Recently, I was talking to some corporate L&D people about microlearning and performance support, and the conversation turned to pushing such content to employees versus having them pull it themselves. The L&D folks said that they were returning to a push approach because employees weren’t pulling content without being nudged, prodded, and reminded to do […]
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Putting On My Conference Lenses: How I Plan To Maximize This Professional Development Opportunity
The home page for the Association for Talent Development International Conference & Exposition (ATD ICE) explains how this conference may help you excel as a talent development professional. As the president of the ATD Detroit chapter, however, I read this page a little differently. When contemplating whether to attend the conference this year, I wondered: […]
Read MoreBeing Consultative Without Actually Saying “No”
There’s a balance to maintain when being a good performance consultant and doing what’s right for your client. Whether you work at a large company or a small one, there seems to be a pervasive myth that if there’s a performance problem to solve, having people attend training will fix it. How do you tell […]
Read MoreThe Joy of Emotions – Be a Listener, Not a Fixer
I’ve happily been pursuing and trying to maintain happiness for much of my life. I’m definitely a glass-half-full kind of person. While I consider myself a good listener, I have to admit that in the past I didn’t necessarily listen to the grumblings of others when they were unhappy. I self-acknowledged that they were unhappy, but I never really listened to the reason why they were unhappy. Instead, I put blinders on and just wanted to fix the situation so they could be happy again.
Read MoreMake Learning a Process, Not an Event, Through Proper Transfer
I think it’s safe to say that at one time or another, all of us have probably been in a situation where we’ve created a really “great” training program, and the training just doesn’t stick. We end up asking ourselves, “What could I have done differently to ensure my learners effectively applied their new skills and knowledge on their jobs?”
Read MoreFrom Orientation to Onboarding — It’s More Than Giving Out a Company Mug
The year was 1990-something, and it was my first day at my first professional job as a pediatric medical office receptionist. I was greeted and then given a binder of standard HR policies and procedures (to read on my own, of course), a stack of forms to fill out, a company mug, and a quick tour of my work space (the front desk). I then spent time observing my friend, who had recommended me for the position, doing basic tasks while we chatted — mainly about our personal lives. By my third shift, I was on my own.
Read MoreWhat Do You Do?
Just the other day, I was picking my daughter up from art camp and another mother asked the proverbial question, “What do you do?”
Read MoreA Learning Strategy Is Your Road Map to Effective Organizational Development
I’ve been in the training industry for a long time — 25 years long. And I’ve done work on client projects representing the full gamut of subject matter and delivered via many different media (classroom, web-based, mobile, blends, and so on). One pattern I continually see is that many companies simply react to the needs of the moment and spend their time putting out training fires. A lot of these companies have not systematically thought through how they’ll go about building performer skills and knowledge.
Read MoreThe Art of Juggling Multiple Roles
Sometimes it’s simple. You go to work, you bang out a few tasks, and you go home. Usually, the tasks are around a single role; but what happens when your job requires you to fill multiple roles? Well, days can get hectic, stress can increase, and a feeling of paralysis can set in when you don’t know where to shift your focus to first. How do you combat it?
Read MoreWhy Adding Self-Reflection to Development Programs is a Good Thing
Lately, I’ve noticed the term self-reflection popping up in a lot of articles about leadership, management, and coaching. Long a believer in the power of self-reflection, I think it’s an important addition to any employee development program, since it can lead employees to real clarity about their goals and role in an organization.
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