How can mindfulness make you a better leader?
I have been involved in leadership programs for many years, and have often noticed that on them, very intelligent, aware and senior people still surprise themselves by discovering uncomfortable truths about themselves, especially triggers or personal ‘hot spots’. They often feel the need for self-management tools, especially for use under stress. They understand that the […]
Information to transformation – moving from knowing to doing
Is it true that learning has not taken place until it results in a change of behaviour? Over many years as a trainer, coach and lecturer I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with hundreds of managers and team members. One theme I have noticed, which seems more prevalent now that individuals have […]
How to Gain Buy-in for Training Technologies
Agile training organisations like yours will, eventually, face a conundrum: In order to increase course bookings and offerings, do they hire an army of administrators or invest in a training management system? When seeking fast and sustainable growth, training technologies tend to be the answer. These systems are, ultimately, less expensive than inflating the wage […]
Welcome to the new age of leadership development. Here’s what you need to know.
Only the most mutton-headed business leader has failed to realise that we live in a new, extraordinary, disruptive era – a digital age where new technologies, mindsets, and working cultures emerge at dazzling speed. But what of leadership training? Are the models adopted by many companies and organisations still working along traditional lines, and if […]
The competitive advantage of deliberate practice
One of the most critical competitive advantages for any organization is the skill level at which their people have important conversations. Interpersonal interactions, whether customer-facing, coaching, diversity & inclusion or leadership, can positively or negatively affect an organization more than a marketing campaign, a recognizable logo, a great product, or a good price. Business leaders […]
Have virtual meetings made our meetings worse?
An increasing proportion of our meetings are virtual – through tools such as videoconference, conference calls, WebEx and Skype. As the number of tools proliferate it is becoming increasingly clear that meetings’ facilitators often lack the skills to plan and run re-engaging virtual meetings. Meetings are essential to effective collaboration and decision making and, as […]
Why don’t improvements to our meetings stick?
Many organisations have attempted to improve their meetings but found that, despite initial improvements, changes are hard to sustain and bad habits quickly creep back in. In Kill Bad Meetings the authors Kevan and Alan Hall propose an alternative method for reducing the number and improving the quality of face-to-face and virtual meetings. Meetings are […]
Why learning transfer is more important than evaluation
Most learning and development professionals are great at building content focusing on the learner. We can also evaluate and test if this knowledge retrospectively. However, we don’t have the data and insights to know that behavioural and skill development is being displayed in the work place. Being able to measure learning transfer and look at […]
Chairing meetings – what does a strong chair look like?
Let’s be honest – we’ve all been to meetings that have added no value to our day. Surveys on how much time, energy and resentment badly run meetings cost us range from horrifying figures of anywhere between 35-50% of our time. Think of the opportunities lost from having half your working week wasted in unproductive […]
How to design a development programme for managers of remote teams
Some companies have embraced location-independent work and it has become a part of everyday life, without a single reference to “remote” or “virtual”. On the other hand, some organisations have found themselves making a very deliberate and fast transition to “remote work”, “flexible work” or “agile working”, which all involve working with others with whom […]
Transforming training cynics into model employees
Workplace negativity can spread like wildfire. It only takes one cynic to turn a once proactive team into a dispirited group of individuals. Once that ‘get up and go’ has got up and gone, it can be difficult to restore and this can have a negative impact on the wider business and the bottom line. […]
How to get the best from millennials in the workplace
Millennials have an unfair and often unfounded reputation in business. The generation born between 1985 and 2000 can be described by their more mature colleagues as self-centred, disloyal and disrespectful. Added to this, they may be seen as prone to frequent job moves, have high career expectations and are difficult to manage. Unsurprisingly, these negative […]
Your Work is your WORK
Charles Darwin is apocryphally quoted as saying, “It’s not the biggest, the brightest, or the best that will survive, but those who adapt the quickest.” While he may not have actually said it, the sentiment stands. It is therefore vital that we develop ways and practices that assist us to learn about ourselves. Much has […]
Why ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ is damaging the workplace
As an employer or manager, one of your key responsibilities is to ensure that your staff or team is happy and healthy. For a long time there has been stigma surrounding the importance of mental health equalling that of physical health; the ‘Keep Calm and Carry on’ ethos of World War II is so ingrained […]
“We are bound to see more industries undergoing digital transformation.”
This is an interview with Gori Yahaya, founder of training and education consultancy UpSkill Digital. He has over 10 years of experience consulting and training thousands of SMEs, charities, and business owners across the UK on how to boost their digital skills and harness the power of the internet and tools effectively to drive growth […]
“The urgent challenge to HR leaders is to apply a consumer and a digital lens to the HR function.”
Jeanne Meister is the founder of HR advisory and research firm Future Workplace. In 2015, Jeanne was named to the list of the top 50 Influencers in Corporate Human Resources and Recruiting by Glassdoor. She will be keynoting at Learning Live on September 6th and 7th on what employees will look for in the future workplace and what this […]
A Toucan Doing the Can Can
Whatever one toucan can doIs sooner done by toucans twoAnd three toucans it’s very true Can manage more than two can do And toucans numbering two plus twoCan manage more than all the zoo canIn fact there is no toucan, who canDo what four or three or two can. A couple of blogs back, I made […]
How Language Training Can Benefit Your Business
Companies can find immense benefit in training their employees in foreign languages. Teaching employees foreign languages can help companies reach new markets, make employees feel more confident and business-savvy and expand a company’s access to other businesses. A company that learns to communicate in foreign languages can command greater respect from international businesses and local […]
Smart but silent – Making a career as an introvert
Being an introverted person can produce challenges that the rest of society can’t relate to. And most likely that is why introverts, who are actually most often than not quite intelligent, find it difficult to enter the job market, are bullied at work or are passed up on big promotions. I am not an […]
Emotional fluidity – the missing element?
Mary is a leader who seems to get things done without much fuss. She’s approachable and her staff describe how they can go to her with any emotional problems and feel listened to. However, she is no pushover. She says exactly what she expects from people in a clear and direct way, and always with an underlying […]
