There is a disconnect between what senior executives want from learning and development, and what they actually see. In fact, 96 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs want to see a business connection, yet only 8 percent see it. And 74 percent want to see ROI, yet only 4 percent see it, according to Patti and Jack Phillips of the ROI Institute and authors of The Business Case for … [Read more...]
Get Employees Pumped to Attend Training
Because you are reading these words, I am confident you are a believer in ongoing learning and development for yourself and those you lead. So you may find it hard to understand why your team members dread the training that you make available to them. Many leaders who have attended my leadership training courses through the years have asked me "How do I get my employees … [Read more...]
How to Evaluate Workplace Training Programs
During a discussion with Bob Mason, who we interviewed for our “The Qualities of a Strong Leader: Deep Insight From a Long-Time Military Leader” post, he offered so much insight on leadership that we decided to write more than one post! Bob, along with Steve Alltop, formed The Daedalus Group, a provider of team-building, leadership and strategic planning training. He pulls … [Read more...]
Mandatory Training Doesn’t Always Improve Behavior
What happens when an employee or customer survey indicates that the supervisors, customer service agents, or senior management team needs to behave in different ways? Often, someone in the organization creates a mandatory training program to teach the supervisors, customer service agents, or senior management team new skills in the hope that knowing about the new skills will … [Read more...]
Training Can Be Fun and Games: 7 Gamification Tactics for Effective Employee Training
This is a guest post by John Findlay is co-founder of Launchfire. You just took over a team, and you are frustrated with the level of training your employees received under your predecessor. Perhaps the previous leader didn't invest in training at all or maybe he or she just wasted everyone's time with ineffective training. And now you need to make big changes. Developing … [Read more...]
Why New Leaders Can’t Avoid Learning
You can run, but you can’t hide. That's what people say. However, there are leaders everywhere who do hide, like ostriches burying their heads in the sand, when their teams are under-performing or when challenges arise. Leaders who want to blame others, the economy or the market for their team’s lack of success. Or “leaders” who have a title, but shouldn’t, because they … [Read more...]
[Infographic]: Inside the Mind of a Successful Manager
You're new to this whole management or leadership gig, and you may not yet know the ropes. However, you've been managed at some point, so you at least understand how a "good" or a "bad" manager acts. If you have ever dealt with the latter, you probably remember how miserable the bad manager made you. Review this infographic, created by the good folks at Pepperdine University … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Learn More From What You Read
Michael Hyatt builds a pretty compelling case for why leaders should be voracious readers in his post 5 Ways Reading Makes You a Better Leader, and he is not the only one touting the benefits. Many experts believe that reading is a major key to your success as a leader, and I agree. Reading improves your knowledge and skills, sharpens your mind, helps you to decompress and … [Read more...]
Breaking Through the Comfort Zone: Extreme Tactics That Produce Outrageous Results
This is a guest post by Frank Granara and Lorraine Grubbs, co-authors of Beyond the Executive Comfort Zone: Outrageous Tactics to Ignite Individual Performance. Wake them up … shake them up … make them a team. As a new leader, bring a fresh perspective to your people by applying outrageous tactics to employee development. Step outside the “training as usual” box and bypass … [Read more...]
10 Skills Every Leader Needs
By Jaimy Ford, business writer and editor. According to a recent global Korn Ferry study, these are the top 10 coaching needs for employees wanting to move into mid-level leadership positions, including senior managers and function heads: Interpersonal relationships listening skills, empathy Influence Communication skills Self-awareness Delegation, … [Read more...]