2008 - Second Quarter


Are You Fired Up?

We are. And we're so happy! Finally, we're ready to reintroduce ourselves — our new selves, our real selves! We are IGNITE.

Almost 20 years ago, Jackie Sonnabend and I founded Training By Design. We picked the name because, at the time, that is what we did: custom-designed training programs. For years now, we have continued to do that and do it superbly. But the truth is we do so much more, lots more.

Our name has not fit us for years; but we tolerated it. Two years ago, a good friend and client, Chris Gasbarro, tried to gently tell me we needed a change — that the colors, name and logo did not fit us. We even went through a branding exercise; but, as is apt to happen when you're busy, time slipped away.

Then last year, a good client and great friend, Andy Palmer, was not so gentle. He said, "Dude, your website sucks and your materials are hard to look at. I can't send them to anyone because they are an embarrassment." This was not so easy to tolerate or ignore. So the process began with a brilliant branding company called MicroArts.

A brand is personal, and this one is no exception. It has taken us almost a year for this process. We struggled and grappled. We brainstormed and attended think tanks. We thought about names until our eyes crossed.

Then we found it. Ignite.

The moment we all saw and heard it and thought of what we do and who we are, we knew that we had hit the jackpot. That is exactly what we do. We ignite things.

The definition of ignite is "to set on fire, to kindle, to spark." How perfect! We are constantly striving to set our minds and the minds of those we interact with on fire — with new ideas, new possibilities and effective strategies. We kindle relationships, partnerships and processes. We spark imagination, innovation and commitment. We are about action: creating lasting solutions, delivering dynamic training and conducting incomparable coaching. We are about building cultures, teams and individuals. We are about results. We are about you — our clients and our friends.

It is personal to us, just as our brand is; we are not consultants, but an extension of your organization. We make you and your company better, more productive, more successful.

With all this in mind, we are dedicating this entire issue to the re-ignition of our team. Read on and reacquaint yourself with who we are, what we do and how we can ignite your organization!

As our tagline says, "Learn something. Spark everything!" Together, we can spark fantastic successes. After all, we are Ignite!

~Grace
Founder and Chief Sparkplug



How Do You Spark?

Jackie Sonnabend
Synergist/Consultant

How I Spark.
After the fire is lit, if it is lit well, it keeps burning for a very long time. If it is tended properly it can burn forever. It is not enough for me to light a fire for my clients if the flame goes out shortly after I leave. I work on creating solutions with clients that will live on and grow within themselves and their organization. I love nothing more than when a client tells me they shared the concepts and tools that we discussed with family and friends at work and at home. Our training and our coaching is designed to help those we touch and those they touch. When the learning flows throughout an organization, this is the best way to spark large transformations and improvements in the way people interact and the business succeeds. This is synergy.
 
Sandra Mader
Ignition Specialist/Consultant

How I Spark.
When I ignite passionate responses from my clients, I know that I am a member of a special team whose purpose is to foster innovation in our training and coaching. My skill is not only to ignite the spark, but nurture the flame of learning and development. Building and maintaining relationships with our clients really sets us apart from those companies who come in and provide a "canned" one-day program. We use a variety of methods in our training to accomplish this, from interactive exercises to skill practices to experiential initiatives to storytelling. My personal favorite is storytelling. I believe that the power of the word enhances the specific skill set that we may be developing with a team. I look for stories everywhere in my life that will augment the management or service theories that we are facilitating.

Our Vision training is engaging and unique. At its heart, visioning is telling a story that will compel an audience to request hearing it again and again, like the best bedtime stories for our kids. It is really exciting to share my vision with a leadership team, and then hear the team's own personal visions for their organization and know that those visions will be a part of new strategic action for that company! This "WOW" factor continues to ignite the spark in me to inspire others. It is amazing to see a team find the fire within themselves to achieve great things. But this is what ignition specialists do...
 
Beth Murphy
Igniter/Consultant

How I Spark.
There is nothing more amazing than seeing an individual or group transform before your eyes. During a training session, there is a moment when something sparks in a participant—you can see the flicker and then the light bulb goes off — this is when the learning begins. From there, anything is possible. I work closely with clients to create customized solutions to meet their organization's evolving training and development needs. The solutions may include one-on-one coaching with a manager to work through some communication challenges that he/she is facing, facilitating a teambuilding program for a newly formed department or leading a group of supervisors through a session on how to give effective feedback. All of these solutions have one common thread: the things people learn when in partnership with Ignite are work skills, as well as life skills. In the role of Igniter, I get the opportunity to work closely with individuals, teams and organizations to help them be more effective, productive and engaged in their workplace and as individuals — what could be better?
 
Amy DiLullo
Keeper of the Cash

How I Spark.
Most people may think that money matters are not very inspiring, but keeping Ignite's finances in order is what sparks me! It may sound boring to some, but I love to keep things organized and clean. In fact, it's a bit of an obsession! By being accurate in my billing and being responsive to our clients when they have questions or requests, I am making sure that our clients have a positive experience, even after the training is complete. I am proud to say that I've been able to spark some internal change on our team, like creating a system to track our expenses and making our trainers aware of their expenses, so we keep our changes within a reasonable budget. By making conscious choices to be efficient with our travel expenses, we are essentially giving you, our clients, the most for your training dollar. Handling all of the behind-the-scenes operational details keeps the flame of service alive. I love to be a part of a team who is so passionate about what they do — sparking others to be the best version of themselves and allowing me to be the best version of myself. When you partner with Ignite, everyone profits — and isn't that the ultimate goal for the Keeper of the Cash!
 
Caroline Grasso
Keeper of the Flame

How I Spark
My passion and commitment to Ignite is how I spark. Being part of a team that allows me to have creative input is very important to me. Being Keeper of the Flame has many different meanings to me. I coordinate our training sessions and maintain all the files on client surveys and 360 evaluations. I work closely with the Chief Sparkplug to make sure that her day to day meetings are all set. I communicate and interact with our clients on a daily basis; this is one of my favorite aspects of the job and sustaining these client relationships is really what separates Ignite from other training organizations. And last but not least, I get to work with some of the most amazing Igniters (people) I know. Being part of Ignite is a privilege that I cherish daily.
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About Ignite
Ignite offers a variety of transforming programs that can propel you and your organization to brilliant successes. And we have experience in a wide range of industries, so we can tailor each session to specifically address your needs and goals.

Our Mission
Customized program design, superior results and lasting partnerships are key components of Ignite's philosophy and approach to training and development.