Over the last 20 years of helping companies increase productivity, we found that implementing a quality training program is the number one way to improve productivity, increase retention and morale in a company. The better your people know software and cloud services, the more productive they can be. 

In our own company, we 've moved from face-to-face training to cloud-based video training. We add lots of new software each year and want to learn without the added expense and time of traveling to training classes. We're amazed at how wonderful the training classes have been to watch and use to improve our skill sets. The instructors have been excellent. They know their stuff and do a great job in making the subjects interesting.

"When you take the time to focus on your employees' personal needs and goals (in addition to your business goals), you gain loyalty and increased productivity.  Everyone wants their boss to care about them.  It's not just the Millennials.... everyone feels that way."

Over the years, I've had the benefit of being managed and taught by some really great executives. The following are a few of the best practices for developing people that I learned and implemented in my own organizations. 

Have you ever dreamed about working from the beach on a nice sunny day? Recently, I was drinking my coffee in the morning and using my iPhone to check appointments for the day. I heard on the radio that it was going to be 90 degrees by mid-day. When I checked my emails, I saw that a meeting after lunch was rescheduled... so I started thinking about that 90 degrees and remembered that one of our local beaches in Half Moon Bay, California had a very good wireless data signal from AT&T (seriously, don't laugh).

A few years ago, I invested in an Apple iPad, an iPad case and a Bluetooth Keyboard to supplement my laptop. I've researched and tested over 200 iPad Apps so far. The following are my favorite Apps that help me get my job done in 18 key areas of our Business.