Engagement over time is valuable in learning, giving us time to reflect, to try things out back in the real world, to draw together our learning. Providing appropriate, flexible and easily accessible social learning spaces around formal learning experiences is one of the easiest and most effective ways of expanding our professional practice. The point of these spaces is to facilitate discussion and enable learners to play with the learning. Through appropriate challenge and moderation, it’s a way of making the learning more relevant, of making it more immediate. At a practical level, I find that it’s valuable to choreograph the spaces for social learning much as we would any other parts of the experience. Not choreograph the content of the discussions, after all, this is a semi formal social space and we want spontaneity, but rather to create the spaces and times for the discussion to take place. In a six week programme around coaching, I have looked at building in three distinct spaces for social learning: one at initiation, aimed at building common definitions and reflecting on current practice, one in the middle to explore new dimensions of the topic and challenge understanding and one at the end to share implementation ideas and bring issues back to the group. Three identical spaces, but each dealing with a new part of the narrative. The moderation needs to shift accordingly, from pulling people in at the start to keeping discussion on track in the middle and then building out a narrative at the end (more on stages of moderation here). This is a more nuanced approach than simply creating one space and leaving it to run: we are building a syllabus and a structure, a scaffolding for the conversation. Scaffolding the learning in this way is a valuable way of intervening without smothering the social aspects of the learning. Originally published on Julian Stodd’s Learning Blog

I know a young lady who intended to run her first marathon. She was active and did a lot of rock climbing, bike riding and ran some 5K races, but she never ran more than 7 or 8 miles at a time. She agreed to run this marathon because her boyfriend was doing it. Love does crazy things to a person. She is very driven and has always achieved the goals she set for herself and anyone who knows her knew she could do it, but more than once during the months of training preceding the 26.2 mile race she wondered if she was going to be able to cross the finish line. Like I said, she is driven, and she knew when she said "ok, I’ll do it", she needed a clear plan that would prepare her body and mind for the task. She researched training plans, diet requirements necessary to support such rigorous training, and identified the people who would supportively hold her accountable. The Marquette Marathon is a pre-qualifier to the Boston Marathon held in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It was a cold, rainy September day when she finished the 26.2 miles a little slower than she anticipated, and half an hour behind her boyfriend. She was a little disappointed in her time, but she achieved her goal to run the marathon and the process of preparing for the event helped her stay focused through some difficult events in her life. Strategic intent can give us fortitude for dealing with tough times, too. People set intentions on all kinds of things; to get married or have children, to get a job or make a career change, lose weight, or travel to a foreign country. When you proclaim your intention and then act on it to demonstrate your commitment, amazing things occur. Here are some suggestions for taking the first steps towards successful strategic intent: 1. Get clear about your goal and write it down. 2. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you accountable to taking action. 3. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention. 4. Acknowledge that you did what you said you would and then, take the next step. The same holds true when talking about an organizations’ strategic intent. As the speed of business continues to accelerate and change becomes even more of a constant, the ability for organizations to be nimble, agile and execute flawlessly can be the difference between thriving and extinction. Just as it is for individuals, the health and success of an organization depends on initiatives driven by clear strategic intentions. What is the health of your organization’s strategic intentions? Are you inspired to start running and cross the finish line?

As a follow-up to the blog post and podcast "I Hate My LMS", Don Duquette takes a look at a more fundamental question, "Do I need an LMS?"   Click the play button below to listen to the full podcast.

In today’s business environment, we are witnessing a momentous shift in the way that things are being done at organizations around the world. With the full-on acceptance of automation, multi-tasking, just in time information, Big Data cubes, and others, organizations have had to change the way that they conduct themselves in order to remain competitive. Listen to the full podcast "Answer the Why Question with SharePoint Solutions" by clicking the play button below.

GP Strategies’ Chief Financial Officer, Sharon Esposito-Mayer, discusses the corporation’s growth through the third quarter of 2012.

The ever-evolving business model is based on the orchestration of information and human capital—this harmonious combination must be delivered in a clear, concise format. More so, the barrage of information in the operation of any business must be tempered with how the delivery mechanism is designed. Without a delivery format and effective distribution system, information can become lost to the abyss. Training companies can solve that issue when they implement methodologies proven to elevate the benefits of supply chain management learning. With globalization, the field of competition has increased and the marketplace changes at a much more rapid pace. In order to maintain a forefront position on the knowledge curve, companies, namely multinational corporations, need to create a learning atmosphere conducive to capturing the knowledge and skill sets needed to advance a supply chain learning model. The challenge is incorporating learning methodologies into the supply chain without impeding the current supply chain mechanics. Supply chain learning models play a pivotal role in the optimization of supply chain management; more simply, supply chain learning models are the orchestration within the supply chain cycle. Agility and responsiveness become quintessential terms in supply chain optimization, yet at the root of it is the element of learning. Each supply chain learning model may differ, but here are seven essential basics to the supply chain structure: Create for cultures - One of the challenges for the multinationals includes handling the diversity of multiple cultures and seasons. Certain parameters and guidelines need to be made. Collaborate - Share "best practices" captured in the learning model and release them to the supply chain value streams. Communicate - Both internal and external communications must clearly illustrate who, what, when, where, and how. Additionally, benefits need to be well defined and expectations need to be set. Implement - The methods for broadcasting the learning content and tracking its application are a must. Innovate - Look for common ground or synergies in the supply chain. Determine if supplier groups work in conjunction relative to timing to optimize delivery (for example, bottles, labels, and caps). Sustain through measurement - Sustaining the learning network requires a consistent scheduling. Required due outs and reports of progress and cost avoidance need to be captured and tracked. Compete - The supply chain becomes the harmony within any business model; any interruption or threat weakens its competitiveness. Initiative success is a result of synchronous collaboration between finance and accounting, engineering, operations (learning), maintenance, health/safety, and quality. Global leaders bear the responsibility of engaging all departments, soliciting feedback, and delivering the critical information through training models. Best-in-class organizations that are examples of supply chain optimization have demonstrated the ability to tap into the importance of learning models as a basic element of the decision-making process.

GP Strategies’ Chief Financial Officer, Sharon Esposito-Mayer, discusses the corporation’s financial performance through the third quarter of 2012. http://www.gpstrategies.com

Does leadership matter? Does leadership communication matter? More than ever, managers and leaders at every level are taking a barrage of criticism and are often punished by associates and employees for their lack of trust-building and inspirational communication. Why is that? We know the external marketplace is forcing all of us to dramatically rethink our go-to-market strategies, and as a result, organizations are continuously making significant internal changes to drive performance. But let’s face it, change requires leadership, and not all managers and leaders are equipped to confidently take people through the dark woods of uncertainty, out to a place where the future will be created and the light of peoples’ talents can shine. Real leadership starts with each leader’s character, vision and action. It also does not discard nor discount the emotions of others; the best leaders look at emotion as data. But do not misunderstand the message—while trust is at its lowest levels ever, communication is the cauldron for leadership authenticity, often determining whether people stay engaged and give more than they get. On December 11, 2012 TrainingIndustry.com hosted a webinar sponsored by GP Strategies, where Chris Brunone explored  how we can help leaders in our organizations strive to inspire others to willingly take action to effect positive change. In case you missed it, be sure to listen to the recorded webinar on Trainingindustry.com: Discover What Matters and why values are the starting point of all leadership Why balancing Competence and Connection is the real key to success What it takes to truly Connect With Others - a Communication Framework for Change Leadership Communication in Action: Trust is Key to Engaging Employees It comes down toWho Are You and What Do You Want? The webinar sparked a great conversation at the end. Unfortunately Chris was not able to address all of the questions that came in, but he has compiled answers to all questions that were posted during the presentation in the following Webinar Q & A document. Great leaders build trust by ______. Finish this sentence with your thoughts in the comments section below. The first three people to respond will receive a free copy of Leading Out Loud: Inspiring Change Through Authentic Communications by Terry Pearce.

Don Duquette, Executive Vice President at GP Strategies, reviews the company’s outsourcing wins through 2012 and explains the impact GP Strategies’ outsourcing services has on its clients.

Whether this is your first time to our blog, or you are a repeat visitor, thank you. We are honored that you choose us as a source of information. Our blog has grown considerably since launching in 2011, and most of this growth is from readers like you sharing our posts with your networks. In order to keep up this momentum, we have made it our resolution to continue providing content that helps you achieve your business initiatives and ultimately helps you make a meaningful impact for your organization and your customers. Our inspiration and ideas come from your comments and feedback, so please continue to let us know what topics, trends, or insights you would like our authors to write about. As we reflect on the blog in 2012, we are inspired by the commitment and dedication of our authors. They are the voice and driving force behind our blog.  In case you missed them, here are some of our most read posts over the past year: Five Levels of Listening by David Roitman I Hate My LMS by Don Duquette 7 Characteristics of Decision Making by Mike Koper eBook: Exploring the World of Social Learning by Julian Stodd The Things I Must Have Seen by Doug Sharp Making Something Meaningful Out of Mud by Jamie Coffey Virtual Training Improves Engagement by Alison Mina We look forward to the New Year, and with trending themes like mobile and social learning, leadership development, learning outsourcing and sustaining successful initiatives, 2013 is definitely not going to be the year of little content!