Content about Skill

March 16, 2012
Corporate Training: Are Managers Born or Made?

Managers with a growth mindset are more committed to their employees’ development, and to their own, according to Carol S. Dweck, author of “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.” They give a great deal more developmental coaching, they notice improvement in employees’ performance, and they welcome critiques from their employees, she writes. “Most exciting, the growth mindset can be taught to managers.”

By Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

Millions of dollars and thousands of hours are spent each year trying to teach leaders and managers how to coach their employees and give them effective feedback. Yet much of this training is ineffective, and many leaders and mangers remain poor coaches. Is that because this can’t be trained? No, that’s not the reason. Research sheds light on why corporate training often fails.

March 12, 2012
Engaged Leadership’s Role in Organizational Safety and Success

Where there is a culture of leadership engagement—where leaders are seen as plugged in and responsive to their employees; where employees feel their leaders are concerned with their everyday activities, personal well-being, and overall security—those are the places where you see engaged employees on every level.

By Bill Whitmore, Chairman, President, and CEO, AlliedBarton Security Services

There’s a direct connection between engaged leadership, workplace security, and organizational success, regardless of your product or service. Psychologist Abraham Maslow identified safety and security as among the most basic human needs on the road to self-actualization—achieving one’s full potential. It, therefore, follows that if your employees don’t feel safe and secure, they’re not going to do the best job for you.

February 28, 2012
Core Competencies: Setting Training Up for Failure?

Letting the Training department assume responsibility for core competencies sets you up for failure. You’re not in a position to implement organizational strategies. What you can do is provide a direct link between the core competencies your organization has chosen and your department’s specific training offerings in terms of employee competence.

By Dan Cooper, CEO, ej4.com

When it comes to training, the “competence” word gets thrown around a lot. The assumption is that everyone knows what it means, but that often isn’t the case. You need to make sure you know which of two definitions you’re talking about, and what the training department is signing up for.

Core Competence

February 28, 2012
Tips to Re-engage Your Team

Almost everyone in the workplace has been “doing more with less” for a long time. Yet productivity has risen 2.3 percent annually during these tough times as fewer employees accomplish miracles by working more hours and taking on bigger workloads. Is it possible to get higher productivity without burning people out?

By Carl Eidson, Ph.D., Vice President, Business Development, Wilson Learning

February 24, 2012
Learning: How Change Management Is Done

While most senior executives realize learning is critical to achieving meaningful change, many don’t realize what it takes to achieve the level of learning necessary to make the difference between success and failure. True change can only be achieved through a process of targeted learning that does two things: sells the desired change to the people who have to make it happen; and teaches those people (and gets them to adopt) the new behaviors required to make the change happen.

By Sue Kennedy, Chris Musselwhite, and Tammie Plouffe, Discovery Learning Inc.          

Despite decades of research on change management, almost 70 percent of organizational change efforts fail. John Kotter, Harvard professor and change management guru, says they fail because organizations don’t take the holistic approach required to achieve and maintain change.

February 24, 2012
Learning: How Change Management Is Done

While most senior executives realize learning is critical to achieving meaningful change, many don’t realize what it takes to achieve the level of learning necessary to make the difference between success and failure. True change can only be achieved through a process of targeted learning that does two things: sells the desired change to the people who have to make it happen; and teaches those people (and gets them to adopt) the new behaviors required to make the change happen.

 

By Sue Kennedy, Chris Musselwhite, and Tammie Plouffe, Discovery Learning Inc.          

February 23, 2012
A Unified Vision for Talent Management

A holistic approach to Talent Management would be to put all these functions— Recruiting, L&D, OD, Talent Management/Development, Content Management (Knowledge), and Performance Management—under one roof and have it report to the C-suite. Some will say that many of these functions already exist under one area, usually HR, but is there a unified vision and an integration of how and why all these units work together?

By Richard Lynell

February 23, 2012
A Unified Vision for Talent Management

A holistic approach to Talent Management would be to put all these functions— Recruiting, L&D, OD, Talent Management/Development, Content Management (Knowledge), and Performance Management—under one roof and have it report to the C-suite. Some will say that many of these functions already exist under one area, usually HR, but is there a unified vision and an integration of how and why all these units work together?

 

By Richard Lynell

February 21, 2012
Best Practices and Outstanding Initiatives

Trainingeditors recognize innovative and successful learning and development programs and practices submitted in the 2012 Training Top 125 application.

BEST PRACTICES

Edward Jones: Practice Makes Perfect (Sales Training)

Each month, Edward Jones hires more than 150 new recruits with little financial background, then trains them to serve clients well. This organic growth is achieved through extensive training, including coaching by veterans, online study, virtual classes, weeklong stints of classroom training, and recorded role-play.

February 21, 2012
The Battle for Great Talent

Heidrick & Struggles recently commissioned a survey in partnership with The Economistof more than 400 CEOs globally to tell us about their attitudes on hiring prospects for the future. The survey results, along with other data and input from global economists, formed the basis of the Heidrick & Struggles Global Talent Index, which shows that the demand for talent across the globe is outstripping supply.

By Judy Braun,VP, Global Talent Development, Heidrick & Struggles

Human Resources (HR) executives know all too well that despite continued high unemployment, one of the major risks to a business is the difficulty in locating and attracting the right talent. When it comes to shaping the future health of a business, the ongoing practice of retaining and hiring top talent is crucial. Recent research from Heidrick & Struggles supports the idea that as the economy improves, competition to find and keep this top talent will only become fiercer.

February 21, 2012
The Battle for Great Talent

Heidrick & Struggles recently commissioned a survey in partnership with The Economistof more than 400 CEOs globally to tell us about their attitudes on hiring prospects for the future. The survey results, along with other data and input from global economists, formed the basis of the Heidrick & Struggles Global Talent Index, which shows that the demand for talent across the globe is outstripping supply.

 

By Judy Braun,VP, Global Talent Development, Heidrick & Struggles

February 20, 2012
Last Word: Hear Ye, Hear Ye

Perhaps one of the most fundamental skills one must master in any of the professional capacities you mention is that of active listening. This requires that one listen to understand, rather than simply to hear. It sounds easier than it is, especially when we are faced with an opinion that, at best, is less informed than our own or, at worst, seems on its face to be wrong.

By Michael Rosenthal

Q: With the economy slowly improving, my organization finally has reignited our development initiatives. However, since our current budget pales compared to the pre-recession years, I have been asked to focus our training efforts on leadership, management, and sales. I’d like to consolidate as much as possible to realize economies of scale. I can see some intersection between leadership and management, but I am having trouble identifying common threads with sales. What are some best practices that apply to all three?

February 20, 2012
McDonald’s Recipe for Success

Training that begins by preparing employees to serve customers at the counter, and extends to programs that help individuals launch their own franchise, is a key to McDonald’s 50-plus-year success story. Last year, the company kicked it up a notch with improved restaurant leadership training, sharpened people selection and processes, and refined coaching and mentoring practices.

By Margery Weinstein

February 20, 2012
Soapbox: ROE: Demonstration of Training Value

Return on expectations (ROE) is a foolproof way to show the value of training in the terms desired by key stakeholders. ROE demonstrates the degree to which training initiatives satisfy the expectations of key business stakeholders.

Return on expectations (ROE) is a foolproof way to show the value of training in the terms desired by key stakeholders. ROE demonstrates the degree to which training initiatives satisfy the expectations of key business stakeholders. Assumptions that may assist training professionals include:

  • Key stakeholders are high-level managers or executives.
  • Stakeholder expectations primarily include the accomplishment of the organization’s highest-level goals and mission.

Figure 1: The Kirkpatrick Model

February 20, 2012
Talent Tips: Transparency in Training

Are we being transparent within the field of learning and development these days? Have we been totally open and honest about what we are doing? Do we hide and cover up the real facts behind the results of training dollars spent?

By Roy Saunderson

Has the demand for candor, openness, and personal responsibility in society—a.k.a., “transparency”—effectively affected the field of learning and development?

February 7, 2012
Conference Highlight: Are You Tactical or Strategic?

Four characteristics that constitute the most valuable skill sought by organizations.

Training 2012 Conference & Expo speaker Rich Horwath explains four themes and the most important level of strategy.

Do you get it? Translation: Are you strategic? How often have you overheard a group talking about a leader and saying, “She/he just doesn’t get it”? Do they say that about you?

February 7, 2012
Create an Uplifting Service Culture

Service is what sets us apart these days. It is not just about technical aspects of product or service offerings any longer. However, employees are the real differentiator. Are they delivering legendary service on a consistent basis? How do you change your service from a function to a passion? Create a service culture.

By Kristy Westfall Moyer, Signature Worldwide

Want to get the best from your employees? Create an environment where customer service isn’t just the name of the game—it’s a way of life.

February 3, 2012
Conference Highlight: The Reframing Meeting

Help your company or clients understand that you have more to offer than simply executing their orders. Here are resources to help you prepare for a make-or-break reframing meeting.

 

In the third of three posts, Training 2012 Conference & Expo speaker Dick Handshaw talks about establishing your position as a strategic partner.

February 1, 2012
Conference Highlight: Proactive Performance Consulting

To transition from an “order taker” to a strategic partner, start acting the part today.

 

In the second of three posts, Training 2012 Conference & Expo speaker Dick Handshaw talks about establishing your position as a strategic partner.

January 30, 2012
Want Higher Performance from Sales Teams?

More than one of every three HR managers (37.9 percent) named Sales as the department most in need of training, based on a global talent management survey by NorthgateArinso.Training correlates to several key outcomes, based on AchieveGlobal research. Moderate to substantial coaching and training tends be related to higher deal sizes, greater increases in personal sales revenue, and generally more overall success compared with those receiving minimal coaching and training.

By Sharon Daniels, CEO, AchieveGlobal

Ultimately, all companies are in the business of sales. While goods and services vary from brand to brand, a company’s lifeblood is in the revenue generated from sales. That’s why it’s critical to consider what comprises an organization’s sales DNA—ranging from the talent of individual salespeople, to strength within the leadership ranks, to organizational structure.

January 26, 2012
Horrible Bosses: Hollywood Fact or Fiction?

Bad bosses have always made great fodder for the workplace and blogosphere—not to mention film and TV. But is there really an epidemic of horrible bosses in corporate America? More than 70 percent of respondents to an anonymous online survey claimed to have a good working relationship with their boss. Respondents also overwhelmingly identified a few key traits that set good managers apart from bad.

By Halley Bock, CEO, Fierce, Inc.,

January 26, 2012
Leadership Training that Makes a Difference

The gift of great leadership can seem magical. The underlying theory is not. The key is to focus on mindful leadership development. To be intentional about process, content, and outcomes—to take leaders on a deeply personal journey that starts with a courageous look inside to reflect on their humanity and a fresh look outside to connect with other leaders to solve thorny and complex organizational problems.

By Rosaria Hawkins, PhD, and Filomena Warihay, Ph.D.

Leadership training is no small investment. The Leadership Development Fact Book reports an average annual expenditure of $500,000 per company on leadership development activities. The annual per participant cost of leadership training runs between $2,000 and $ 7,500 per person. For large corporations, that amounts to millions of dollars.

January 25, 2012
Conference Highlight: RESPECT

Motivation is easy when you know what they want.

 

Training 2012 Conference & Expo speaker Dr. Jack Wiley explains how to give workers what they want.

Having researched workers for more than 30 years, we believe we know what they want. Not only that, we know that organizations that give workers what they want see higher levels of customer satisfaction and profits.

January 23, 2012
Conference Highlight: Make Training Stick

Your work means the most when it's shared, learned and applied. Carl Eidson offers three steps that will help your training have an impact.

 

Training 2012 Conference & Expo speaker Carl Eidson answers the question, “What can we do to make training stick?”

January 20, 2012
Performance Management: The New Rules

When people think about performance management (PM), what usually comes to mind is the formal HR system for conducting appraisals. More than 50 years of research have been devoted to designing the perfect formal PM system. Unfortunately, these attempts have failed to produce a PM system that managers and employees consistently view as working well and that yields the positive outcomes expected from PM. So here are three new rules of PM to help get back on track.

By Elaine D. Pulakos, President, and Rose Mueller-Hanson, Manager, Leadership and Organizational Consulting Group, PDRI, an SHL Company