Can Tiger Woods’ absence and a weak economy be advantageous for a regional company desiring to become the title sponsor of a PGA Tour tournament?  Unequivocally, yes!  

Three PGA Tour tournaments are without a title sponsor in 2010, with 13 on the hook for a sponsor in 2011.  Television ratings for this year’s first two tournaments have paled in comparison to previous years.

Title sponsorship vacancies open up cost-efficient opportunities, otherwise not affordable, for regional companies if negotiated at the optimal time.  Case in point: Farmers Insurance Group paid about $3.5 million to title sponsor this year’s tournament at Torrey Pines, which was 50 percent less than what GM paid for title sponsorship of the same tournament in 2009.  The one caveat: Farmers Insurance Group signed the deal just 10 days prior to the start of the tournament, leaving little prep time.  ...read the rest of this post»

Absolutely.  Research studies indicate a positive correlation between organizational mentoring and high levels of employee motivation, job performance, and retention rates.  Furthermore, organizational mentoring preserves a company’s culture and reinforces organizational socialization.  Despite the positives, few companies invest in organizational mentoring.

Here are three guideposts for developing a successful organizational mentoring program.  

1. Mentoring Must Be Personal - A canned approach will not accommodate the diverse needs of a workforce comprised of three distinct generations.  Mentoring should be less about training and more about building long-term relationships to facilitate growth....read the rest of this post»