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Links to Stuff About/ From Several of My Many Mentors

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These mentors helped me both directly and indirectly, deliberately and inadvertently. I believe I learned the most from these top 3:

  • Neil Rackham
  • Geary A. Rummler
  • Ray Svenson

Others that I must acknowledge:

  • Dale Brethower
  • John Carlisle
  • Richard Clark
  • Ruth Clark
  • Phillip Crosby
  • W. Edwards Deming
  • Judy Hale
  • Joe Harless
  • Tom Gilbert
  • Joseph Juran
  • Karen Kennedy
  • Bob Mager
  • Margo Murray
  • Carol Panza
  • Sivasailam Thiagarajan (Thiagi)
  • Gail Tornga
  • And so many others!

The first of these – is someone whom I always think of as my Greatest Mentor.

Perhaps that is not true. Perhaps he was – luckily for me – just one of my very first mentors – and someone whom I got to know a bit from our project work together at Motorola’s Training & Education Center (MTEC) in 1981 and 1982 – and later when I brought several clients to him.

And that I had known of him prior due to working at Motorola because I worked with his brother-in-law (Roger) and alongside others who themselves had worked alongside his brother (Rick) – in the job I had before MTEC – at Wickes Lumber – in Saginaw Michigan 1979-1981. Back in the day.

The good doctor…

Geary A. Rummler (1937-2008)

I learned from Geary many things in projects when I was at Motorola in 1981-2. We worked on a half-dozen or so efforts – and they were always a great learning experience. The adaptable mental models he used for analysis data – that he drew out on paper; and the daily debriefings and postulations and planning for confirmation. He bought books for me that he thought I should read and we should discuss – books such as The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. We worked together on several ISPI Committees and Task Forces. He referred clients to me and I found work for him with a couple of my clients.

2009-03-07 032

He reviewed my book “lean-ISD”  face-to-face with me in his Tucson office and then by himself after I left. He wrote a great review for the book and my ISD methods  – and he also designed a new book cover – without my asking. He was always so generous.

Geary & Matt Rummler 11-24-99 - Copy

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Also See This Blog Post Series:

My 1st Friday Favorite Guru Series – here.

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All My Other Mentors – Alphabetical Listing

Dale Brethower

I learned from Dale about the General System Model and early views of HPT. I always trust what Dale says or writes as he is always on top of what the research says and has been saying. He was a college buddy of Geary Rummler (at Michigan) in the 1960s and together they created the foundations of that branch/ their branch of what is now more widely known as: Performance Improvement.

John Carlisle

I learned from John a lot about win-win negotiations – while working with him while I was at Motorola – in both England and America.

We spent an evening at The Studly Priory (built in the 1400s) for one of his 2-day workshops that I was fortunate to observe. We also customized a multi-day, “Win-Win Negotiations” course for a Pilot-Test of Motorola Purchasing Agents, Sales staff, and the folks that did the negotiations for the one or two “black box” projects that Motorola often did with the US Government.

We and my wife attended the movie “Pink Floyd – The Wall” (Roger Waters) in the Chicago suburbs when it first came out in the US back in 1982.

John is renown for his work in areas of win-win, collaboration, negotiations, etc. He has done significant work in Hong Kong that can be searched for online.

Ruth C. Clark

I learned a lot about the Research finding from her books, articles and at NSPI/ ISPI Conferences – and how many of those applied to Instructional Design.

Richard E. Clark

I learned a lot about the Research finding from Dick’s many articles, and his presentations at NSPI/ ISPI Conferences – and learned how many of those applied to the kind of Instructional Design work I was doing.

Phillip Crosby (1926-2001)

I learned about Quality being Free – from his books. And about the costs of conformance and the costs of non-conformance (to a standard).

W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993)

I learned about Quality, The Shewhart Cycle, and his 14 Principles.

Judy Hale

I learned a lot about the Research finding at NSPI/ ISPI Conferences and how many of those applied to Instructional Design.

Joe H. Harless (1941-2012)

I learned a lot about the Research and his successful methods in his articles, books and presentations at NSPI/ ISPI Conferences – and how many of those applied to the kinds of Instructional Design work I was doing.

Joseph Juran (1904-2008)

I learned about Quality from being exposed to his work while I wa at Motorola in 1981-1982.

Karen Kennedy

I learned a lot about the use of the Performance Model to anchor all ISD work. Side-note: Karen and I were once married.

Bob Mager

I learned a lot about Analysis and finding and dealing with non-Knowledge/Skill deficits in his articles, books and presentations at NSPI/ ISPI Conferences – and how many of those applied to my Instructional Design practice.

Margo Murray

I learned a lot about the Research on Mentoring at NSPI/ ISPI Conferences and how many of those applied to my work in Instructional Design.

Carol Panza

I learned a lot about the practice of performance improvement consulting in working with Carol (and Geary Rummler) on a bunch of projects at Motorola in 1981-1982.

Neil Rackham

I learned a lot about Sales (SPIN) and Win-Win Negotiations and the communications behaviors behind the success models.

Ray A. Svenson

I learned a lot about the Research finding at NSPI/ ISPI Conferences and how many of those applied to Instructional Design.

Thiagi – Sivasailam Thiagarajan

I learned a lot about the Research finding at NSPI/ ISPI Conferences and how many of those applied to Instructional Design – especially about creating engagement, the importance of debriefings for reflection. Thiagi has been freely sharing his tipcs – and tricks – for keeping the instruction engaging and relevant.   I always scheduled his sessions at conferences as a top priority when there were any obvious conflicts – for there was always something I learned that I could use in some aspect of my consulting practice.

Gail Tornga

I learned a lot about the Research finding at NSPI/ ISPI Conferences and how many of those applied to Instructional Design.

Gail passed away in the 1980s while working at Yellow Freight and living in the Kansas City suburbs (KS). I would visit with her when I came back to KC.

I had worked side-by-side with Gail at Wickes Lumber (1979-1981) right out of college. She was one of my first mentors in my new found career, and I was lucky to have traveled with her on many an Analysis effort, for several major “whole job” Training & Development projects we accomplished during the 20 months I was in Saginaw Michigan with her.

I think I learned more about interviewing from her with this following comment, than I have or had learned from anyone else:

Guy, don’t immediately ask your next question. Write out your notes or just sit and think for a moment – and wait, that long, pregnant pause – and you’ll find that the interviewee will volunteer more information (during that awkward moment of silence) and THAT will be some of the best stuff you could hope to have gotten.”

Very true. She was personal friend and true professional.  She a central part of what became the Yellow Story – about the implementation of Performance Improvement (using HPT, HPI, etc.) for all company supervisors –  and the bottom line impact of that complex, performance improvement initiative.

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Additions may follow over time.

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