Content about Strategic management

March 30, 2012
Dispelling the Myths of Creating a Winning Corporate Culture

Avoidance—and even outright denial—of the need to make corporate culture development a “Mission Critical Objective” lies in five common myths that destroy the impetus for any organized effort to create, build, and nurture a winning corporate culture.

By Joseph Gianni, President and CEO, 2logical

Few would deny the majestic power of a winning corporate culture. When the odds are stacked against the success of a mission critical corporate objective, a strong corporate culture can persevere through all kinds of challenges and setbacks—and make, well, even the impossible…possible.

Even in the most turbulent market conditions, a strong corporate culture can shorten the recovery time from minor or major setbacks by as much as tenfold, when compared to an organization lacking the “right stuff.”

March 13, 2012
Case Study: New Hire Scorecards at Discover Financial Services

Some organizations need specific scorecards that focus on the performance of an individual training program and the performance of learners as they make the transition from the classroom to the workplace. That’s the situation faced by the Training Center of Excellence at Discover Financial Services for the New Hire Program in its call centers. This case study describes that challenge and the solution the training team at Discover devised.

As balanced scorecards have become increasingly common tools used to manage entire businesses, many training and development professionals have tried to adapt them for use in our profession. For example, ASTD developed its Workplace Learning and Performance Scorecard in 2006, and Ajay Pangarkar and Teresa Kirkwood published their Trainer’s Balanced Scorecard in 2009.

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?

January 20, 2012
Podcast: Insights on Manager Led Development of Employees

In this podcast, Corporate Leadership Council Director Kimberly Shells shares more Council research findings and discusses how manager-led development can help managers drive employee performance and development.

Only 45 percent of managers are effective at developing their direct reports. Research shows, however, that managers who ARE effective can improve staff performance by 25 percent and significantly increase retention/commitment. So, what makes the difference? Quite simply, manager-led development. Managers who deliberately help employees maximize the learning potential of every project while connecting them with proper training and other development opportunities offer the winning development combination.

January 19, 2012
3 Leadership Lessons for 2012

Occupy Wall Street—a movement that consciously chose not to have “someone in charge”—taught us more than the fact that people are angry about the increasing disparities between the rich and the poor. The global protests are a fascinating case study in leadership at a time when the world needed it more than ever, whether in politics, social entrepreneurism, or business.

By John Elsey, President and CEO, Forum Corporation

Occupy Wall Street—a movement that consciously chose not to have “someone in charge”—taught us more than the fact that people are angry about the increasing disparities between the rich and the poor. As the CEO of a leadership development company, I found the global protests to be a fascinating case study in leadership at a time when the world needed it more than ever, whether in politics, social entrepreneurism, or business.

January 17, 2012
Building a Bridge to the Life You Want

Do you enjoy your job? Is your mind active and fully engaged? Are you physically healthy? Are your finances solid? Are your relationships inspiring and supportive? Now think about the bridge that led you to your current position. “Strategy for You” by Rich Horvathis intended to provide you with a five-step plan for creating a bridge to the life you want.

By Rich Horwath

Think about where you are today. Do you enjoy your job? Is your mind active and fully engaged? Are you physically healthy? Are your finances solid? Are your relationships inspiring and supportive? Now think about the bridge that led you to your current position. Was it planned and well thought-out, or was it more similar to Alaska’s infamous Gravina Island Bridge, often referred to as the $398 million “bridge to nowhere”?

December 23, 2011
Why Companies Need a Strategic HR Partner

More leaders need to use Human Resources as a strategic plant, says Rajeev Pershawaria, author of “Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders.” The first step is to choose the right HR leader, someone who can help, as well as challenge. Instead of choosing a comfortable confidante, leaders should look for someone who understands both business and human capital trends, and is able to contribute intelligently to C-suite discussions about business strategy.

By Rajeev Peshawaria

December 1, 2011
Bust Out of Recession Mode—How to Rally the Troops

Leaders must be able to help their employees see the possibility and promise of what is to come, while making peace with the past. A company can’t succeed unless its employees are invested in its success, and they need to get into the right mindset. Here’s what leaders need to do to rally their troops and get them excited about the future.

By Mike Noble, Managing Partner, Camden Consulting Group

Leaders must be able to help their employees see the possibility and promise of what is to come, while making peace with the past. A company can’t succeed unless its employees are invested in its success, and they need to get into the right mindset. An organization’s leadership team must have the ability to motivate and inspire. Here’s what leaders need to do to rally their troops and get them excited about the future:

November 23, 2011
Training Today: Partnerships&Alliances (Nov/Dec 2011)

The latest training industry mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and more.

  • SSI Investments II Ltd., a parent company of SkillSoft Ltd., a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of on-demand e-learning and performance support solutions, announced that its indirect subsidiaries, SkillSoft Corp. and SkillSoft Ireland Ltd., acquired Element K from NIIT Ventures Inc., a subsidiary of NIIT Ltd. Element K’s offerings include e-learning content, virtual labs, ILT print materials, and custom development services. Under the terms of the agreement, the Element K business was acquired for $110 million in cash, subject to adjustments.
November 23, 2011
Training Today: Products and Services (Nov/Dec 2011)

The latest products and services launching in the training industry.

  • Kudos Inc. launched its peer-to-peer social recognition and employee engagement system. With this interactive system, team members and management can recognize one another for any act, effort, or attitude that supports their culture, values, or objectives.
November 7, 2011
Bosses Pass the Torch to Build Effective Teams

Many company owners talk about their efforts to build a strong staff in terms of teambuilding activities. But building a strong team starts with talent—identifying, attracting, and deploying the right players to achieve your company’s goals and take on your mid-level responsibilities, thereby freeing you up to focus on performance and sustainability.

By Mary Hladio, Founder and CEO, Ember Carriers Leadership Group

October 17, 2011
The Leadership Imperative: Mission Success

If a leader inspires, aligns, motivates, and enables the organization around a common vision, then a company has taken the first step toward becoming fearless.

By Tom Rieger, Senior Practice Expert, Gallup

There are no fearless leaders, but there are courageous ones. Everyone has fears they need to face. The key is to learn to overcome those fears. Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” To create a fearless company, leaders must master fear—their own and others’. They have to have the courage to fix what’s wrong.

October 13, 2011
Creating a Culture of Lifelong Learning

Creating happy and loyal employees who will create happy and loyal customers happens in a culture of lifelong learning. Remember to include the fundamental importance of visible leadership, role models, and “champions” of the cause within the organization.

By Kristy Westfall Moyer, Training Account Manager, Signature Worldwide

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”—Benjamin Franklin

Whether you are a customer-centered or an employee-focused company, success hinges on sustaining a culture of lifelong learning. Happy employees equal happy customers, and in study after study, they show that the happiest employees are the well-trained ones who receive ongoing education.

September 21, 2011
Training as a Partnership

The best training development and delivery experiences come to life when training and the business professionals collaborate. Unfortunately, there are many instances when the business or operations become disconnected with training, meaning they are doing things independent of each other that they should be doing in conjunction with. That where the “No Important Personnel Left Behind Act” (NIPLBA) comes into play.

By Jason L. James, Jr., MSSL and Scott A. Gesty, CPA

During our careers, we have experienced several approaches to training across different organizations. We have found that the best training development and delivery experiences come to life when training and the business professionals collaborate. Unfortunately, there are many instances when the business or operations become disconnected with training, meaning they are doing things independent of each other that they should be doing in conjunction with.

September 8, 2011
Training’s Importance to the Big Picture of Business

More often than not, “training” is a vehicle to tout one’s viewpoint, tinker with old problems, or blame someone else for the course of events. If training is viewed as band-aid surgery to fix problems, then it will fail. Managers who have this “fix those people” mindset are, in fact, the ones who need substantive training the most.

By Hank Moore, Corporate Strategist

Professional education is the most important ingredient in corporate development. Today’s workforce will need three times the amount of training it now gets...if the organization intends to stay in business, remain competitive, and tackle the future successfully.

I advise CEOs, board chairs, and the upper echelon of companies on business strategy. Often, I find myself defending and promoting training as an important ingredient to success.

September 1, 2011
Training ROI: Strategy Alignment and Execution

Business leaders are turning to customized business simulations to build the alignment, mindset, and capabilities needed to accelerate strategy execution in their companies and realize business results. Business simulations long have been used up front in the strategy formulation process but now are also being recognized as an essential tool for successful strategy implementation.

By Peter Mulford, Executive Vice President, BTS

Business leaders around the world are turning to customized business simulations to build the alignment, mindset, and capabilities needed to accelerate strategy execution in their companies and realize business results. Business simulations long have been used up front in the strategy formulation process. In the last several years, simulations increasingly have been recognized as an essential tool for successful strategy implementation.

July 25, 2011
Soapbox: A Strategic Approach to Role-Based Talent Management

Talent management can be approached tactically or strategically. The ultimate goal is to create a high-performing organization for today and tomorrow. A tactical approach to talent management focuses on the processes, systems, and components, while a strategic approach to talent management begins with desired business results. The whole must be more and produce more than the sum of the parts.

By Nancy Q. Smith

We are designing a talent management system. Our first priority is to…

How would you complete that statement? The most typical answer is:

“Design quality components of a talent management system and identify a technology provider.”

What we don’t often hear is this:

“Decide what business goals we’re going to support and ensure the talent management system we design results in the achievement of those goals and equips us for near- and longer-term needs.”

July 15, 2011
Developing Business-Savvy Leaders

Business acumen training puts all of the organization’s other development efforts into the context of overall strategy. It not only helps managers make faster and better decisions, it aligns everyone around a common language, provides clarity of purpose, and shows them how to leverage all their skills to strengthen the company’s financial position.

By Catherine J. Rezak, Chairman and Co-founder, Paradigm Learning

Three Stories About Managers

Tim manages an operations department. A long-timer, he makes sure his people do what must get done. He doesn’t always agree with company decisions and insulates his staff from “turmoil.”

Barbara runs a sales team. She diligently focuses on customer relationships as “the key to success.” She can’t stand to lose to competitors, so she does whatever it takes to get business.

June 22, 2011
Co-Destiny: Overcome Growth Challenges—Yours and Your Customers’

So, do your training teams and their business consultants know how to solve a service paradox? If not, they will not be successful with their bottom line, or their clients—not a smart move in this time of corporate and consumer financial conservatism. Business consultants and global strategy experts Atlee Valentine Pope and George F. Brown, Jr., co-founders of Chicago-based Blue Canyon Partners, answer that dilemma in their new book, “CoDestiny,” and offer trainers four other questions to ask their management teams, clients, or business consultants.

By Atlee Valentine Pope and George F. Brown, Jr.

June 13, 2011
Conducting Institutional Reviews

An Institutional Review is a look at activities that contribute to an organization’s success and well-being. This review is the basis for most elements that will appear in a strategic plan, including the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, actions, challenges, teamwork, change management, commitment, future trends, and external forces.

By Hank Moore, Corporate Strategist

An Institutional Review is a look at activities that contribute to an organization’s success and well-being. This transcends a traditional audit and identifies factors that already contribute well to the organization, rather than simply looking for ways to cut, curtail, or penalize. It is more than just trimming the fat and criticizing incorrect activities in the organizational structure.

June 6, 2011
Last Word: A Worthwhile Destination

When life becomes bogged down in analytic thinking, piecemeal and either/or thinking, we lose any far-reaching vision or goals beyond making current problems disappear. This shortsighted approach hinders us with its many unintended negative consequences. In Systems Thinking, the whole is primary and the parts are secondary. Systems Thinking approaches problems proactively and holistically.

By Stephen Haines

With Systems Thinking as your “thinking guide,” your journey through work and life will be more clear, simple, and quick. Systems, like ourselves, are made up of a set of components that work together for the overall objectives of the whole. We are all living, human systems and so are our teams, organizations, communities, and societies.

June 6, 2011
Strategies for Success (May-June 2011)

Training magazine taps 2011 Training Top 125 winners and Top 10 Hall of Famers to provide their learning and development best practices in each issue. In this May-June 2011 edition, we look at strategies for leadership development and collaboration.

Values and Leadership

By Rafael Pastor, Chairman and CEO, Vistage International, Inc.

An essential component of leadership is to articulate and exemplify the organization’s core values. These values must be clear, compelling, and repeated. And the leader must both “walk the talk” and inspire his/her colleagues within the organization to also live the values.

June 6, 2011
The X Factor

Everyone has a story about a manager who gets great results but achieves a low employee retention rate. Believe it or not, there is room in your company for many different management styles. You just have to figure out the best way to develop these leaders so your company makes the most of the best they have to offer.

By Margery Weinstein

April 6, 2011
The Return of Turnover—And How to Prevent It

Most organizations have been running very lean, and as the economy recovers, the disruption and lost capability of increased turnover will be even more difficult to manage. What can organizations can do to increase their ability to retain their best employees? Here are six prescriptions organizations can act on right now.

By Joseph Folkman, Ph.D., President and Co-Founder, Zenger Folkman

Before the recession, Zenger Folkman had an effective metric that predicted turnover: intention to leave. We would ask employees if they were thinking about quitting. The percentage of those who answered “yes” or “neutral” was highly correlated to turnover. About 50 percent of employees who thought about quitting actually would do so.

March 25, 2011
The Power of “As One”

Authors Mehrdad Baghai and James Quigley reveal how the concept of “As One” makes all the difference between a group of individuals and a unified team. Those five letters symbolize the culmination of individual action into collective power. They describe how individuals can collaborate to achieve extraordinary results—together.

By Mehrdad Baghai and James Quigley

As One. It’s a short phrase. Only five letters. But those five letters are filled with meaning and inspiration. They make all the difference between a group of individuals and a unified team. Those five letters symbolize the culmination of individual action into collective power. They describe how individuals can collaborate to achieve extraordinary results—together.

“The aspiration to work as one is the timeless leadership challenge.”