teams that inspire creativity and identify tangible expected outcomes from process improvement are obviously the means to an end of this business results oriented approach. The fact that I was able to participate in a number of exercises was very valuable. My participation was well worth the time invested, as well as the opportunity to visit one of America's great cities.”
Lavish praise was unanimous for the key note speaker, Tony Buzan, and his stellar segment on memory and learning. Alan Homyk and Al Muzikar of Con Edison, Dennis Collins of Magic Radio Stations, Rhoda Cutler of JPMorgan-Chase and David Tweedy of New York City Transit were heralded for their outstanding contributions.
I also received many comments on the ‘mastery’ of the benchmark’s master of ceremonies, Tony Dottino, adding focus, clarity and cohesion to the proceedings. A good time was had by all! §
