Friday, December 31, 2004
Friends helping Friends
Hi all -
Normally, I would be posting on a topic relating to our corporate theme areas. Instead, I am asking you to help us help our friends overseas recover from the recent disaster.
As many of you know, we have been negotiating with contacts in Indonesia to set up an ACT office - obviously this will now be on hold. But the tsunami has affected some of our partners and has touched the lives of many others. Our local consultant working on the Indonesian contracts has lost friends. We hope to be able to help.
Two years ago, we helped a struggling entrepreneur set up a high tech business locally - he had recently immigrated from Sri Lanka. We gave him a seed money award from our Spirit Foundation. He is doing well today but also has lost loved ones back home. We hope to be able to help.
The effects of this disaster are closer than the front page of the paper - If you can, I would like to ask you to make a donation (no amount too small - or large!) we are opening a trust account at the Bank of Montreal. Donations can be made by cheque to us, or if you would like to donate at the bank directly, email me for the account number. I can also take a MasterCard or Visa donation (and we will absorb the processing fees so your full donation goes overseas). We hope to be able to raise enough to sponsor a village or take on a specific rebuilding project.
Also, I will be making myself available to speak to groups, associations and non-profits in return for donations to our efforts. Alternatively, any fees from these events will be turned over to our help fund. If you are a member of any groups who need seminars or training -now is the time to book as we will accept whatever the group can offer.
We are friends helping friends - please help if you can.
Regards,
Janet Dean
Normally, I would be posting on a topic relating to our corporate theme areas. Instead, I am asking you to help us help our friends overseas recover from the recent disaster.
As many of you know, we have been negotiating with contacts in Indonesia to set up an ACT office - obviously this will now be on hold. But the tsunami has affected some of our partners and has touched the lives of many others. Our local consultant working on the Indonesian contracts has lost friends. We hope to be able to help.
Two years ago, we helped a struggling entrepreneur set up a high tech business locally - he had recently immigrated from Sri Lanka. We gave him a seed money award from our Spirit Foundation. He is doing well today but also has lost loved ones back home. We hope to be able to help.
The effects of this disaster are closer than the front page of the paper - If you can, I would like to ask you to make a donation (no amount too small - or large!) we are opening a trust account at the Bank of Montreal. Donations can be made by cheque to us, or if you would like to donate at the bank directly, email me for the account number. I can also take a MasterCard or Visa donation (and we will absorb the processing fees so your full donation goes overseas). We hope to be able to raise enough to sponsor a village or take on a specific rebuilding project.
Also, I will be making myself available to speak to groups, associations and non-profits in return for donations to our efforts. Alternatively, any fees from these events will be turned over to our help fund. If you are a member of any groups who need seminars or training -now is the time to book as we will accept whatever the group can offer.
We are friends helping friends - please help if you can.
Regards,
Janet Dean
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
when learner's revolt
Ever have a training day when it just seemed like nothing you were doing was working? Maybe you had "sleepers" or "chatters" or the preoccupied. You tried, you retried, you adjusted and tried again.......Well here is the good news....
After checking YOUR efforts first (did you use active learning techniques, was your approach multi modal"? etc. etc.) it may turn out to be your learners. The revolt is at hand. New research shows that more and more adults are coming to our corporate classrooms already overloaded, overstimulated and just plain tired. They have our information already but can't apply it, they know our strategies but don't have the authority to make changes, their work sits and waits for them at the end of the class day. What they are telling us is THEY JUST CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE.
But, we are just the messengers, what can we do....?
Stay tuned for our next posting where we identify some of the new strategies for calming the learner revolt.
-Janet
After checking YOUR efforts first (did you use active learning techniques, was your approach multi modal"? etc. etc.) it may turn out to be your learners. The revolt is at hand. New research shows that more and more adults are coming to our corporate classrooms already overloaded, overstimulated and just plain tired. They have our information already but can't apply it, they know our strategies but don't have the authority to make changes, their work sits and waits for them at the end of the class day. What they are telling us is THEY JUST CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE.
But, we are just the messengers, what can we do....?
Stay tuned for our next posting where we identify some of the new strategies for calming the learner revolt.
-Janet
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Corporate Universities
Here is an article to jump start our next line of topics - in-house training for skills transfer. How do we make training stick?
***********************
What does the corporate university mean to corporate training?
Over the last few decades, the training profession has been impacted by significant changes;
in the way we do business,
in the expectations of employees and
in the latest in HR techniques and trends.
These changes range from delivery technology and technology assisted training to changes in leaner characteristics and transfer demands. The training profession has been inundated (often from our own members) with speculation as to how these changes will impact our work.
In the late 80’s there was speculation that technology based training would take trainers out of the corporate classrooms and they would be replaced by audio, video and PC programming. Now we know that technology based training has enhanced our profession and forced many of us to upgrade our skills and add to our own personal “Training tool kits”.
In the 90’s, we were told that financial belt tightening would decimate the demand for the outsourced trainer and even in house training functions would be scaled back as HR would be one of the first areas to be cut. While granted that did occur in some organizations, for the most part, the demand for training has increased dramatically (see report on The status of training in Canada produced by Strategis) in the 90’s.
Janet Dean, President and Master Trainer with Advance Corporate Training Ltd. of Vancouver says, “I built my business during the time when instructor led training was predicted to be in a downward spiral. Since 1990, our business has grown every year to our current status of 12 trainers and a score of satisfied – and repeat - clients. I think that all these influences and changes make us a stronger profession and that we will continue to play an important role in the personal and professional development of the workforce for years to come.”
Issues in the 00’s include the growth of the Corporate University. This concept has organizations formalizing their training function and increasing the transferability of the courses offered. This coupled with the inherent internal and external marketing benefits of a “Corporate U” has both employees and management singing its praises.
The second wave of the corporate university concept now sees organizations partnering with others to build and brand their own customized training function. Although initially turning to public post secondary institutions for partnerships, the training profession is still playing a significant part of this workforce development. Partnerships are often three way – with the organization partnering with a public institution for credit and transferability and a private training organization for delivery.
“Our partnerships with education and industry ensure we as trainers keep up to date not just on our content expertise, but also the latest in training methodologies and skills transfer. This in turn makes sure public institutions keep their offerings current, marketable and in some cases cutting edge and of course, industry reaps the benefits. Partnerships like these are truly win-win.” says Dean.
And often, it is trainers like Dean who put the players together. “Recently I had a client who wanted to build an in-house corporate university and wanted to partner with an educational institution. Through my contacts within the institutions and my relationship with the client, we were able to put together a three way partnership with minimal effort, no risk and great potential – for all three of us”
In other cases, colleges like Aurora College in the Northwest Territories have long had a reputation of partnering with local business and industry to become their training arm. Campus Director Miki O’Kane says. “We recognize that in addition to serving our college student base, it is important for us to build partnerships with employers here in the Territories. By taking on some of their corporate training needs, we make valuable contacts, serve our community and continue to do what we do best – educate northerners.” Many courses and programs delivered by Aurora College through corporate universities for multinational companies working in the local oil and gas industry are transferable to programs and certificates offered by Aurora and other educational institutions. Anne Church, continuing education coordinator, “I get to know what business needs, find top quality trainers and then manage the relationship.” The partnership works at all levels.
Other institutions get involved in other ways. Programs like Vancouver Community College’s Leadership certificate program become “adopted” by industry as a training standard and some organizations then make it a required management development activity – whether in house or at the school. Organizations like ICBC and HRDC take part, enhancing their own programs while developing their staff to a consistent external standard.
In some cases partnerships may be even larger. Working with the Canadian Association of Community Colleges and Canada Post, Dean took part in the development and delivery of a supervisory development program. Canada Post’s in house corporate university – The Learning Centre - partnered with the association (and thus their member organizations in each region) and outside trainers like Dean to develop and deliver high level supervisory training to all supervisors in the country. A project this scale needed all players at the table to make it work and work it did!
“Corporate Universities are here and are serving a valuable function. As trainers we encourage and foster the spirit of lifelong learning. We need to take this on ourselves and learn and grow to fill our very important niche in this latest training and HR trend.” Says Dean
Janet Dean can be reached at dean@actraining.com or visit their website at www.actraining.com
***********************
What does the corporate university mean to corporate training?
Over the last few decades, the training profession has been impacted by significant changes;
in the way we do business,
in the expectations of employees and
in the latest in HR techniques and trends.
These changes range from delivery technology and technology assisted training to changes in leaner characteristics and transfer demands. The training profession has been inundated (often from our own members) with speculation as to how these changes will impact our work.
In the late 80’s there was speculation that technology based training would take trainers out of the corporate classrooms and they would be replaced by audio, video and PC programming. Now we know that technology based training has enhanced our profession and forced many of us to upgrade our skills and add to our own personal “Training tool kits”.
In the 90’s, we were told that financial belt tightening would decimate the demand for the outsourced trainer and even in house training functions would be scaled back as HR would be one of the first areas to be cut. While granted that did occur in some organizations, for the most part, the demand for training has increased dramatically (see report on The status of training in Canada produced by Strategis) in the 90’s.
Janet Dean, President and Master Trainer with Advance Corporate Training Ltd. of Vancouver says, “I built my business during the time when instructor led training was predicted to be in a downward spiral. Since 1990, our business has grown every year to our current status of 12 trainers and a score of satisfied – and repeat - clients. I think that all these influences and changes make us a stronger profession and that we will continue to play an important role in the personal and professional development of the workforce for years to come.”
Issues in the 00’s include the growth of the Corporate University. This concept has organizations formalizing their training function and increasing the transferability of the courses offered. This coupled with the inherent internal and external marketing benefits of a “Corporate U” has both employees and management singing its praises.
The second wave of the corporate university concept now sees organizations partnering with others to build and brand their own customized training function. Although initially turning to public post secondary institutions for partnerships, the training profession is still playing a significant part of this workforce development. Partnerships are often three way – with the organization partnering with a public institution for credit and transferability and a private training organization for delivery.
“Our partnerships with education and industry ensure we as trainers keep up to date not just on our content expertise, but also the latest in training methodologies and skills transfer. This in turn makes sure public institutions keep their offerings current, marketable and in some cases cutting edge and of course, industry reaps the benefits. Partnerships like these are truly win-win.” says Dean.
And often, it is trainers like Dean who put the players together. “Recently I had a client who wanted to build an in-house corporate university and wanted to partner with an educational institution. Through my contacts within the institutions and my relationship with the client, we were able to put together a three way partnership with minimal effort, no risk and great potential – for all three of us”
In other cases, colleges like Aurora College in the Northwest Territories have long had a reputation of partnering with local business and industry to become their training arm. Campus Director Miki O’Kane says. “We recognize that in addition to serving our college student base, it is important for us to build partnerships with employers here in the Territories. By taking on some of their corporate training needs, we make valuable contacts, serve our community and continue to do what we do best – educate northerners.” Many courses and programs delivered by Aurora College through corporate universities for multinational companies working in the local oil and gas industry are transferable to programs and certificates offered by Aurora and other educational institutions. Anne Church, continuing education coordinator, “I get to know what business needs, find top quality trainers and then manage the relationship.” The partnership works at all levels.
Other institutions get involved in other ways. Programs like Vancouver Community College’s Leadership certificate program become “adopted” by industry as a training standard and some organizations then make it a required management development activity – whether in house or at the school. Organizations like ICBC and HRDC take part, enhancing their own programs while developing their staff to a consistent external standard.
In some cases partnerships may be even larger. Working with the Canadian Association of Community Colleges and Canada Post, Dean took part in the development and delivery of a supervisory development program. Canada Post’s in house corporate university – The Learning Centre - partnered with the association (and thus their member organizations in each region) and outside trainers like Dean to develop and deliver high level supervisory training to all supervisors in the country. A project this scale needed all players at the table to make it work and work it did!
“Corporate Universities are here and are serving a valuable function. As trainers we encourage and foster the spirit of lifelong learning. We need to take this on ourselves and learn and grow to fill our very important niche in this latest training and HR trend.” Says Dean
Janet Dean can be reached at dean@actraining.com or visit their website at www.actraining.com
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Leader's Report Card
Over the last few months I have spent much time on leadership and issues relating to leadership. Now it is your turn. Take a look inward and see how you are doing as a leader. then, email me and I will summarise and report the results. Future postings will be designed to help in the areas you report to be the most troublesome.
The Leader’s Report Card
An effective leader has an assortment of leadership skills that fall into three areas: time, people, and process. This report card will help you grade your own skills in those areas. Assess which criteria under each area are your greatest strengths and which criteria are in greatest need of improvement. Respond to each statement with a yes or no.
Time Management
The Leader’s Report Card
An effective leader has an assortment of leadership skills that fall into three areas: time, people, and process. This report card will help you grade your own skills in those areas. Assess which criteria under each area are your greatest strengths and which criteria are in greatest need of improvement. Respond to each statement with a yes or no.
Time Management
- I have a clear sense of my priorities and those for my staff. ___
- I properly estimate how long a project will take to complete. ___
- I plan as much as possible to reduce unnecessary emergencies. ___
- I am good at assessing the workload to be completed and how it is to be delegated to create a reasonable amount of work for everyone. ___
- I believe there is a time for everything, including life outside of the office, and I assist my team with achieving that balance. ___
People Management
- I am an empathetic listener and not only hear the words being said but also understand the meaning and emotions behind the words. ___
- I look for opportunities to regularly communicate in person with each individual, understanding that the human connection is essential to establishing and maintaining strong working relationships. ___
- I have learned the strengths and weaknesses of each member of my team, while looking for ways to use each person’s talents. ___
- I provide professional development opportunities through work assignments and training for each member of my team. ___
- I look for ways to improve the work environment, including ensuring that the work is challenging, encouraging friendly and cooperative behavior in co-workers, offering reasonable salaries and benefits and providing opportunities for increased responsibility. ___
Process Management
- I have created or improved the processes that lead to effective team management, including recruitment, assignment distribution, professional development and performance reviews. ___
- I regularly check with team members to make sure theses processes are effective and to ask for suggestions for improvement. ___
- I tie these processes together so that expectations are clear to those I supervise. ___
Email me a summary of your results - jde@web.net
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Adlerian Wisdom
Recently I was reading a journal from the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology and realized that it was time to share some of the thoughts and ideas with you.... Here are a couple of ideas to help you as a manager or leader when you need to influence others behaviour.
1- Take time for training
Make sure the other person understands what "cooperate/work together as a team" (or any other intangible concept) means TO YOU. To them it may mean simply not bringing conflicts to the surface or interacting only on their best behaviour. Consider asking "What is your understanding of what is expected?"
2- Teach and model mutual respect
One way is to be kind and firm at the same time - kind to show respect for them and firm to show respect for yourself. This is especially difficult during conflict but is the only way to develop a mutually respectful and subsequently trusting environment.
3- Be encouraging
Everyone needs a champion but a leader must find a way to balance this unquestioning support with the need to also be a disciplinarian. Here are some words and phrases to try:
To focus on contributions and assets
To build confidence
To show your acceptance
To recognize effort and improvement
1- Take time for training
Make sure the other person understands what "cooperate/work together as a team" (or any other intangible concept) means TO YOU. To them it may mean simply not bringing conflicts to the surface or interacting only on their best behaviour. Consider asking "What is your understanding of what is expected?"
2- Teach and model mutual respect
One way is to be kind and firm at the same time - kind to show respect for them and firm to show respect for yourself. This is especially difficult during conflict but is the only way to develop a mutually respectful and subsequently trusting environment.
3- Be encouraging
Everyone needs a champion but a leader must find a way to balance this unquestioning support with the need to also be a disciplinarian. Here are some words and phrases to try:
To focus on contributions and assets
- Thanks, that helped a lot.
- It was thoughtful of you to...
- Thanks, I really appreciate....
- I need your help with....
- You have skill in....
- I really enjoyed today. Thanks.
To build confidence
- Knowing you, I am sure you will do fine.
- You'll make it.
- I have confidence in you.
- That's a tough one but I am sure you will work it out.
To show your acceptance
- I like the way you handled that.
- I like the way you tackle a problem.
- I am glad you enjoy....
- Since you are not satisfied, what do you think that you can do so you will be pleased about it?
- How do you feel about it?
To recognize effort and improvement
- I appreciate your effort.
- It looks like you worked really hard on that.
- Look at the progress you made... (be specific)
- Look how far you have come.
- It looks as if you worked really hard on that. (be specific)
Friday, August 20, 2004
Choose to be positive
Every day, we interact with people who are grumpy, unhappily employed or just plain nasty. Often, this outward negativism is the result of low self-esteem or lack of confidence. It can permeate every aspect of a persons life and yet the solution is quite simple - choose to take a different approach! Yes that's it, and yes it is hard but is also essentially simple and within your locus of control.
Start by convincing yourself you are happily employed (see below) - if you can't, change your job!
Then, focus on building confidence - use the wise words of others as your affirmations (also below).
Put it all together and choose to become a more positive person.
WHAT DOES A HAPPILY EMPLOYED PERSON LOOK LIKE?
- Likes what he/she is doing
- Is good at what he/she is doing
- Enjoys a sense of security on the job
- Feels a partnership with the employer
- Has realistic goals for both this job and his/her overall career
- Views the job as only a part of the overall quality of his/her life
- Does not feel guilty about success
Quotes about Confidence
Norman Vincent Peale: People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.
Zig Ziglar: Put all excuses aside and remember this: YOU are capable.
Samuel Johnson: Self confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.
Paul Bryant: Show class, have pride, and display character.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Are you worthy?
In a recent leadership survey, the Hay Group examined over 75 key components of employee satisfaction. They found that trust and confidence in leaders were the single most reliable predictors of employee satisfaction in an organization.
-jde
If your employees seem to lack motivation and drive (key measures of employee satisfaction), ask yourself if they have cause to trust you and have confidence in you, your decisions and your own motivations. You are a trustworthy person - maybe you are just not communicating your intentions and ideals the way you intend.
Effective communication by leaders in three critical areas was the key to winning trust and confidence:- Helping employees understand the company's overall business strategy.
- Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives.
- Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee's own division is doing - relative to strategic business objectives.
-jde
