Productivity Improvement Training in Durham Region: How the 4 to 6 Month Program Works
What the training covers, who should attend, how it compares with public courses, and how Durham Region employers measure the result.
Most Durham Region employers who ask me about productivity training have already tried something: a one-day time management seminar, a new project app, or a push for longer hours. The energy fades in two weeks, and the calendar fills back up with the same reactive work.
I am Malcolm Gurley, and I deliver productivity improvement training in person across Durham Region. This page explains how the program works and who it fits. If you want the self-help version first, read my guide to effective time management for leaders.
What Is Productivity Improvement Training in Durham Region?
Productivity improvement training teaches leaders to spend more of their hours on the activities that move their goals, and fewer on interruptions, rework, and tasks someone else should own. Good programs change habits on the job; weak ones deliver a binder and a short burst of motivation.
It matters more than it used to. Statistics Canada reported that the labour productivity of Canadian businesses fell 0.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, as hours worked rose while output contracted. Working longer is not closing the gap, so the fix has to come from how the hours are used.
What Does the Effective Personal Productivity Program Cover?
The Effective Personal Productivity program covers goal execution, daily planning, high payoff activities, and delegation, built over 4 to 6 months so each habit is practised on the job between sessions. It comes from Leadership Management International, and I customize it to your organization's own goals.
| Stage | Timing | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment | Before session 1 | Online personality and aptitude assessment, full report per participant |
| Group sessions | Every 2 weeks, 2 hours | In-house sessions with hands-on exercises and real-world case studies |
| Between sessions | Every week | Habits applied on the job, supported by binders and an audio app |
| Focus areas | Across the program | Goal execution, daily planning, high payoff activities, delegation |
| Results tracking | Throughout and at close | Progress measured against the goals set at the start |
Program facts from LMI Canada program materials; the exact schedule is set with each client.
"LMI's Effective Productivity Program has made a real impact in our lives personally and organizationally. This program is especially beneficial for a start-up such as Spaice. The course is inspiring and it provides the tools and skills to be a total leader."
Susan Kwong, Director of Operations, Spaice
Who Should Attend Productivity Improvement Training?
The training fits owners, managers, supervisors, and high-potential staff whose days are full but whose goals keep slipping. It is not the right first step for every problem, so this is how I route Durham Region employers:
- Choose Effective Personal Productivity if capable people are buried in reactive days and goals keep slipping.
- Choose Effective Leadership Development if the gap is how managers develop people and hold them accountable; see leadership development in Durham Region.
- Choose Lean Six Sigma if the waste sits in a process rather than in people's calendars; see Lean Six Sigma training in Durham Region.
- Skip formal training if you only need awareness-level tips for a large group; a low-cost online course covers that.
How Does In-Person Training Compare With Public Courses and Online Programs?
In-person training at your own site produces the most lasting change because leaders practise on their real workload with a facilitator who sees the results, while public workshops and online courses win on price and flexibility. FranklinCovey offers The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity as live online, live in-person, and on-demand workshops, and Korn Ferry research found the right leadership characteristics and team environment can lift engagement scores by up to 42 percentile points. Both are credible national options. For Durham Region organizations that want productivity training built around their own goals, delivered on site by the same practitioner for 4 to 6 months, the Gurley Leadership Solutions approach is built for exactly that.
| Format | Best for | Skip if | Typical commitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-person program at your Durham Region site | Lasting habit change across a team | You only need awareness-level tips | 4 to 6 months, sessions every 2 weeks |
| Public time management workshop | One or two people sampling the ideas | You need change applied to your own operation | 1 to 2 days, off-site |
| Online self-paced course | Tight budgets, individual learning | You need accountability between sessions | Self-scheduled, no facilitator |
Format comparison compiled by Gurley Leadership Solutions, October 2026.
What Results Can Durham Region Employers Expect?
Durham Region employers can expect leaders who protect time for their high payoff activities, finish more of what they plan, and delegate work they used to hold on to, with the change measured against a baseline taken at the start. Results vary by organization, so the measures are agreed before the first session.
Managers are the lever. Gallup research shows managers account for at least 70 per cent of the variance in employee engagement across business units, so when a manager's habits change, the whole team feels it.
| Measure | How to take the baseline | What improvement looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Hours on high payoff activities | One-week time log | More hours on goal work each week |
| Planned vs completed tasks | Two weeks of daily plans | A higher share of planned work finished |
| Goals on track | Status at program start | More goals hitting their milestones |
| Tasks delegated | List of recurring tasks each leader owns | Recurring work moved to the right level |
Typical measures agreed with each client; not a guarantee of results.
Possible downside: the program asks participants for 2 hours every 2 weeks plus daily practice for 4 to 6 months. If your team cannot commit that time right now, start with a time log and the steps in my guide to make your company more productive.
Why Run Productivity Training In Person Across Durham Region?
Running the training at your own site keeps it tied to real work, and Durham Region has the kind of operations where that matters. Invest Durham reports 10,000+ highly skilled energy workers in Durham Region and 30,000+ students enrolled in post-secondary education in the region annually, so many employers promote strong technical people into leadership roles before anyone has taught them to plan a team's week.
Gurley Leadership Solutions is based in Ajax and is a member of the Ajax Pickering Board of Trade. I deliver the program in person across all eight Durham Region municipalities, Ajax, Brock, Clarington, Oshawa, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge, and Whitby, and across the Greater Toronto Area by arrangement.
Ready to Plan Productivity Training for Your Team?
A 15-minute introductory telephone chat with Malcolm Gurley is enough to check fit, group size, and a start date.
Book a 15-Minute Call416.669.7644 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM · Ask about government funding options when you book your call.
What Do Durham Region Employers Ask About Productivity Training?
What is productivity training?
Productivity training is a structured program that teaches people to set clear goals, plan their days, focus on high payoff activities, and delegate, so more of their hours move the business forward. The strongest programs run over several months so habits are practised on the job, not just explained in a classroom.
What are the benefits of productivity training?
The main benefits are more hours spent on goal-driving work, more planned tasks completed, better delegation, and less reactive firefighting. Clients of Gurley Leadership Solutions such as SinaLite and AGF-Rebar reported returns that exceeded the 10:1 target set at the start; results vary by organization.
How long does productivity training take?
The Effective Personal Productivity program from Leadership Management International runs 4 to 6 months, with 2-hour in-house sessions every 2 weeks. A one-day workshop can introduce the ideas, but lasting habit change needs weeks of practice between sessions.
What is the difference between productivity training and time management training?
Time management training focuses on scheduling and handling tasks, while productivity training links how people spend their time to measurable goals and results. In practice, good productivity training includes time management, plus goal setting, priorities, and delegation.
Who offers productivity improvement training in Durham Region?
Gurley Leadership Solutions, based in Ajax, Ontario, offers productivity improvement training in person across Durham Region, led by Malcolm Gurley, President, who is LMI Canada licensed, Lean Certified, and a Six Sigma Black Belt with 35+ years of senior executive experience. Call 416.669.7644 to book a 15-minute introductory call.
What Is the Bottom Line for Durham Region Employers?
Productivity improvement training works in Durham Region when it is built around your own goals, delivered at your own site, and measured against a baseline. Choose Effective Personal Productivity when capable people are buried in reactive work, and choose Lean Six Sigma when the waste sits in a process. If you are not sure which, a short conversation will tell you.
About Malcolm Gurley
Malcolm Gurley is President of Gurley Leadership Solutions Inc. in Ajax, Ontario, with 35+ years of senior executive experience at Honeywell, Johnson Controls, and Armstrong Fluid Technology. He is LMI Canada licensed, Lean Certified, and a Six Sigma Black Belt, and delivers Leadership Management International programs in person across Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area. He wrote this page from engagements he has facilitated and checked every figure on October 1, 2026. Learn more about Malcolm Gurley, see why employers choose Gurley Leadership Solutions, or read the frequently asked questions.
Sources and References
- Statistics Canada, The Daily: Labour productivity, hourly compensation and unit labour cost, first quarter 2026
- Gallup, managers and employee engagement variance
- Invest Durham, Durham Region economic development
- BMS Sanitation and Safety engagement, Malcolm Gurley, public LinkedIn post
Related Reading
- Effective Time Management for Leaders
- Lean Six Sigma Training in Durham Region
- Leadership Development in Durham Region
Results described from prior engagements are client-reported and are not a guarantee of future results; every program is customized and outcomes vary by organization.
