As Cambridge MA-based AMAG Pharmaceuticals continues its dynamic growth, the company is extending its commitment to employee excellence with two training programs designed and delivered by Consulting Resources + Training.

Leadership Training

Over the course of three sessions, CR+T guided the AMAG Pharmaceuticals’ Manufacturing and Quality Management team through Leadership Training custom-designed for the firm.  In advance of the sessions, team members completed a leadership assessment survey devised to identify key strengths and any areas of weakness.  The resulting information served as a foundation for highly interactive sessions of both large group discussions and small group breakout sessions.  The work ultimately focused on:

• Setting the mission statement for leaders within the organization
• Defining critical leadership behaviors and their governing principles
• Highlighting the key aspects of execution, decision-making, talent development, and organization-wide thinking and goal setting.
• Fostering a “can-do” spirit throughout the team

The training culminated in the generation of action items that reflected individual commitments to uphold the leadership principles from the training.

Executive Assistant Training

AMAG knows that leadership’s ability to perform at the highest levels is greatly enhanced when a solid support structure is in place.  To assure that is present, CR+T was asked to implement training sessions with a group of key executive assistants.  The training covered:

• Managing communications at all levels (in-person, by phone and by email)
• Managing expectations for improved interaction and outcomes
• Working together as a team
• Managing executive scheduling
• Running interference in order to remove unnecessary distractions for executive team members

The combination of these highly focused, interactive training sessions is sure to deliver impressive results in the understanding, teamwork and performance of all those involved.

Vision Appraisal, based in Northborough, MA, is a provider of state-of-the-art, proprietary Assessing Software (CAMA) and Real Estate Assessing Services. Frequently in the position of hiring new employees in the New York and New England area, Vision Appraisal felt it was time to evaluate its overall HR policies and procedures for compliance purposes. The company also knew it was time to review its employee development practices and programs with a goal of enhancing performance throughout the organization.

 With these goals in mind, Consulting Resources + Training was selected to conduct a comprehensive HR Audit.  Since this was the company’s first audit of its kind, CR+T included reviews of an expansive range of policies, practices and procedures including:

• Personnel Files
• Performance Evaluation
• Compensation Strategy
• Recruitment Practices
• Interview & Orientation Processes
• Background Check Process
• Job Description
• Company Training Programs
• Employee Handbook
• Employee Relations Practices
• Disciplinary Practices & Procedures
• Termination Practices & Procedures
• Unemployment Claims Process
• Workers Compensation Filing Practices
• Employee Communication Procedures

In a detailed report reviewed with senior management, CR+T summarized their assessment of Vision Appraisal’s strengths, defined opportunities for improvement, and outlined a concise, prioritized action plan that set the strategic and tactical direction to address the firm’s immediate and long-term HR needs.

Harrison Global is a Luxury Corporate Limousine Service based in Greater Boston and serving over 300 cities around the world.  The company’s recent acquisition of several key operations introduced new members to the management team.  As a company committed to excellence in client service and management practices, Harrison retained Consulting Resources + Training to plan and implement a full-day training session for its newly expanded management team. The training would have a dual focus: team building and the planning and execution of constructive feedback sessions with employees.

 Team Building:

In preparation for the training session, CR+T had each member of the management team complete an assessment designed to reveal the group’s dynamic. CR+T compiled and analyzed the surveys and then shared the results during the session in a format that allowed team members to see their relative strengths and areas for improvement as a team. Group exercises helped the team experience and assess their interaction and then relate that understanding to their everyday business. At the conclusion of the training, CR+T delivered a summary of the team’s session, highlighting the key issues that arose and presenting a detailed action plan for enhanced team performance going forward.

 Constructive Feedback:

Management understood the value of ongoing, one-on-one employee meetings but knew they would benefit from professional guidance on their format and implementation. Through presentation, discussion and exercises, CR+T outlined best practices for the structure of these meetings and modeled how to provide effective, constructive feedback during the sessions. The result: managers with enhanced skills that will result in long-term benefits to the company and its employees.

Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership (MBHP) is Massachusetts’ largest provider of rental voucher assistance.  The Partnership works to prevent homelessness, foster economic self-sufficiency and ensure housing stability for those in need throughout Boston and 29 surrounding communities.

Knowing that leadership excellence plays a critical role in the organization’s success, MBHP has retained Consulting Resources + Training for senior management coaching responsibilities.

CR+T approaches every coaching assignment with a goal of helping the client understand the process of change, build on individual strengths and discover strategies and day-to-day tactics for improvement.  And while the interaction in each coaching relationship is unique, the process follows a tried and proven path:  

• “Getting acquainted” — CR+T builds an understanding of the situation, the organization, the individual, and his or her role.  
• Self-assessment — The client completes an objective self-evaluation that covers ten critical dimensions of management.  This ultimately serves as the foundation for a highly focused action plan.  
• Coaching — Confidential one-on-one sessions focus on meeting the defined agenda of the organization retaining the coaching services and the self-directed goals of the individual client. Coaching sessions follow a defined schedule, but CR+T is available to the client at any time — to act as a sounding board, review a document, or discuss a particular challenge no matter when the issue arises.  

For more information on Consulting Resources + Training coaching, or other CR+T programs or services, please call 781-255-1700 or email info@crthr.com.

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, MA biopharmaceutical company utilizing its proprietary nanoparticle technology in the development and commercialization of therapeutic iron compounds, is undergoing dramatic growth in both sales and personnel.  In support of this expansion, AMAG has retained Consulting Resources + Training, Inc. (CR+T), a full-service human resource and training consultancy based in Norwood, MA, to design and deliver a comprehensive, management training curriculum.

Given the diverse range of managerial backgrounds and experience within the company, the need to establish consistency in management knowledge, skills and abilities was evident.  Senior management contracted CR+T to ensure that need is met through a customized training program to be implemented across multiple levels of the company’s management teams.

In a highly interactive, adult-learning environment, participants progress through a curriculum tailored to the groups’ needs and experience.  In every area of learning and discussion, the sessions take full advantage of the collective skills, experience and knowledge of the participating team members.  Topics are diverse and comprehensive, including:

• Managing Problems
• Inherent Role Conflicts
• Constructive Feedback
• Effective Communication Skills 
• Role of the Supervisor
• Supervisory Competence
• Progressive Discipline
• Motivating Employees
• Coaching Employees
• Employee Recognition Strategies
• Project Management
•  Interview Skills
• Conflict Management Skills
• Career Development Strategies
• Team Management / Team Building
• Runnng Effective Meetings
• Negotiation Skills
• Managing Organization Change

Sessions are clustered around related topics.  The sessions are also designed in half-day time blocks to enable participants to productively participate in the training sessions while continuing to manage their ongoing work commitments.  Detailed training summaries follow all sessions to reinforce the learning that took place.  The result is heightened participant engagement, improved application of learning in daily work, and maximized return on the training time and investment.

The adidas Group, a global leader in the sporting goods industry, has retained Consulting Resources + Training, Inc. to design and implement Team Building Training for key individuals within its Apparel Sourcing group.

To maximize the results of a critical four-day meeting held in Canton, MA, key managers from across the United States, the EU and Europe participated in a kick-off Team Building Session designed and delivered by Consulting Resources + Training.  Having worked independently from each other prior to this meeting, these international managers benefited from the facilitated, interactive session designed to solidify corporate and team goals, bring the team together in support of those goals, and set the foundation for productive interactions during the four days of meetings…and beyond.

Devereux Foundation, MA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving children and adolescents with special emotional and behavioral needs.  In 2007, the organization completed a comprehensive planning process designed to establish the organization’s focus and direction for the future.  Through that dynamic process, the Foundation identified the goals and strategic initiatives that would solidify core services, provide a framework to meet evolving needs and propel the Foundation to the next level of service to the community.

Devereux Foundation’s management knew that achieve their aggressive goals, it would be imperative that they work flawlessly as a team.  To assure that occurred, the Foundation retained Consulting Resources + Training, Inc., a full-service human resource and training consultancy based in Norwood, MA, to guide them through a leadership development and team building process.

CR+T assessed individual and group strengths as well as opportunities for growth, and then structured a series of one-on-one and group meetings to enhance both team and individual performance. The combination of CR+T’s consulting expertise — with a particular depth of experience in human services — plus years of hands-on senior management and director-level experience provided a solid framework for their work with the management team.  Additionally, CR+T’s established talent in process facilitation and follow-up helped to assure active engagement of every team member as well as successful achievement of their goals.

The Devereux Foundation’s commitment to leadership development and team excellence coupled with its confidence in the proven expertise of Consulting Resources + Training, Inc. has set a solid foundation for the organization’s future success.

CR+T to build human resources program that positions company and employees for future growth

September 26, 2006 (Norwood, MA)

Consulting Resources + Training (CR+T) announces that it has been hired to build and implement a comprehensive human resources program for MicroChem Corp. of Newton, MA, developer of specialty niche chemicals for semiconductor and electronic manufacturing applications.  In developing the program, CR+T will examine MicroChem’s existing organization and structure and make recommendations to position the company for future growth.

Founded in 1992, MicroChem recently underwent a strategic shift from primarily an R+D concern to a more sales and marketing driven company. The result has been a 65% growth in sales in the last year, with 2006 sales anticipated to be approximately $17M. With this rapid growth came the need to retrain existing staff as well as add new staff. As the de facto human resource director, MicroChem’s COO/CFO Jay Cole increasingly found himself spending time and energy on a growing number of human resource initiatives.

“We have grown to a point where I need to delegate the HR responsibilities so I can focus more on strategic growth plans,” explained Cole. “We have a mixed talent base of very young employees and older, more industry experienced professionals. One of the reasons we brought CR+T in is to help us apply this diversity in a growing and changing work place. We need to put human resource systems in place that will help us utilize our employees’ talents in new ways and that we can carry forward with us as we continue to grow. With less than 50 employees, we don’t need a full-time HR department, but we wanted the expertise of an executive level human resources director. CR+T is the perfect solution. They provide the knowledge and experience we need in a cost effective manner that will allow us to get our human resource function up and running quickly.:

CR+T Program to Incorporate Diverse Employee Needs
Meeting with key staff to gain a clear understanding of their responsibilities and any obstacles they may face on the job, one of CR+T’s first tasks will be to recommend ways to integrate the company’s diverse work force. Key elements to the program will be the creation of training paths for younger workers to grow into new positions, as well as a comprehensive performance management system to ensure consistency and objectivity in the employee review process. CR+T will work with MicroChem management to enhance the company’s benefit packages to address the varied needs of its employees, as well as oversee the company’s recruitment and selection process for new hires and analyze compensation strategies to determine the competitiveness of the current program.

In addition to creating new programs to address the company’s expected growth, CR+T will review MicroChem’s existing human resources policies and procedures, examining everything from its Employee Handbook to tactical forms such as employment applications, as well as compliance with state and federal employee mandates.

CR+T expects to have MicroChem’s new human resources program fully integrated within three months and anticipates an ongoing relationship with MicroChem to support their continued growth. “We are very excited to be working with CR+T,” said Cole “They have already made a significant impact in our company and we look forward to a long relationship”

For more information on CR+T programs and services, call 781-255-1700 or visit the CR+T website at www.crthr.com.

Continue reading Rapid Growth Spurs Newton-Based Microchem to Address Changing Needs of Diverse Workforce