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Growth is skills based

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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!

Leader as Learner

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Ever have a supervisor who wasn’t from your area of expertise? Did you and your teammates develop the orientation manual for them, so they didn’t blow the work up? Sometimes you get the exception, I had one who made me include a monthly presentation about and L&D to him in my annual performance plan. After the first couple I realized this was more than a presentation, this was a transfer of knowledge and experiences. As I explained and described the topic of the month, the questions posed were focused on application.

This is where I started to see how asking “why” was a powerful asset to a designer of performance solutions and how leaders use it to push for deeper understanding. More than a challenge, asking “why” creates the space to explore options, identify alternatives, and deliver a robust solution. I saw how the curiosity of trying to connect the different components in an organization became a process of constantly finding new information. I saw how leaders are open to learning from everyone and how leaders are developed from all levels. I saw learning as a strategic business tool.

In this short video I share some key differences between those manage and those that lead. The key difference in a willingness to seek new information, new ways to work, and an openness to ask others to share knowledge and ideas with you. Let’s talk more about how you can use learning as your leadership development model and your strategic business and retention tool. 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!

More than facts, we need imagination!

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I was working on a project when a senior lead asked me if I had included all 4 “I’s”. The model described was that with the directions (instruction) and the content in context (information) and using an active assessment strategy (interaction) the result would be an improved work performance (innovation), the “I4”!  A recent post on LinkedIn noted the reliance on data to drive decision making I realized, as I share in this video, there needs to be a 5th “I”, imagination.  Data based on past performance may not be as valid in this current remote and hybrid work environment. Being imaginative can drive new questions resulting in new datasets yet the driver is still centered on people, so leadership needs to keep the 5th “I”, imagination, in place to drive performance.

Imagination opens up new conversations, it can lead you to think about the “what if” scenarios.  You can use it ask more than 5 “why’s” if you want, it can lead the curious learner to alternate ideas and solutions that older data might not suggest. Imagination combined with collecting new information can be a part of the performance process, together they can drive the innovation that leads to performance success.

This “I5” model is something leaders at all levels can use to support teammates, improve workflow processes, and drive performance.  Data can’t defeat you, but it can delay actions and disengage people so lead not by directive but with imagination and curiosity. Let’s talk more about how you can use these “I” processes as your strategic business and retention tool. 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!

It’s career more than content

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Learning, and developing people to perform better, is a strategic business tool. Yet it’s not about the learning that people care about. If you ask someone why they’re taking a training class, pursuing a micro credential, or taking courses that lead to a more traditional certificate or degree the response you’ll receive will center on their next job, a possible promotion, or a new professional path. In this short video I highlight that learning is the tool that’s a part of the advancement process, but the focus isn’t about the content, it’s about their career.

Then what’s the outcome that provides success for both employer and employee?  Implementing a career path that clearly outlines the growth opportunities available and identifies the technical skills along with the business behaviors the person will need to be successful in the new role. Then, align these criteria to a learning ladder that shows people how, and where, they can acquire and develop these capabilities.

Developing a robust internal talent pipeline is the real strategic business tool, learning is a key component to achieve this growth. It works best when everyone clearly understands what’s needed to grow using a learning ladder aligned to a career path model. Let’s talk more about how you can use these processes as your strategic business and retention tool. 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!

Lessons learned from moving online

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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

Attract (& Keep!) Your Dream Team, Part 3: Credentials, College, & Career

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We use credentials as a rubric for hiring new people and evaluating internal candidates. In this 3rd of 4 videos, I highlight the advantages of using a broader view of the term credential to include traditional degrees and include other learning solutions, such as badges and nanodegrees, that indicate a person can demonstrate the skills and behaviors that qualify them for a role.  First, we looked at the big picture, the 5 interconnected steps that impact your team, and then the second video identified the 5C’s used to create an environment of success and techniques to impact the retention process and now I’ll share how the organization can provide a foundation of credentialing for their employees that leads to an engaged and skilled workforce.

Next time we’ll examine how using badges and microcredentials creates a value to employer and employee along with the impact a learning ladder can provide to upskill and fill your internal talent pipeline. In the meantime, I’d enjoy talking with you about how we can partner to strategically develop your team so let’s Zoom or send me an email and keep the conversation going! Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

Attract (& Keep!) Your Dream Team, Part 2: The 5 “C’s”

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Hiring people and getting them up to speed takes time and money so use learning strategically.  In the first video segment we looked at the big picture, the 5 interconnected steps that impact your team as it forms and grows. In this 2nd of 4 parts I share the 5C’s you can use to create an environment of success and techniques to impact the retention process. The 5C’s is a strategic component of leadership and follows a common planning model with a focus on the talent pool we rely on to make and support the products and services of today and to be ready for future growth.

Next time we’ll examine how using a credentialing process can drive talent development and retention. Credentials come in different forms, so we’ll look at options to consider. In the meantime, I’d enjoy talking with you about how we can partner to strategically develop your team so let’s Zoom or send me an email and let’s keep the conversation going! Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

Attract and Keep Your Dream Team, Part 1: The Big Picture

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Learning, used strategically, impacts the bottom line of your organization. Join me in this 1st of a 4-part video series as I share techniques to influence the employee lifecycle. This interconnected process has 5 steps where you can influence and engage your team as it forms and grows.  When we consider the stages in this lifecycle it becomes clear we interact with the different steps constantly as we connect with our teammates. When we are authentically engaged, we are using recruiting skills and when planning for the future it is with the perspective of the team in place. Focusing on being present in the workplace creates opportunities to grow and develop our people to be successful today and tomorrow.

Next time we’ll examine the five “C’s” needed to drive talent success and impact retention and in the meantime, I would enjoy talking with you about how we can partner to strategically develop your team so let’s Zoom or send me an email and keep the conversation going!  Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

More than a seat at the table

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Learning & Development should be at the table to plan and be involved early on yet we need to be in the workflow more. Join me in this video to explore going beyond delivering training and begin using learning strategically to provide the organization with employees who are prepared, who can think, and use the collective wisdom of the community to develop a robust and skilled internal talent pipeline. We need to be in the workplace to grow and develop our people and that’s the seat L&D should be sitting in. Learning is a strategic business tool and developing people’s skills and strengths, including the ability to learn and think in the moment of need, is an integral component of an organization’s growth and success.

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!

 

Competencies, career path, & success

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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!