M A R C H /A P R I L 2 0 1 7
COACHING AND CULTURE THE COACHING REVOLUTION | I6 Developing a Process to Harness the Benefits
GROWING HIGH POTENTIALS | 28 Cultivating a Culture that Breeds Talent
TAKING MENTORING ONLINE | 36 Designing a Platform that Maximizes Impact
BUSINESS
PERSPECTIVES
ON
MANAGING
WORLD-CLASS
TRAINING
Running Training like a Business. Proven Approach. Transformative Results.
As business leaders deal with rising customer expectations, lower productivity, and severe cost pressures, there is increased pressure on training functions to reduce costs, increase value, become more relevant, and focus on the strategic elements of the business. NIIT’s managed training services are built on the principles of running training like a business and help leading global companies demonstrably transform the effectiveness and efficiency of their training. Learn how running training like a business can work for you – www.niit.com/rtlab.
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STRATEGIC SOURCING
LEARNING TECHNOLOGY
PERSPECTIVES - K E N TAY LO R
COACHING SKILLS THAT WILL TRANSFORM MANAGERS TO ENABLERS MUST BECOME PART OF OUR LEADERSHIP DNA.
This edition of our magazine explores a couple of key concepts dogging many in our industry: the role of L&D in culture change and the role of the manager as a change coach. This brings to light a needed shift in skills we foster in leaders at all levels of the organization. This takes us beyond classic management responsibilities to enablement responsibilities. How does being a coach – an enabler – help to drive a learning culture? It starts with your management team truly understanding the goals of the organization and how his or her department affects the company’s success surrounding these goals. Next, we must incorporate coaching skills into the development of our leaders, such as those suggested by The Forbes Coaches Council. Of the 10 coaching skills suggested in this article, I was particularly interested in the application of two of their recommendations: “Practicing Involved Detachment” and “Remaining Curious.” This notion of the enabler relies on the leader’s ability to be visibly and emotionally engaged while also withholding judgement or simply providing an answer. Similarly, remaining curious also requires leaders to park or hold back our judgement tendency, allowing those we coach to continue to develop on all ideas
they have around a given topic. This desire to avoid judgement is tough for many leaders simply because they must fight their natural tendencies and current responsibilities as a leader. The trick is figuring out when to interject. This journey from manager to enabler is one many in training and development have on their radar screen as key to improving businesses performance. This issue of Training Industry Magazine touches on the role of coach and when it intersects with leadership in a variety of areas in a company. I suggest throughout the read, look for best practices and find the pieces that will apply to your area of responsibility, even if they were positioned in the article as supporting other parts of the organization. Coaching skills that will transform managers to enablers must become part of the DNA of current and future leadership if you truly want to impact your organizational culture, moving it from wherever you are today toward higher performance. As always, we would love to hear your thoughts about the point of views shared in the magazine. Ken Taylor is the president and editor in chief of Training Industry, Inc. Email Ken.
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CO N T E N TS
TA B L E O F VOLUME 10
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I
ISSUE 2
I
MARCH/APRIL 2017
F E AT U R E S
16 THE COACHING REVOLUTION
16 21 24 28 33 36 40
28 GROWING HIGH POTENTIALS
36 TAKING MENTORING ONLINE
LEVERAGING THE COACHING REVOLUTION By Alan Fine
Embrace the process of coaching and reap the positive benefits and outcomes.
THE COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO LARGE-SCALE DESIGN PROJECTS By Susan Prichard
Drive value for the business by maximizing resources through purposeful collaboration.
TEAM ACCELERATION: DESIGNING HIGH-IMPACT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE TEAM AND TEAM LEAD By Dr. Dan Green
Developing high-impact training requires a one-size-does-not-fit-all mindset.
CULTIVATING A CULTURE THAT GROWS HIGH-POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES By Jackie Monroe Wilson
It’s time to welcome change in the workplace and increase employee retention rates.
THE RISE OF THE WORKPLACE COACH By Tim Hattersley
Look no further than your current workplace team when selecting coaches who fit the bill.
THE ESSENTIALS OF A MENTORING PLATFORM By Chris Browning
Technology can bolster mentoring by connecting employees at the time of need.
TRANSFORMING SALES MANAGERS INTO WORLD-CLASS SALES COACHES By Bob Sanders
Developing sales coaches starts with understanding the obstacles standing in the way.
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THOUGHT LEADERS
03 09 11 13
PERSPECTIVES By Ken Taylor
The journey from manager to enabler requires coaching skills.
GUEST EDITOR By Natasha Miller Williams
Be willing to excel as a mentee for a clearer path to success.
SCIENCE OF LEARNING By Srini Pillay, M.D.
Adjust to a “readiness to change” mindset to increase ROI.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION By Dr. Shawn Andrews
Get ahead of competitors by taking advantage of diverse talents.
15 51 53 55
BUILDING LEADERS By Sam Shriver & Marshall Goldsmith
Coaches can enhance motivation by placing an emphasis on employees.
SECRETS OF SOURCING By Doug Harward
When sourcing coaches, be focused on desired outcomes.
GEN WHY By Michelle Eggleston
The skills that future leaders will need to possess are changing.
TECH TALK By Amar Dhaliwal
Technology is changing the way expertise is created and shared.
INFO EXCHANGE 44 I CASEBOOK
F5 learns through trial-by-error when deploying a social learning site that values learners.
46 I GLOBAL OUTLOOK
Develop a leadership pipeline of globally savvy leaders through cultural education and experience.
48 I MEASURING IMPACT
Being open to feedback provides valuable input on how to improve training within an organization.
56 I CLOSING DEALS
Through its acquisition of The Marcus Buckingham Company, ADP is providing just-in-time coaching support.
57 I COMPANY NEWS
Keep up with the latest in the training industry by reading news from the last quarter.
58 I WHAT’S ONLINE
Find additional articles, case studies and information available only on TrainingIndustry.com.
59 I TRAINING TALK
Review industry insights and poll results collected from learning leaders around the world.
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A B O U T OUR TEAM
STAFF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
EDITORIAL INTERN
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DESIGNER
Ken Taylor ktaylor@trainingindustry.com
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GUEST EDITOR
5
NATASHA MILLER WILLIAMS
WAYS TO INCREASE
YOUR MENTEE EQUITY
As a mentee, gaining insight from someone with more experience is a surefire way to reach your professional goals quickly. But what do mentors get out of it? What motivates them to devote time and energy from their own careers to help someone else? For the mentor, the return on their investment is their mentee’s growth. Great mentors value relationship building and helping others learn from their past experiences. Mentors take pride in their protégés, considering their mentee’s success a reflection of their own. The best mentees recognize this and present themselves in a way to make a mentor their greatest ally. Bad mentees lack focus and initiative, failing to listen or apply anything they learn. Rather than thinking through what they can get out of the relationship, bad mentees approach mentoring like a checklist: schedule a meeting, give an update, ask a question, schedule the next date. It becomes a transactional experience, not a relational one. Ironically, great mentors won’t hesitate to ditch or deprioritize a mentee who’s not taking advantage of the relationship. So, how do you become the mentee every mentor wants to invest in? Here are five ways to increase your mentee equity: 1. SET CLEAR GOALS What do you want out of the experience and why do you need a mentor? Articulate your objectives: both those for your career, and those with your
mentor. If you’re working with investors on a product or service, you know your long-term vision for the brand. In this case, you’re the brand, so make it clear that you have a vision. 2. COME PREPARED After establishing goals, prepare for your first mentoring session by having an agenda. Start each session saying, “Here’s what I hope we can accomplish today.” Your mentor will realize you respect her time and will help you get the most out of it. Time is your mentor’s capital. Don’t waste it. Keep in mind, don’t be overly scripted, as some of the most valuable feedback happens on the fly. 3. LISTEN Nothing is more frustrating than a mentee who won’t heed the mentor’s advice. After seeing you not following suggestions, your mentor will become frustrated. Demonstrate your active listening by revisiting prior topics. Expect your mentor to want to know “what happened with that thing you last discussed” and be sure to express how their advice was useful. You may not always see eye to eye with your mentor, but you are trying to learn from their experience. 4. PAY BACK YOUR INVESTOR Mentors still in the workforce are managing their own careers while helping you with yours. Be interested and supportive of their work by asking questions like “What are you working on?” or "How can I help?" Or
send helpful articles. These small gestures demonstrate your interest in the relationship beyond your own personal gain.
MENTORS CONSIDER THEIR MENTEE’S SUCCESS A REFLECTION OF THEIR OWN. 5. BE GRATEFUL Say thank you frequently. Skip the "send" button in lieu of a handwritten note. Everyone likes to feel valued, and your tangible expression of how thankful you are for their time and ideas will endear you to a mentor even more. Gratitude is your currency, so be generous. We all need a little help at times, and mentors are an excellent source to get you through the learning pains of the job. Choose your mentors carefully. Look for a person you can trust, speak up and ask for help without shame. Offer some good perspective in return and you’ll form a mutually rewarding mentoring relationship. Mentoring is a joint venture. Mentors want a return on the time spent with you and point to your success as a sign of their own. Your growth will make your mentor glad to have you as a mentee and you’ll both feel as though you’ve profited. Natasha Miller Williams is vice president of diversity and inclusion for Nielsen. Email Natasha.
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CONGRATULATIONS
TOP 20 LEADERSHIP TRAINING COMPANIES
Check Out Our 2017 Leadership Training Watch List The Top 20 Leadership Training Companies are a service provided by Training Industry, Inc. Due to the diversity of services offered, no attempt is made to rank the “Top 20s.”
SCIENCE OF LEARNING SRINI PILLAY, M.D.
COACHING A CULTURE OF
EMERGENCE Beth Comstock, vice chair at GE, recently emphasized that we live in an emergent era. The emergent organization is one in which culture, social relationships and decision-making processes are constantly in evolution. And recent research demonstrates that organizational culture is central to “readiness to change.” “Readiness to change” requires a specific mindset, one that alternates between intense focus and “letting go.” Sometimes, these processes are indistinguishable and require an emergent mindset. Luckily, we are endowed with a brain to boot. Let’s examine how brain-based coaching conversations can help leaders develop a culture of emergence within their organizations.
Process #1: Neuroplasticity Although the brain is resistant to change, it is wired for it: a phenomenon called neuroplasticity. In the face of constant change, the brain will often default to a fight, flight or freeze mode, when in fact, you want to engage it in “flow.” The first step is recognizing that you are wired to do this expertly.
Cultural Conversation Tool #1: When constructing vision and mission statements, develop a “culture of neuroplasticity.” Tell employees that their performance and profits require resisting the temptation to freeze. Help them to understand the distinction between stability and stagnation, and how all living systems must change.
Process #2: Self-connection and intuition The deeper you connect with yourself and your intuition, the more likely
you are to connect with others. That is because the same circuit in your brain allows you to connect more deeply with yourself and others as well.
Cultural Conversation Tool #2: When talking with teams, emphasize that they function both as a collection (one system) and a connection (different parts that make up a whole). Help employees understand that this dual state mimics how the brain functions, and that when you are deeply connected with yourself, you also enhance your intuition and your perspectives of others as well. In an emergent organization, intuition and self-connection are stabilizing forces.
Process #3: Thinking circuits in the brain fail when exhausted by continuous focus Being able to stabilize yourself in the context of continuous change requires constant self-regulation. However, studies demonstrate that when your brain is exhausted by continuous focus, it causes self-regulation depletion. This in turn leads to people being less helpful, and it can lead to emotional overreactions due to overstimulation of the amygdala, the brain’s emotional processor. In fact, during acute stress, the brain demands an extra 12 percent of energy. This, on top of the 20 percent of the body’s energy it already uses, is quite an energy budget for an organ that just occupies two percent of body volume!
Cultural Conversation Tool #3: An emergent culture is one that knows how to conserve energy to thrive. Learning how to build “un-focus” into your day to enhance productivity is key. Help employees understand
that the brain conserves energy by constantly rejuvenating its attentional networks, and that they must build this rejuvenation time into their days. Physical exercise, 10-minute naps, and many other factors can be implemented to satisfy the energy budget of the emergent brain.
SELF-CONNECTION HELPS ENHANCE YOUR INTUITION AND PERSPECTIVES. Brain science is a very effective way to engage people in an understanding of themselves, their body’s demands, and their connections. By allowing people to understand how the changing brain adapts to its own demands, leaders can inspire their teams to “own” and leverage their intrinsic capacities to build an emergent culture. As William Arthur Ward said, “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” Every day we can wake up, and feel so grateful that we have been endowed with the brains we have to succeed. Dr. Srini Pillay is the CEO of NeuroBusiness Group. He is also assistant professor (parttime) at Harvard Medical School and teaches in the executive education programs at Harvard Business School and Duke CE. Email Srini.
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DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION DR. SHAWN ANDREWS
THEBUSINESSCASE
FOR D&I Most of us intuitively know that having diversity at work is a good thing. But, do you really know why? There is now overwhelming evidence of a strong business case for diversity and inclusion. DEFINING D&I Diversity is the collective mixture of differences that includes individual and organizational characteristics such as values, beliefs, experiences, backgrounds, and behaviors. Inclusion is the achievement of a work environment, in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute fully to the organization’s success. In other words, it’s about culture. DIVERSITY IN SOCIETY TODAY The fact is, as a global society, we are becoming more diverse every day. We see it in our workplaces, in our churches, in our communities, and in our schools. For the first time in the U.S., the 2014 Census Bureau showed that racial and ethnic minorities now surpass non-Hispanic whites as the largest group of American children under five years old. This means that Caucasian kindergarteners are now in the minority for the 3rd straight year. This marked a milestone in a trend toward a more diverse U.S. that's projected to continue. In addition to increasing racial and ethnic diversity, we are also becoming more diverse in age as people are living longer and continuing to work. We continue to see increases in gender diversity, both in developed and developing countries. Because of our expanded demographics, society is becoming increasingly intolerant of
a lack of diversity in their companies. Despite this, there are still many organizations that have yet to jump on the bandwagon. D&I IN THE WORKPLACE Multiple global studies have showed that better problem-solving, decisionmaking, and increased creativity are positively associated with diversity. When it comes to innovation, diversity wins again. Using employee data from Denmark, researchers found robust evidence that diversity in workforces’ cultural backgrounds, education and demographic characteristics is an important source of firm innovation among white-collar occupations. The reason for this is that people from different backgrounds see problems and solutions from different perspectives, and that richness of ideas leads to stronger outcomes, making diversity a proven ingredient of creativity and innovation. Other studies have shown that customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, higher morale, increased competitive advantage, and enhanced corporate image are all products of having a more diverse and inclusive workforce. An often-cited study by Catalyst found that Fortune 500 companies with three or more women board directors attained significantly higher financial performance, on average, than those with the lowest representation of women board directors. Companies with the highest percentage of women achieved 53 percent higher return on equity, 42 percent higher return on sales, and 66 percent higher return on invested capital. They also found that the link between
women board directors and corporate performance held across industries— including consumer staples, healthcare, industrials and information technology.
WHEN IT COMES TO INNOVATION, DIVERSITY WINS AGAIN. The Center for Talent Innovation researched global corporations and found that those with diverse leaders yielded benefits to individuals. Employees reported that they were 60 percent more likely to see their ideas developed, 75 percent more likely to see their innovation implemented, 70 percent more likely to have captured a new market in the past year, and 87 percent more likely to feel welcome and included in their teams. These are big numbers! TAKING ADVANTAGE D&I has emerged as a business-critical factor in the ability to innovate, attract clients, and retain and cultivate the best talent. Employers will lose their competitive advantage if they do not utilize the wide range of skills and talents offered by women, racial and ethnic minority groups, older adults, LGBT employees, and people with disabilities. Let’s hope that more companies commit to creating diverse and inclusive cultures for us all. Dr. Shawn Andrews has 23 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience. Her dissertation research focused on leadership, emotional intelligence, gender and unconscious bias in the workplace. She is CEO of Andrews Research International. Email Shawn.
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WHAT WILL YOU TAKE HOME FROM TICE? The Training Industry Conference & Expo is designed to give training professionals new insights, perspectives and tools to enhance their effectiveness.
CONNECTIONS Expert-led roundtable discussions and facilitated social networking events are designed to connect you with peers and thought leaders.
“The ability to connect with speakers, contractors and other practitioners was extremely helpful.”
SOLUTIONS TICE workshops focus on emerging best practices and actionable topics in areas like Leadership Development, Learning Technologies, Content Creation, Training/Business Alignment, Storytelling, and Analysis and Sustainment.
IDEAS In addition to our much-anticipated walkthrough of trends in the training industry, TICE features insights and ideas from four noted keynote presenters.
“The networking events were very well done ... I was able to connect with almost everybody.”
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS JACK CANFIELD
KELLY LEONARD
Bestselling author, “Chicken Soup for the Soul”
TEDx speaker, author, podcaster & creative advisor for The Second City
VIDYA KRISHNAN
RYAN JENKINS
Head of competence & capability consulting, Ericsson
Next generation speaker, generations expert & Inc.com columnist
Be a part of TICE 2017! Learn more or register today at TICE2017.com.
BUILDING LEADERS
SAM SHRIVER & MARSHALL GOLDSMITH
CREATING A
COACHING CULTURE
Assume for the sake of example that you have been put in charge of creating (and eventually sustaining) an organizational culture defined by “coaching excellence.” Before you dive in on that assignment, let’s make sure we are aligned on the definitional anchors. • Coaching: The art/science of helping those around you get better (to include formal management, peer and upward influence) • Culture: The natural, normal way employees at all levels respond to emergent opportunities and challenges (i.e., predictable behavioral patterns) In full recognition of the complexity and degree of difficulty associated with this task, we would like to offer the following points of consideration.
EXECUTIVE STEWARDSHIP Regardless of the product your organization manufactures or the service it provides, your executive team needs to publish a compelling vision and a comprehensive strategy boldly featuring clear performance goals. A foundational component of a coaching culture is that everyone is on the same page, marching in the same direction, toward the same flag at the top of the same mountain. Effective coaching is anchored by commonality. The whole notion of “getting better” needs to be persistently calibrated by a mutually shared awareness of the ultimate destination, and a laserlike focus on all the milestones that need to be accomplished along the way.
EMPLOYEE EMPHASIS Traditionally, organizations pursue cultural objectives from the top-down. Comparatively, we would suggest active consideration of an all-inclusive approach that migrates from the frontline-up. Stated differently, high levels of employee engagement are not a by-product of a coaching culture, they are a prerequisite. Employees who take charge of their own engagement can help their managers deliver coaching that is timely, relevant and focused on “the flag at the top of the mountain.” Taking charge is primarily a function of understanding in combination with transparency. Imagine how much easier it is to help someone improve if they provide you with a detailed analysis of where, and perhaps why, they are struggling. The same goes for employees who petition their managers for increased degrees of empowerment based on documented
EFFECTIVE COACHING IS ANCHORED BY COMMONALITY. high levels of consistent performance. A culture defined by coaching will position employees as the catalysts responsible for accelerating effective decision making, development and goal achievement.
MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE IN ACTION While a coaching culture is clearly a function of an inclusive vision that sets the stage for active engagement, it must also feature “people managers” who
have mastered the skills of influence and coaching. In that regard, good coaches consistently figure out a way to: • Deliver Results: They understand “the scoreboard” and are in no way intimidated by it. They also accept that the most tangible way to measure their short-term value is by their documented ability to orchestrate organizational wins. • Drive Motivation and Retention: They also have a “personal scoreboard” that extends beyond the organizational bottom line. In short, they deliver the what, but truly excel at the how. So, how do you build or enhance these skills? By employing a process that demands focused effort in three highly interdependent phases: • Reflection: Effective coaching is a product of thoughtful consideration. • Execution: Good coaches consume relevant data without ignoring their intuition or managerial instincts. • Follow-Up: Good coaches also recognize that what was said during a coaching discussion wasn’t necessarily what was understood. Real life examples of leaders who have established coaching cultures are in short supply. We would refer you to anything you can find on either Alan Mulally or Frances Hesselbein. Marshall Goldsmith is the world authority in helping successful leaders get even better. Sam Shriver is the senior vice president of commercial operations and product development at The Center for Leadership Studies. Email Marshall and Sam.
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LEVERAGING THE
REVOLU | 16
E COACHING
UTION By Alan Fine
ARE YOU GOING TO APPROVE THIS REQUEST? Joe, a new hire, is one of your most knowledgeable sales associates. Ask him any question about your products and services, and he can practically quote you the information verbatim. He has a great personality, came to you with seven years of experience, and gets along well with clients … but, after three months on the job, he has the lowest closing rate of your four new hires. Sally, a veteran sales manager at your firm, has been conducting training sessions with all the new hires, including Joe. She just can’t figure out how to get Joe up to his potential performance level. Sally has come to you for permission to send Joe to a training session out-of-state. Of course, that will take Joe out of the field for another week and will cost a bundle. But do you have an alternative? Historically, if employers wanted behavior or results to change, they simply “trained” people. Training certainly does have its advantages. Replicable training that can be used time and again with different groups can be a costeffective way of conveying information. The time spent in training is measurable. The trainees are “in training” for the duration of the training session, so a cost can be assigned to it and work schedules can be arranged around it. You can undoubtedly name several other advantages. However, behavioral change after training has been shown to decline rapidly after the training experience has ended. And only 25 percent of employees say their training programs are effective at measurably improving performance, according to the 2010 McKinsey Global Survey. It seems that training alone might not always be the answer.
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Google’s Project Oxygen study has shown that coaching is the number one key behavior of good managers. Additionally, Bersin by Deloitte found that organizations that are highly effective at coaching are (a) 33 percent more effective at engaging employees, and (b) 30 percent more likely to have strong business results.
FIGURE 1.
Figure 1 depicts the relative long-term effectiveness of training compared to that of coaching. As you can see, in the longer-term, retention is 65 percent higher with coaching than with training. Coaching has become recognized as one of the most powerful ways to change behavior more permanently.
78%
RETENTION
WHAT ABOUT COACHING?
65% 13%
PRETRAINING
TRAINING EVENT
TIME Brinkerhoff & Apkin 2001
WHY IS COACHING SO EFFECTIVE?
SO, WHAT EXACTLY IS COACHING?
Some research suggests that approximately 70 percent of employee learning and development happens on the job—and all of coaching is “on the job,” either scheduled or in-the-moment. On the other hand, training, which is usually conducted in groups in a formal or informal training venue, typically is not conducted while the trainee is performing his or her job.
Coaching is inside-out. By inside-out, we mean that coaching is the process of helping a person “draw out”: to become aware of and use, his or her talent and knowledge. It involves the difference between teaching (what the instructor does) and learning (what the receiver of instruction does). Coaching helps people learn.
IN THE LONG RUN, RETENTION IS 65 % HIGHER WITH COACHING THAN WITH TRAINING. Good coaching enhances the relationship between the manager and employee by improving communication, which facilitates change and increases performance. Another reason that coaching works is because it includes repetition and feedback over time. And, finally, coaching is typically tailored to the individual receiving it; it’s not onesize-fits-all.
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COACHING
Contrast that with training, which is usually outside-in. Training is mostly about increasing knowledge, which is not necessarily the same as increasing skill. After all, if knowledge were all we needed, we’d merely read the book and be world champions! Coaching is not an event. Rather, it is a process: a journey from where a person is to where that person needs to be. Coaching, when done well, creates a safe environment in which people can explore different ways of thinking and doing over time. This not only reinforces necessary skills, but also opens the door to innovation and improvements that might otherwise not emerge.
CAN TRAINING AND COACHING WORK TOGETHER? Yes, training and coaching can work together. You can take the best of both
and create a synergistic effect. The training can help provide the knowledge and techniques, and coaching can help employees apply them appropriately.
WHAT DOES “TRAINING AND COACHING” BRING TO THE TABLE THAT “TRAINING ONLY” DOESN’T? Coaching brings discipline to people’s attention over time and causes them to tap into their most powerful faculties: their inherent ability to learn and their child-like curiosity. When that is coupled with the safety of the coaching environment for repetition and feedback, the coach can repeatedly help the person’s attention come back to the here and now. In other words, to what needs attending to now. This allows the employee to contribute his or her best. And, one of the most important aspects, coaching is “in the moment” and, therefore, inherently relevant.
WHY DO WE NOT COACH MORE? Some commonly held, but false, beliefs regarding coaching in the workplace are that coaching is only for when there’s a problem and that it’s a time-consuming activity that must be done in addition to everything else and, therefore, is difficult to squeeze into a busy day. Because of these beliefs, it’s easy to
justify avoiding this powerful driver of results. And yet, it doesn’t have to be this way. It can be a way of saving time and driving results.
others), is the GROW® Process. The GROW® Model (see Figure 2) is a way of mapping the stages of decision making. It can be used to guide conversations
WHAT IS THE “SECRET” TO EFFECTIVE COACHING?
FIGURE 2.
One secret to effective coaching isn’t so secret! It’s to recognize that every conversation has an impact.
D
Solving business challenges requires people to take different actions, and actions come from decisions. Therefore, most coaching will center around helping people improve their decisionmaking skills, which will then lead to improved results. Having a map for navigating through decision making makes the process more effective. One of the most powerful models for coaching, (whether for oneself or
F AY W
KNOWLEDGE
FOCUS FIRE
KN
FAITH
GOAL
OPTIONS
Ideally, we want our employees to be able to make decisions and, therefore, solve problems for themselves. We don’t need their problems in addition to our own! So, we need to coach them to be good decision makers and problem solvers.
AR RW
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Conversations are how we begin to solve all business challenges. When we are working through an issue, we first think it through for ourselves, which could be described as a conversation with ourselves. After we have thought through the issue, we then almost always have a second conversation, one with other people. That is normal everyday work. So, what’s the difference between a “coaching conversation” and other “conversations”? People describe effective coaching conversations as being supportive, caring, truthful, encouraging, results-oriented, with a lot of listening. Does this mean that in other conversations, we don’t incorporate these characteristics? Sadly, much of the time the answer is yes. Every conversation we have has an impact, and the mindset and tools of coaching can help us to have more of an impact on more people, more often, and to be more effective in every conversation we have.
decision making happen in a systematic and focused way, improving the quality of the decisions that lead to actions that lead to results.
OWLEDGE
REALIT Y THE GROW® MODEL
and to help a person determine what to focus on at each step of the way. GROW® labels the critical stages of decision making. The acronym GROW® stands for: • Goal • Reality • Options • Way forward First, a person articulates a concise goal, then describes his or her current reality, followed by brainstorming options, and then selects one or more options to use in an action plan (their way forward), and then they can solve, or begin to solve, most any challenge. Without a map, decision making takes place in a random fashion, bouncing back and forth repeatedly between the stages. Understanding the map helps
IN CONCLUSION If we were contemplating piano or math lessons for our children, we would not send them for three hours of training and expect their performance to improve. We would, however, send them for ongoing coaching over a period of months, because we know that repetition and feedback over time make a difference. It’s no different in the workplace. Giving people ongoing repetition and feedback, with or without training, is one of the ways we can leverage the coaching revolution. Alan Fine is a performance innovator, the co-creator of the GROW® Model, and pioneer of the modern-day coaching movement. He is also a New York Times bestselling author, keynote speaker, business executive and professional athlete coach. Email Alan.
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Sharpening Performance. With the speed of change in today’s business world, to stay relevant and competitive, companies and their employees must perform at the top of their game. Conduent Learning Services is an award-winning provider of global end-to-end corporate learning services, designed to accelerate productivity and growth for your business. Conduent Learning’s diverse expertise allows us to deliver impactful, performance-based learning that align with strategic business goals, accessible to solutions th our customers at the point and time of need. Our brand recognition, global presence, and superior innovation give us a powerful competitive position, and ooers our customers a true trusted partner. Conduent.com/learning-services
Technology. Operations. Process.
THE
COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO LARGE-SCALE DESIGN PROJECTS BY SUSAN PRICHARD
THROUGH COLLABORATION, TEAMS CONTINUALLY SHARE AND LEARN TOGETHER BY BUILDING ON IDEAS.
Have you ever been faced with multiple large-scale design projects that start and stop at different times, require reviews from stakeholders at specific intervals, and leave instructional designers with extreme ebbs and flows in their work? The collaborative approach to large-scale design projects is an innovative approach to time and people management, and could be the solution to the challenges you face. The collaborative approach is all about defining roles, setting collaboration days and scheduling daily huddles. Through this approach, you will save time and foster collaboration amongst your team. This article outlines how to approach projects collaboratively, manage a team of designers,
and set a framework for design outlines and punch-lists. Organizations typically assign two or three projects to a designer since the ADDIE process provides "down time" while a project is under review. The idea is to design Project A
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WHEN SEVERAL PROJECTS ARE BEING DEVELOPED, THE MAGIC OF THE COLLABORATIVE APPROACH COMES TO LIFE.
and send it out for review. Then, while Project A is in review, design Project B and send it out for review. Project A comes back while Project B is in review and the designer develops Project A and then sends it back out for review, and so on from there. It's all supposed to align perfectly to meet deadlines set at the beginning of the project. We all
PERKS TO A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH Using a collaborative approach versus a siloed approach to design projects can maximize resources and drive value for the business. Here are a few key benefits: • Saving time in the development phase • Stronger results on afterproject survey scores • Fosters innovation and engagement
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know this is not reality. In most cases, projects get off track quickly and that perfect timeline is not so perfect anymore, resulting in wasted time and late deliverables. So why not abandon the 1-to-1 approach and adopt a many-to-many approach? A many-to-many approach means multiple instructional designers work in a team environment, sharing resources and completing development on all projects, which increases efficiency and effectiveness. For example, if Projects A, B and C are ready for development, then five instructional designers on a team stop what they are currently working on, and begin to develop Project A, then B, then C. This is different than the typical approach in which one designer is developing one project at a time. Instead, in this example, five designers are developing three projects together. This approach reduces the amount of project time by several months and fosters creative solutions. Here are some tips to follow.
ASSIGN LEAD DESIGNERS FOR EACH PROJECT The ADDIE model is the process traditionally used by instructional designers and
training developers that follows five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. When moving away from the traditional 1-to-1 approach of a design project, there is a risk that critical components of the design process would be missed. We've all heard the phrase, "don't throw the baby out with the bath water." This is true here. To follow the ADDIE principles, a lead designer is needed on each project. The lead designer is ultimately responsible for the analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation portions of their project. The collaborative approach takes shape during the development portion.
CREATE A PUNCH-LIST OF DELIVERABLES FOR EACH PROJECT With a many-to-many approach, it is important to clearly define the deliverables and timelines to the team. This is when a punch-list comes in handy. All the elements that make up the project will be outlined by the lead designer. In the design phase, the lead designer provides a detailed design outline, including the location of source files, which will be used as the punch-list for all the other designers during the development phase. For instance, if an instructor-led course is being developed, the lead designer's
outline/punch-list will have line items for an ice breaker, a section of training, an activity for that training, a quiz, a roleplay, etc.
ESTABLISH COLLABORATION DAYS AND HUDDLES When several projects enter the development phase, the magic of the collaborative approach comes to life. Collaboration days accomplish all the development of multiple projects at one time. For example, a team can dedicate a Monday to Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., leaving the additional two hours per day and Friday open for designers to work on other projects. Each collaboration day begins with a 15-minute huddle. The lead designers for each project provide pertinent information, share templates and style guides and answer any questions. Then the non-lead designers assign themselves to line items on the punch-list and get to work developing them. Once an item is complete, they move on to another. The lead designer answers questions and works on punchlist items, or takes care of final details (like formatting). Once one project's punch-list is complete, the team moves on to the next project. When the team reaches the last collaboration day, all the projects have been developed and the lead designers implement their projects. What are the results? It all comes down to cost savings, quality improvement and a strengthened work environment. By taking a collaborative approach, instructional design teams save time (which saves the
business money), stakeholders receive quality results, and teams foster stronger innovation and engagement. To break this down even further, let's dive into each.
SAVING TIME The industry provides extensive timetracking research regarding how long it takes to complete the steps within the ADDIE process. Typically, most project time falls in the development space which is up to 60 percent. So, if one designer is producing an instructor-led course, it may take a total of 350 hours and up to seven months to complete, due to stakeholder reviews. However, if a team uses the
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO COST SAVINGS, QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND A STRENGTHENED WORK ENVIRONMENT. collaborative approach by assigning 10 members to punch-list items for four days, the amount of time in development reduces from 210 hours in five months (60 percent of the total time) to 210 hours in one week.
STRONGER RESULTS ON AFTER-PROJECT SURVEY SCORES Evaluation is an important step in any project. One way to gauge success is
to survey all stakeholders involved in each project, asking them to rate the project in three main categories: timeliness, quality and communication. The collaborative approach reduces the overall time for a project. Also, because there is a lead designer overseeing the work of others, the quality reviews can be performed along the way, ensuring continuity and precision.
FOSTERS INNOVATION AND ENGAGEMENT When each designer is responsible for their own project, silos can form. Innovative approaches to design challenges are best achieved when multiple designers can work on a solution. This collaborative approach brings designers together to share ideas and learn from each other. Through this approach, teams continually share and learn together, building on each other's ideas, resulting in a library of learning activities, graphic organizers, ice breakers, transitions, and more. The collaborative approach is one way to address challenges that organizations face when handling multiple large-scale design projects. By clearly defining roles, setting collaboration days, using punchlists and scheduling daily huddles, you will notice savings, improvements and innovation. Susan Prichard is the design and technology team leader in the operations and service training department at Edward Jones. Email Susan.
K EY TA KEAWAYS When faced with multiple projects that start and stop at different times, a collaborative approach to large-scale design projects is an innovative method to time and people management. Here are some quick tips to ensure success:
• Use a research-backed timeestimate procedure • Establish daily huddles to monitor progress and address issues
• Define roles and create punch-lists • Conduct an after-project survey that checks quality, timeliness and collaboration
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TEAM ACCELERATION DESIGNING HIGH-IMPACT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE TEAM AND TEAM LEADER BY DR. DAN GREEN
The golden rule that one size fits one is key to designing high-impact training and development. The modern-day team performance acceleration efforts often fail, with no lasting value, due to the overly programmatic nature of the training effort. By design, “programs” have a pre-defined “one size fits all” outcome and rarely consider the unique challenges of individual teams. By using established “programs” to accelerate team performance and address specific training problems, the impact guarantees that teams and leaders receive little value. To design high-impact training that delivers immediate and lasting value, team leaders should avoid programmatic solutions and instead use a discovery methodology addressing the uniqueness of each dysfunction and quantifying the opportunity clearly. The methodology needs to involve three important aspects: diagnosis, change leadership, and myopia.
THE BIRTH OF A TRAINING PROGRAM A training program is a pre-defined set of future steps or planned events aimed at delivering a predictable learning outcome. Most often, a training program is created once a set of practices have demonstrated an ability to consistently deliver a learning objective. After multiple experiments and iterations, the refined practice shapes into a repeatable process that can be taught and operationalized to create a predictable learning outcome. However, over time they become more generalized when unique instances of the process are discarded as program efficiency, replicability, repeatability and profitability take precedent over learner impact. In the corporate world, this process of creating a training program normally takes four to eight quarters. Along the way, the originality of the training program slowly dies. The program can be considered outdated early on because the original reason for starting the training effort is already old, and most likely no longer a critical factor to delivering training objectives. The result is a program with a pre-defined set of outcomes, not aimed toward solving unique challenges of individual teams. This creates a “one size fits all” solution.
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When a new challenge is identified today, choosing a programmatic solution will at best yield methods that are a few quarters old, and were created for solving challenges that no longer exist.
THE DIAGNOSIS Consider the following: “My stomach hurts,” says Caleb to his doctor. Later in the day, “My stomach hurts,” says Drake to the same doctor. Both have similar symptoms, but probably have vastly different geneses. The doctor goes through a methodology of discovery diagnosis, only to determine that both symptoms are caused by different reasons, thus recommending completely different courses of action to solve the symptoms that presented similarly. A programmatic approach would have been to prescribe the same medicine to both patients, unlikely resulting in relief. Organizations have similar scenarios. Common “symptoms” of team dysfunction can be lack of employee engagement, team conflict, or lack of productivity. When assuming the lack of employee engagement within the company’s engineering team in San Jose and the sales team in Berlin are caused by the exact same reasons, the efforts aimed at solving the underlying problem may be unsuccessful. The team member who’s responsible for solving these challenges may look toward an established internal training program,
maybe one titled “Increase Engagement Within Your Team” conducted by human resources. Based off the stomachache scenario, it’s clear to see why going the programmatic “one size fits all” approach would be a mistake. The proper method for high-impact results is to fully diagnose the opportunity, via a discovery process. The following
HIGH IMPACT COMES FROM AN ABILITY TO SOLVE UNIQUE AND PREVIOUSLY UNSOLVABLE CHALLENGES. method, developed by Psyndesis, has been validated in over 20 countries within Fortune 50 organizations and at the highest levels of the federal government.
Structured Interviews for the Team and Team Leader. Quantifying the issue is the first
step in performance acceleration. Getting the confidential viewpoints from each team member ensures that the talent consultant can start framing the upcoming opportunity correctly. The team leader most likely initiated the request based on his or her view of the team dysfunction,
FIGURE 1. HIGH
KEEP SATISFIED
STAKEHOLDER
MANAGE CLOSELY
LOW
HIGH INFLUENCE
• confidentiality to all participants • a detailed interview guide asking the same questions to each participant • a coding system that will determine response patterns over many interviews • a generalized debrief to the team leader once the interviews are complete Debriefing the team leader helps secure buy-in for the upcoming change management and high-impact effort that will be designed. It shows immediate progress, creating vital short-term wins that are necessary to keep the effort funded and interest high. The team leader debrief must occur even if the initial interview results provide unfavorable feedback about the team leader, because candor will drive change management efforts.
Develop a Stakeholder Power/Interest Grid.
The second step in the organizational diagnosis is to know who the players are, and the landscape of power and politics within the team. It is vital to understand the positive or negative level of power and interest that each team member possesses. Plotting each team member based off the interviews will give the consultant a good idea of the organizational readiness to change, the power landscape, and who the change-champions will be. An example of a power/interest grid is shown in Figure 1.
qualitative analysis of the opportunity, but psychometric assessments that have proven reliability and validity can yield quantitative data that enables pattern analysis and a deeper dive into possible correlations and/or causalities.
KEEP INFORMED
MONITOR
Structured individual interviews for the team and leader give the full picture of underlying causes, and serve as the foundation of the upcoming team acceleration and training program. The interviews must possess a few key elements to be successful. This includes:
Choose an Assessment that Will Give Objective Data. The interviews provide
POWER
(Minimal Effort)
and the structured interviews from the rest of the team will either validate the request or modify the opportunity.
Depending on the symptoms that are presented, assessments that measure personality, emotional intelligence and team conflict are common and effective
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choices. These three steps will exhume the unique opportunity, and a solution can start to be crafted. Typical solutions crafted after initial diagnosis often include: executive coaching for team members, recommendations to reorganize assets
TEAM LEADERS SHOULD AVOID PROGRAMMATIC SOLUTIONS WHEN DESIGNING HIGHIMPACT TRAINING. on the team to align to strengths, communication enhancement methods, a team in-person off-site with a specific development agenda, or additional psychometric assessment.
CHANGE LEADERSHIP After the interviews, power/interest grids and assessment results, a clear issue that is the origin of the team dysfunction will begin to emerge. Crafting a change management plan and leading the team through the change will be key to delivering high-impact development and training. As the solution is being
crafted, a change management plan helps guide communications of the effort to stakeholders (identified on the power/ interest grid) and operationalize the effort. A common change model used in organizational change is Kotter’s 8-Step Model, a key component in successfully managing change and making sure that change sticks. This model ensures the team feels that the change is being made with them, rather than to them.
The top assessments used in identifying team performance challenges: • The EQ-i 2.0, EQ-360, and EQ-i Group Reports •The HPI, HDS, and Hogan MVPI LEAD Series • The Pearman Personality Integrator
MYOPIA
ONE SIZE FITS ONE
Nearsightedness is necessary when designing high-impact training for the team and team leader. Every team challenge is unique and every team is distinct. The goal of the diagnosis cannot be to create a future program that solves every team challenge that resembles a similar symptom for the entire company. The acceleration of the team must be the lone priority and remain in near sight to ensure specific diagnosis.
Once a set of best practices becomes programmatic, it becomes “one size fits all,” and impact is minimized. The elements of team acceleration and designing high-impact training and development includes full diagnosis, a custom change management plan, and a promise to see only what is near.
Best practices and lessons learned can obviously be retained for future efforts, but each opportunity needs to be viewed with nearsightedness to ensure that all efforts are aimed at correcting the training or development issue at hand. Looking toward the distant future will dilute the effectiveness of the team acceleration plan that has been created.
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
Team leaders should avoid programmatic solutions when designing high-impact training. Instead, they should use a discovery methodology that addresses the uniqueness of each dysfunction and quantifies the opportunity clearly. The methodology should include the following elements: DIAGNOSIS
CHANGE LEADERSHIP
MYOPIA
Conduct structured interviews, develop a stakeholder power/ interest grid and proper psychometric assessment selection.
Follow a proven methodology such as John Kotter’s eight-step process for leading change.
This is the idea that one size fits one, and the challenges that the team faces are unique and not widely applicable to other teams, so the development of the training program should not be repeated without a similar diagnosis.
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PERFORMANCE TOOLS
To maximize impact, organizations need training development efforts to be unique and distinct, rather than programmatic and repeatable. Emphasis should be on impact over replication, uniqueness over reiteration. The talent development practitioner should have a consultant mindset, as opposed to a program manager mentality. Ideally possessing soft skills such as emotional intelligence and interviewing techniques, an ability to manage and lead change, and an analytical ability to decipher assessment results and translate them into actionable insights. High impact comes from an ability to solve unique and previously unsolvable challenges. Approaching team acceleration efforts with the idea of unique diagnosis ensures that the talent development consultant starts with impact in mind, rather than fitting the symptoms into a predefined programmatic outcome. Dr. Dan Green is an I/O psychologist who uses organizational behavior analysis and emotional intelligence assessments to develop leaders, maximize team performance, and lead change for companies all over the world. He is a professor of change management and has written a best-selling book on organizational behavior. Email Dan.
CULTIVATING A
CULTURE THAT GROWS
HIGHPOTENTIAL EMPLOYEES By Jackie Monroe Wilson
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IT HAS OFTEN BEEN SAID THAT PEOPLE DON’T QUIT THEIR JOBS, THEY QUIT THEIR BOSSES. IT CAN ALSO BE SAID THAT PEOPLE QUIT THEIR WORK CULTURE, EVEN WHEN THEY LOVE THEIR JOBS. Any workplace, regardless of size, should be the breeding ground of high-potential employees. Instead, many companies are plagued with disgruntled employees, low morale, sub-standard performance, and staggering employee turnover rates. Research studies have identified several reasons why and they all have a common denominator: the workplace culture. For success, employers must understand how workplace culture either stimulates or hinders growth so that they can identify and implement strategies that nurture the growth and retention of high-potential employees.
WHAT IS WORKPLACE CULTURE ANALYSIS? All companies have a culture, but workplace culture analysis is what many organizations are missing. Without this introspective look at the overall work environment, it’s difficult determining the strengths and weaknesses of the company. Extracting the data from surveys, accepting the results, and taking corrective action are what make workplace culture analysis valuable. This analysis design should include professional development as a measurement component. Many workplace surveys leave this out, but it’s necessary to fully understand the workforce. Employers should know if their company culture encourages professional development and operates with the intention of growing high-potential employees. They should know if they are overseeing a workforce that is empowered to succeed or subdued.
WORKPLACE CULTURE ANALYSIS REQUIRES CHANGE It’s possible that a lack of change prevents ambition in employees who are eager to prove themselves. Thus, approaching culture analysis with the expectation of change is vital to its effectiveness. This kind of analysis will help employers identify things in the work environment that promote employee growth and development while also highlighting what hinders employee potential. Although change is not always easy, it is necessary. The companies improving their operations, increasing retention, and developing a healthy bottom line take the initiative to assess the condition of the company internally. Although the results might not always be favorable, companies utilize them to help create a stronger and more productive culture.
MANAGEMENT SETS THE TONE The key to workplace culture analysis is honesty, acceptance and accountability from the management team. Management sets the tone of the culture and enforces expectations in the workplace. They must be engaged in the culture to really experience the tone of the workplace. Many companies are so absorbed with the bottom line, budgets and/or compliance, that they’re oblivious to what’s happening. By the time they realize it, they are already in a state of emergency. There are also leaders who mistakenly believe that it’s not a priority to nurture their workforce. They might be aware of
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the low morale, lack of trust and fleeting accountability, but don’t take action. Even worse, they believe that if their employees aren’t happy, they can be replaced. If a management team is operating using this thought process, they’re somewhat disengaged themselves.
CULTIVATING A WORKPLACE CULTURE It’s necessary to cultivate a positive and enjoyable work culture. The happier and more professionally-fulfilled the workforce, the more productive and profitable a company is. A company is only as successful as those who work for them. For seven consecutive years, Zappos, an online shoe and clothing phenomenon, has landed on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list. For them, their culture is about empowering people through growth and learning opportunities. Examining processes and other company practices that impede employee growth is essential for developing a positive culture. It is imperative to identify what has the potential to detract learning and development. Management needs to be aware of what discourages its high-potential and opportunity-seeking employees. Even without employee engagement surveys, they should know what drives productivity and kills morale. They should already understand why all the “good” people go, leaving them with disengaged employees. As such, management must be held accountable for staying in-tune with the personality of the organization, knowing the attitudes and beliefs of the employees, facilitating change, and reshaping the culture.
MAINTAINING A WORKPLACE CULTURE Periodic evaluations help maintain and nurture a healthy workplace culture. It is a disservice to an organization and its employees to solicit feedback and do nothing with it. This sends the message that management doesn’t care about their employees. Thus, trust is jeopardized, engagement will waiver, and morale will plummet.
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THE KEY TO WORKPLACE CULTURE ANALYSIS IS HONESTY, ACCEPTANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM MANAGEMENT.
Depending on the level of trust in the organization, some employees will complete the survey honestly, some will hold back their true opinions, and some won’t complete it at all. Lack of trust, coupled with fear, is the number one reason employees don’t complete employee engagement surveys honestly. Employees fear admitting they’re unhappy with their work culture, how they feel about their managers and the disappointment felt with company benefits and advancement opportunities. In this instance, the data collected is only as good as the data received. When it comes to developing highpotential employees, companies should possess a foundation for an enjoyable culture. Are there managers who can coach and build teams that work well together? Do employees feel respected and valued? Is there an open-door policy and atmosphere of support? Does the company encourage learning and growth? Is there transparency that encourages employees to trust the management team and feel good about their future and the company’s? These are conditions that provide a firm foundation for building a healthy, productive, employee-focused work culture where high-potential employees can flourish. Companies that really value their employees will do what they need to keep them. Thinking of employees as an expense rather than an asset is detrimental to maintaining a high-performing workplace. Management teams that understand the benefit of nurturing employees who show high potential are strategic about creating opportunities for them to develop and sharpen skills. Successful companies position employee development at the top of their strategic and succession plans.
HOW MANAGEMENT PLAYS A ROLE Although it may be uncomfortable for the executive team, the workplace culture analysis should evaluate management relationships with their team, as well as benefits and compensation, resources to help employees succeed, interpersonal
attitudes and behaviors, and professional development opportunities. Leaders should be quicker to listen and slower to dismiss. For example, it must be addressed if employees are unhappy about the relationship with their manager, or if managers don’t treat their team well and don’t encourage them to gain new skills or seek internal opportunities for growth. Upper management and HR need to evaluate how managers are selected and trained. Many organizations have people in positions they aren’t qualified for. These people are promoted or hired without having training in management or possessing the skills to effectively supervise a team. This hurts the workforce tremendously and syphons credibility from the culture. Length of service alone should not qualify someone for a management role. High-potential employees are stifled and stagnated when they work for bosses who don’t know how to coach them to excel. This type of culture results in staggering turnover rates because it doesn’t offer any promise.
FACTORING IN EMPLOYEES’ NEEDS High-potential employees won’t stick around if they find themselves working for a company that doesn’t offer attractive professional development opportunities, among other things. This could be a factor
on the front-end of attracting or retaining high-potential employees. Many notably talented professionals are enticed by compensation and benefits packages and will evaluate these offerings before joining an organization. Those who have already accepted employment may have the hopes of being compensated based on merit as their tenure with the company increases. Therefore, compensation and benefits should be on management’s list of culture-developing strategies.
THINKING OF EMPLOYEES AS AN EXPENSE RATHER THAN AN ASSET IS DETRIMENTAL TO MAINTAINING A HIGHPERFORMING WORKPLACE. Resources available to employees should also be considered. Success-driven employees are known for going above and beyond what is required of them. They are known to be dependable and productive in their roles. Although these employees typically embrace the company’s mission and take personal responsibility for carrying it out, it is unlikely that they can be excel at
their jobs without the adequate resources. An organization that isn’t committed to ensuring their employees have what they need to succeed won’t operate in highgear or produce employees who have the potential to grow and advance. Lack of resources, financial and non-financial, impede company growth overall. The average, progressive-minded employee has expectations of advancement when they start at a new company. Today’s workforce is getting younger so it’s important to develop a culture that will sustain their insatiable appetite to grow in their profession. If someone leaves a company with the same skills and qualifications they started with, they wasted time that could have been spent working for a company that appreciated and nurtured their talent. Investing in programs and other activities that facilitate a learning and development driven culture makes more sense financially than spending money to repeatedly fill the same positions. Money invested into the company to cultivate a high-performing workforce that will in return help the organization reach its goals is money well spent. Jackie Monroe is a success-strategist and training professional with more than 20 years of experience, with the majority in the education sector. She is a consultant for small business owners and is also an empowerment speaker. Email Jackie.
ATTRACTING AND RETAINING EMPLOYEES To attract and retain high-potential employees, companies should recognize their value, understand their needs, and use that information to gain their loyalty and commitment of service.When employees know their value, and have a sense of self-worth, they won’t commit to a company whose culture is one that does not demonstrate to their employees that they are valued, especially those who have the potential to make outstanding contributions to the organization. Companies with an urgent need to overhaul their culture to attract and retain high-potential employees should consider:
• Acknowledging concerns in a timely manner • Developing learning and development opportunities that are relevant and beneficial to both employee and organizational growth • Encouraging employees to engage in learning opportunities • Making accountability a must on all levels • Creating an atmosphere of respect and recognition • Promoting positive workplace relationships to develop trust • Encouraging employees to engage in learning opportunities
• Developing a set of core values that all staff members can relate to and the company will exemplify • Showing employees they are valued, not just telling them • Acknowledging what’s working well within the company • Ensuring that upper management sets the tone for the company culture • Annual, well-written employeeengagement surveys • Involving employees in as many change processes as feasible
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By Tim Hattersley
THE
RISE WORKPLACE OF THE
COACH
“In this changing world of work, learning as a capability has to evolve and it has to be accessible, agile and flexible. Many interventions are now best delivered in the flow of work activity, not in a classroom. Digital technologies enable learning to be available anytime and anywhere with many also choosing to learn in their own time and often from their own sources of learning and knowledge. With the proliferation of rich, readily available online content, learning design is shifting from not just creation but to curation as well.” - Peter Cheese, CEO of CIPD The desire to embrace digital technologies and access the wealth of online learning resources is high on everyone’s agenda, and as it should be. Beyond the work environment, we all continually learn in what the Open University calls “incidental” learning: “learning without needing to be taught, in ways that are instinctive, unplanned, immersive and, at times, unintentional.” Going forward, we must realize that millennials are now expecting this to become the norm in their work environment, with much of their workrelated learning being achieved on the go. As learning and development (L&D) professionals, we need to help facilitate this more and more. However, even the most tech-savvy learner needs support from those who are more experienced and skilled in the subject matter. Learners still desire to be coached on how to better perform a skill within their work environment. This takes one-on-one time and often falls on line managers or internal trainers who are not necessarily subject matter experts and ill equipped to help the learner move beyond knowledge and understanding to skill and competency.
THE RISE OF THE WORKPLACE COACH There is a powerful, fresh realization emerging that the experience and skills required to coach peers exists within the workplace team. By selecting a subject matter expert from within the team and
properly supporting them to gain effective coaching and feedback skills, they can become the complement to the evergrowing digital learning environment by creating a highly effective blended learning approach. The “workplace coach” does not need to give up their day job, but should be given due recognition, reward and time to support their colleagues in practical ways, coaching them through to competency. Why would any company not wish to replicate the best?
BENEFITS TO COACHING Of course, there is nothing new about the concept of work-based champions, subject matter experts, mentors and managers who are trained in coaching and feedback skills. However, there are significant benefits to be realized by creating the role of the workplace coach. • Learners are helped by someone they trust and respect. • The workplace coach feels honored to be selected and makes a genuine impact. • By giving the workplace coach training and support, they grow in confidence and are learning new skills to pass on their expertise more effectively.
• Coaching in the workplace lends itself perfectly to the 70:20:10 model, and provides that often missing element of support within on-the-job learning (the 70 part).
• Coaching is an excellent complement to digital learning and classroom training.
• Employee retention is improved.
• Coaching is extremely cost effective and provides just-in-time learning support.
Additionally, the 2017 Workplace Learning Report, published by In-Learning Solutions, surveyed 500 L&D professionals across the U.S. and Canada and found that talent development is at the top of their agenda, with the highest need for skills in coaching (57 percent). We are all clearly on the same page here.
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• Talent is developed at pace.
DOES IT WORK IN PRACTICE? By way of example, a major bank in the U.K. applies the workplace coach principle to its graduate scheme – a training program for new recruits to receive relevant skills development and hands-on experience – with powerful effect. All 200 graduates are supported by an independent voluntary workplace coach who works closely with them throughout their graduate journey, providing them with one-onone coaching and feedback to help
them reach their potential. This role is separate to the graduate’s line manager on placement, who remains responsible for normal day-to-day performance management. The results are remarkable with many more graduates ready to be appointed into a substantive role toward the end of their program, and all the graduates are able to demonstrate much finer honed skills. This is a fresh learner-led approach that provides new employees with the ability to learn from experienced professionals while on the job, allowing for any skill gaps to be identified and resolved quickly and efficiently.
STEPS TO CREATING THE ROLE OF THE WORKPLACE COACH When formalizing the role of the workplace coach, here are a few key steps organizations can use to get started.
Select coaches
Identify the potential workplace coaches by team or department and invite them to take part in the project. Being chosen and asked to offer their skills to develop others can be seen as a privilege rather than an onerous addition to their workload, if asked in the right way.
direct result of an employee’s coaching deserves recognition and reward in some practical way.
Make time available for coaching
The future of learning is in the heart of the workplace.
Ensure that employees have enough time to fulfil their coaching role. If coaches effectively transfer their skills, the pay-off is significant and multiplies the benefits to the team, the company and its customers. Invest by allowing them to have the time to do this.
Keep coaches well-informed of new company developments
The added responsibility of coaching needs to be complemented by them having the “now story” on what’s happening in your company and the industry. Strategic messages and objectives should be built into the coaching the workplace coach delivers.
Set clear goals and expectations
Create a coaching and feedback learning program
Select an appropriate coaching training program that will give your workplace coaches practical and effective support that they can benefit from. Train workplace coaches on the competencies and standards of good coaching. Don’t just rely on their expertise and expect them to be an effective coach.
Design a recognition and reward program
Engagement and motivation are improved significantly with a good recognition and reward scheme. While it’s not all about money, but increasing productivity as a
Ensure that workplace coaches are clear on what “great” looks like in terms of the competencies and behaviors expected from their learners. Learning to coach effectively is critical, but so is ensuring that coaches have a sound perspective on what their learners should gain in terms of learning outcomes as a result of their input.
Ask coaches to provide input for performance reviews Allow workplace coaches to share in performance assessments and reviews with line management. Given their level of involvement in the development of other employees, coaches should be trusted to provide input into performance reviews. Line managers should be encouraged to consider the coach’s views.
STEPS TO FORMALIZE THE ROLE OF THE WORKPLACE COACH • Identify workplace coaches by team or department and invite them to take part in the project. • Create a coaching and feedback learning program to teach effective coaching skills.
• Design a recognition and reward program for coaches. • Ensure that employees have enough time to fulfil their coaching role. • Keep coaches well-informed of new company developments.
• Develop a community forum to allow coaches to communicate with each other.
• Set clear goals and expectations for competencies and behaviors expected from learners.
• Communicate workplace coach assignments to learners and promote the benefits.
• Ask coaches to provide input for performance reviews with line management.
BENEFITS TO COACHING • Learners are helped by a peer they trust and respect. • Coaches can make a genuine impact within the company. • Coaches grow in confidence and actively learn new skills. • Excellent complement to digital learning and classroom training. • Cost-effective solution to providing just-in-time learning support. • Improves employee retention. • Talent is developed at pace.
Develop a coaching community forum
Sharing with fellow workplace coaches is important to keep best practices flowing, create fresh ideas and instill a sense of collective achievement. Create a community forum on your intranet or via social media to allow workplace coaches to communicate with each other.
Communicate workplace coach assignments along with benefits
Inform learners of their access to their workplace coach and promote the benefits to them. Don’t leave it up to the workplace coach to make the first move with their learners. The department head should show their support for the development and promote its importance. Learners should feel enthused by the support they will be getting, so facilitate this to happen from the beginning.
CONCLUSION The future of learning is in the heart of the workplace. As organizations successfully shift from a totally trainer-led model to one that is learner-led with “workplace coach” support, they will reap the benefits of increased learner engagement, motivation and business performance. Perhaps this is the time to see the rise of the workplace coach. Why not pilot the concept within your L&D world and evaluate the benefits for yourself? Tim Hattersley is the learning and development director for Doran Scott Williams (DSW), a learning and development consultant firm for the financial services sector. Email Tim.
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THE ESSENTIALS | 36
ORGANIZATIONAL MENTORING HAS GONE ONLINE, FOLLOWING THE PATH OF MANY OTHER PROCESSES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES. BUT IS THAT A GOOD THING? AFTER ALL, WITH MENTORING BEING A PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, DOES ONLINE MENTORING RUN THE RISK OF AUTOMATING A PRACTICE THAT SHOULDN’T BE? The simple answer is no. When done right, online mentoring makes it easier for organizations to help their employees connect with one another, facilitate the collaboration within the relationships, monitor the progress being made, and measure the success of those connections. Mentoring is still a very personal process, focusing on the specific learning needs of those engaged. The technology is simply an enabler that allows organizations to scale the practice of mentoring, resulting in a larger impact and ROI to both the individuals who participate and the organization. As with any technology, organizations can use different approaches in terms of leveraging a software platform for mentoring. Which begs the question: What are the essential elements of a mentoring platform? Let’s examine five components that should make up a mentoring platform: 1»Participant Profiles: Don’t Overlook the “Basic” Profile When mentees and mentors sign on to a mentoring platform, it is important for them to have user profiles in the system that contain basic demographic information, such as their job title,
department, location, contact information, and work history. This profile information should be captured up front to provide value in other parts of the mentoring process, including searching for/matching up with a partner, understanding the backgrounds of other collaborators and giving administrators the ability to easily filter reports to understand impacts across different parts of the organization. Many times, profiling is viewed as a “boring” requirement of software systems because users are often in the mindset of “getting on with the business” of why they are engaging said system. They’re asked to provide basic demographic information that the organization already knows about them. This is a legitimate criticism and issue. To combat users not completing the profiling process, mentoring platforms should integrate with systems of record so information can be pushed from the master record into the mentoring system. This allows fields to be prepopulated for users with the relevant information. The point of emphasis can then shift to users focusing on selecting those competencies/skills that they are capable of mentoring others in, or what they want to learn, which is critical to the matching algorithm.
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ACCOUNTABILITY IS CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF MENTORING.
To make this happen, a mentoring platform should allow the organization a high-degree of configurability around the user profile, both in terms of the type of information that is captured (e.g., demographic, skill/competency information) and the way the information is captured/pre-populated. 2»Program Parameters: Programs are Unique Most organizations that implement mentoring will do so to meet the development needs of their employees at multiple points in the employee lifecycle. This means that over time, they will integrate mentoring into the fabric of more than one developmental program (e.g., leadership development, onboarding, high potential development), and each program is likely to have unique needs. A good mentoring provider will allow for flexibility and configurability on a program-by-program basis. At a minimum, organizations should be able to configure: »Audience Controls Who is allowed to participate in each program? What roles can they play? Within a given program, is an individual permitted to be a mentor, mentee, or both? Might the same individual need to be a mentee in one program (e.g., in a new manager group) and a mentor in another (e.g., as a “buddy” in a one-on-one relationship with a new employee)? The platform needs this flexibility.
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»Types of Relationships Some program administrators will limit the types of relationships in which people can engage. For example, a high potential program administrator may want to emphasize or even limit participation to one-on-one mentoring, whereas the administrator of a new manager training program may want only group/cohort-based mentoring. The choice should be made by the people running the program. »Matching How will participants be matched up with one another? Will it be self-directed? Administrator matched? A combination of these? In the case of a succession planning program, the organization may want control over the matches. Whereas in a diversity and inclusion program, the organization may want to promote the
value of mentees choosing their own mentors from the pool of available experts. »Communication/Announcements These features allow program managers to easily communicate with participants. For example, to announce an upcoming webinar for new hires participating in the onboarding program, or share a reminder to complete relationship evaluations. The platform should have mechanisms for easily reaching out to specific audiences with targeted announcements. »Content Some program administrators may need mentoring software that can curate and link to suggested content (e.g., job aids, e-learning modules, videos) that supports the participants in the various programs. For example, the administrator of the high potential program may have
MATCH MAKER, MATCH MAKER A mentoring platform should allow organizations to choose from various matching options. At a minimum, these should include: • Self-directed matching This is where mentees can select their own mentor from a list of suggested individuals via the platform. • Administrator matching This is where an administrator matches pairs and/or groups of people together using the suggestions made by the mentoring software.
• Facilitator matching This is where a third party who is not the administrator matches people up in mentoring pairs or groups (e.g., a department manager or instructional designer puts a mentoring group together to focus on a specific learning need).
a specific goal worksheet that each mentoring pair should leverage within their relationship. The system should allow for the easy promotion and use of this tool among the mentoring pairs.
participants need to be supported by the system post-match. That is why it is critical that a mentoring platform provides tools that allow participants to collaborate with one another.
3»Matching Capabilities: The Magic Behind the Scenes
Mentees and mentors should be able to post messages, ask and answer questions, share documents and links, schedule events, and suggest or assign learning activities to support the developmental conversations taking place. All which should be captured in an easy-toreference history so that users can revisit their collaborations over time, creating an ongoing learning resource.
A well-organized mentoring platform allows an organization to implement different matching mechanisms based on programmatic needs. These should include self-directed, administrator, and facilitator matching. These matches aren’t done through guesswork. For a mentoring platform to provide value to an organization, it needs to have an effective matching algorithm that can leverage the user profile information, suggesting recommendations to the people making matches. That algorithm needs to be configured by program, given that the criteria for matching can differ significantly from program to program.
IN-PROGRESS MONITORING TOOLS SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED. For example, within a new manager program, the organization may want to weight the algorithm to prioritize available mentors who have expertise in the competency/skill areas that the mentee is looking to develop, and who are also from the same business function and office location, allowing for some in-person job shadowing as part of the development process. Contrast that with a diversity and inclusion program that may want to weight the algorithm to prioritize recommending mentors who are different (e.g., different department, geography, ethnicity, gender) before recommending those who are more similar to the mentee. 4»Collaboration Tools: Mentoring is More than the Match After getting people connected, whether in one-on-one or group relationships,
5»Monitoring and Reports: That Which Gets Measured Gets Done Accountability is critical to the success of mentoring. While accountability in some development interventions is easy to measure (e.g., class attendance and exam scores), monitoring progress in mentoring relationships can be a bit more complicated because the program administrator usually lacks direct line of sight to the collaboration taking place. Thus, mentoring platforms should provide integrated tools that allow administrators to both monitor progress being made over the course of the relationship and evaluate it upon its completion. Administrators should have the flexibility to identify the level of accountability and related measures that are required (and may be unique) for each of those programs, and then be able to capture and access the data that aligns with those respective measures. A well-functioning mentoring software platform should prove to be both an efficiency and effectiveness tool, making life easier on all stakeholder groups (i.e., program champions, administrators, and the program participants themselves). However, a word of caution: don’t misinterpret the achievable gains in efficiency and effectiveness to mean that the system will “run itself.” Steer away from any vendor who suggests or promises a system that will run itself, as they are likely either telling you what you want to hear or lack the expertise to understand how mentoring works in organizations.
MONITORING THE SITUATION When evaluating mentoring software solutions, in-progress monitoring tools should not be overlooked. When implemented well, such mechanisms provide aggregate, interim measures around the success of the program, which are especially helpful for programs that are lengthy in duration and require mid-point report-outs, as is the case with many formal mentoring programs (e.g., yearlong highpotential initiatives). They also provide program administrators the opportunity to intervene in relationships that are not administrators focus solely on evaluating relationships upon their completion. While such evaluations are an important part of the overall measurement strategy, finding out that a relationship didn’t provide value to the participants only upon completion is too late. Imagine the overall improvement to program effectiveness and participant satisfaction if administrators had actionable intelligence that allowed for mid-course corrections, resulting in at-risk relationships being saved. It can be a bit overwhelming when considering the essential components of a mentoring platform. Software of any type should exist to make life easier for its users. Mentoring software exists because there is a need for it in the market, and the mature providers have figured out how to account for each of the critical factors, making life easier for program participants and administrators. Chris Browning is president of River, a Denverbased mentoring software company. He has more than 20 years of management, business consulting, and organizational development experience. Email Chris.
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TRANSFORMING SALES MANAGERS
INTO WORLD-CLASS SALES COACHES BY BOB SANDERS If you’ve read beyond the title of this article, you probably already know something about the overwhelming case for sales coaching. Such evidence as displayed by a recent Aberdeen study, shows that total team attainment of sales quota is 11 percent higher among companies providing real-time, deal specific rep-coaching. Also, time-toproductivity improves by 21 percent among companies using analyticsdriven sales coaching methodologies. While evidence for the value of coaching continues to mount, many companies are struggling to embed this key behavior into their sales culture. Oftentimes, it seems that developing a team of effective sales coaches may be as elusive a goal as capturing video of the Loch Ness Monster.
If you are among those looking for a clear, concise plan for making sales coaching a core competency in your organization, please read on. What follows is an overview of the five obstacles that keep managers from coaching and specific steps you can take to transform your sales managers into world-class sales coaches.
1| Missing or Ineffective Coaching Model Despite the recent focus on coaching, it remains largely misunderstood by the very people we expect to provide it: sales managers. When asked, most will respond that they are good coaches and they genuinely believe it! The reason for this is simple: their mental model for coaching isn’t properly developed. They do have consistent conversations with their sellers and provide them with feedback about their performance. They may even be following a well-defined model for providing this feedback. However, feedback is not the same as coaching. The performance pyramid can help illustrate the difference (see Figure 1 on page 41). To produce a desired result, performance professionals (sellers) must engage in the appropriate behaviors.
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In a competitive profession, they must execute key behaviors better than their competition. To execute these behaviors and in turn produce the desired results, these people must possess the requisite skill and knowledge. Knowing that I should hit a golf ball in the fairway (behavior) to achieve a score of par or better (result) does not mean that I can execute the swing (skill) that will make that happen. Meanwhile, these skills are built on a foundation of innate qualities or capacity and will to do the work or commitment. For the manager-seller conversation to qualify as effective coaching, it should follow a basic model, which we will refer to as the GUIDE (see sidebar on page 41. First, all great coaches start with goal setting. By working with their players to set specific goals and a plan by which these goals will be achieved, they earn the right to interact with the person along the way. Handing a seller a quota is not the same as understanding what she wants to achieve, why she wants to achieve it and helping her to create a clear plan to do so. Second, effective coaches then uncover gaps in both performance and behaviors that may negatively impact the person’s
ability to accomplish his goals. Given the proper information, most managers are relatively effective at uncovering performance gaps and sharing their observations. Unfortunately, this is often the extent of their coaching conversation. Great sales coaches, like great coaches in other fields, then observe, ask questions and even role-play with players to identify the root cause of their performance or behavior gaps. These managers know that telling someone to behave differently won’t help if they don’t have the skills or knowledge to do it. Next, when a skill or knowledge gap is uncovered, effective coaches define corrective actions. Think of this as a short learning activity designed to address the specific skill or knowledge gap. Generally, these activities take an hour or less and will help the person learn or refresh learning. Finally, effective coaches evaluate the impact of their previous interaction. This may involve role-playing, a joint call or merely a follow-up conversation to determine whether a learning assignment was completed and the desired impact achieved.
If we want to transform the manager-seller interaction from feedback to coaching, we must begin by introducing a complete coaching model and securing 100 percent buy-in from managers. If your managers aren’t committed to the model, there is little chance your coaching initiative will work.
2|Inadequate Performance and Behavioral Targets Most modern sales teams have some CRM solution and more sales performance data than they could ever digest. Oftentimes, this data is cumbersome to access and won’t support a productive coaching conversation. The typical CRM doesn’t allow managers and sellers to create individual sales success plans, which causes companies to revert to more generic “funnel standards.” However, missing or exceeding these standards is not necessarily a clear indicator of success. Missing a target like “keep 3X your quota in your funnel” may not provide enough insight to allow the coach to really understand a performance issue. In this environment, sellers and managers often spend more time debating the merits of the funnel standards rather than understanding the root cause of legitimate performance gaps.
FIGURE 1.
MANAGER-SELLER COACHING CONVERSATION MODEL G
Goal Setting
U
Uncover Performance Gaps
I
Identify Root Cause of Gaps
D
Define Corrective Actions
E
Evaluate the Impact
A similar challenge exists with respect to selling behaviors. Many companies don’t have a commonly understood model for key selling behaviors. Without this shared understanding of the ideal models, managers and sellers talk past one another as they consider and debate the merits of specific activities instead of focusing on maximizing proficiency with them. Want to enable exceptional coaching that drives consistent results? First, create individual sales success plans and track progress against these predictive metrics (see sidebar on page 42). Actionable performance gaps will be easily identifiable. Next, implement a shared model for your key selling behaviors, preferably a comprehensive model supported by online learning that would facilitate ongoing development.
US CA YZ
IN
G
COMMITMENT
N
CAPACITY
O TI AC
AN
E
AL
SKILL & KNOWLEDGE
IV CT
RE
RO
BEHAVIORS
R CO
OT
G
IN
RESULTS
Y PL
AP
E
3 | Lacking Diagnostic Questions This is arguably the most difficult obstacle to address. Despite training managers on the GUIDE coaching model, (i.e., developing personalized sales success plans with every person on the sales team, reporting against these metrics, and establishing a comprehensive selling model that the entire organization agrees represents the optimum selling behaviors), most managers still won’t coach. Why? Simply because they cannot remember all the questions to ask to diagnose performance issues, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
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FEW COMPANIES INVEST THE ENERGY TO TIE THE LEARNING BACK TO SPECIFIC SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE GAPS. Even in the most basic selling environment, the matrix of potential performance gaps, behavior gaps, and corresponding skill and knowledge gaps can become quite large. Even if it was created for managers and given to them, it’s doubtful they could memorize it. However, the good news is that while this matrix may be big and cumbersome, it is not infinite. Once defined, these “coaching flows” can be documented and managers can be provided with tools to help them explore an issue with the seller until the root cause has been defined. Whether as simple as a spreadsheet linking these three elements or as sophisticated as a wizard that leads the coach through the conversation, providing managers with a diagnostic tool can do wonders to shift their conversations from simple feedback to meaningful coaching. If you want to enable your managers to have meaningful coaching conversations, it is essential that you equip them with the questions/activities needed to diagnose performance gaps.
4 | Learning is Not Readily Available Once your coaches uncover a performance or behavior gap and diagnose the root cause of the gap, they need to address the
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issue. Unfortunately, in most organizations, this would require the coach to become a sales trainer. While most training programs are accompanied by reinforcement, few companies invest the energy to tie the learning back to specific skill and knowledge gaps, let alone back to affected behaviors and sales performance indicators. Thus, managers cannot easily assign learning activities to sellers as they simply don’t know what is available to help address the specific gaps they uncover. Considering this, it’s understandable why many managers skip diagnosing the root cause of a performance gap altogether. If we want to help managers address skill and knowledge gaps easily, we need to link learning assets, irrespective of how simple or sophisticated they may be, back to the specific skill or knowledge gaps they address. A low-tech version, such as a searchable spreadsheet, may not be as good as a coaching wizard that presents the manager with appropriate activities that can be assigned with a few clicks, but it is infinitely better than providing them with nothing at all. Similarly, interactive microlearning activities are naturally the preferred approach to support continuous learning, but even reading materials are better than nothing.
5 | No Accountability for Change A clear model, actionable metrics, diagnostic questions, and a learning library can be used to remove the most vexing barriers to effective coaching. However, these things alone won’t transform your team into world-class coaches. If your managers aren’t already having meaningful coaching conversations, this will become a change initiative, and many people are resistant to change. To help drive the change, you will need to make coaching a top priority at your senior management level. This includes: • Making a compelling case for change • Setting clear objectives
• Measuring and reporting progress • Providing rewards that recognize your early adopters, encourage your laggards and help you quickly identify issues that could derail the initiative The good news is that effective coaching conversations leave a measurable artifact: the learning or developmental assignment. By tracking coaching conversations, assignments given and completed, your organization can celebrate your progress throughout the journey. Make no mistake, the journey to a worldclass coaching organization can be a difficult one and it won’t be completed by dropping your managers into a sales coaching class, no matter how good it is. However, implementing the strategies outlined above will remove the barriers that keep most managers from coaching and allow you to drive dramatically better conversations and business results. Bob Sanders is CEO of AXIOM Sales Force Development, LLC. Email Bob.
PERSONALIZED SALES SUCCESS PLANS Sales success can be expressed using a very simple mathematical formula: ACTIVITY X PROFICIENCY = SALES By using this formula to create mathematically valid, personalized success plans, managers can more easily identify gaps and engage in more productive coaching conversations. Creating a personalized sales success plan factors in six metrics: • New opportunities
• Close ratio
• New proposals
• Average sale value
• Average sales cycle • Proposal ratio Learn more about creating actionable sales success plans by reading the article, “The Worst Sales Metric.”
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CASEBOOK
F5 NETWORKS:
LESSONS LEARNED FROM DEPLOYING A SOCIAL LEARNING SITE By Marlaina Capes
F5 Networks (FFIV) is a Seattle-based technology company. With 4,395 employees and 620 managers worldwide, we believe that strong management leads to increased employee satisfaction, increased retention and an overall stronger performance.
SOCIAL LEARNING ADDRESSES OUR NEED FOR FASTER, BETTER AND CHEAPER TRAINING OPTIONS WHILE STILL CHALLENGING OUR PEOPLE.
After completing a 12-month leadership training program for managers in early 2016, it was clear we were having an impact. However, the program required the support of two L&D resources to develop, deliver and deploy the program to less than 50 managers worldwide. The program was cost prohibitive and not scalable. Our solution: an opt-in, social learning community. Social learning theory has become increasingly popular recently, but the term has been around since 1977 when Albert Bandura contributed the notion that behavior can also be learned from the environment and through observation. This notion feeds into the popular framework of the 70-20-10 Model: 70 percent of learning is experiential; 20 percent of learning is through coaching, mentoring, networking and feedback; 10 percent is formal classroom learning. It is that 20 percent that social learning aspires to target. GETTING STARTED We selected a SharePoint site (because it fits with our IT infrastructure) as our social learning
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platform customized to allow managers to search for various types of information by management topic. Imagine a spreadsheet with the topic in the top row: hiring, setting goals, coaching, providing feedback, and building team climate. And the type of resource in the first column: processes, blog posts, classes, and articles. We also provided each community member with access to Harvard ManageMentor, a full suite of self-paced management training lessons. We included forums for discussions and blog posts. The online forum is augmented with instructor-led (virtual or in-person) classes for our core curricula. We launched the site and immediately drew wide interest into the program, but shortly thereafter, monthly access to the site decreased. By month three, only 5 percent of users accessed the site and visitors averaged less than three minutes each visit. We’ve revised our strategy and three months in, we’re seeing five times the monthly activity and three- fold increase in the time spent on the site and membership continues to grow. Here are four key lessons learned when launching a social learning site. 1. DESIGN FOR THE LEARNERS While a significant amount of HR and L&D thinking went into the design of our original site, we neglected to usability test the site with our target audience. There are two areas where
this showed up, the first being ready access to the site. Managers wanted to have the site incorporated into their daily workflow rather than needing to find it when they wanted it, or they would forget about using it. Second, the approach of searching by topic and resource was not intuitive to our users. The lesson is that the site needs to reflect the way users think about accessing the information. For example, managers are likely to think in terms of “problem employee” or “improving team collaboration,” neither of which would have produced results using our search strategy. 2. I F YOU BUILD IT, THEY STILL MIGHT NOT COME The next lesson involved the amount of effort it takes kick-starting a social learning program and the need for a planned communication effort. F5 is an email-driven company, which is both good and bad news. The good news is that I can reach all managers with one click of “send.” The bad news is that with so much email, it is easy for managers to delete, ignore or postpone an email message. This means that a planned communication strategy is required. Develop a marketing and communication plan for the target audience and for key influencers. Ours now includes a regular cadence of traditional and virtual classes, which builds momentum for the online community. We have found that a predictable cadence in our monthly newsletter is affecting growth at a steady pace. Working closely with our HR business partners (HRBP) yielded tremendous influence on our managers. The more the HRBP are included in activities such as pilot classes, lunch and learn sessions about the direction of the program and general partnering, the more they help promote program activities. Close liaisons with HRBP’s have resulted in senior executives scheduling intact sessions for their direct reports and encouraging their teams to participate in the program.
We’re also finding success by working with executives that are passionate about learning. We continue to calibrate communication vehicles to see what is and isn’t working. 3. SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Not all managers are created equally. Some manage large groups while others manage smaller groups. Some have 20 years of experience, while others have six months. Some work in the same physical space with their teams, while others manage virtual teams. While we wanted to design a program for everyone, we eventually recognized that our program was targeted at newer managers with less experience. Besides helping to develop other managers, there wasn’t much in the program for more experienced managers. However, this creates a rather limited community. This led to the importance of subgroups or cohorts where a manager can self-select his or her community. That is the charter for this quarter. We are holding an on-site event for “managers of managers” to learn more about their interests and to gather ideas to leverage their expertise. We also have plans to launch cohorts for new managers, sales directors and virtual managers. 4. LEARNERS STILL NEED L&D One of the biggest lessons so far is the evolving role of L&D. The topic of learning to be a better manager is broad. One could spend hours researching which skill sets are needed, then evaluating various models before finding one that would work. We’ve seen how tools and job-aids provide guidance that enables a motivated learner to ignite his or her selfguided learning. The evolving role of L&D is to provide learners with structure and guidance to help facilitate self-directed learning. Here are a few examples. • A self-assessment that aligns to our core curricula. A manager can self-assess against the key skill areas, informing focus on his or her learning and determine which topics should be prioritized.
• A monthly learning theme in which L&D provides guidance and options on self-paced learning vehicles (i.e., time frames and a variety of activities). The learner can select which activity best meets his or her learning style, learning needs and schedule. • A resource map of books corresponding to the core curricula for learners who prefer reading over taking a class. • A guide for those who would benefit from a mentor. Our Getting Started document offers suggestions on selection, roles and suggested topics for a yearlong mentoring relationship. • Guidelines and learning events on what to do with the results from the annual Employee Engagement Survey. The guidelines help narrow the scope, prioritize the information and help managers find ways to make actionable, the information from their survey results. While we still design and deliver traditional classes, we are also facilitating learning in new ways such as learning labs that are lightly facilitated and offer collaboration with other managers. Social learning is an important element that addresses certain aspects of our need for faster, better and cheaper training options while still challenging our most valuable resource: our people. By creating a social learning environment for our managers, we are implementing an efficient and scalable solution to increase employee engagement, increase retention and deliver an overall stronger performance for our company. Marlaina Capes is the learning and development program manager at F5 Networks. She has worked both internally and externally around the globe to develop training programs that have an impact. Email Marlaina.
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G L O B A L OUTLOOK
DEVELOPING GLOBALLY SAVVY LEADERS STEPS TO CREATE A WORLD-CLASS LEADERSHIP PIPELINE BY CURTIS D. CURRY, PH.D.
THE MOST EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR DEVELOPING GLOBALLY SAVVY LEADERS IS THE USE OF GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTAL ASSIGNMENTS.
It was still dark at 5:30 a.m. with a light drizzle falling on the 29,000 runners making their final mental preparations to navigate the windy 13.1 to 26.2mile course. Runners, including an American author and his Colombian niece who flew in from Bogotá for the race, came from over 30 countries to participate in the Miami Half and Full Marathon. Shivering in the now fulldownpour, I marveled at the preparation and dedication of these international athletes who had traveled thousands of miles to run in cold, windy Miami. A world-class runner cannot win a marathon without extensive preparation and training. Unfortunately, many organizations and leaders make the fateful mistake of thinking that global leaders can be effective without adequate preparation and training. How can worldclass business leaders hope to win in our ultra-competitive global marketplace without sufficient preparation and practice? The thinking is that leadership skills are easily transferrable from one culture to another. This mistaken assumption has taken its toll on organizations through reduced productivity, increased turnover, failed international assignments, lost customers, disgruntled team members, and broken careers. Effective global
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leadership requires developing new skills and putting them into practice. Drawing from academic research and experience, let’s examine how organizations can develop globally savvy leaders. GLOBAL EXPANSION With their hundreds of millions of wealthy consumers, the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, Japan and Australia defined the late 20th century paradigm of the middle-class consumer. The world has changed dramatically. Asia has seen a recent increase in per capita income unparalleled in human history: Ernst and Young (2013) projects that two-thirds of the world’s entire middle class will live in Asia Pacific by 2030 and that more than a billion Brazilians, Indians, Chinese, Indonesians, Mexicans and citizens from other developing countries will have joined the world’s middle class by the end of the current decade. While organizations continue to expand globally, few leaders believe their companies can successfully navigate the global business environment. Studies consistently show that leaders lack the skills to effectively lead their businesses globally while new market realities have created a sense of urgency
for western businesses to develop globally savvy leaders who can navigate the complexities of the international business environment. GLOBAL TALENT Labor laws, marketing channels and financial practices differ across borders, and successful global leaders need to learn about those differences. Other key knowledge and skills needed for success include global mindset, global business acumen, resilience, ability to deal with ambiguity, ability to withhold judgment, and cross-cultural competence. Global business acumen includes understanding international finance, international and government regulatory environments, labor law differences, international marketing, and how the organization operates in the global business environment. Often referred to as global mindset, successful global leaders also have a strong interest in social, cultural and economic realities. A global mindset helps leaders develop the ability to identify emerging global, regional and national trends, and then organize and apply this knowledge to help their companies accomplish international goals. Resilience, ability to deal with ambiguity, and the ability to withhold judgment are important global leader attributes. Operating in multiple cultures with different languages and cultural values translates into greater ambiguity. More ambiguity in the global operating environment requires developing leaders who can successfully deal with it without increasing stress of leaders to levels that negatively impact their performance and possibly their health. Finally, cross-cultural competence is critical. Cultural anthropologists, psychologists and international business experts have identified several ways national cultures differ. Important differences in cultural values include collectivism/ individualism, face, power, distance, and high-low context. Understanding how differences in these cultural values impact communication, performance, and team dynamics is critical. Effective global leaders must
understand differences in cultural values and learn to navigate such differences by adapting to cultural realities. For example, an effective Brazilian leader may enjoy success when he gives a highly-detailed description of his expectations for a task’s completion, but may derail in Canada where the very same behavior could be perceived as micromanagement. DEFINE YOUR GLOBAL TALENT NEEDS Regardless of your industry, it is important for the organization to define how its global leaders contribute to the organization’s strategy. While some organizations claim that they are too busy or can’t afford to develop training needs assessments, seeking input from senior leaders, mid-level managers, supervisors, rank and file, and even customers are critical in helping organizations identify the key skills, knowledge, and behaviors their global leaders need. Additionally, learning some phrases in cultures where the leader is working communicates interest in the culture and can help establish rapport. While learning a language is strongly recommended, it isn’t always practical to gain fluency in many languages. One of our local Brazilian manufacturers offers employees Portuguese language training and another local company is looking to offer its international employees advanced business English training. Speaking an employee’s, coworker’s, or customer’s language, or even learning some phrases, helps build strong bonds with people by communicating respect for their culture. DEVELOP YOUR GLOBAL TALENT To develop globally savvy leaders, you must go beyond reading. Books and articles help leaders develop an understanding of different cultures and different political, social and economic realities. However, an effective leadership development plan must also include feedback, increasing self-awareness and practice. The starting point for developing global leadership skills is to increase selfawareness. Recommended tools include
readings, 360-degree multi-rater feedback and feedback on global leadership styles. Employing 360-degree multi-rater feedback has been recommended by U.S., European and Asian coaches, but cultural differences in power-distance, face, context, and individualism/collectivism should be taken into consideration when assessment tools are used. Organizations can also develop feedback intensive experiential learning programs where leaders interact with others in their organization. Action-learning projects that will be reviewed by executives can enhance these workshops by providing real-world experience and benefit the company by addressing actual company challenges. Using experienced global executive coaches is another excellent resource for helping leaders develop global skills. Global coaches can help leaders interpret their assessment feedback, understand how differences in cultural values impact interactions, and provide feedback on the leaders’ development plan and experiences. EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY In distance running, there is no substitute for actual race experience. Similarly, the most effective tool for developing globally savvy leaders is the use of global developmental assignments. Short-term international team experience is very helpful, and the most effective vehicle for learning is an international developmental assignment. One of my nephews, a Colombian national who works for a large U.S. company, has had leadership assignments in Colombia, a stint at the corporate headquarters, an assignment opening a manufacturing facility in the U.S., and a current assignment in Brazil. While contributing to the company’s bottom line, such experiences provide leaders with a deep knowledge of the company and a growing catalogue of cultural experiences that help them grow new global skills. Curtis D. Curry, Ph.D., is the chief operating officer of Quality Learning International and a fellow at Florida Tech’s Institute for Cross Cultural Management. Email Curtis.
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MEASURING I M P A C T
THE KEY TO QUALITY COMMENTS I S ASK ING THE R I G H T QU E ST I ON S BY DR. REANNA PONCHERI HARMAN
Anyone who has participated in a training event is familiar with open-ended survey items like this one: “Please provide any additional comments you have about the training program you just completed.� After getting into the rhythm of clicking bubble after bubble in response to closed-ended survey items, many trainees come to a roadblock when provided with a blank box of space and asked to provide feedback in their own words. While trainees tend to complete all or most of the closed-ended items on organizational surveys, the same is not true for open-ended items. A recently published series of studies investigated responses to open-ended comments on training evaluation surveys and found that 28 to 53 percent of trainees provided a response to openended items. Reaction measures are widely used in the training industry for evaluation and are typically measured on surveys that include both closedended items and open-ended items. But, why are there less responses to open-ended items and what are the practical implications? At the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in 2007, Poncheri and Thompson presented a study that openended items are viewed as less important than closed-ended items on web-based surveys. Additionally, open-ended items carry a higher response burden for trainees when compared to closed-ended items because it takes more effort
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for the trainee to respond. If trainees think that providing comments is not important or that it takes a lot of effort to respond, the combination could be enough to discourage response. Despite what trainees may perceive, training managers and other decision makers highly value input provided in response to open-ended items because the comments are in the trainees’ own words. Comments are very rich and can be very powerful. Even a highly negative, critical comment may sway a decision-maker to cancel or make significant changes to a program, while highly positive comments can provide value to market training or justify additional investment. Because of their value, comments should be interpreted with care. Research shows that comments are negative in tone and that dissatisfied trainees tend to provide comments. Comments most likely do not represent the opinions of all trainees, but may reflect input from the most dissatisfied trainees. Training managers who read comments should interpret them appropriately as they may only be hearing from the dissatisfied trainees. Knowing how to get the most out of comments can provide key strategic advantages for organizations if used and interpreted appropriately. Here are four evidence-based tips for training managers and other key decisionmakers to improve training survey practices and to better leverage the feedback provided.
EACH SURVEY ITEM SHOULD HAVE A CLEAR LINK TO A GAP IN ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE OR A STRATEGIC PURPOSE.
1 | D EFINE YOUR NEEDS BEFORE DESIGNING YOUR ITEMS Any survey item, whether closed-ended or open-ended, should be aligned with your needs. Surveying for the sake of surveying is not good practice as it can frustrate respondents and waste valuable company resources. A study presented at the International Convention of Psychological Sciences by Hause, Hendrickson, & Brooks in 2015 showed that only 5 percent of comments provided in response to a global financial survey were useful, (i.e., defined as having the ability to lead organizational change). Each survey item should have a clear link to a gap in organizational knowledge or a strategic purpose. This makes designing the items, getting feedback and acting on the results streamlined and effective.
2 | A LTER ITEMS TO FOCUS ON THE DIALOGUE YOU CONTROL The intent of open-ended items on surveys is to provide a format where trainees can have a “voice” and provide feedback in their own words. However, this does not mean that the item must be unstructured or vague. It is better if the item signals to trainees what kind of information the organization is seeking. Survey designers often include a “catch all” item at the end of a survey to make sure respondents have been given a chance to comment, but will responses to these items provide any value? Studies have shown that altering item wording can have an impact on response. There is also limited evidence that item wording may reduce biased responding by encouraging both positive and negative feedback.
3 | BE TRANSPARENT AND FRAME THE INSTRUCTIONS TO ELICIT VALUABLE FEEDBACK Do not let trainees assume that the open-ended items are not important.
Use item instructions to tell them how important they are and what action will be taken. Poncheri and Thompson presented a study at SIOP in 2007, titled “OpenEnded Comments: To Require or Not to Require?” In this experimental study, undergraduate students were assigned to three conditions: 1. A control condition (standard web-based survey where no items were required or encouraged). 2. An experimental condition where open-ended items were required (if the item was skipped, an error would be shown much like the error that happens on surveys when required closed-ended items are skipped). 3. An experimental condition where comments were encouraged (the instructions communicated that the survey designers found the comments important). The two experimental conditions led to a similar pattern of results: increasing response rate and favorable perceptions of open-ended items without adversely affecting reactions to taking the survey. In a 2015 presentation at ICPS titled, “Employee Input from Across the Globe: ‘Nudging’ for More Useful Ideas,” Hause, Hendrickson, and Brooks used an approach called nudging. Nudging involves providing respondents with information in the item instructions about the kind of responses the organization is seeking, (e.g., specific descriptions, realistic solutions), as well as example comments. This global study found that nudging leads to the provision of comments that are five times more useful when compared to a control group. These findings support the importance of being transparent about the kind of feedback
being sought by communicating the importance of comments and providing trainees with more guidance on the kind of feedback that is most valuable.
4 | U SE TECHNOLOGY TO CUSTOMIZE THE EXPERIENCE Although some training surveys are still delivered via paper and pencil, web surveying is increasingly used and the tools they provide should be leveraged to improve the use of open-ended items. Item branching can be used to probe for more information based on responses to closed-ended items. If a trainee marks “very dissatisfied” with the training schedule, they can be branched to an item that targets that area. This serves to limit the trainees responding to the open-ended item and creates a customized survey experience for the trainee that should encourage a more valuable contribution based on their training experience. These items often have higher response rates because they are targeted at the trainee’s specific experience. Asking the right questions is essential to receiving quality comments, but there are many other factors that contribute to the usefulness of feedback provided in response to open-ended items on training surveys. Any behavior (such as commenting on a survey) is impacted by the characteristics of the trainee, as well as factors in the environment. Although research shows there are differences in terms of who comments on training surveys, this article has provided some key tips for encouraging all trainees to respond and provide quality feedback. Dr. Reanna Poncheri Harman is the vice president and director of consulting practice at ALPS Solutions whose research focuses on training evaluation, training and organizational surveys, and needs assessment. Email Reanna.
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WHY BECOME A
CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN TRAINING MANAGEMENT? The Certified Professional in Training Management™ (CPTM™) program will give you the tools and authority to succeed both as a leader of learning and development and as a business leader.
THE CPTM PROGRAM IS: Focused on Business Alignment: You will gain new tools and techniques to align training programs to business strategy. Actionable: You will gain access to tools, resources, research and a network of CPTM colleagues to elevate your professional abilities as a learning leader. Achievable: The CPTM program consists of 10 self-paced online learning modules, followed by a face-to-face (in-person or online) practicum and concluding with an online certification exam. You can earn the CPTM certification at your own pace in as little as four weeks.
UPCOMING CPTM PRACTICUM SESSIONS:
VIRTUAL SESSION MARCH 13-16, 2017
HOUSTON, TX
MARCH 27-29, 2017
NEW YORK, NY JUNE 12-14, 2017
VIRTUAL SESSION APRIL 4-7, 2017
VIRTUAL SESSION JUNE 26-29, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. APRIL 24-26, 2017
RALEIGH, NC
JULY 17-19, 2017
CHICAGO, IL
MAY 15-17, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS, MN JULY 24-26, 2017
For other practicum dates and locations, or to learn more about the CPTM program, visit cptm.trainingindustry.com.
SECRETS OF SOURCING DOUG HARWARD
SOURCING COACHES:
A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE
As far back as the medieval era, training a new generation of workers was done via on-the-job training accompanied by some form of classroom instruction. Referred to as apprenticeships since the 1600s, this approach is primarily used for trades and hands-on skilled professions. Obviously, the corporate world is much different and the needs of knowledge workers are also different. Today’s workers need information about their job, as well as the market and organization around them. Despite the differences, the best way to learn the ins-and-outs of doing your job still comes from someone with experience.
ALL THE KNOWLEDGE MAY NOT LIVE WITHIN YOUR CORPORATE WALLS. Today’s practice of learning from an experienced worker is generally referred to as coaching or mentoring, and is considered a best practice for highperforming organizations. So much so, that many have established a culture where sharing knowledge is not just a periodic activity, it’s an ongoing part of how you do your job and how the organization transfers knowledge. The concept of knowledge transfer has been talked about for years, but coaching remains one of the most effective approaches to do just that. Coaching and mentoring is about formalizing an informal approach to learning. From my experience,
organizations that formally manage a coaching program get positive results. And those that leave learning to chance, obviously don’t. Our research has found that organizations that commit the energy and resources into making sure the program has a systematic approach and measures the performance change of those involved get exceptional results. Starting a coaching program isn’t as simple as assigning workers to leaders and expecting them to figure out what knowledge needs to be conveyed and how they should manage their time together. It’s about implementing a structured program where the primary focus of coaching is on the performance of the coach or mentor, not the mentee. If you properly train coaches, then the probability of success goes up exponentially. This takes the informal out of the process, and converts coaching into a formalized informal approach to on-the-job training. WHEN TO SOURCE Many training managers ask if they can source “professional coaches” for their workforce or if they must use internal staff for coaching. The answer is yes, but it means we need to understand what knowledge we are trying to transfer from experienced to inexperienced worker and who is best to teach or coach the inexperienced worker based on what knowledge is needed. There are some roles that require a high level of proprietary information and it makes sense to use internal staff as coaches. But, there are other roles where the
knowledge the person needs can best come from someone who is an experienced professional from a similar job and can leverage the knowledge they’ve gained from other organizations. A great example of this is the C-level executive. Oftentimes, the best coach for a CEO or CFO is an executive coach who has experience and knowledge related to their profession, but not necessarily their organization. Many corporate C-level professionals seek coaching expertise from retired or seasoned professionals who have already traveled the roads they are about to travel. These executives need a trusting person who they can seek counsel from on related activities and initiatives. Remember, all the knowledge needed for your next generation of workers may not live within your corporate walls. From where I sit, sourcing coaches is a viable alternative. But, you must be wise to select coaches based on the skills the worker requires and who best has those skills. Then, make a specific plan as to what information must be conveyed, what experiences they need to learn about, and how best to convey that information. Begin with a baseline of data related to the learner’s proficiency, so over time you will be able to measure performance improvement. This approach will put you on your way to implementing a world-class coaching culture. Doug Harward is CEO of Training Industry, Inc. and a former learning leader in the hightech industry. Email Doug.
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GEN WHY
MICHELLE EGGLESTON
DEFINING THE
LEADER OF TOMORROW
The workplace is shifting from a topdown management model to a culture of leaders who can influence and impact change across the business. This gradual change has occurred as new generations have entered the workforce with a unique perspective on how to inspire others to take action. With this cultural shift, the skills that leaders will need to possess in the future are also changing. It is predicted that tomorrow’s leaders will have skills and aptitudes that starkly contrast with those of current senior leaders. This change is attributed to the differing views between CEOs and millennial leaders on what makes an effective leader. In the next decade, millennials envision a C-suite filled with executives who excel at the interpersonal and interaction facets of leadership, according to the research study “Divergent Views/ Common Ground” conducted by The Conference Board. Their ideal leader will be one who is an inspiring coach, a captivating communicator and who has a high global acumen. This picture contrasts with the CEOs’ ideal future leader, who focuses less on interpersonal influence and more on critical thinking skills, business savvy and stakeholder management. How will these differing opinions impact organizations?
COMING TO A CROSSROADS It could be argued that millennial leaders have their blinders on when it comes to their view of stakeholder management. The reality of this blind spot may simply lie in the fact that millennial leaders are still green to the responsibilities of senior leaders. As leaders move up the
corporate ladder, the level of interaction with stakeholders and other key business players increases. Maintaining relationships at the senior level requires a combination of interpersonal skills and business acumen. Simply relying on interpersonal skills to steer the future of the company may prove lackluster and ineffective for business development. The research cautions that if millennial leaders fail to expand their view of stakeholders beyond their organization’s customers to include other key parties, they could potentially find themselves at a crossroads with current senior leaders. Think about it. If both parties polish skills and promote talent based on their unique preferences of the future leader, they will further divide these two groups, ultimately putting pressure on advancing leaders caught in this tug-of-war. When it comes to senior leadership development, an organization must have a clearly defined list of attributes that exemplify an effective leader. Each organization’s leadership profile may differ, just as each organization’s mission and goals will vary.
THE ROLE OF L&D Learning and development can play an active role in creating a cohesive leadership development program that promotes company values and builds future leaders based on those standards.
Increasing transparency and awareness of key stakeholders Junior leaders are often unaware of company stakeholders who play a significant role in a senior leaders’ success. Increasing transparency
can help millennials recognize the importance of stakeholders and the key role they play in the business.
Creating a success profile for senior leadership roles Ensure promotion and development programs are aligned with the skills and attributes a leader will need to possess as deemed by the organization. This requires building a success profile for senior leadership roles, which can be achieved through data collection from performance reviews, assessment of company values and interviews with the appropriate people.
THE SKILLS THAT FUTURE LEADERS WILL NEED TO POSSESS ARE CHANGING. Providing coaching and job shadowing programs Teaming up senior and junior leaders can allow millennials to learn the intricacies of senior leadership roles first-hand. Through these observations, millennials can better understand the skills that will be required when they transition into more senior-level roles.
MOVING FORWARD As our workplace continues to shift toward a more inclusive culture that embraces peer-to-peer mentoring and coaching, the attributes of the future leader will become more clearly defined. Through L&D’s guidance, organizations can create a more unified vision for tomorrow’s leaders. Michelle Eggleston is the editorial director for Training Industry, Inc. Email Michelle.
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CONGRATULATIONS
TOP 20 AUTHORING TOOLS COMPANIES
The Top 20 Authoring Tools Companies are a service provided by Training Industry, Inc. Due to the diversity of services offered, no attempt is made to rank the “Top 20s.”
TECH TALK
AMAR DHALIWAL
HOW KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS
ARE TRANSFORMING COACHING Nearly 70 percent of companies’ budgets are dedicated to human capital costs, according to Human Capital Management Institute. With so much invested in the total cost of workforce, the single biggest organizational expense, it is not surprising that mid-tolarge sized companies invest in coaching and mentoring to enhance their investment in employee development and engagement. Organizations invest over $1.5 billion annually in engagement improvement, according to Bersin & Associates, which calls engagement an employer’s number one metric.
The success of these traditional mentoring programs has led to the development of reverse mentoring programs, in which more seasoned executives are paired with younger, less-experienced employees, so that the former may learn from the latter. Such programs, which have been adopted by companies such as GE, Cisco, The Hartford and HP, have helped older executives understand how to bridge technology, marketing and strategic management gaps. WHY DON'T WE DO MORE WITH OUR EMPLOYEES?
Yet, we all understand the stark reality that most employees do not feel engaged. Only 30 percent of employees in the U.S. and just 13 percent of employees outside of the U.S. report that they are engaged with their companies, according to a Forbes column by Steve Olenski.
Coaching and mentoring programs are, by their nature, labor intensive. They require a mentor to assiduously set aside the time to share their expertise and advice – and this commitment is often difficult, especially when coaching more than one person.
Companies are increasingly turning to coaching and mentoring to address this discrepancy, with virtually every Fortune 500 company reporting that they utilize one or more aspects of mentoring or corporate coaching.
Let’s also admit that some people are simply better coaches than others and they will be in greater demand – a demand that will be difficult to satisfy with traditional models of coaching and mentoring.
THE IMPORTANCE OF COACHING AND MENTORING Roughly 77 percent of companies that have workplace coaching and mentoring programs found them effective in increasing retention rates, according to the “Employee Mentoring Programs Benefits/Risk Assessment and Business Case” white paper from The Millennium Group International. And 95 percent of mentees said their participation in these programs enhanced their motivation.
Enter a new crop of technologies. KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS The ability to easily set up a Knowledge Network inside organizations is now changing the way expertise is created and shared. Imagine if your foremost experts could coach and mentor thousands of their colleagues, with no more effort than required for one person. This is now possible.
New technologies allow people to follow experts in their organization and benefit from the information and knowledge being created, consumed and shared by these experts. In turn, the expert mentors can recommend – and even assign – materials back to their group of followers.
TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING THE WAY EXPERTISE IS CREATED AND SHARED. Live video-streaming, a technology just starting to enter the enterprise, also has huge potential to transform coaching and mentoring programs. A mentor can now live-stream their advice and thoughts across the globe to thousands of their mentees – from her smartphone. The experience is both personal and scalable. Imagine the impact of your senior leadership doing this for just 15 to 20 minutes a week in your own organization. Of course, these new virtual coaching and mentoring relationships lack the humanist aspect of traditional models, but they have still proven to be highly effective. It may be the right time to experiment with these new technologies in your organization and let the knowledge flow. Amar Dhaliwal is the chief evangelist at EdCast. He was a co-founder of the learning management pioneer THINQ and, after its acquisition by Saba in 2005, led Saba's product, engineering, cloud and customer operations teams. Email Amar.
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CLOSING D E A L S
COACHING AS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: USING TECHNOLOGY FOR EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT AND FEEDBACK - TARYN OESCH
In October, Peter Cappelli (Wharton School) and Anna Tavis (Columbia University) wrote a Harvard Business Review article titled “The Performance Management Revolution.” It may seem extreme to call a change in performance management a “revolution,” but from the perspective of the team leaders who must evaluate employees—and the employees who must receive those evaluations—it really isn’t. Thanks to a shorter supply of talent, talent development is becoming an important differentiator for employers. Employees are more motivated by development than they ever have been before, now that millennials are such a prominent part of the workforce. And because of increased job complexity, it’s impractical, if not impossible, to set performance goals one year in advance, so that development means “frequent, informal check-ins.” Harvard Business Review reports that “by some estimates, more than one-third of U.S. companies…are replacing annual reviews with frequent, informal checkins between managers and employees.” These companies include Microsoft, IBM, Deloitte, Accenture, PwC, Gap and General Electric. Annual reviews, according to Cappelli and Tavis, focus on past behavior rather than current and future performance. “In contrast,” they write, “regular conversations about performance and development change the focus to building the workforce your organization needs to be competitive both today and years from now.” Coaching can provide this continuous performance evaluation and management that employees need to thrive and grow. Closing the gap
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between training and on-the-job performance, coaching supports behaviors that lead to both shortterm and long-term success—for the individual and the business. By focusing on employee strengths and how to use them, coaching avoids the traditional negative responses to feedback. By using technology to scale the reach of coaching, training managers can also integrate data, provide instant feedback and even decrease the likelihood of bias. Early this year, ADP acquired The Marcus Buckingham Company (TMBC), expanding its talent portfolio with TMBC’s cloud-based coaching platform, StandOut. Now called ADP StandOut, the solution provides data and tools to managers that they can use to coach team members. The platform is truly a coaching platform, since it focuses on employees’ strengths and uses machine learning to individualize strategies. StandOut is based on TMBC’s research on high-performing team leaders and the philosophy that those leaders’ ability to foster an engaging culture is critical to organizational success. That research, according to a TMBC white paper, shows that for the best team leaders, “a year is not a marathon, but is instead 52 weekly sprints.” Weekly check-ins ensure that coaching is “future-focused and specific to the work at hand.” The platform uses a list of engagement and performance questions to gather information and provide practical tips for team leaders to coach employees. “Historically,” says Don Weinstein, chief strategy officer at ADP, “talent management has been largely
subjective.” Traditional assessments tend to reflect more about the assessor than the employee. ADP StandOut uses algorithms that ADP says “eliminate rater bias.” Additionally, by using data to tailor coaching objectives to individual employees’ strengths and weaknesses, coaches and team leaders can maximize their effectiveness.
BY USING DATA TO TAILOR COACHING OBJECTIVES, COACHES CAN MAXIMIZE EFFECTIVENESS. Regardless of platform, any coaching program should use data to measure the effectiveness of the program. Weinstein says that metrics such as performance improvement and even employee retention can be tied to coaching effectiveness. Technology makes it easier for training managers and coaches to establish a baseline and measure progress, which then makes it easier to change the program as needed and improve results. Coaching no longer needs to be considered a “nice-to-have,” without measurement or accountability. Rather, it should be a useful program that produces measurable results for individuals, teams and organizations. Using technology, training organizations can develop, implement and evaluate coaching programs that make a real impact in employee development and evaluation. Taryn Oesch is an editor at Training Industry, Inc. Email Taryn.
C O M PA N Y N E W S
ACQ UIS I T I ON S A N D PA RTN E R SHIPS GP Strategies Corporation announced it has completed its acquisition of certain assets and the business of McKinney Rogers, a results-driven global consultancy firm. McKinney Rogers provides strategy-throughimplementation services with a proven track record of delivering tangible improvements in client’s business results. This gives GP Strategies the ability to leverage McKinney Rogers’ intellectual property and consulting methodologies for its global clients to meet strategic business goals.
PSI Services announced that they have acquired Performance Assessment Network (PAN). PSI is a worldwide professional testing services provider to corporations, government agencies, professional associations, and certifying bodies and leading academic institutions. PAN is a recognized leader in talent assessments and measurement solutions for the corporate, government and education marketplace. This provides an opportunity for both organizations to expand their hiring and development programs.
Kaplan has acquired Genesis Institute through a deal signed at the Genesis headquarters in Dubai. It was signed by UK Chief Executive Officer Peter Houillon of Kaplan and Managing Director Binod Shankar of Genesis Institute. The purpose of this deal is to use Genesis’ brand for a broader global outreach. The actual terms of the deal are unknown.
The Winters Group, a leading global diversity and inclusion consulting firm, acquired Cultural Competence Edge Inc. as a way of better reaching its clients. The Winters Group is in the DC Metro area while Cultural Competence Edge is based in St. Paul, MN. This partnership will allow the firms a way to better serve their clients across the Mid-West.
Career Step, an online provider of careerfocused education and professional training, acquired the Revenue Capture and Coding Documentation Divisions of Panacea Healthcare Solutions. This partnership with Panacea will result in further benefiting Career Step’s Professional Training Division by providing end-to-end education, consulting and data analytics solutions to the revenue cycle and healthcare financial marketplaces. ADP has acquired The Marcus Buckingham Company (TMBC), an innovator in human capital management, to bring ADP clients a more scientific approach to employee engagement and performance. TMBC’s cloud-based performance and talent management solution, StandOut, includes coaching and education to give team leaders the tools, insights and data needed to turn talent into better employee performance. This solution will now be offered as ADP StandOut.
INDUSTRY NE WS NEW STUDY LINKS POSTURE AND PRODUCTIVITY A study conducted by UpRight in partnership with Ernst & Young Israel has linked improved posture habits with an increase in productivity. UpRight introduced healthy posture habits into the workplace of Ernst & Young through training, resulting in improved employee health, productivity and mood. The findings show that healthy posture habits resulted in more productivity and alertness in the workplace. MINORITIES C-SUITE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT NEEDS DISRUPTION A new website aims to close the C-suite leadership roles gap for minority women and men. The platform created by Margaret Spence is called Employee to CEO Project. Its mission is to change
how minority women and men are groomed for executive leadership roles to increase the number of minority women and men in C-suite leadership. It will accomplish this by offering strategic career guidance and mentoring. ACE-UP LAUNCHES COACHING PLATFORM Ace-up, a Harvard Innovation Lab startup that provides technology solutions to support personal and professional development, announced a new coaching platform. Ace-up stands out through its enhanced vetting process and commitment to customer satisfaction. They offer their customers a free 30-minute consultation with each coach and a money-back guarantee. After the session, customers help in the vetting process by grading coaches through a five-star review system.
REDBRICK HEALTH EXPANDS, OPENS COACHING CENTER RedBrick Health, a leading provider of health and well-being solutions that deliver better employee experience and stronger culture of health, expanded into a second office in Phoenix, Arizona. This new location, which houses coaches and guides, adds capacity for a growing roster of clients and consumers. RedBrick’s integrated model blends digital and live support delivered by a broad, crossdisciplinary team, which produces a more cohesive well-being experience.
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W H AT ’ S O N L I N E T R A I N I N G I N D U S T R Y. C O M
ARTICLES WHAT IS AN EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM? | By Peter Langton Creating an effective leadership program comes down to fundamental skills and the ability to influence others. COACHING VS. FEEDBACK: INCLUDING A VIRTUAL PERSPECTIVE | By Kathleen Federici Learn the differences between coaching and feedback and how going virtual can be beneficial to everyone involved. GIVE MEN THE GREEN LIGHT TO MENTOR WOMEN | By W. Brad Johnson and David Smith Construct a mentoring program where, senior men mentor the company’s women employees to develop their talent. DEVELOPING TOP LEADERS: 5 CRUCIAL SKILLS | By Brett Walker When developing leaders, you should understand what makes a great leader, who you should promote and why.
BLOGS
RESEARCH
WEBINARS
SHIP’S CAPTAIN OR
THE BEST PRACTICES
THIS MAGIC MOMENT:
SHIP’S ANCHOR? By Don Brown
IN SALES COACHING
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ACROSS THE WORKFORCE By Richardson and Training Industry, Inc.
TIME MANAGERS WHEN IT MATTERS MOST
THE CRITICAL
RECYCLED & REUSED:
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REPURPOSING TRAINING
INFORMAL: DRIVING
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TRAINING T A L K
6
BENEFITS OF
C O A C H I N G 1| IMPROVES PERFORMANCE
INDUSTRY
PO
S
What is your favorite strategy to reinforce/sustain learning?
3% 6% 17%
Effective coaching can significantly improve the performance of employees at all levels.
45% 29%
2 | ON-GOING SUPPORT
Going beyond just onetime feedback, coaching allows for continuous development of employees. 3| BROAD REACH OF EMPLOYEES
Coaching can occur virtually and in-person, increasing the ability to develop multiple employees at once. 4| BUILDS EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS
The commitment and support developed between a coach and an employee allow for more ideas and goals to be shared. 5| ENCOURAGES EMPLOYEE SUCCESS
Coaches create plans specific to an employee’s goals and needs, allowing for more growth potential.
N=63
Mentoring/coaching Practice session (live or virtual) Microlearning Short-form video Email follow-up
What leadership activity do you feel your supervisors are most effective at providing?
17% 40%
17% 26%
6| INCREASES ENGAGEMENT
Coaching can increase the motivation of employees, thus evolving the overall performance of an organization.
N=47
Leading/managing the work of other employees on the team Advocating for my department with other managers/leaders Leading/managing my work Facilitating my professional development
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