I’ve spent the last three days serving as an observer/coach at the pilot session of IBM’s TechGen Global Development Center. This is a development program for rising technical talent — the goal is to help them improve their technical leadership abilities by putting them into various scenarios which will stretch them. The observers this time around were Distinguished Engineers, and our purpose was to watch what they did and, later, evaluate it and give them coaching and advice. And, of course, the other reason we were there was to help the participants extend their networks.

But the program wasn’t one-sided; I can’t speak for the other observers, but I certainly gained insight into myself during the program (and especially in some discussions afterwards with the HR folks in charge). And adding the participants to my network was a gain, too!

Dan, the HR person who invited me to be an observer, wanted me to say that this was the best three days of my life, but I can’t oblige. But it was a very enjoyable (and intense) three days, and I’d happily do it again.

As I’ve said in earlier posts this week, the food at the Learning Center is amazingly good — and there’s a lot of it, too. And because they kept us so busy (last night, we were comparing notes and outlining the reports for the participants until after midnight — and the only reason we quit then was that one of our number had to drive back to Connecticut to sleep), I wasn’t ever able to get to the fitness center to work any of it off.

So when I arrived at my new hotel, the Tarrytown House, this evening, the first thing I wanted to do was go to their fitness center. It’s not as nice as the one at the Learning Center, but it has the wonderful advantage of being under the same roof as my room. And with the frigid weather tonight, that’s quite an advantage.

And the other advantage I have tonight is that I have no late night meetings, and my first meeting tomorrow isn’t until 10am. So I have hopes of catching up some on my sleep. Zzzzz……

The IBM Learning Center is a weird place. It’s built in campus style, with all of the buildings widely separated — not the way I would have designed a training center in snow country. The rooms are rather spartan, but serviceable. And the Fitness Center is absolutely wonderful…except that it’s a long cold walk away from the dorms…err, hotel buildings…and it has rather limited hours (6am-9pm, with gaps during meeting times).

My meeting didn’t end last night until 8:30, so I couldn’t go to the Fitness Center then. And the weather forecast for today was snow, so I didn’t even bother setting my alarm early enough to go this morning. But the snow was very light and had ended by the time I went for breakfast at 7am; oh, well.

And I really need to get to the Fitness Center, because one thing that the Learning Center does well is feed people. This meeting includes three buffet meals a day, as well as continuously-available snacks and drinks — and it’s all tasty. But today isn’t likely to be a Fitness Center day either, because I’ll be in my meeting till 11pm. I see lots of caffeine in my future….