Leadership a-z - L is for Learning

Learning is an integral part of the leadership process. Learning may happen formally and informally, Informally through action, conversations with mentors, our bosses. Formally we may be exposed to formal leadership training and undertake skill development around some of the core leadership skill areas (discussed earlier at this leadership a-z blog post).

I regularly speak on the different modalities of learning and some of the distinctions between Supervision, Coaching, Mentoring and Training. This stems from my own experience as a senior leader working in the domains of coacing, mentoring and training. As a consultant and leadership coach today, I continue to work with partner organizations across these varied disciplines.

My latest book, From One to Many: Best Practices of Team and Group Coaching, addresses the topic of leadership capacity development, and learning in part 3 of the book.

The following Iconograph comes from ASTD's 2013 State of the Industry report:

ASTD 2013 State of the Industry Infographic from BizLibrary

Coaching Questions:
* How much time have you dedicated to learning this year - for you? For your team?
 Which skill areas could you benefit from sharpening or learning more about?
* What do you find you need the most useful - Formal learning opportunities? Informal learning opportunities? Support from peers or others in your industry? Mentoring?

* What one learning activity would have the greatest impact to your work, and your life, in the next year?

Have a great week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, MES, CPT, PCC
Potentials Realized
Author of Effective Group Coaching and From One to Many: Best Practices of Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
Phone: (416)996-TEAM
Read more about our coaching, retreat and leadership development offerings and support
 
As an author Jennifer Britton is known for her thought leadership in the area of group and team coaching.  She has spent the last 25 years supporting teams and groups real their full potential. She is also a former leader and team builder who spent the first 13 years of her career working within the United Nations as well as the international aid sector. From Boardroom to jungle, beach and forest to mountains, Jennifer has worked to develop teams and leaders in more than 18 countries, and virtually many more. She founded Potentials Realized in 2004 and focuses on leadership, teamwork and coaching skills training/

Time to Virtualize Your Global Training?

Some of you may know that global travel was a huge part of my former life as a manager and early business owner. The recent air travel chaos caused by the Volcanic eruption in Iceland, has had me thinking on a number of different levels regarding the impact - to communities, as well as to learning.

My first thoughts took me back to my work asa project manager for several development projects in the Caribbean island of Montserrat. The volcano has been active in Montserrat since the mid-1990s and I know first hand how destructive volcanic ash can be for everything - humans, animals, agriculture and even buildings. In recent days there has been a lot of focus on the impact on travel because of the volcano, but how about the impact to the geography and communities affected in Iceland?

My second thought was what about the thousands of professionals stranded on either side of the Atlantic. Many of us, myself included, still take forgranted the ability to cross the ocean swiftly and be able to attend to business, or lead training the next day. A few months ago as I passed through Paris on my way to Senegal, I had fleeting thoughts about what if we are delayed? What will happen to our training?

The volcano is another indication of how quickly events can take over business as usual, and how it is an opportunity to look proactively at how we can more effectively bring together global professionals for training.

Virtual Training - by phone and web - is becoming an increasingly popular modality, and even the standard in many global organizations. It may never replace the impact of face to face environments, but used effectively can enable ongoing learning and dialogue amongst dispersed groups. Virtual training has been a keen interest area of mine since 2005 when the arrival of my son pushed me to virtualize most of my training programs. Over the last 5 years, I've seen more and more organizations embrace virtual training, as well as more and more facilitators learn to adapt their skills for the virtual environment. One of the chapters in my book, Effective Group Coaching, addresses the issue of virtual program delivery for facilitators, tips and ideas, as well as a check list to help you identify whether you are ready to lead training programs virtually. If you are a facilitator, I'll also invite you to check out my Group Coaching blog at http://groupcoaching.blogspot.com which has lots of other tips and tricks for facilitators.

On Wednesday last week I met again with the team in West Africa - this time luckily by web. If not, I might have been one of the thousands stranded in Paris for the weekend. Yes, there could be worse places to be stranded, but it sure was nice to spend the weekend with my family.

Have a great start to the week!

Warmly
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC
Potentials Realized
Phone: 416.996.TEAM (8326)
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

What Skills are Employers Looking For?

I am just back to the office after a week spent in Senegal, West Africa, delivering a 5 day Coaching and Mentoring Training of Trainers for UNICEF. It was a wonderful experience! More on this later.

World at Work published "Employers Rank Communication Skills First Among Job Candidate Skills/Qualities" last week about what employers are looking for in terms of skills in the workplace.

Based on the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) 2010 Outlook, the top 5 skills employers are looking for are:

1. communication skills
2. analytical skills
3. teamwork skills
4. technical skills
5. strong work ethic.

How is your skills training in these areas? What are you noticing about new applicants and their level of competency in these areas?

What would you rank as the top 5 skill areas needed in today's economy?

Have a great week,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP

Potentials Realized

Author of Effective Group Coaching

How to Find the Right Mentor

The New York Times ran a great article over the holiday season regarding some practical tips about what mentoring is and to finding the right mentor. You can view the article "Finding the Right Mentor Can Bolster A Career" here.

As we are seeing on both sides of the border, mentoring is increasingly being turned to by individuals and organizations alike, as a cost-effective and impactful way to build capacity, networks and knowledge.

If you are in the Toronto area later this month I hope that you will join me at the HRPA 2010 Conference as I speak on Mentoring: An Essential Ingredient for Any Talent Management Strategy. I will be presenting on Thursday January 28th at 3 pm, follewed by my book signing on Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) at 4:30 pm. My presentation will include practical tips for designing and implementing your own mentoring strategy and program internally.

I know that many of my corporate clients across industries and sectors have added, or are considering adding, mentoring into their learning, succession planning or leadership development approaches and programs.

What role can mentoring play in boosting your organizational capacity this year?

Have a terrific week!

Warm regards,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP
GroupCoachingEssentials and Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com

New Year, New Predictions

Happy New Year Everyone! It's an exciting time of year -- new year, new resolutions and possibly some new habits.

I love all the predictions that are made at this time of year -- it always seems to open up new possibilities and new perspectives.

It also seems like a lot of different issues are hitting different people's radarscreeens - depending on where you live and what you do.

However, two of the most common themes wherever you are, are the ECONOMY and CHANGE.

Here are some of the trendspotting articles I have enjoyed lately:

Career Builder's 7 Hiring Trends to Follow in 2009

US News Top 30 Careers for 2009: With all the change that's going on in the world of work, this is an interesting list of project top careers for 2009. Which ones would you like to explore?

US News Best Small Businesses to start in 2009: Ready to take the plunge into the world of self-employment? This article may stimulate some new thoughts!

Hot Fitness Trends for 2009 from WebMD: Is anyone else seeing a spike of attendance at the gym? The pressures of the economy seem to be supporting many to find better balance and stress management.

ASTD's 2008 State of the Industry Report: The ELearning Council has a nice summary here of some of the major workplace learning trends last year.

What trends are you watching this year? What are some of your new resolutions?

Have a great start to 2009!

Warm wishes,

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC

Potentials Realized

Who are the connectors in your organization?

Influencing skills play a key role in leadership, virtual team building and also small business growth. I've been reflecting a lot lately on the exponential power of working to effect change by harnessing the power and influence of connectors in organizations.

Connectors are people who are well connected within an organization, whose influence in the informal organization and network is powerful and diverse.

A great example of a connector in my former role as a manager was my assistant. She brought an incredible depth of institutional memory after being in her role for 20 + years, and an even wider network of contacts, allies and colleagues. The success of my work would not have been possible without tapping into her wisdom and having her become an influencer amongst her networks. She never failed to have some imperative contact in her network which opened the door for project success

What's the value of finding connectors in your organization, or organizations you work for?
1. In change intiatives : Ability to transmit information quickly via the connectors to their multilayered networks
2 As influencing skills become an even more important leadership and management trait for teams which are virtual and global, connectors can often bridge the gap between formal chains of command and formal networks.
3. To provide mentoring opportunities for newer staff members, especially if they are not sure if the traditional career development path is for them
4. For small business owners, connectors may often be able to provide an alternative path for approaching an organization you wish to do business with
5. In collaborative, participatory learning initatives, connectors can play a key role in becoming a conduit for information flow and perspectives from different stakeholder groups.

These are just a few -- what role do connectors play in your organization or work you do with organizations? Feel free to comment below.

Have a wonderful start to the week,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer(at)potentialsrealized.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

HR Potpourri, Interviewing Tips

It's HR Blog Carnival Day over at the HR Thoughts, and Lisa Rosendahl, SPHR has done a terrific job of spotlighting some great HR blogs including my post on The Changing Face of Learning and Development.

Hop on over to Lisa's HR Carnival post and you'll be able to chew on a whole range of HR topics -- perfomance, recruitment and social networking. It's a virtual treasure chest!

Another one of my articles is now available at Ezinearticles.com "Interviewing Tips for Employers - Getting the Right People on the Bus". If you are tasked with hiring new staff over the summer months, you may want to check out the article for some tips on how to leverage your interviewing process. I hope that you enjoy!

I am getting ready to make my usual summer move later this week to Muskoka for at least a few weeks (hopefully six). I'll be working a few days a week for the rest of the summer, at a Muskoka pace. Chances are, you'll be hearing from me a little more often here at the blog. You can still reach me during this time during my usual contacts.

Enjoy this week's HR Carnival and also the Interviewing tips!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

The Changing Face of Learning and Development

With the continued rapid increase of global teams which often operate virtually, the way learning and development is delivered is also changing. I often receive requests from organizations regarding advice on trends and new techniques that they can use to build human capital (individually or in teams) in the rapidly changing business and global environment.

Technology continues to reshape how learning is delivered, and in recent months there have been some very interesting articles on how major corporations are leveraging technology to enhance learning and human capital management.

A number of larger US firms are now delivering training via podcasts. Noted for their adaptability when learning needs to take place, podcasts have the ability to deliver training just-in-time.

Another area which is garnering attention is the use of Second Life by many companies, both as a marketing tool and also as an innovative way to deliver training (typically informal). If you or your company are using Second Life, I’d love to hear from you--- what’s your experience been? How do you leverage it for learning and development opportunities?

The emerging generations (which include Gen Y and Gen X) have added to this push for the introduction of newer technologies for learning and development – which are more meaningful and relevant to the. This whole area is fascinating, and as some researchers are finding the way our brains operate is changing through the generations. I will continue build on former blog posts on intergenerational management in the future – from recent organizational requests it seems that this issue is continuing to be a hot one.

Recent Statistics are showing that learning budgets and hours of training for workers based in the US is continuing to increase (2006 ASTD State of the Industry Report). With an estimated $109.25 Billion being spent on learning and development annually, American companies are spending anywhere from 2 – 2.7% of their payroll on learning and development initiatives. This equals anywhere from $1424 to $1616 US/worker.

In contrast a number of recent studies here in Canada are showing that learning and training budgets and priorities are continuing to shrink (2007 Conference Board Learning and Development Outlook). In 2006 the Conference Board of Canada reported that on average 1.75% of payroll was spent on learning and development, or approximately $944 Cdn/employee. The 2007 figures released a few months ago show a slight decline in these figures.

What are the trends that you are seeing in the field of learning and development? What can be leveraged in your organization? What new initiatives would benefit your human capital pool.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments --- please feel free to do so below.

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960
Email: info[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com