Treat your Colleagues like Animals!
By Suzanne Evans

What in the world does the training of killer whales have to do with motivating, developing and managing people?

More than you think! A new training course suggests that both whales and humans perform better when you accentuate the positive, revealing that using the techniques of animal trainers-specifically those responsible for the killer whales of SeaWorld-can supercharge your effectiveness at work and at home.

Whale Done! is an interactive one and a half day workshop based on the best selling book of the same name by Ken Blanchard, et al. The course is available in the UK from June and works on the principle that people, like performing killer whales, need to be recognised and appreciated for their work, because if they’re not, they won't perform well for their bosses. By catching people doing things right and redirecting negative behaviour, productivity and trust is increased, and high commitment and motivation results. You retain your best workers, promote positive customer relationships and sustain your competitive advantage. The course also helps decrease workplace stress – one of the most pressing 21st century organisational problems.

Ken Blanchard, world-renowned business author and management guru, says the idea evolved from his experiences during a trip to a US theme park. "When I first visited SeaWorld, I marvelled at the ability of the trainers to get huge killer whales - among the most feared predators in the ocean - to perform amazing acrobatic leaps and dives," says Blanchard. "Recognising that continually calling out negative actions will only demoralise anyone over time, I concluded that when you’re working with people - just as with whales - that accentuating the positive and redirecting the negative are the best tools to increase productivity."

The course is ideal for anyone who wants to promote positive personal and professional relationships; for managers and supervisors who want to build trust and create high commitment, motivation, and productivity within the workforce, and for frontline employees who want to take more responsibility for their own development.

Toni Dickson, Director of Sales at the UK office of The Ken Blanchard Companies says everyone should take the Whale Done! challenge on board:-

“If managers want their people to work enthusiastically for their organisations, they need to develop a ‘big fish’ mentality and become ‘Whale Done!’ managers. They need to stop saying ‘Gotcha!’ when they catch people doing things wrong, and focus instead on saying ‘Whale Done!’ when they do things right. Too few bosses say ‘thank you’ because they think people are being paid to do a job well and should deliver anyway, but lack of praise or recognition for a job well done is demoralising. Eventually, people may seek employment elsewhere. This is why we say treat your colleagues like animals, because if you do it the Whale Done! way, they’ll love it!”

The first public Whale Done! training session will be at The Ken Blanchard Companies UK training office in Wimbledon, London, on 20th and 21st June 2005. Train the Trainer sessions are also available. For full details, contact Toni Dickson on 020 8540 5404 or email toni.dickson@kenblanchard.com.

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