MindLeaders: Fueling the Learning Revolution

2009 PILAR learning award winners announced

Today MindLeaders has announced the winners of the 2009 PILAR (Performance Improvement and Learning Achievement Recognition) Awards for industry-leading results and innovation in learning programs.

The winners include a state agency that used elearning and other initiatives to do more training with less budget, a marketing group and the vendors of the LA "Dodger Dogs" who both got 100% participation in their learning programs, a law firm who's using elearning to boost competencies, annual reviews, and management practices, and a second-time PILAR winner, this year for integrating elearning with book publications to train the world.

We'll be presenting the cool crystal obelisk to the award winners at a special banquet and corporate event in February. Huge congratulations to all!

The winners of the 2009 MindLeaders PILAR Awards are:

• Best Blended Program: Texas Parks & Wildlife of Austin, TX. This agency is responsible for some of the finest outdoor recreation in the world, including hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, biking, and bird watching. When their budget funds were reduced, instead of cutting out vital training, the agency found a way to offer more options than ever while saving the state money by striking a perfect balance between elearning and instructor led training focused on management business skills.
• Best Marketing Program: Questar Corporation of Salt Lake City, Utah. This natural gas-focused energy company has core operations in the Rockies and Midcontinent. Questar took advantage of a top-down philosophy within the company to leverage executive support and consistent communications throughout the organization to create award-winning learning results.
• Best Measured Results: SIGMA Marketing Group, LLC, of Rochester, New York. SIGMA Marketing Group specializes in Direct Marketing Analytic Services. They combined a strong partnership with MindLeaders, a well executed marketing plan, commitment and follow-through to build 100% completion rates as well as a measurable increase in employee satisfaction survey scores.
• Most Innovative Channel Partner: Computer Assisted Learning of Quezone City, Philippines. Computer Assisted Learning is a second-time winner of a PILAR Award! CAL has paved the way for the publication of a series of books designed for three learning levels: the Awakening Series (Pre-School), the Exploring Series (Elementary), and the Experiencing Series (Secondary Level). MindLeaders online courses were integrated as enhancements or electives that allow for more skills-focused training for the early collegiate stage, training for the unemployed, and for technical training in government agencies.
• Best First Year Program: Clougherty of Los Angeles, California. Over 1,700 people work for Clougherty Packing, LLC, serving high quality meats in several countries. Their Farmer John® brand is synonymous with the Los Angeles Dodgers, producing the "Dodger Dog" at Dodger Stadium for over 50 years. In the remarkably short time frame of 10 months, 100% of Clougherty learning program participants had participated in their training, thanks to Clougherty executive sponsorship of the program and close collaboration with the MindLeaders Professional Services team.
• Founders Award: Perkins Coie of Seattle, Washington. Perkins Coie is a large international law firm based in the Pacific Northwest with offices around the United States and in China. Their primary goal in partnering with MindLeaders was to deliver competency-based learning while streamlining their annual performance review process. They have nailed those objectives in record time in addition to secondary goals of promoting lifelong learning and improving management practices.

Study with MindLeaders, pass your certification - guaranteed!

Taking a certification exam requires preparation, commitment, and money. Serious effort and career succession plans are on the line. Want some extra confidence that, when test day arrives, you're properly prepared to pass? To get all Cajun-chef-y, at MindLeaders, we'll "gar-on-tee" that you're ready!

Our Certification Guarantee says that if you pass our study guide courses with at least an 80% score, you will pass your certification test or you'll get your money back. We're that confident that our study guides cover every objective and give you all the tools you need.

There's some back story to the Certification Guarantee. We've just now added this page to our web site and a big splashy Flash piece to the home page, but in reality, we've had this guarantee in place for years. Somehow, as time passed, a lot of people forgot that it was there.

But a month or so ago, a "Whatever happened to..." conversation brought the Certification Guarantee back to life. (Kind of appropriate for Halloween!) So we're dusting off the pledge, shining it up, and putting it in a place of honor so that everyone knows about it.

Study up and get certified. Give new skills and confidence to your IT teams or your project managers (this covers the PMP, too!). We gar-on-tee it!

Social Media's Rise Doesn't Mean Formal Learning is Dead

The landscape of employee development is shifting under our feet. While learning and development organizations are facing lots of changes, two developments are driving most of them.

·     Technology and social media are allowing information to be shared quickly and easily

·     Learning management and talent management are converging

Remember when e-learning came into the market and there was lots of talk about the death of instructor-led training? Stand up training is still here. E-learning is here. And now we have the influx of social media platforms and a lot of chatter about how it will wipe out formal learning (and e-mail and other forms of communication). And guess what? It won’t.

Formal learning is far from dead. The fact that learning management and talent management are converging is one reason why. Integrating learning into career development and performance improvement will always be formalized in organizations. And of course content lends itself to different deliveries. That which lends itself to instructor-led or e-learning formats isn’t likely to be completely replaced by the new social media and information sharing technologies. So social media's rise hardly means the death for formal learning. It does make for some interesting challlenges though.

Learning organizations are faced with helping organizations integrate these technologies in a way that makes sense. New roles will emerge and new skills will become necessary for learning organizations to move forward effectively.  But the ones who can will reap some real benefits. These new technologies let peers easily share information. They allow transparency between groups. They make it harder to blow smoke about what you are up to. They practically eliminate the ability to information-hoard. Yes, there are some who won’t like that much, but the benefit of easily accessible organizational knowledge is well-worth the price.   

Squeezing in Time for Training

Several years ago I worked for a newspaper, and one of my co-workers liked to wear a shirt that said, “I was put on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind I will never die.” All of us in the office thought it was hilarious and quite apropos. It seemed like we were always on deadline and running behind. And the thought of that making us immortal did lessen the stress.

Not much other than my job titles has changed since then. The workday pace certainly hasn’t slowed. My to-do list hasn’t miraculously gotten shorter, although there are an increasing number of books and tools to help me manage it better. I am always pulled in many directions at once. And I don’t think I am alone. This is the reality of today’s workplace. And it’s a tough competitor when you are trying to squeeze in time for training.

If you and your staff you don’t make time for training, it won’t happen. It’ll get lost in that workday frenzy, buried in the marathon list of to-dos. So here are some strategies that have worked for me over the years to squeeze in the training I needed.

• Block out time on your electronic calendar so that you will be reminded to start training and others will know you are busy.
• Put a sign on your door or cube entrance to encourage others to go away until you are finished. Humor is acceptable.
• Use some earphones to deaden the inevitable noise around you. You don’t have to pipe music into them and no one has to know that but you.
• Borrow a vacant office or small conference room for your session. If they can’t find you, you can’t be bothered. Plus you’ll look like you are doing something really important, which you are.
• Schedule time for group discussions and debriefs to ensure that information is shared at the end of projects.
• Declare a training time-out for you and your staff, say a couple of hours on a Friday afternoon each month. (No one is working on Friday afternoon anyway and the time-out is valuable for everyone.)

This list isn’t comprehensive, but simply things that have worked well for me. What strategies have worked for you? How do you squeeze in time for training?

Thanks for the vote!

MindLeaders is a finalist for a 2009 “Best of Elearning!” Award and we’re just so excited about it. Of course, part of the thrill is that the Best of Elearning awards are the only reader’s choice awards in the market. That makes the honor extra special to us. We appreciate all those readers who took the time to nominate us, and are so happy that we have had a positive impact on your learning experience. Thanks for the vote! (And keep taking those courses!)

As long as I have you here, we’d like to know what topics you’d like to hear more about. We want to make sure this blog (and any other content) we create is addressing your interests. So don’t be shy! Leave a comment and let us know what topics you’d like to hear more about. You could even point us to posts from the last year that you’ve found to be particularly helpful. We appreciate the feedback!

Leadership Mastery Demands Experience

Leadership development programs utilize many different tools to help build future leaders. Everything from courses to workshops to books can help the beginner begin to establish some level of competence. The trick is moving from competence to mastery. In this month’s issue of Leadership Excellence Kim Lamoureux argues leadership mastery is only attained through experience. Thus companies who wish to create a team of exceptional leaders will establish ways to accelerate learning experiences.

Creating experiential learning opportunities for leaders isn’t a quick and easy solution. (And throwing a new leader into the role with a “sink or swim” attitude isn’t what we’re talking about.) Lamoureux suggests three methods for incorporating learning experiences into your leadership development program.

1. Simulations – Lamoureux’s examples center on in-person simulations where a team role plays different situations. However, online simulations and decision trees can provide this element as well. As usual, a blended approach will likely yield the best results.
2. Job Rotation – Many companies choose the best and brightest for their rotation programs. Rotating members through different jobs provides quick experience and a broad base of knowledge to draw on when making business decisions. It also allows management to see the relative strengths and weaknesses of participants and choose roles that fit them well for permanent placements.
3. Action Learning – Action learning uses small teams to work on and solve business problems. I see this as more of a leadership practice approach. A bit more involved than a couple hour role play simulation but not as long-term as a two year job rotation. The team is assigned a business problem project and then leaders are evaluated on ability to perform under pressure, define recommendations, deliver solutions, and how well the team functioned as a group.

I particularly like the action learning approach. Maybe it’s because I worked in project management for so long, but projects are good crucibles for molding talent. Projects allow for fixed-deadlines and show how well people behave themselves when under pressure to deliver results. It also gives people a framework to work within that they are familiar with while trying to learn new skills.

While these three methods are great suggestions, I’m sure there are other effective techniques to give young leaders some good learning experiences. What other experience-based activities have you seen in leadership development? Were they effective?

The Golden Rule of Training

Is the recession over? It may be too early to say, but there are some signs of recovery. Unfortunately employment isn’t one of those things. Employment recovery lags since employers don’t want to add headcount prematurely. But even in this atmosphere there are some interesting trends that everyone should pay attention to. An annual study from Robert Half International and CareerBuilder.com found that:

• Over half of employers polled planned to hire full-time employees in the next year. About 4 in 10 will hire contract workers, project workers, or part-time employees.
• 4 in 10 employers expect the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to create jobs for their organizations over the next couple of years.
• 6 in 10 employers are willing to negotiate with qualified candidates for higher compensation.

The last finding is perhaps the most surprising, since you’d expect employers to be less willing to negotiate with an abundant labor pool. The problem with the abundant labor pool is that there is still a shortage of skilled workers. Employers who participated in the study reported that over 40 percent of the resumes they receive are from unqualified candidates.

This is good news for qualified candidates and a mixed bag for employers. Employers who take care of their employees, provide fair compensation, and adequate opportunities for development will differentiate themselves from those who don’t. There’s also a warning shot for organizations that are cutting benefits and piling on the work with the attitude that employees “should be happy to have a job.”

• More than half of polled employees plan to make a career change or go back to school when the economy improves.
• A Monster.com poll found that 89 percent of employees would consider switching jobs.

The current labor market may lull managers into thinking that their actions don’t matter since immediate impact isn’t felt in turnover and retention numbers. But employees will remember how they were treated during this tough time and actions now will either ignite the desire to leave or retain talent. And guess who will hit the door first? That’s right. It’s the high performers.

The Golden Rule still applies. Treat others fairly and with respect. And for employers there is also a Golden Rule of Training. Give employees opportunities to grow and they’ll perform better and stick around longer. That same study showed that 20 percent of employees hoped for better benefits as a retention tool. At the top of the wishlist? Tuition reimbursement or subsidized training.

Be Smart with Your Human Capital Management Practices

Aberdeen Group has released a research report called Intelligent Human Capital Management: Workforce Analytics Drive Profit and Performance. First let’s state the obvious. Despite the recession, the importance of Human Capital Management (HCM) is increasing. But while more and more companies are aware of the importance of HCM, they also realize that not all HCM practices are created equally.

To get the best bang for the buck, you must have metrics. And as we all know, it is very difficult to get everything in place to make data-driven decisions when it comes to people and their performance levels. However, it is something that best-in-class companies do, and do well. Other best-in-class practices include:

·     Integrating HR, talent management, and other organizational data to see future and current needs (break down those information silos).

·     Training leaders on how to use analytics and reporting systems.

·     Creating standardized HCM metrics (what doesn’t get measured, doesn’t get done).

·     Making reports available down to the line manager level (don’t keep that information at the top of the organizational chart).

·     Improving processes so that data is accurate and timely (and available for decision making).

Bottom line: Good HCM requires collaboration between many different areas of the organization – HR, IT, line managers and strategic leaders. Unless your organization fosters collaboration between these groups, uses a system that everyone is trained on, and implements appropriate workforce metrics HCM is unlikely to give the performance gains that it could.

What do you think? Is there enough collaboration between HR, IT, and management in your organization to foster strong HCM practices?

Separate your social media updates by audience

We're in the awkward teenage phase of social media and putting information about ourselves online. Everything feels new, and people are terrified and flummoxed by the idea of becoming searchable.

• "You mean that if a future team member Googles me they might find my latest recipes?"
• "How can these college kids put party pictures of themselves online? What will happen when they look for a job later?"

In our office, there's a fun video on YouTube of our chief accountant boogying at his daughter's wedding reception. (I'll be kind and won't share the name or link.) It hasn't hurt his ability to crunch the numbers one bit. Coworkers get a kick out of it and like him better for it.

In ten years (maybe even five), our worries are going to seem silly. Everyone will be able to Google up a photo or two of their boss, coworker, and client in their swimwear or with a drink in their hand. The lines are blurring between work life and the rest of our lives: we're all going to be considered whole people, and it won't hurt our professional credibility. Before long, the people who have no personal lives online will be the strange ones. ("What's she hiding?")

Until then, just like any kind of socializing at work, common sense must prevail, and while we're in these awkward teenage years we have to deal with them. By all means, get out there online and get involved with the social networks. Online information is here to stay, and we'll only learn how to use it well by trying it out. Each of these sites has a different audience, and the best plan right now is to remember that things you share should be geared for each site's listeners. Here's what I mean on some of the most common social networks out there:

Site	Audience	Content
LinkedIn	Public (mostly). Google-able. Business and professional connections of all types.	LinkedIn is the place where you put on your best business clothes - it's designed that way and wants to stay that way. No option here for photos and videos (except for your profile picture - and you should use that!). This site's purpose and the content you'll put on it is pretty cut and dried.
Twitter	Public. Google-able. Industry and areas-of-interest leaders. Anyone you want to listen to, and those who want to listen to you.	Twitter is all about who you listen to. Think about that as you tweet: go for high impact content that says something about who you are and what you're involved in. Twitter is kind of like a cocktail reception at a networking event - you won't have much time to talk, and everything you say, whether small talk or deep insight, will make a fleeting impression.
YouTube, Flickr, etc.	Public, Google-able. The whole world is watching and searching.	Have a ball here, but remember that everything you post is public. Personally, I share lots of travel and animal photography, but I don't put up family photos or videos. Not for fear of my professional credibility, but just to protect my family's privacy. (Which I'm sure will also be outmoded someday, but I'm willing to be a pioneer myself, not for my family.)
Facebook	Walled garden, and this is the key difference! In Facebook, you have tight control over your privacy settings. Only your approved friends, family, and contacts will see what you post. You can have even more precise control by assigning your Facebook friends into groups and then determining what each group can see.	Go wild. Post those embarrassing videos and photos: falling on your face in a kick line, mooning your arch-rival sports team, your high school prom fashion faux pas. Keep in mind that anything that gets committed to the Internet could someday find its way into the wild, so I don't recommend doing anything completely irretrievable, but this is where you can let those crazy awkward teenage experiments run rampant.

That's the system I currently use when I have a new status update or tidbit of information in my hands and I'm deciding where I want to share it. What do you do? Any other social networks you think should be on this list?

The Irish Learning Alliance and MindLeaders at the CLO Symposium

How many of you out there knew that MindLeaders is an Irish owned company? I see a few of you raising your hands out there, but for the rest of you indeed we are! Two years ago we were acquired by the Irish elearning company ThirdForce (www.thirdforce.com) and this relationship has allowed us to be more innovative in our thinking and practices.

One highly positive addition that we get now that we are Irish is to be part of the Irish Learning Alliance (http://www.irishlearningalliance.net/) a consortium of companies that are on the forefront of innovation and technology in the learning space. MindLeaders is a proud member under our parent company ThirdForce.

Recently MindLeaders Director of Marketing, Philip Payne (me) represented as an ILA member at the Chief Learning Officer Symposium held at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs (tough job but someone had to do it). The ILA gave an energizing presentation of where the research is headed and how companies can utilize our findings and engage with the consortium. If anyone would like a copy of the presentation or to learn more, just email me at ppayne@mindleaders.com.

 

• Left: Me
• Middle: Sharon Claffey-Kaliouby - Enterprise Ireland Senior Vice-President of Learning
• Right: Jonny Parkes – Chairman, Irish Learning Alliance
• (not in photo) Glenn Kenny, VP of Business Development, Interactive Services (www.interactiveservices.com)