Have you ever seen a general cry? Well, I haven’t either, but I’ve seen one give a heartfelt speech, relinquishing a crown he wore proudly to a worthy successor. And while his kind words might not have filled all eyes in the audience with tears, he certainly struck an emotional chord.

I’m talking, of course, about this year’s ceremony for the annual Learning In Practice Awards, held Sept. 29 at the Fall 2005 CLO Symposium in Huntington Beach, Calif. Retired Air Force General Frank J. Anderson Jr., who in Fall 2004 won the “CLO of the Year” title in the Learning In Practice Awards, passed the scepter to Ted Hoff, IBM’s vice president
of learning.

It was one of those moments when you really should have been there. Frank, the president of Defense Acquisition University, entertained and touched the audience with his introduction of Ted, rightfully praising Ted’s exceptional work and perfectly summarizing the value of the award as independent acknowledgement of organizational excellence. Frank and Ted, together and separately, represent the ideal we envisioned when creating the Learning In Practice Awards, and seeing these two powerhouses on stage was indeed a memorable moment.

Happily, it was one of many, and that’s the purpose of the pages you’re about to read. This year, 121 learning leaders were nominated for 19 awards in the annual program, which includes a new category, Utilization of Marketing Resources, recognizing the importance of corporate communications to workforce development. The nominations were judged by a panel of 29 learning leaders, each working independently.

I expect many of you know, or know of, the exceptional workforce development executives you’ll see profiled in the following pages. These award-winners have lessons to teach more than just their employees. I know you’ll benefit from sharing in the work that’s earned them this year’s honors.

We’re happy to salute them here, as we pay tribute to their fellow nominees who weren’t fortunate enough to take home one of the Learning In Practice award statuettes. I’ve never seen a general cry, but I’ve certainly talked with judges who had to make some very difficult decisions. Both the judges and each nominee in the 2005 CLO Learning In Practice Awards are worthy of praise.

I hope you find encouragement and inspiration in the stories we’re sharing here. And next year, I hope you’ll be among the nominees and winners we celebrate.

Norm Kamikow
Editor in Chief
norm@CLOmedia.com