The critic’s choice: feedback from Thrive USA
They say everyone is a critic, but reviews can be insightful, lend an articulate and informed voice and some of the most acerbic writing is often the wittiest. British theatre critic Kenneth Tynan famously said, ‘A critic is a man who knows the way, but can’t drive the car.’
In today’s world of social media everyone is a critic and has the agency to publish their opinion, but popularity does not always lead to success. Stephen King’s novel Carrie was translated into a globally successful film with two Oscar nominations for the lead actresses. However, its staging as a musical on Broadway, in 1988, was a painfully expensive flop. Despite the eight-million-dollar investment and full houses, the excoriating reviews were enough to close the show after just five performances.
So perhaps it’s with this in mind that I love reading the feedback we get from participants on ATT’s programs. Happily it is almost always overwhelmingly positive. The surveys we conduct before and after the day demonstrate that they are impactful and people take a lot of valuable learning away with them.
But that does not make us complacent. We read and evaluate everything and are not afraid to acknowledge fair critique and respond accordingly. ATT prides itself on delivering the best immersive safety leadership training. Quality and effectiveness are our watchwords and the whole team works hard to ensure that every delivery is our best.
What people say
ATT has recently moved to the USA with a new program tailored for the American workforce. Thrive USA is based on the award-winning Thrive program which we operate from the safety leadership center on the east coast of England, established by our partners Ørsted. We ran a pilot for senior leaders in the renewables sector in Boston and, as ever, I was keen to see the feedback and I’m delighted to share it with you.
‘Great presentation, almost cried and really touched – content was very relevant and engaging.’
‘It was an excellent training and very interactive. Definitely the most impactful work training I have taken to date.’
‘The training was exceptionally well executed, and in a unique format that made active and engaged listening far more accessible than a two-hour address or slide deck. I’ve never participated in a session like this before, but I can already tell it will stick with me! Thank you all for a GREAT session!’
‘Very good job making this US – relevant. Even something as simple as making sure people in the video and in the room have American accents increases the relatability of the message. We have too many trainings which seem copy/paste from Europe and not fit to our location. Excellent use of union labor.’
In Broadway terms, I think we have a hit on our hands.
Finally, a word about American screenwriter and playwright Oliver Hailey. He wrote over 20 plays and earned himself the distinction of being, as one critic described him, the ‘most produced, least successful’ playwright in New York. Three of his plays were produced on Broadway and all three closed on the night they opened. Clearly a man with a sense of humor, according to his wife, he would say of his plays, ‘they ran all evening.’
Humility and determination are admirable qualities, but learning lessons and acting on them are more important in safety-critical situations. ATT have been operating in the UK for over 15 years; we know, not just the route map, but how to drive the car. We’re looking forward to delivering more sessions for the renewables, energy and construction industries helping organizations across the United States to achieve the highest levels of safety performance.
Driven by the feedback that we receive from our participants, we intend for Thrive USA to run and run.
