Does your business expect a ‘prescription for performance?’
Robin Hoyle is a writer, trainer and consultant. He is the author of Complete Training: from recruitment to retirement and Informal Learning in Organizations; how to create a continuous learning culture both published by Kogan Page. He will be speaking at the CIPD L&D show, at London’s Olympia on 10th May, 2017 Does it sometimes feel that as an L&D team […]
Why do 95% of companies make bad hires?
95% of organisations of all sizes admit to making bad hires every year, according to Brandon Hall Group’s 2015 Talent Acquisition Study. Nothing seems to have changed since The Economist reported in 2006 that finding the right people is ‘the single biggest problem in business today’. What’s the cost? What does this cost a business? […]
What is the future of network marketing like?
Network marketing, also referred to as multi-level marketing, is a marketing technique in which the sales force is compensated not only for the sales they make but also for adding extra sales persons to the community. This forms a chain of vendors who promote merchandise of an organization, in the process recruiting more sales agents who help popularize the products and brands. Concerning its future, you can only speculate. It is now a fading trend, due to the fact that brands are opting to train people on their products which in turn raise the brand awareness. Its boom can be fed through the same knowledgeable populous youths who […]
Is ethical leadership on the line?
Since leadership behaviour fundamentally influences the development of ethical conduct, two important questions arise: ‘Will I be a champion, an exemplar or both?’ and ‘How do I perform either role?’ If you are a senior leader, such as head of a business division, in the top management team or even the CEO, others will normally […]
Coffee briefing: augmented reality, leveraging your board seat and the realities of point-of-need learning
Give yourself a well-earned break and take five to catch up on some highlights of this week’s L&D news and opinion. Let us know what you think of the articles we’ve shared, and tell us what you’ve enjoyed reading too! VR in Learning Research – Our Summary & Lessons Learned (Niall Gavin) Following a three-month […]
Unfreezing the middle: how to unleash your middle management potential
In just the last few months, I’ve heard many executives say, “We are frozen in the middle.” These leaders are frustrated that their organisations are stuck by misaligned goals, unclear accountabilities and poor handoffs between levels of leadership. Others have added, “We have good people. What is going on?” Executives want help unfreezing the middle and […]
6 steps to find the ROI of your training program
You have probably heard the standard opinions: even though communication training may help awareness, self-confidence and recognition, it remains something that is ‘nice to have’. Something that you can’t measure and therefore does not deserve priority. However, this is not the case anymore: soft skills can be measurably improved and the Return On Investment (ROI) […]
The promises and pitfalls of hand drawn graphics
Hand drawn graphics are simple images accompanied by text. The terms sketchnoting, graphic facilitation, visual thinking and visual communication all relate to hand drawn graphics. Organisations can make use of hand drawn graphics in many areas. For example, a simple one page graphic can be used to explain a complex process; graphic facilitation can be […]
Reflections on performance management
Reflecting on various interventions to establish and inculcate good effective performance management practices I have identified the following critical actions that deliver great results: Help people to understand the role of being a manager and what it entails before they become one.Many people look at a management role as a way of making good progression […]
The Learning and Development Strategy Example
This is the last post in a series of articles i have been writing on how to create a learning and development strategy using six strategy questions. This post shows an example of a completed learning and development strategy. Meanwhile here are links to all the previous posts: Learning and development strategy, not again! What […]
L&D has a bad rep – and it needs to fix it
This is not ‘click bait’ (as my 11-year old twins tell me is the correct phrase for attention grabbing headlines fronting disingenuous articles of little related value) – this is reality street. Let me share thoughts and provide some evidence to substantiate this. First off, it’s nothing personal: most of the people I meet in […]
5 elements of successful mindfulness
Mindfulness is currently a hot buzzword in business thanks to proven research that a more mindful culture will help to drive high levels of agility, retention, talent development, customer service and innovation. It also has many individual benefits for employees, such as sharpening your memory, focus and improving your resilience. But what do L&Ds need […]
The multiple benefits of improving your self-confidence
Self-confidence can be hard to come by. It’s much easier to criticise yourself – and skip over positive thoughts about a job well done. But listening to a negative internal monologue isn’t just bad for you, it’s also bad for your business. Confidence in your company starts with confidence in the leader of your company; without […]
History and context: the changing face of apprenticeships
At their heart, apprenticeships are about combining working, learning and earning. This is an attractive combination for both individuals and employers, which is why they have been around for hundreds of years. However, in this time they have changed significantly and will continue to evolve in the years ahead. Richard Marsh, from Kaplan, explores the […]
How to become an inclusive leader who values diversity
The evolution of human consciousness as studied and documented by a great number of people – from historians, to anthropologists, philosophers, mystics, psychologists and neuroscientists – has been found to develop in stages. Organisations, as an expression of the same human consciousness, have evolved over time too and correlate with each stage of consciousness. Gaining […]
Creating an L&D strategy with the questions-Part 4
In the previous post (access it here), the Head of IT said he can provide Dave with more information to answer question four. The leadership team (LT) members also gave Dave a list of managers and team leaders who can also help him with more detailed information. for the question. Dave was ready to close […]
Corporate obsolescence, emotional agility and never changing your mind
Give yourself a well-earned break and take five to catch up on some highlights of this week’s L&D news and opinion. Let us know what you think of the articles we’ve shared, and tell us what you’ve enjoyed reading too! Learning – Learning should be global, but not necessarily digital, say L&D leaders (People Management) – As […]
CIPD Leaders in Learning Feb 2017
Time for L&D to take action CIPD Leaders in Learning is a free to attend network for L&D leaders and I am lucky enough to attend their events, learning from and networking from L&D peers and thought leaders. At the most recent meeting on the last day of February the agenda was focused on two areas; L&D […]
Creating an L&D strategy with the questions-Part 3
This is part of an ongoing series on how to create a learning and development series. You can read the previous article here. Dave told them that though there are six questions that need to be answered, he will only ask them one more question. The last two questions will be answered by the learning […]
Triad structures, goal setting and the positives of frustration
Another week, another round-up of the freshest L&D news, thinking and ideas! Take a look below and get some insight today. Skills Feeling Frustrated Isn’t All Bad — It’s a Sign of Growth (Frank Calman, Chief Learning Officer) How to Identify Skill Gaps in Your Company? A 5-Step Process (Karla Gutierrez, Shift) Developing leaders: what really works? […]
