Focus Magazine - Summer 2016 - (Page 11)

GUEST EDITOR Alison Quinn LTEN: What's in a Legacy? LTEN has evolved over the years, as has our industry. T he word legacy can have a few diﬀerent meanings. e one that most resonates with me refers to an individual who is the child of an alumnus. I'm proud to say I am a legacy in LTEN, as my father, Frank Cirillo, was the president of this organization from 1981 to 1983. I didn't originally aspire to be a legacy. I can't say that I even really understood what the organization was all about back then. I remember my father moving from a sales position into a home oﬃce training position. is also required a move from the East Coast to Nebraska - quite a shock for a six-year-old. I also remember late nights when my father had stacks of exams to grade with his answer key and red pen. And somewhere along the way, the initials NSPST kept coming up. I must have inherited his passion for teaching. I earned gas money in pharmacy school by teaching CPR and first aid classes. Once I graduated, my first industry job in medical information involved teaching clinical trials and prescribing information for various products. It was always an aspect of the job that I loved. When I transitioned into a role as a medical director for a medical communications agency, the initials for NSPST had changed to SPBT. At the time, I didn't make the connection with my father's organization. I was seeing it from the perspective of an industry partner rather than with the lens of a trainer. My career continued to evolve over the years. I found myself in a full-time training role, and realized that I had come back to doing what I enjoyed most. I love being in front of a class (or virtually in front of a class). During this time, I was able to join LTEN as a member. I took advantage of the webinars and learning from my peers. My first annual meeting le me amazed. I spent time speaking with industry partners to learn about solutions that would work the best for my team. e members I spoke with were also a wealth of information and knowledge. Everyone was willing to share their experiences and insights both at the meeting and aerward. I remember sharing the experience with my dad and finally making the connection between NSPST and LTEN. e organization had changed a lot from the one that he knew, beyond just the name. ere were less than 200 members when he was president, compared to more than 1,700 now. is publication evolved from a newsletter, NewSPoST, to a full magazine. My father took some time to review the information on the website about the history of the organization. Seeing the videos brought back memories for him - seeing former colleagues and a few mentions of his name along the way. My memories of the organization's history were a little more vague and focused around seeing the NSPST initials and the logo that he helped design everywhere. LTEN has evolved over the years, as has our industry. I can't say that I will be able to make the same impact as my father did, but I'm proud to be an active member of an organization that has made such a lasting impact on our profession, and even more proud to follow in the footsteps of a past president of the organization. ■ Alison Quinn is associate director, worldwide product and therapeutic sales training, for Bristol-Myers Squibb. Email Alison at Alison.Quinn@bms.com. FOCUS | SUMMER 2016 | www.L-TEN.org 11 http://www.L-TEN.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Summer 2016

Focus Magazine
From the President: Training, Leaders & Collaboration
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Guest Editor: LTEN: What's in a Legacy?
Directions: Celebrating 45 Years of Enthusiasm
Front of the Room: Calling Audibles
Neuroscience: The Science of User Experience
LTEN at 45: Community, Clarity and Careers
How to Train the 'Creepy' Out of Closing
Creating the Value Proposition for Mentoring
Creating the Next Generation of Life Sciences Learning
The Power of Quiet: Debunking the Myths
Mobile-Friendly vs. Mobile-First
What Kid's Soccer Teaches You About Selling
Virtual How: Instructor-Led Virtual Classrooms
Ad Index
Focus Contacts
5 Questions with DJ Mitsch

Focus Magazine - Summer 2016