I agree about Gilbert’s tome. My copy never leaves the security of my own library (lest my post-it bookmarks and notes be gone forever:))

Thanks for the link. The PDF was just to let people know people know the document was in PDF format, not a web page. Now I’ve got evidence that approach wasn’t clear, so I’ll go revise the note.

I see a very clear progression–or maybe expansion is a better word–as interrelated concepts open the door to systematic thinking.

Preparing Instructional Objectives dealt with the very immediate: how can I focus my teaching / training / structured-learning around observable outcomes?

Once you strengthened your instructional stills, Analyzing Performance Problems helped you see that no matter how good your training was, it couldn’t address a problem caused by something other than a lack of skill or knowledge. What Every Manager Should Know helps non-trainers make that same connection.

Mager’s not the only one who advocated this, of course, though he may have been the most successful popularizer. Tom Gilbert’s Human Competence is one of the books I never, ever lend; Rummler and Brache’s Improving Performance is another.