Book Review: ‘The People Formula: 12 steps to productive, profitable, performing business’ by Jane Sunley
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In The People Formula, Jane Sunley aims to ‘dramatically improve the performance and profitability of your business’ through the application of 12 steps which address many important business challenges. These steps address issues such as how to get buy-in from the top, driving employee engagement and delivering practical learning and development. The book is not […]
The Leadership Material – How leadership skills impact training results
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The definition of leadership normally varies largely based on the context within which it is applied and from whose perspective the definition is sought. Leaders will often have a different opinion on how to define leadership when compared to the followers that they lead. Generally, leadership is perceived as the ability to influence a few […]
Want to empower employees to bridge the digital skills gap? Start at home…
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The UK is facing a much reported shortage of digital skills, which is currently costing the economy an estimated £63bn a year – according to a report by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. Yet, while recent Government figures put 12.6 million Britons at risk of being left behind in terms of skills […]
Change the Recipe for Success
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Have you ever suddenly been confronted by an unexpected change forced on you by the actions of others? How did it feel to have your status quo unexpectedly thrown off kilter? Did you feel shocked? Or was it anger that overwhelmed you? Maybe you wanted to cover your ears, close your eyes and scream "Noooooooo"? […]
Job shadowing, mentoring & open communication: developing future leaders in the public sector
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Having a positive impact on real people’s lives has always been a passion of mine. It’s what gave me the drive to establish a career in the public sector. After several years at the Cabinet Office, I decided it was time to get back on the frontline so took my current role as Head of […]
Time to align your corporate learning strategy to business goals?
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This article describes the key features of an effective corporate learning strategy (CLS) and will help you understand how and why your strategy needs to be linked to organisational goals. In the 21st century business environment, it’s essential that L&D delivers to the pace and direction of the business. As the global environment and business are rapidly […]
Soft Skills style secrets: Greta Garbo
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We’ve looked at high profile names for whom the term ‘soft-skills’ could have been penned for but what about those in the limelight who struggle to reconcile the necessary public persona with their natural personality? We take a look at iconic 20s/30s film star Greta Garbo. There are many stars who are immortalised by a […]
Five key steps toward creating a learning culture
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Businesses have tendencies to develop and stick to ‘success formulas,’ processes and strategies that were carefully honed, and which have served their firms so well in the past, that executives are loath to change them regardless of the circumstances. However, with the fast pace of today’s digital markets, this is no longer a viable approach. […]
Training budgets for employees
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Hi all, I am currently developing a training budget protocol. We want to provide every employee from a certain level a individual training budget. I am not sure how this is working in other companies, but I am curious to know a few things: 1. What would be the requirements for an employee to get […]
Rethinking Your Employee Benefits For Better Retention Rates
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Benefits packages play a very large role in employee retention and satisfaction. Perks and benefits are so important that in a 2015 survey conducted by Technology Advice. 56% of respondents reported that they would be willing to forgo a salary increase for certain benefits. If you find yourself combating high employee turnover rates, a look […]
Your people, your differentiators
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How do you see your people? Are they paper shufflers and process followers; part of that vast army of ‘heavy-on-the-costs’ entities which are tolerated at least until the machines can take over? Or are they the centrepiece of your organisation, the guardians of the culture and the drivers of differentiated innovation? Unnecessary question? Well, even […]
Politician analysis: Donald Trump
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Donald John Trump, the man that Barack Obama has recently labelled “unfit” to be president of the US could potentially hold that very office on Tuesday November 8th 2016. We ask, how does a man who is widely reported to be brash, rude and more than a little economical with the truth, get to be […]
Believe in leadership
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How much do you believe in leadership? Do you see it as a destination or a journey, a right or a privilege? Do people engage with you because of your title or because of who you are and what you can bring to the organisation? It’s a question which sits at the heart of leadership. […]
Book Review: Designing The Purposeful Organisation
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Clive Wilson’s Designing the Purposeful Organisation is a striking and compelling argument for placing ‘purpose’ at the heart of every organisation. Told in an almost personal narrative style, the author’s voice resonates throughout, embedding the key message that ‘for organisations to be successful, they must be purpose-driven’. Although arguably a simple enough premise, Wilson guides […]
Coffee briefing: Brain maps, negative feedback & talent management at Disney
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It's time for another of our weekly updates on the news, opinion and blogs from across the world of L&D, we hope you're sitting comfortably! We're really enjoying your feedback on the series, so do let us know what you think in the comments or over on Twitter, and feel free to tell us which […]
Coffee Briefing: ‘Modern work’, Pokemon Go and the power of unconscious communities
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Here we are, ready to start your week with another helping of L&D news, blogs & opinion. Grab your favourite hot beverage and get comfortable – here's your weekly briefing of what you may have missed… Culture – Round-Robin brainstorming (Mind Tools) – Unconscious communities (John Wade blog) – Why 'Modern Work' culture makes people […]
Coffee briefing: Flow Theory, storytelling, & leadership across cultures
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We've got a slightly breezier round-up for you this week, but hopefully no less interesting. Here are our picks of the best news & opinion from across L&D and beyond – enjoy! Leadership – Meet the 31-year-old who mentors the CEO of a $44 billion company (Business Insider UK) – What leadership looks like in other […]
The five stages of Brexit
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If you want to know how resilient we are as a nation, you only have to look at how quickly we went through the five stages of grief when the result of the Brexit referendum was announced. There was little time for denial as the results came flooding in from counting stations across the country. […]
The psychology of innovation
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Okay, let’s roll our sleeves up, sit down and talk business. This is just between you and me so we can be honest with each other. So tell me, have you ever stopped to wonder about how so much of strategy planning seems to take place on the intellectual (move pegs around the board) level? […]
Coaching – a partnership of trust
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Whether in the sporting arena or in the office it is all too easy to see the coaching relationship in terms of hierarchy; between someone who needs help and someone who can provide the answers. Whilst that level of relationship may work on certain superficial levels, the best coaches operate on an entirely different plane. […]