How prepared are your workers?

I'm sure you watched coverage of last week's plane crash in New York City. What a miracle that with a crash landing in the Hudson River, no one was killed or even seriously injured. Besides the obvious skill and courage of the pilot, what struck me was the rescue effort. Within seconds of impact in that icy water, the plane was surrounded by scores of ferries with rescue workers, dry clothes, blankets and first aid.

When asked how they could respond so quickly and efficiently, the rescue workers all cited one thing - training. One of the ferry captains said this: "You train so much, you don’t have to think about it. I didn't have to give any orders to the crew.”

While it may not be quite so dramatic, many businesses resemble their own version of a plane crash these days. With the current state of the economy, there are projects being delayed, payments not coming in, plant closings, and layoffs. When the moment of impact comes for you (and it just may), will you be able to say the same thing as that captain?

Here at the NGA, we believe in training. Moreover, we see first-hand that the best companies in the industry are the ones that continuously invest in their people; in good times and bad. That's why we work so hard to produce industry-leading training platforms like the Glass Management Institute, the Glazing Executives Forum, and MyGlassClass.com. If you don't have your people taking advantage of this resource, then you're missing a significant opportunity to improve your business. (Visit www.glass.org/edu_train/edu_train.htm for more information on all our training programs and services.)

We know times are tight. We read the newspapers and watch our bank accounts. But now more than ever, you need to train your people right. When your own moment of impact comes, I hope you have the same level of confidence as that boat captain; that your employees are so well-trained, you don't even have to tell them what to do.