This month we start the First Friday of of the New Year in January 2014 with another of My Favorite Gurus…

Harold Stolovitch

I first learned of the works of Dr. Stolovitch at my first ISPI ( then NSPI) chapter in late 1979 or early 1980. The Michigan Society for Instructional Technology (now ISPI Michigan) in Detroit was where I got super-exposed to other like-minded people influenced heavily by Bob Mager, Geary Rummler, Joe Harless, Tom Gilbert, Dale Brethower and many, many others, including Harold. I then met Harold at the NSPI Conference in Dallas, in April 1980. I’ve been in many of his sessions over the years.

So I have learned from him deliberately almost every spring since 1980 at the NSPI/ ISPI Conferences. I’ve attended 31 of the last 34. I’m sure Harold has been to that many as well.

Harold Stolovitch

Here is Harold’s Bio …

From his LinkedIn profile:

I help organizations achieve performance everyone values: performers, management, shareholders, customers, regulatory agencies and all other stakeholders through systematic and systemic methodologies.

Also from his web site at Harold Stolovitch & Associates:

HSA brings together teams of qualified learning and performance specialists whose skills are carefully matched to the needs of each project. HSA‘s associates are located throughout North America.

HSA associates possess professional qualifications and organizational experience in a wide range of fields and services related to learning and performance improvement. Members of the HSA team are dedicated to serving the needs of our clients in a warm, friendly, supportive and professional manner.

I’ve known both Harold and his lovely wife, Erica Keeps, since getting into the biz of Performance Improvement in the late 1970s.

Great people.

From their web site:

Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps

… share a common passion — developing people. Together they have devoted a combined total of over 70 years to make workplace learning and performance both enjoyable and effective.

Their research and consulting activities have involved them in numerous projects with major corporations such as Alcan, Bank of Montreal, BBDO, DaimlerChrysler Academy, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Merck, Prudential, Sun Microsystems, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, International Association of Fire Fighters, CDW as well as many others.

Their dedication to improving workplace learning and performance is reflected in the workshops they run internationally on training delivery, instructional design and performance consulting. Stolovitch and Keeps are the principals of HSA, specialists in the application of instructional technology and human performance technology to business, industry, government and the military.

Together, they are co-editors of the first two editions of theHandbook of Human Performance Technology and co-authors of the best-selling, award-winning series of books Telling Ain’t Training, Training Ain’t Performance, Beyond Telling Ain’t Training Fieldbook and Beyond Training Ain’t Performance Fieldbook published by ASTD Press.

They are also co-authors of the Wiley/Pfeiffer Learning & Performance Toolkit Series.

One of the Many Things I Have Learned from Harold

We are all mostly visual and audio and tactile, etc., etc. learners. But visual sight is strongest.

I recall vividly the message from Harold at one of those ISPI Michigan chapter meetings in the mid 1990s when I was doing many projects at GM where Harold was in top form explaining this with examples of early man on the serengeti….

Harold is research based, evidence based in both preach and practice. He has informed me of both best practices and bad practices for such a long time now, and in so many areas – that the best I can do is to encourage you to get to know his work better.

Another Thing I Learned From Harold

Is sharing freely.

Like many others in the NSPI/ISPI tradition, Harold frequently shares his expertise in print and public forums – through many professional organization channels, including ISPI.

I hope to sit at his feet again at the next ISPI Conference – in April 2014 in Indianapolis.

Some Great Resources From Harold For You

How to Build Learning Faster, Better, Cheaper – by Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps – here.

Ask Harold – Q&A on his web site – here.

Many additional free resources are available on Harold’s & Erica’s business web site – here.

Here is where his many books  may be bought via Amazon.com – here. This first book has a very popular workshop to go with it!

Followed by this gem…

Harold still contributes much time and energy to ISPI – his and my Professional Home. He is one of the key value propositional elements I think about when I think about the annual conference.

Here we are serving together on ISPI member Matt Donovan’s University Case Competition in 2011. A great experience for all…

A couple of videos associated with ISPI and HPT – Human Performance Technology – of Harold follow…

Here he is in one of my 55+ HPT Legacy Series Video Podcasts from 2011

Video is 40 minutes in length.

Here is a shorter Video from an ISPI 99 Seconds session from 2000

5 Steps to Getting an SME to Convert Telling to Training

This video is 3 minutes in length.

Connecting and Networking with Harold via the Web & Social Media

His Web Site – here.

His LinkedIn Profile – here.

His contact info:

Harold D. Stolovitch

1520 S. Beverly Glen Blvd.
Suite 305
Los Angeles, CA
USA 90024-6195

T: 310.286.2722
F: 310.286.2724
C: 310.486.0333
hstolovitch@hsa-lps.com

*** *** ***

Share Your Stories

If Harold Stolovitch has been a valuable influence and/or resource for you – please share your stories about that in the comments section below.

Or simply share a URL there that is relevant.

And – thank you – for sharing!

The My First Friday Favorite Guru Series

We each have many influencers, mentors, both active and passive, knowingly and unknowingly in their respective roles in our development.

This series is my attempt to acknowledge all of them… one by one… in no particular order… as I attempt to consciously reflect on what I have have learned and who I have learned it from, regarding all things “Performance Improvement” – my focus.

I have a long list.

Lucky me.

Next month –  Miki Lane.

Links to All of the Past Posts in the MFFF Guru Series

Here is a page with links to all of the MFFF Guru Past Posts below – here.

• Harold Stolovitch – January 2014

• Bill Wiggenhorn – December 2013
• Will Thalheimer – November 2013
• Roger Kaufman – October 2013
• Roger Addison – September 2013
• Ray Svenson – August 2013
• Dick (Richard E.) Clark – July 2013
• Allison Rossett – June 2013
• Carol Panza – May 2013
• Jane Bozarth – April 2013
• Judy Hale – March 2013
• Margo Murray – February 2013
• Neil Rackham – January 2013

• Robert (Bob) Mager – December 2012
• the late Joe H. Harless – November 2012
• the late Thomas F. Gilbert – October 2012
• Sivasailam Thiagarajan (Thiagi) – September 2012
• the late Geary A. Rummler – August 2012
• Dale Brethower – July 2012

Here is a page with links to all of the above Past Posts – here.

# # #