Coffee leads to Capabilities.

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Did you know that until 1955, if you wanted a cup of coffee you had to drink it on your own time? Times have changed but then, as we see now, the focus is on someone’s performance. In this video I look how times have changed from the breakroom to the kitchen as we live and work in a remote and/or hybrid workspace and reflect on the lessons of the coffee break. Taking a break doesn’t mean performance, or work, suffers. As a federal court ruled, coffee “promotes more efficiency and results in greater output” for the business, the employer should pay workers for boosting their on-the-job performance.”

Coffee breaks were linked to enhancing people’s capabilities. We need to focus on the output produced more than the office being sat in. As a leader, you define the desired deliverable up front, describe what success looks like, how it will be measured, and when it needs to be completed. Then communicate early, often, and maybe over a cup of coffee regardless of location.

Maybe flexibility, like coffee breaks, promotes efficiency and results in greater output for the business too. Let’s talk more about supporting your people using learning as your strategic business tool. Send me an email or let’s Zoom and keep the conversation going!  I’ll bring some coffee…

Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

We’re still meeting – everywhere!

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Remember saying, “there’s not enough time in the day to do everything” when we were still in the office? When we could pop in and ask that “quick” question? Seems this is still happening only we now have the data that shows our remote interactions are shifting to mirror our old in-person interactions more closely. A recent study has found that “remote workers appear to becoming more (rather than less) engaged with respect to meetings with their colleagues.”

In this video I share how I see the role of the leader becoming one of facilitator and connector of the community. Leaders of this flexible workforce must be planful about building networks for teammates, be intentional about the purpose of live interactions, and constantly communicating across the distance. The technology isn’t a barrier anymore, we’ll make connections regardless of who is located where and create our community.

Let’s work together to build and expand those networks using learning as your strategic business tool and we can talk about how to bring the high touch into your leadership and team, send me an email or let’s Zoom and have an impromptu meeting and keep the conversation going!  I’ll bring some coffee….

Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

#Trends2023

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

This time of years brings opportunities to reflect on what’s taken place and allows us the chance to look ahead, what I call #Trends2023! There’s technology to consider from immersive to augmented, cloud to mainframes yet the key emphasis I’m seeing is a deeper focus on people. The high tech is centered on the need we have acknowledged for connection, for a level of high touch.

Check out my thoughts on this video, #Trends2023, as I share where I see us creating a safer and more balanced work environment supporting a more diverse, global workforce that is going to have a human-centric need. Engaging teammates is becoming location agnostic, communication techniques matter more, the use of tools will be centered on making them understandable, easy to use, trustworthy (since many are in the home space) and focused on solving business problems. I also see benefits, wellbeing, and development as keys to recruiting, retaining, and advancing your talent pipeline. Chief #Trends2023 is it is all about the people.

In 2023, use learning as your strategic business tool to develop and retain your talent. Let’s talk more about how to bring the high touch into your leadership and team, we can Zoom or even use the phone to talk because together, we are stronger, and we don’t need being remote or at a distance to keep us from connecting and engaging – let’s learn and work together!  I’ll bring some coffee….

Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

High touch means more.

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

There is a common theme between the “Quiet Quitting” and onboarding. Microsoft’s CEO shared that they learned that “one factor matters above all. It’s not technology or systems or culture. It’s a very-hands on manager. Care matters more than computers.” With remote and hybrid workers becoming our new normal, the lessons we continue to learn is we can use all the high tech to connect with people, but to create deep, personal connections with the same people we now must use a lot of high touch.

I’ve shared different ways to pre-board new teammates but the primary guidance I recommend engaging new and current workers is to invest the time to talk 1:1 and help create and expand the network the person will use up and downstream of their role. In this short video I highlight how leadership is back to basics, show teammates that they’re welcome, respected, and appreciated for the work they do. Schedule time to talk about career interests and professional development. Connect with care, communicate with compassion, and interact consistently to ensure a positive and productive team.

People want to bring their whole selves to their efforts, so leaders step up and help them do their best. Use learning as your strategic business tool to develop and retain your talent. Let’s talk more about how to bring the high touch into your leadership and team, we can Zoom or even use the phone to talk because together, we are stronger, and we don’t need being remote or at a distance to keep us from connecting and engaging – let’s learn and work together!  I’ll bring some coffee….

Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

Growth is skills based

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

There’s a new term you may have heard about, it’s the “skills-based organization,” or SBO for short, that centers on the skills and business behaviors people need on the job and it’s moving into the center of talent development. These skills are the combined professional and personal capabilities and what a person demonstrates as they successfully perform their role. A benefit of using this talent-centric model is finding hidden skills people had that didn’t make it to the pre-defined job description and supporting their utilization of these strengths.

LinkedIn’s CEO, Ryan Roslansky, shared that “Shifting to a skills-focused approach is a viable solution to an evolving workforce dilemma. Evaluating employees and new hires based on their skill sets instead of their work history can help level the playing field — and help companies realize the talent they already have. It also makes talent pools more diverse and often makes hiring more effective.”

In this short video I share how becoming a skills-based organization benefits the individual and the team by focusing on the skills and capabilities people bring to the work more than the idea that work is fully definable and static. Let’s talk more about how expanding your organizational and talent capabilities can impact your team so let’s Zoom or even use the phone to talk because together, we are stronger, and we don’t need being remote or at a distance to keep us from connecting and engaging – let’s learn and work together!  I’ll bring some coffee….

Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

Lessons learned from moving online

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A recent project took a traditional classroom program and moved it to a blended, online learning experience. During this process 3 items came into my focus as we ramped up for the synchronous web conferencing sessions.  Did you know that time zones don’t automatically convert in all calendars? There is also a place for communication plans in an active learning design that focuses on bringing real work problems into the live sessions, use peer-to-peer learning more than straight presentations to engage people. Finally, value social networking to build a community of collaboration that will create a highly engaged, interactive live session where participants are actively involved. Aligning purpose to passion impacts performance so trust in people’s curiosity to solve problems, to share information, and learn as a connected community.  Check out this video for more details and let’s keep the conversation going! Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

https://youtu.be/mxIPyqrqvUs

Competencies, career path, & success

/0 Comments/in , /by

When you see a new role being posted there seems to be a set of competencies included and while they include admirable goals there may be a more advantageous use.  A competency describes the desired knowledge, skills, and behaviors that enable people to successfully perform their roles. So rather than using these as terms in a job posting let’s refocus the intent and bring these skills and behaviors into helping people get better in their current roles and developing them to be ready to grow and assume new roles. The easiest way to bring these together is to use career pathing as a method to retain employees by showing them a path that leads to career growth and continued employment with the organization.  In this video I highlight the process the organization can use to plan head and use learning as a business tool that supports their growth and success with a just in time skilled workforce building on existing skills and strengths and integrating behavioral skills into technical training to create a positive, scaffolded, approach to employee development and preparedness.

I would enjoy talking more with you about how we can partner on identifying ways to strategically develop your team so let’s Zoom or send me an email, let’s keep learning together!  Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

Better thinking brings better performance!

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

Connecting context to content matters and I have discovered along the way that aligning people’s passions with purpose, through the use of learning, brought better results. Learning is not the focus, improving performance and solving the issue in the workflow is.

John Hagel’s Learning Pyramid brings a focus on thinking skills based on passion. Tapping into people’s hearts and focusing on the bigger picture results with responses that is more than simply retrieving facts, people use their critical thinking skills and apply these skills to think broadly through issues.

Check out this video and see how starting with the emotional connection, creating the WIIFM, and connecting to people’s capabilities and you will see a worker who finds solutions and keeps learning (even though they don’t really call it that!).

If you would like to learn how to implement and use workflow learning and develop thinking workers using learning as a strategic business tool send me an email or call me and let’s talk! Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

Let’s move past learning kNOW

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

We have created training departments and many organizations have continued to bring Screen cap1a learning culture and supporting performance to their employees. It’s time to grow again and move into workflow learning where we help people think through the problems towards solutions and learn while they are working, at the point of need and the point of kNOW. It’s time to extend the path from skilled worker to knowledge worker to what I am calling the thinking worker. This worker learns kNOW, they learn in the flow of work.

Check out this video, Let’s move past learning kNOW , to see how L&D will fit in this workplace. Our role is to be within the business focused on developing thinking workers who create reliable solutions that directly impact the work. This Workflow Learning Diagnostic Process map provides views we can use to create a changing role and one that is deeply involved in the workflow. Personally, I see my role including the development of a robust and trusted network that in the process of work brings people together to share experiences, observations, and active thinking that fosters an open, engaged culture of care.

If you would like to learn how to implement and use workflow learning and develop thinking workers using learning as a strategic business tool send me an email or call me and let’s talk! Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

Go Backwards to move (people) forward!

/2 Comments/in , , /by

Sounds strange doesn’t it?  Going backwards but changing how you develop training and supporting people at the time and place of kNOW is how we can move forward.  Now I come from the classical school of ADDIE where instructional design has Curriculum driving the process.  Work with a SME to identify content, develop the lessons and modules, select media and then add in assessments.

My focus is on impacting and improving performance especially in the flow of work and I have realized it’s time to go backwards.   Backwards design begins with 3 questions: How do you define success? How does the business measure success? How do you create the path to their defined success?

There are detailed ways to use these 3 questions and if you would like to learn how to implement and use backwards design in your development process check out this short video, Go backwards to move forward!  If you would like to learn more about using backwards design in your development process or using learning as a strategic business tool send me an email or call and let’s talk!  Use the contact button above or visit our web site!