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!

Leader as Learner

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

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!

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

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!

Lead your way to the Great Retention!

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

With the Great Re(fill in your term!) going on what options are you using to fill your open positions? Have you looked internally? Do you know who has the required skills and is ready to make the move?  Odds are you don’t as I discovered on a project to create a common competency skills framework so workers could move seamlessly between different peers and competitors in this vertical. This innovative idea would certainly save time and money, why train someone on upselling techniques if they have already demonstrated this ability in a prior work experience?

Three common themes kept popping up no matter the organizations size. First, the career path was understood but most HR teams had not identified, or recorded, the technical or behavioral skills people use and need to be capable of demonstrating. Second, there wasn’t a clear way to acquire these skills in a meaningful manner that could be blended into the daily workflow. For a small business there’s a need to make this blend into a learn-as-you-work framework, but the model is still focused on just-in-time. Finally, the infrastructure to track people’s skill acquisition and identify internal candidates ready to move forward wasn’t in place.

This isn’t a technology issue as much as an opportunity for leaders to lead more and have deep impact. In this short video I highlight that culture, communications, and connections could be the start of your Great Retention as you develop and lead your people to new opportunities.  It’s about the high touch that you, as leader, bring to the team and to the organization. It works best when everyone clearly understands what’s needed to develop professionally using a learning ladder aligned to a career path model so 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!

It’s career more than content

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

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!

Career pathing & Competencies, Part 4: Competencies to career path

/0 Comments/in , , /by

When there are career options and areas to grow people tend to stay adding their expertise and experience to the organization’s growing knowledge base. Knowing the competencies needed in a new role enables current employees to identify the specific business behaviors and professional skills they need to have to be prepared to grow and move in their career within the organization. In this short video I share how using this framework provides exposure to additional roles that can be career opportunities for employees and a quicker way for organizations to develop a robust, internal talent pipeline focused on meeting their business needs.

Creating this internal talent pipeline can benefit the employee and the organization and works best when everyone clearly understands the technical knowledge and business behaviors needed to demonstrate performance success and this can be done using a competency framework aligned to a career path model to develop people to grow. Let’s talk more about how you can use learning as a 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!