I remain fascinated by the cloud-based, integrated financial management system, Workday. At a spectator level, we at Media 1 excitedly cheer the rapid rise of Workday and its premise — and promise — of enabling financial and people data to finally live and work together harmoniously in the same enterprise system. Rationalizing people data and making it visible at the top level of the organization is key to earning a maximum Return On People. The folks at Workday seem to grasp this at a level that few others yet fully understand. Yet, with rare exception, most Workday marketing lately appears to aim squarely at the CFO and the financial side of the equation, pretty much ignoring HR and Human Capital Analytics. Why would Workday choose to do that? If I were to wager a guess based on our own conversations with business leaders on both sides, it’s because of the great chasm that still exists in most organizations between Finance and HR. They don’t measure or report the same things, and, for the most part, their organizational performance isn’t measured or rewarded in ways that would motivate any compelling reason to change. Financial data is considered hard and people data soft, and in many organizations the tenor of the relationship between the two functions approaches disdain. Until that changes, business climate will be more HR vs Finance than HR + Finance — a barrier to ever achieving a Return On People.  The CFO will continue to be the key driver of enterprise financial system decisions, and marketing targeted at finance (like the Workday Infographic, below) will avoid muddying the water with talk about HR or People. Unless HR and Finance take steps to reach across silos and construct ways of measuring and influencing systems decisions together, people data will remain locked in HR systems. Finance will lack visibility to people-related KPIs such as Total Cost of Workforce. And Workday will continue to face a marketing conundrum of how to promote one of its key market differentiators and most valuable business features. Too bad.   Via Workday The post The Workday HR vs Finance Conundrum appeared first on Media 1.

A few years ago I became aware of a guy in Portland Oregon, named Tor Clausen who owns a company called Musical Furnishings (www.musical furnishings.com). It seems this gentleman had the brilliant idea that furniture, while remaining functional as furniture, could also serve as entertainment and as a tool for creativity. He designed a series of tables, benches and chests that also can be used as percussion instruments. This takes the form of various drums or xylophone type instruments. I’ve been a musician most of my life, which is almost embarrassing to claim since my playing ability nowhere matches the amount of time I have spent practicing or just fooling around for the pure joy of it. But the one thing that I have never been any good at all is percussion. Despite having reasonable time while playing other instruments, I can’t carry a beat even if it has a handle. I have little creativity when it comes to hearing drum beats and clapping can sometimes even be a challenge. Regardless of my obvious and self-admitted lack of talent in all things percussion, I could never get the concept of a musical table out of my head. Just the idea of having a musical experience integrated into something as common as a coffee table, is just so appealing to me. The context that it presents is so attractive that I couldn’t imagine putting down my coffee cup or the remote without a couple quick taps. Luckily for me, the kind folks at Media1 picked up on my intrigue for these musical tables, and for my 10th anniversary this last January, they gave me a gift certificate for one of my very own. I got to work with Tor Clausen on the types of drums and size of the table as well as the finishes. A few weeks later, I’m the proud owner of my very own musical table. Now I don’t expect that suddenly I am going to become an amazing percussionist, but I do expect, that I will get better. If I had a drum in my music room, I would probably never play it; instead I would choose to pick up my favorite guitar or mandolin, but the coffee table in my living room? How can I not walk by and try a little beat? It’s integrated into my everyday life and it has a presence that will be hard to ignore. All of this got me thinking, can we create better leaders by making sure that the opportunity to be a better leader is ever-present? How can we make professional development as irresistible as playable furniture?   The post Integration, Experience, and Discovery appeared first on Media 1.

We first published The Integrated Learning Manifesto in October of 2011. Since then, I’m proud to see that our predictions of nearly three years ago are suddenly gaining traction. Corporate learning is clearly moving away from "training" and toward Integrated Talent Development. Even the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) recently announced a brand reboot as the Association for Talent Development. We are finally starting to have the right conversations. Clearly, offering a series of training courses, even when tied to a thoughtful curriculum, hasn’t offered the promised returns on our investments in our people. But truly moving from corporate learning to integrating talent development will require much more than a name change, and we still have far to go. In dusting off the former manifesto, I was surprised at how little has really changed in three years, and how timely and relevant this Manifesto remains today. I’ve made very few changes to the original manifest, indicated here as strikeouts or italics in this updated edition. With that, please allow me to introduce you to an old friend with a new name …   The Integrated Talent Development Manifesto Corporate learning has too long been dictated by old paradigms. Over the last decade, the focus has remained on saving cost and pushing knowledge to a global workforce through disparate learning events - courses. Today a course may be delivered as self-paced online learning (WBT) or instructor led via a virtual classroom or webinar, but the underlying learning model for most corporate learners remains the same as it has been for decades. When it’s time to participate in a learning event, learners visit a Learning Management System (LMS) as the enterprise learning hub. The LMS follows a traditional classroom model for registering from a catalog of courses, recording learner progress, and reporting to management. Think about the last time you engaged in a learning activity at your workplace. Did the course give you what you needed at the right time? Did it clearly relate to your career, building on your existing skills, and moving you closer to completing a business requirement or meeting a personal career goal? Or did it feel more like something you simply had to do in order to check off a box on a list of requirements? Register. Complete. Move on. Enter Integrated Talent Development We at Media 1 believe Effective learning needs to happen as a process, not a series of disconnected events strung together out of context. The time has come for a new, integrated model for corporate learning leadership and talent development. Technology should provide a platform for seamlessly delivering carefully selected, timely, role-appropriate learning and mentoring opportunities at the right point in career development. Learner needs must drive the LMS, not the other way around. Today’s employees are people first, and talent second. People demand development experiences that help them grow and succeed, and experience is paramount to building an engaged and passionate work force. Here, in the words of your people, we declare the Integrated Talent Development Manifesto. I want to learn. I want to succeed. Help me by providing learning opportunities that are: 1. Social At home, I use social media sites to keep up to date with the latest in news and technology that affect my career. I post questions and get feedback and answers from my friends. I have much to learn from my managers and peers at work, and we don’t always work in the same office. It should be just as easy to reach out to them as it is to seek advice from my social network. Give me social media and mentorship tools behind our firewall I can use to exchange job-related information and build productive relationships with my coworkers. 2. Relevant I need to know how each learning opportunity applies directly to me and my role in the organization. If I don’t understand the purpose of a course or see what’s in it for me, don’t expect me to naturally engage with the material or automatically transfer what I learned on the job. Make it easier; help me put everything in context. 3. Self-directed Recognize that I am engaged in multiple tracks of learning simultaneously. I have to meet a number of annual HR compliance requirements and keep up with general business initiatives and personal development courses. I am taking technical courses to master the ever-changing systems and tools I need to do my job, as well as courses specific to my role in the organization. To advance my career, I am enrolled in a management leadership development program. I want visibility and control over options within each of these various learning tracks, and I want to chart my progress through each curriculum. 4. Integrated The LMS is no longer the center of my learning universe. I am also learning through social media hubs and information portals. I make regular visits to various corporate sites and systems of which the LMS is just one. Please tie everything together for me and give me a simple, integrated path across the corporate ecosystem. 5. Focused Like you, I’m busy. When I make time for learning, my other responsibilities don’t go away. In the vast and ever-deepening sea of content and learning options, please don’t make me wade through an unwieldy content store or course catalog. Make it all available, but provide good filters to direct me to exactly the right learning from which we both will get the most immediate benefit. 6. Timely Make sure that I have access to up-to-date, just-in-time learning and support for the things that matter today. Don’t try to cram a year’s worth of learning into a one-week "boot camp." Six months from now, you’d much rather I look up and work to the most current process anyway. Start Today The goal of this Manifesto is to shatter old corporate learning paradigms and spark thoughts and conversations in new directions. Meeting some of these goals requires simple changes in the way we manage our current corporate learning environment—finding new ways to direct learners through our existing curricula and across systems. These short-term goals can be accomplished in the weeks and months ahead. Others require changes in policy or implementing new technologies; establish those as long-term goals, and start planning and working toward them one step at a time. There’s no reason not to start today.       How are people developed at your workplace? Is talent development integrated into daily work activities? Contact Chris to share ideas or learn more. The post The Integrated Talent Development Manifesto appeared first on Media 1.

A question was recently posed in a LinkedIn Onboarding forum asking whether onboarding for new hires should be different from onboarding employees following an acquisition. I give a resounding, "YES!" which is, in fact, one of the drivers behind our Xperiocity philosophy and technology. Let’s break it down. I believe that good onboarding focuses in three main areas: * Organization * Role * Self and others A new hire who has never worked in your organization, and especially one new to managing others, will benefit from a robust onboarding program with focus in all three areas and touch points throughout the first full year . However, the approach needs to be tailored differently for "Reboarding" employees who aren’t completely new to all aspects of the job and organization. For example, assuming that they received strong learning and development in their prior company, acquired employees making a lateral role shift likely need a Reboarding experience that focuses most heavily on their new Organization - culture, strategy, brand ambassadorship. Contrast that to Reboarding for an in-company person making a lateral move, who presumably has already been acculturated but will need to focus heaviest on mastering her new Role. Over the past decade, there has been a strong push away from New Hire Orientation to true Onboarding, and these scenarios illustrate why this is more important than ever. In today’s rapidly changing work environment, organizations require a robust and flexible Onboarding program that can be tailored to developing groups of employees in their unique situation. A holistic learning approach, delivered in the workflow using an experience-driven platform such as Xperiocity, makes this possible.   The post Onboarding Following Acquisition: Reboarding appeared first on Media 1.

Bill Brandon recently interviewed Gene Pease, founder and CEO of Vestrics, for Learning Solutions magazine. Gene has been using Human Capital Analytics to measure Return on People for a long time, so it doesn’t surprise me a bit that this article hits the nail on the head. My favorite observation: when it comes to measurement, L & D is where Marketing was 10 years ago. Gene is spot on. As Learning still is in many organizations today, Marketing was at one time a necessary, but shrinking, budgetary line item, and measuring marketing ROI was somewhat of a dark art. Today, marketers are increasingly being asked to justify their spend, and are relying on increasingly sophisticated testing and measurement in order to do so. Today’s savvy marketers are well versed in analytics, including making predictive hypotheses and using A/B testing to sample results for continuous improvement. New learning delivery platforms like Xperiocity are designed with that in mind. However, the enterprise marketing measurement problem lived more or less within a single discipline. It was arguably easier to educate and effect radical change when everyone under the Marketing umbrella read the same journals, attended the same conferences, and relied on similar tools and methodologies. When your competitors all began using email marketing, it was fairly easy to see the consequences of not jumping on the bandwagon. Pretty soon, the question became not whether or not you should be doing it, too, but how well you are doing it and where you are getting the greatest return on your efforts and spend. Your marketing people knew where the bar was, and you could hold them accountable for moving it in the right direction. In L&D, we’re just dipping our toes in the Human Capital Analytics water. We’ve come a long way from measuring ROI through butts in seats, and most organizations have instituted some form of  enterprise Talent Management. However, overcoming the next hurdle in measurably improving people development will be much more difficult. Unlike marketing, Human Capital measurement crosses organizational boundaries. It requires taking a holistic view and a cross-disciplinary approach, aligning business strategy across recruiting, talent management, learning, OD, line of business leadership … The larger and more traditional the organization, the harder it is to affect change across internal functions and disparate systems. It’s especially difficult when leadership doesn’t yet readily feel the pain of failing to invest in learning and development strategies that promise measurable Return on People. Those who do feel it — those working to develop the organization’s people — can not affect cros-functional organizational change from the bottom up. Improved talent development methodologies and measurement must be initiated by decree from the top down. The good news, because the barriers to entry are so high, organizations that take the risk early will surge ahead and reap early rewards. This change will come - it must! But oh, my, what a bloody uphill battle we are waging in the trenches. Smart leaders will send in the cavalry now. ————————- Read the full Gene Pease interview in Learning Solutions here. The post Analytics: What Marketing Can Teach L&D appeared first on Media 1.

  Implementing an assessment for 360 degree feedback can be a complex and daunting process. Data collection can be difficult and both participant and rater anxiety can be high. The good news is that these types of problems can be avoided and addressed before a facilitator or coach ever receives the 360 feedback report. Successful implementation begins at the planning phase. 1. Understanding the Purpose   The first step for successful 360 degree feedback is understanding why a 360 is being used. Is this for development purposes only? Does the organization hope to gain insight into overall development gaps? Is the assessment being used as part of a review process? Understanding the purpose of the assessment, how the data will be used and who will have access helps define the communication plan to participants. Being honest and transparent about intent is key to gaining participant trust, rater trust and getting honest feedback and reliable data. 2. Have an Internal Champion   Once the purpose of the 360 assessment has been established the announcement of the assessment should come from a senior leader or internal champion inside of the organization. Having the first communication from someone internal lets participants know that this is an important process to the organization and that leadership is supporting the process.  In this communication the purpose of the assessment should be clearly stated and the intended use of the data should be clear. This announcement is creating the foundation and setting expectations for the entire 360 assessment process. 3. Let Participants Own the Process    After the 360 degree feedback has been distributed it’s important to let participants take control of the process, this increases participant engagement from the start. Allow participants to choose their own raters, distribute access to the assessment and be accountable for receiving feedback. During this phase it is helpful to coach participants on how to both select raters and communicate with their raters. Participants should select raters that will provide honest and constructive feedback not just those who will give glowing reviews.  In order to have a well-rounded 360 participants should ask for feedback from all rater categories including peers, direct reports and bosses.  Prior to distributing the assessment to raters participants should personally inform raters that they have been selected to provide them with feedback, the intention of the feedback and that ratings will be confidential. Again, the intent of this communication is to establish rater trust. 4. Be Aware of Rater Fatigue   When distributing a 360 assessment it is just as important to consider the impact the assessment will have on raters as it is the participant. You are relying on raters to give constructive, thoughtful and honest feedback and this takes time.  A 360 assessment will take at a minimum 20 minutes for a rater to complete per participant. If you have a single boss with 8 direct reports this is 2-3 hours of time devoted to an assessment that is being added to an already busy schedule. There are a few ways to address this. A. Coach participants on how to select raters. Although an individual may work with up to 30 peers, direct reports, and supervisors they may only have contact with 10-15 of those on a daily or weekly basis. Narrowing the rater pool to those that participants work with most closely will provide higher quality feedback and decrease the amount of time raters are required to complete assessments. B. Roll out the 360 in waves. If you are distributing a 360 with a large number of individuals in the organization it may be beneficial to roll out the assessment in batches over the course of several months instead of all at once. C. Be thoughtful about the amount of time you give raters to complete a 360. Make sure you consider the organizations culture in terms of responsiveness and the current workload. A 360 can typically be completed in a 2-4 week time frame. 5. Make Sure the Learning Transfers   The most important part of a 360 assessment is creating the opportunity for participants to select actionable items that they can work and improve on when they return to the office. However, how do you know that improvements are being made? Creating a way to reassess and measure improvement is key. Often times organizations re-administer an entire 360 to measure improvement. What we know is that individuals can only make significant progress on 3-5 goals over the course of 8-12 months. It is more beneficial to target and reassess those specific goals instead of re-administering the entire 360. This streamlined process is also less disruptive to the organization and more cost effective. Interested in learning more about best-in-class 360 assessments?  Discovery Learning, Inc. can help! The post 5 Tips for Successful 360 Degree Feedback appeared first on Discovery Learning Inc..

Earlier this year, we suggested five steps to help you assess and improve your leadership development program. You can read the original post here. We’re back with four additional recommendations to implement in the planning stages of your program to improve your organization’s leadership development.   1. Get sponsorship from senior leaders. When it is clear that your leadership development program is important to the organization, participants will be more engaged in learning. During an executive training program at a large Canadian retailer, a very senior executive drove over four hours to kick off the program with a fifteen-minute speech to the participants. The senior executive’s visible sponsorship of the program sent a clear message that the program was important. Gaining tangible buy-in from senior leaders is a crucial way to get participants to invested in their own development from the start. 2. Avoid cramming too much content into one program. Although it is tempting to cover as much ground as possible, it is a mistake to overdo it with content. People need time to reflect, process, and talk about the information you are presenting. Rather than try to do everything in one program, identify the most important learning areas you want to cover and plan enough time for people to develop meaningful takeaways.  Try to focus on one or two behavioral competencies and demonstrate how they may be connected. 3. Frame it in terms of exploring real business issues. Get people to bring real business challenges to the program to engage in problem-solving.  Then give people break-away activities to encourage exploring those specific issues. People want to solve problems. When you incorporate experiential learning into your leadership development program, participant engagement will increase. Coupling experiential learning with exploration and discussion of relevant business challenges helps participants to make deeper connections between their development experience and their behavior patterns at work. By doing so participants will feel like they have some tools to take back with them which greatly helps increase engagement with leadership development beyond the class-room. 4. Keep it safe. When people feel threatened and exposed, their ability to transfer short term to long term memory decreases dramatically. Create a non-judgmental learning environment by avoiding framing development challenges in terms of "right" and "wrong" answers or solutions. Instead shift the focus to understanding different styles of leadership and participants will be more willing to engage. For most leadership traits individuals have preferred style that they defer to.  It is important to help leaders understand what other styles and techniques exist. Then empower those leaders to adapt their go-to style to maximize effect for the situation and target audience. Discovery Learning, Inc. has been designing custom leadership development programs for global organizations for over 20 years. We are happy to serve as a resource to the leadership and organizational development community. Contact us to set-up a consultation to start maximizing the impact of your leadership development budget. The post 4 More Ways You Can Improve Your Leadership Development Program appeared first on Discovery Learning Inc..

When it comes to success at the leadership level, the ability to communicate a plan, make informed decisions quickly, and influence effectively are crucial factors that have a direct impact on an organization’s bottom line. One study found that for every five GMs Cox Enterprises sent to a four-day leadership development program with a soft skills focus, the organization could count on adding $3.57 million dollars in revenue. Read the full article, "Turning Leadership Into Dollars," for details.   You know leadership development is valuable. So how do you communicate the value of LD training to a budget-conscious organization in a way that demonstrates the clear impact of LD on the bottom line? We have two big suggestions for selling leadership development to your organization. 1. Identify and engage the stakeholders directly Find out who is sponsoring the initiative and ask critical questions to identify clear goals for the program. Maybe customer satisfaction ratings are down and the team leader wants to see a 50% increase in satisfaction ratings. Perhaps employee turnover rate is high, not only increasing onboarding costs but slowing down production as new employees get up to speed. The CEO wants to slow the rate of turnover by developing more effective leaders capable of inspiring and engaging employees. Asking questions like, "What specifically would you like to see change?" and "What do you want to see your people doing differently?" will not only make it easier to design a successful program, but will also create measurable goals. Pointing to a specific objective and comparing a snapshot of how it looked before and after your leadership development program will help make the case for LD training’s impact on the bottom line.  It is important to recognize that there can be multiple factors contributing to your organization’s success on the agreed upon targeted outcomes. It would be folly to attribute all of your organization’s success to the effects of leadership development. There is a logical barrier to attempting to make that connection as well as some potential political pitfalls. Instead try to reach an agreement in advance of what part of that success can be attributed to leadership development. Let’s build on the above turnover rate scenario as an example. Let’s say the stakeholder wants to see a reduced employee turnover rate of 5% over the next 12 months. It is possible, and likely your organization has already done so, to calculate the savings to an organization if this goal is achieved.  Try to reach agreement in advance as to what percentage of the associated organizational savings will be attributed to Leadership Development training. While there may still exist some ambiguity as to what that percentage should be, it is an excellent starting point for demonstrating in a tangible way the value of the development investment. Laying this groundwork and being able to successfully deliver the agreed upon goals provides a tremendous platform and organizational buy in when soliciting expanded budgets in the next cycle. 2. During the design phase, keep Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Training Evaluation Model in mind When you consider the desired outcome of a leadership development program, the objective is typically a change in behavior. Whether it is a large-scale change in company culture or a smaller shift in the way a team works together, trainers generally aim to reach Level 3 on the Kirkpatrick model: getting participants to apply what they learned in the leadership development program on the job. Organizations are often most concerned with the 4th level, Results or ROI. Will your training program impact the bottom line of the business? The fact is that everyone wants to focus on the 4th level when they set out to sell an LD program to their organization, but they don’t know how to do the first three levels. Many trainers are familiar with the Kirkpatrick model, but unfortunately it’s pretty unusual to see training programs that succeed at reaching beyond level two. This is where the first point comes into play. If you ask critical questions of the stakeholders and establish measurable goals for your program ("What specifically would you like to see your people doing differently?"), you are better able to design a program that will have measurable results for your team. Incorporating post-measure tools (like the Discovery Leadership Profile 360 Plus program or follow-up coaching) will help you track the effectiveness of your desired outcomes and measure whether training really "sunk in" and affected participant behavior or just scratched the surface. Designing a program with a strategic focus on the first three levels of the Kirkpatrick Model will be critical in demonstrating to your organization that your leadership development program will reach that desired 4th level, results or ROI. Ultimately, we know that training in soft skills has a profound impact on the bottom line. In the article "Turning Leadership into Dollars," all five Cox Enterprises GMs studied were seasoned executives with years of experience in their roles. They knew their jobs inside and out. Their organization was looking for a way to help them become even better leaders. The four-day leadership program DLI designed with Cox Enterprises involved the critical stakeholders in establishing clear, measurable goals, it aimed at reaching the first three levels on the Kirkpatrick Model, and it made a $3.57 million dollar difference. By conscientiously laying the groundwork for your program by keeping both of these suggestions in mind, you will be better equipped to persuade a budget-conscious organization of the value of leadership development. The post Selling Leadership Development to Your Organization appeared first on Discovery Learning Inc..

Anyone involved with leadership assessment and development has war stories about ineffective use of leadership assessment tools. Dr. Chris Musselwhite offers a few  guidelines for effective and ethical leadership assessment. - Even a good assessment can be misused. We’ll assume you are using assessments that are valid and reliable. But, even good assessments can be misused. Don’t be guilty of over-simplifying a multi-dimensional person into an over-simplified cookie-cutter prototype of a leader. Assessments are designed to provide insights and glimpses into the behavioral preferences of an individual, not to provide a blueprint. - Preferences are only preferences. Personality preferences help us to understand our tendencies. Some of our tendencies may be quite pronounced and may color the lenses through which we view our surroundings. My experience is that rather than introduce constraints, understanding this creates options. Better understanding how I interpret and respond to my environment offers me options for growth and development. Understanding how others interpret their environment gives me the opportunity for adaptability and flexibility. - Preferences do not equal behaviors. Preference is about my most natural inclinations for reacting and responding. It also colors how I interpret the behaviors of others. My behavior is only dictated by my preferences when I am blind to those preferences. Knowledge is power. - The focus of assessment should be developmental. Leadership assessment should be about improving leadership effectiveness so when assessment is used for hiring or promotion, don’t try dressing it up as leadership assessment. Assessments that are validated for developmental purposes may not be validated for hiring and promoting. In addition to ethical concerns, this can also have serious legal implications. - Don’t be lazy. People are complex so don’t use personality assessment as a substitute for listening and asking good questions. People are not labels so don’t use them. - Confidentiality is supreme. Leadership assessment should be confidential. If I choose to share an insight that I have learned about my natural preferences or someone else’s perceptions about my effectiveness then it is my choice. Contact Discovery Learning, Inc. to learn more about incorporating Leadership Assessment into your Leadership Development Program.  The post Ethical Leadership Assessment appeared first on Discovery Learning Inc..

In our latest installment in our "Ask the Expert" series I had the opportunity to talk about effective decision making, experiential learning and other topics with Christine Pencak, Director of Global Talent and Organizational Development at BorgWarner. Christine has spent the last 20 years leading talent and organizational development departments. She has worked with the automotive industry since the mid-1990s and came to BorgWarner in January of 2005. Nash Musselwhite- "In your role as Director of Global Talent and Organizational Development how have you helped to shape development programs at BorgWarner?" Christine Pencak- "Development programs in BorgWarner are part of the strategic fabric of the company. We have never had an "off the shelf" training curriculum that was put together by the HR department without involvement of line management  I often get feedback from consulting firms regarding the degree of rigor and involvement of the highest level people in whatever we do in the development arena. This level of management engagement in the upfront work is how I strive to shape a learning agenda that drives business objectives. We really have an incredible level of buy in at senior levels of our organization. Our executives so embrace their experience with the PressTime simulation that this November we are doing a special run of the simulation for Vice Presidents who have come on recently who haven’t gone through that simulation." NM- "What are the overall goals and objectives of BorgWarner’s development programs?" CP- "Our Company has  a growth goal of becoming a $15 Billion dollar company by 2020.  An enterprise strategy in support of that goal is to develop, retain, and attract the talent needed to support that growth.  You can have the best strategy, and a market that wants your products, but you have to have people to run your businesses. That is the overall goal. Having more people willing and able to step up and lead our businesses today and in the future. Our organizational competency model has been in place since 2003. We don’t use competencies to simply build job descriptions. Rather, the BorgWarner Product Leadership Competency Model applies to every professional at every level in the organization. It defines the human capabilities we need to execute our strategy and achieve our vision.  That organizational model is integrated into all of our human resource processes and tools. There is real power in that approach. While the model has been in place for several years, we do identify certain competencies for targeted focus and development.  Right now, those priorities are Influence, Conflict Management, and Decision Making. Our CEO has determined these three to be essential in our operating model which is, in a nutshell, having decision making authority and accountability reside at our plants, closest to the customer. In our operating model, the functions are here to support the operations The people within the functions are expected to have a global perspective; they bring best practices and efficient processes to the operational leaders, helping inform and influence decisions that are made at the local level." NM- "Let’s explore those three strategic competencies some more." CP- "Our value proposition is product leadership in the marketplace. It requires innovation at its core and innovation needs to be centered around markets and customers. We empower leaders to run their businesses, and expect them to grow their businesses.  There are few, if any, top down directives in our company. So a balance between collaboration and speed is critical to our success.    We are investing a lot of effort into developing our talent to work across boundaries to make high quality, timely decisions that are best for the company. So, being able to bring expertise to the table and influence decisions, while managing the constructive conflicts that are inherent in local accountability/global strength operating model is a large focus for us now. NM- "So with the decision making competency your focus is not so much about closing a gap as it is about continuing to ensure you have high quality decision makers?" CP- "Right! And a lot of what we do at BorgWarner is learning through others and stories. For example, we our development initiatives incorporate high levels of experiential activities, giving people the chance to learn from others. Our flagship leader development program incorporates Discovery Learnings Press Time simulation and the Decision Style Profile. How people attempt to influence others, manage conflict, ultimately make decisions are key learning from the experience.   Additionally, include exposure to executives where program participants can ask our senior most leaders their "lessons of experience."  Very often those questions are about making tough decisions and communicating those decisions to employees.  What comes out loud and clear, is that high quality decision making is important, that often you have to make decisions with limited or incomplete information; but in all circumstances, the implications for people need to be considered in a way that reflects BorgWarner’s respect for people. Our up and coming leaders consistently comment that the Press Time simulation and our executive stories strengthen their understanding of leader expectations here. .   In sum, we have multiple threads running through our development programs that reinforce that competence, even in indirect ways." NM- "What are some of the additional tools that you are using to help develop effective decision making?" CP- "Where we focus on decision making as a consideration for leadership development is really at the mid to upper level of the organization. Our focus is on two aspects of decision making; timely decision making and high quality decision making As I mentioned, we use Decision Style Profile, and we couple it with a personality instrument (The Occupational Personality Questionnaire), and a multi-rater assessment (Denison Leadership Development Survey)   In 2015 and beyond, we are taking our existing curriculum to a new level. You will have to talk to me in a year or two to see how we are doing. NM- "How do you measure the success of your development programs?" CP- "We keep a close eye on the career progression of talent that attends our programs. Additionally, we have annual self and boss assessments of the Product Leadership Competencies as part of our performance management and development process.  And finally, every 2.5 years our executive level population goes through a 360 feedback process.   In addition to focused, individual development plans being the outcome of that, I look at the group data to understanding the rank ordering of the competencies, from highest to lowest over time.  This informs our development investment decisions.  Perhaps it goes without saying, that we also employ traditional program evaluation methods. NM- "What advice would you give to other leadership and organizational development professionals based on your experience focusing on decision making, influence and conflict management as strategic competencies?" CP- "If you are a global company like BorgWarner, be mindful of the cultural differences in how leadership competencies play out in various countries.  Be clear on the outcomes you are striving for, but be open to, and embrace, different behaviors that get to the same end point. Effective decision making is a critical competency for contemporary leaders. Discovery Learning, Inc. has been designing resources, tools and programs to help some of the world’s most innovative companies develop their leaders to be more effective decision makers. Find out more about how Discovery Learning, Inc. can improve the effectiveness of your leadership development efforts! The post Developing Leaders to Be Effective Decision Makers appeared first on Discovery Learning Inc..

When designing a leadership development program today’s training and development professionals have more content options than at any other time in history. This can be a tremendous benefit because there are a diverse number of solutions many of which are focused on specific training objectives or competencies. The lack of any consistent governing body to monitor the quality of psychometric assessments means that training and development professionals must use their own insight and experience and conduct thorough research to find an assessment that is safe to deploy to their organization or clients.  There are a lot of fly-by-night assessments and tools out there. At best these types of resources can be ineffectual and at worst can cripple any serious attempts at development. Any training and development content provider that is worth their salt should be able and happy to provide the research and development information to support their assessment. The best content providers will also support their assessments with frequently updated normative data. As your organization explores content and tools for your next development efforts here are some questions you should be asking to help ensure you are using safe and proven resources: Is the Assessment Valid? Is the assessment really measuring what it claims to measure?  Assessments that are not research based will never be able to definitely prove that they are valid. The goal of any development program is to improve competency in certain skills. If you choose an assessment that is invalid at measuring those skills your development efforts can be thwarted. Is the Assessment Reliable? Is the assessment dependable? Are you sure that it’s working the same way every time? You would never buy a new car that started on some days but not on others. In the same way, you want to make sure that the assessment you choose for your leadership development program works reliably, every time. If you need an instrument that measures a stable factor in an individual’s personality over time, you don’t want to work with an assessment that gives participants radically different results each time they take it. The only way to ensure an instrument’s reliability is by using a research-based assessment. Does the Assessment’s Support Materials Provide Context? Does the assessment you’re working with collect and analyze normative data from previous respondents? Normative data provides a crucial element that helps participants understand their results. Knowing that 1% of the population shares your personality style, or that 23% of people working in the financial industry have a similar response to change, for example, helps participants contextualize and better understand their results. Using a research-based assessment backed by normative data guarantees deeper insights for your participants. Selecting the right psychometric or leadership assessment can be challenging. That is why finding a partner that is transparent with their R&D is such a benefit for training and development professionals. There are a few high impact assessments in the marketplace that are backed by strong research and normative data but there is also a lot of snake oil. Hopefully these tips and your own good judgment will help you to pick the best assessment for your organization. The post Avoiding Leadership Development Snake Oil appeared first on Discovery Learning Inc..

 I spoke with Jay McNaught of Zoetis about their innovative leadership development program. Jay is an expert in developing organizational leaders to be more effective decision makers. He gives us a peak into the design, philosophy and content that Zoetis uses to develop better decision makers. Nash Musselwhite- Can you describe at a high level Zoetis’s overall development goals and objectives? Jay McNaught- "We have five core beliefs and all of our development aligns with strengthening colleagues to practice the core beliefs. We have identified leader behaviors associated with our core beliefs and the leadership development curriculum is mapped to these core behaviors." NM- "Why does Zoetis consider effective decision making to be a critical component for leadership development?" JM- "Effective decision making generally aligns with all five of our core beliefs and directly aligns with two of them:  Always Do the Right Thing; and Run It Like You Own It. The first belief reminds us that our values must underlie every decision.  The second reminds us that we must take initiative and that we are empowered to make decisions - to run the business as if we owned it!" NM- "How long has effective decision making been a component of your leadership development initiatives?" JM- "We have taught some form of decision making in our leadership development curriculum for the last six years.  This means that we were teaching it back when we were still a division of Pfizer.  Since we have become a stand-alone company, decision making has played a more prominent role in the curriculum." Nash Musselwhite- "Were there specific leadership gaps?"  JM- "Our curriculum does not focus on gaps.  Rather, we believe in building on our strengths.  I believe that we have been good at decision-making for as long as I’ve been with the organization.  My desire is to improve on this fundamental competency that is already a strength." NM- "At what level of organizational leadership does Zoetis invest in decision making as a key competency for development?"  JM- "The simple answer it at all levels.  We offer a course titled "Dynamic Decision Making: Helping Leaders Decide How to Decide."  This course is repeated three times during the year.  The course is promoted and offered to all leaders in the organization.  Leaders are encouraged to attend the course based on their own individual development plan needs.  We get excellent participation from all levels of leadership.  Additionally, I have been certified through Columbia University, as an executive coach.  As I coach leaders in the organization, I find decision-making as an excellent focus area with great opportunities." NM- "How are you measuring improvement in your organization’s ability to make decisions?" JM- "For all of our leadership courses, we use Knowledge Advisors assessment tools to measure impact.  We currently use a post course assessment of the learner to determine their impressions of the effectiveness.  In 2015 we begin a 60-day follow-up of the learner and the learner’s manager to measure job impact.  Additionally, we follow-up with learners and ask them to provide evidence and examples of how they are making decisions better than they did before taking the course." NM- "Do you think that effective decision making will continue to be a relevant leadership competency in 5 years?" JM- "Always… as long as leaders need to make decisions." NM "What changes in the business climate (generally or specific to Zoetis) have you observed that lead you to draw that conclusion?" JM- "I do believe that leaders at lower levels in the organization are being empowered to make more important decisions.  As such, it is important to provide training and skill development in this mission critical area." NM- "How did you reach the decision to include individual assessment as a component of your leadership development program?" JM- "Based on my doctoral dissertation research, I identified decision making as an area were leaders could greatly benefit from training.  Using the research findings and a survey of the literature, I devised a simple decision-making framework.  The model identifies five dimensions that are integral to the decision-making process.  In each dimension, it is important for a leader to know how they are "pre-wired."  Leaders differ dramatically on where they fall in each of the dimensions.  Assessment tools are very useful for helping the leaders learn this about themselves." NM- "How did you decide to include Decision Style Profile in your leadership development program?" JM- "One of the five dimensions in the Dynamic Decision Making Framework is "inclusiveness."  When I discover the Decision Style Profile, I realize that it was a perfect tool for helping leaders understand this dimension of decision making." NM- "In what capacity are you using the Decision Style Profile?" JM- "I have every leader who attends the Dynamic Decision Making course take the assessment." NM- "How would you describe its effectiveness at helping your organization’s leaders to develop effective decision making skills?" JM- "This dimension has proven to be very valuable in helping leaders gain new insights concerning their decision-making process.  I particularly like how the individual results are compared to normative data so the leader can quickly see if he/she is more or less inclusive than other leaders." NM- "In your experience with Decision Style Profile have you found overall that Zoetis’s leadership culture is more inclusive or exclusive when making decisions? What impact did that have on the organization?" JM- "My sense is that various parts of the organization are different on this.  When I teach a course, I get participants from all levels of leadership, and all parts of the company.  What I see is a continuum with a few being over-inclusive, a few being over-exclusive, and many falling somewhere in between.  I have recently activated the feature in the DSP system that will all me to start tracking data just for our company." NM- "Of the five decision factors were there any that Zoetis was consistently not considering when making decisions? How did you address this?" JM- "In my estimation (entirely based on anecdotal data) the Level of Commitment factor plays a big part in many decisions.  Most of the decisions our leaders make require a high level of support from others to implement.  I believe that after going through the Dynamic Decision Making course, the participants are more aware of the importance of this factor." NM- "What advice would you provide to leadership development professionals who are considering or are currently developing LD programs that include effective decision making as a competency?" JM- "I would caution them to not overlook this important function of leadership.  Leaders are only as good as the decisions that they make.  Unfortunately, most leaders have never had formal training or coaching on their decision-making process.  Most make all of their decisions using a very narrow or homogenous process.  Most think they are already very good at decision making (after all, they have been successful in the past) so they are blind to any flaws or areas where their decision making could be improved." Start improving your organization’s Decision Making Today by clicking the icon below! Jay McNaught works for Zoetis (formerly Pfizer Animal Health) based in Florham Park, New Jersey.  He holds the position of Senior Manager, Leadership Education and Development. In this position, he works with all levels of leaders in the organization to help them develop their leadership capabilities. Jay has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education from Indiana University.  He has a Master of Business Administration degree and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University. His dissertation research focused on how leaders use intuition in their decision-making process.  The post Designing Content to Develop Better Decision Makers appeared first on Discovery Learning Inc..

I enjoy all things "Hobbit" and Middle Earth, even Smaug’s hoarding of the Arkenstone and Gollum’s devastation at losing the ring. The story is about friendship, adventure, courage, and treasure. Finding, stealing, retrieving treasure, at all costs. We all love the notion of finding treasure. Who hasn’t fantasized about what they’d do if they won the lottery. But treasures can be tricky.Joseph Campbell wrote that the hero’s journey is not complete once he finds the treasure - whether it is a chest of jewels or a powerful epiphany. It is not heroic to hoard the prize, my precious.The hero’s journey is completed when he has returned to civilization and found a way to share the treasure he fought so hard to gain. Or she.I am not a hero but in the fall of 2002, I offered what for me was and remains a treasure of inestimable value, one that I had fought to gain and have the scars to prove it - the insights within my first book, Fierce Conversations, Achieving Success at Work & in Life - One Conversation at a Time.The insight that our careers, our companies, our relationships and our very lives succeed or fail, gradually then suddenly, one conversation at a time. That the conversation is the relationship, which is our most valuable currency. That, while no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a company, a relationship, or a life, any single conversation can. That if you want to become a great leader, a great human being, you must gain the capacity to connect with the people who are central to your success and happiness - at a deep level - or lower your aim.Fierce Conversations provides the principles and practices that help us do exactly that and much more, for there is something deep within us that responds to those who level with us, who don’t suggest our compromises for us.When you think of a fierce conversation, think authenticity, integrity, collaboration. Think execution muscle, innovation. Think partnership - with your customers and your employees.Today, thirteen years since the book was first published, our former CEO, Halley Bock, has left and I have stepped back into Fierce, Inc. as CEO. To say that I am pleased doesn’t begin to do this justice. Fantastic team, marvelous clients, redesigned web site (if you haven’t seen it lately, take a look: fierceinc.com.) Picture me doing a happy dance.I hope to talk with you, work with you. In the meantime, take it one conversation at a time. Make them fierce.With fierce affection - Susan ScottThe post Any Conversation Can: My Fierce Journey appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

We go to our usual suspects. As humans, we are wired to put people and things into logical buckets. It is easier. It helps us stay organized and make sense of a very complex world.In the workplace, we usually classify authority into two buckets: tenure or expertise. Oftentimes, we correlate the two. In other words, we like to go to people who have solved the problems before that we now need to solve.For example, if we have a marketing problem, we go to the marketing team. A problem with a presentation, we go to our learning team. A problem with a client we have had forever, go to the most tenured client solutions person. And so on.The consequence is that many times we are not getting the value of new and different perspectives.Last month, I heard Liz Wiseman speak about her new research and book Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work. She argues that for knowledge workers today, constant learning is more valuable than mastery. "Being new, naïve, and even clueless can be an asset," she states.This week’s tip is to get perspective from someone who you normally wouldn’t go to - maybe a rookie - when you run into a challenge or opportunity.  Be genuine and open to hearing from someone that you may not deem to be an "expert" or your usual "go to".The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Ask Someone New appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

A few years ago we surveyed over 1,400 executives and employees, and 86% cited lack of collaboration for workplace failures. Does this surprise you?Many of us can cite epic failures and point fingers at people who did not ask us what our perspectives were around an opportunity, challenge, or decision. Then heads were shaking when the "inevitable" outcome became reality. Conversely, many of us have been on the other side of the equation, kicking ourselves for not asking the people that were central to the success of the project or challenge for their opinions, guidance, and help. It could have been an intentional choice or complete oversight.Collaboration is much easier said than done. Many people understand the importance of getting diverse perspectives and including the team, yet it can be difficult to ensure that it actually happens.At fierce, we encourage you to take it one conversation at a time. And for collaboration, focus on team meetings. As a leader (either by title or choice), it is your duty to understand all of the perspectives that need to be heard before making decisions. Team meetings are a powerful way to work together where everyone can roll up their sleeves and really collaborate.Team meetings can be authentic and energizing… or fake and life-sucking.Here are three collaboration traps to avoid and indicators that can occur and ways to detect if it is happening to you:   1. Non-inclusionNon-inclusion happens when you don’t even bother to ask people for their opinions. There are many legitimate reasons for why this occurs. Some may include: many things on people’s plates, decisions need to be made fast, people not understanding the issue, etc.  The problem with not including is that it makes everyone involved feel like they are undervalued. 40% of our survey respondents felt that leaders and decision makers consistently failed to seek out other opinions before making a final decision.Non-inclusion indicators: Are your employees just doing what is asked of them, nothing more? Are they resentful with decisions that you make? Are your employees just giving you the "corporate nod".2. Illusion of InclusionThis is when a leader loves the idea of including others in the decision making process, yet doesn’t really want to. People can spot this from a mile away. They know when you are doing "what you should be doing" as opposed to being genuinely interested in new ideas and processes. It reminds me of the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, "What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." In other words, you may say you want to know my perspective, yet you act very differently.Illusion of Inclusion indicators: Do you go into a meeting just to sell your brilliant idea? Are your employees withholding juicy, robust pushback and instead just agreeing? Do you glaze over when people bring up different viewpoints?3. Loudest Get HeardThis happens in meetings when a leader asks a question and the external processors raise their hands, start sharing, and slowly become the only ones to give input. That’s a problem when you want diverse perspectives. It is your job as the leader to create space for the internal processors to share their ideas and have the time they need to think about it. In Susan Cain’s book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, she shares research and insights on what we lose when we do not give the space and value for internal processors and introverts.Loudest Get Heard indicators: Are the same few people always the ones contributing at your meetings? Are your internal processors accustomed to talking with you more one-on-one instead of having the floor at meetings? Do you keep the meeting moving fast even if people may not have had time to truly think about the topic?Given the three collaboration traps, which one are you most guilty of? What do you need to watch for?The post Leaders, Watch for These 3 Collaboration Failures appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

This week’s Fierce resource was originally published on Harvard Business Review and shares a different way to look at helping team performance.Differing Work Styles Can Help Team Performance urges leaders to look at work style diversity as a way to boost their team. Work style is the way one orients with tasks. The first suggestion is to observe your team members to learn more about their work style. Next, it is important to leverage each person’s strength and coach according to their different styles.Have you paid attention to your team members’ work styles? What is the mix in your team?"When members of a team, or leaders of an organization, all have the same style, you’ll quickly run into trouble. For example, if everyone in your group has a big-picture, strategic, intuitive approach to work and chafes against the structure of project plans, you might frequently be over budget and behind schedule. Or, if everyone has a linear, analytical, and planned approach to work and dislikes disruption, innovative new product development would be impossible."Read the full article.The post fierce resources: differing work styles can help team performance appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Alethophobia is an intense, abnormal or illogical fear of the truth.In Fierce Leadership, Susan Scott asks, "How many times have you told someone - your boss, a colleague, a customer, your spouse - what you thought he or she wanted to hear, rather than what you were really thinking? Painted a false, rosy version of reality, glossing over problems or pretending they simply didn’t exist?"This happens often. The thing is…we have legitimate reasons for why we don’t want to fully disclose. Perhaps it has destroyed a relationship in your past, and you don’t want to do that again. Perhaps you have seen someone lose their job over disclosing more, and you happen to like your job. Maybe you truly don’t believe it is your place to say what you notice or feel (this is a popular one).The kicker is that not sharing the whole truth is more costly in the end. If you are out of integrity with yourself or others, research shows that it damages your health and wellbeing. Organizations and families, not sharing the truth can lead to loss of time, money, and/or complete failure to thrive.Fierce leaders want to know the truth…and in turn, also have to share the truth. This week’s tip is to share what you really think and feel. It takes courage and guts. Don’t make excuses.What areas in your life are you strongest and weakest at fully being real?The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Say What You Really Think appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

As a leader, ideally, you’ve built a relationship with each of your employees. You’ve swapped stories about your families, collaborated on successful work projects, and built the emotional capital necessary to have a successful team - most of the time.However, being a leader means that sometimes you are confronted with the challenge of how to best handle delicate situations, such as addressing the performance issues of your team.Even great teams at times, for one reason or another, don’t perform to the expected standard.You, as a leader, may have the urge to avoid the situation and hope it goes away. The reality, though, is there are problems and the longer they go on without being talked about - the worse they will get.Make sure to not call a team meeting if your issue is about one individual team member. Honor your team’s time by addressing issues that are relevant to the unit as a whole and save individual conversations for another time.Below are three tips to help your team to move past their performance issue and onward.Tip #1: Acknowledge the IssueLike flipping on a light switch in a dark room, gather your team together and acknowledge there is an issue. In the Fierce Team Model, we teach how to conduct a Beach Ball meeting. We call it a Beach Ball meeting, because we view each employee on a team as a stripe of color - like on a beach ball. Each stripe of color represents a different perspective.This type of meeting allows you, the leader, to create a setting where you come to the table with your team and address an issue collaboratively. This is a great way to tackle a subject like a team’s performance, because it removes the punitive feeling that is associated with this topic and encourages the team to come to a solution together.Tip #2: Get Curious and Open it Up for DialogueAfter you call out the issue, allow each employee’s perspectives to be heard. Your goal is to facilitate this conversation by listening and helping your team solve the current challenges.Don’t immediately dismiss an excuse, instead ask: Given our team’s goals, what can we do to achieve them? What will help us move forward?Tip #3: Create an Action PlanThe final step is to create an action plan. Ask the team: Knowing what the team knows now, what is everyone committing to do over the next week, month, and year? Get specific! Assign responsibilities and schedule a time for everyone to reconnect on progress.If one meeting isn’t enough to tackle the issue and you don’t have time to get to this critical step, schedule the next meeting right then. It’s also possible that some of your team members might have individual issues that don’t apply to the unit as a whole. Address their concerns by setting up a time to meet with them one-on-one and create specific next steps for them.Addressing an issue like performance can be a hard, yet necessary, component of leadership. In the end though, addressing an issue in an open and communicative matter strengthens the relationship with individuals as well as your team as whole.As a leader, how do you address performance issues?The post 3 tips for leaders to address a team performance issue appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

This week’s Fierce resource was originally published on Harvard Business Review and explores how to maintain the right balance of "authenticity" in the workplace.Be Yourself, but Carefully takes a deeper look into what it means to be authentic in the modern workplace. Despite its potential benefits, even the best communicator’s off-hand comments and self-disclosures can backfire at times.Are you misunderstood by your team? How do you balance giving feedback with relationship building?"Authenticity begins with self-awareness: knowing who you are—your values, emotions, and competencies—and how you’re perceived by others. Only then can you know what to reveal and when. Good communication skills are also key to effective self-disclosure; your stories are worthwhile only if you can express them well."Read the full article.The post Fierce Resources: Be Yourself, but Carefully appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Recognition is not a fluffy thing. It goes way past getting the gold star or a bunch of smiley faces on a feedback form.In fact, a HealthStream Research study discovered a 3x greater return on equity for companies that effectively recognize excellence. Researcher Karen Endresen said, "This study took recognition results from the soft side of business to a proven business essential." You can check out more here.We take recognition seriously at Fierce.In fact, we have a culture committee that focuses on how people want to be recognized. After surveys and conversations, the committee launched our program, Fierceling of the Month. The qualification for a Fierceling is someone who has exceptionally exhibited the fierce values and the 7 principles of our work. It comes with a sexy orange cape as well.This week’s tip is to recognize someone for how they show up or display your organization’s values. This can be formal or informal.Who do you think most deserves it?The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Recognize Someone appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Think about a person you admire in your life.How would you describe him or her? Is it someone who cares deeply about others? Someone who says the brave statements? Someone who acts so beautifully authentic? Someone who really listens?Have you told the person you feel the way you do? If you haven’t, channel some good advice: Sharing is caring, people.Here are three tips to share your admiration with someone:Be ready. Make sure it is a good time for you and the receiver to share your message. Do not rush it, and make sure you are not distracted. This is a time to honor someone else, so your phone and/or computer should not be in between the two of you.Be specific about what you admire. Let them know the impact they have had on your path or thought processes. The goal here is to be very detailed. Examples are a powerful way to have it hit home. Instead of saying, I admire the awesome work you do; say, I admire how you continually show up in meetings prepared and ready to listen.Do not have an alternative agenda. This conversation is about sharing your thoughts and appreciation. It should not be followed with any expectations or tasks for the person to do. This is critical in both the workplace and at home. So, there you go. Now the ball is in your court.Tell me who you admire and why.The post In the Name of Admiration: Three Tips to Share appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

This week’s Fierce resource was originally published on TrainingIndustry.com and examines the impact our relationships have on our ability to meet our goals, both personally and professionally.What’s the Temperature of Your Relationships, redefines standard leadership roles, moving focus away from what was accomplished to who made it happen. Think of the last time you had a big win at work, did you take full credit? Or did you acknowledge your team? Often the biggest challenge for a new leader is to check their ego at the door and start connecting. As leaders, we should create a culture of open communication and recognition.Are you enriching your relationships at work? Are they authentic?"Everyone likes to hear that they’re doing a good job, but for some reason we often forget to say thank you. Find opportunities to acknowledge the day-to-day efforts of those around you. Remember, people engage more when they feel appreciated, so become really good at verbally communicating your thanks."Read the full article.The post fierce resources: what’s the temperature of your relationships? appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

It is that time of year. Winter has melted away, and the sun is out. Start thinking about a break or a trip you want to take this year. Do you want to spend time in your own town? Sail in the Caribbean? Climb a mountain? Lay on a beach in Hawaii?The opportunities are endless.So I ask: Are you really going to take advantage of your paid time off? Many people don’t. A few months ago, I read a Forbes article that highlights that very fact. More than forty percent of American workers who received paid time off did not take all of their allotted time last year, despite the obvious personal benefits, according to "An Assessment of Paid Time Off in the U.S." commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group, and completed by Oxford Economics.Why do people not take the time? There is a laundry list of whys. Too much work to do. No one to delegate to. No money to dedicate to vacation. The list goes on and on…The thing is: Not taking time off seriously puts a dent in companies’ productivity and energy. And in turn, impacts their bottom lines.So what should companies do? Encourage managers to talk about vacations with their teams and take time off. In a Fierce survey we conducted, 83.4 percent of respondents have never discussed vacation policies with their employers. The conversation needs to happen.This week’s tip is to take the matter into your own hands and plan some time off for yourself. Focus on a time where you can really disconnect - this means not checking email and text messages related to work. Do something fun or adventurous or relaxing. You get to choose.I will be heading to Thailand in June. Where will you go this year?The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Take a Vacation appeared first on Fierce, Inc..

Here at Fierce, we honor a person once a month with the coveted title of Fierceling of the Month. The qualification for a Fierceling is someone who has been nominated by peers for exceptionally exhibiting the fierce values and the 7 principles of our work. There are some great internal perks including choosing your favorite restaurant to cater a company-wide lunch. Each month I look forward to interviewing these amazing people.This month, I had the honor to connect with Katelyn Sorensen.When and why did you join Fierce? I officially joined Fierce two years ago this month. Unofficially though, it was a little bit earlier than that. My dad has been involved with Fierce for a long time and when I was looking for something to do over one summer in college he asked Stacey if she would be interested in an intern. He got my foot in the door, and then I fell in love with the mission and the culture and worked my ass off so that someday in the future they might let me back. Then, after working for a year in Australia, I moved back to Seattle and applied for a full time position - I must have not screwed up the internship too bad because they let me rejoin.What are some responsibilities for your role here? I am on the Lead Generation team, and our primary function is to do outreach to potential clients and then make introductions to our client development team. I am also taking on some data reporting and back-end metrics. I’ve been really enjoying the technology side of my role. We have a lot of freedom to explore here and create campaigns and develop our skills in different areas - that is something I really love.What’s the coolest thing you are currently working on? Right now I am helping to facilitate a huge change in the way that we interact with our CRM (customer relationship management software), and I am really excited about it. We are trying to streamline our processes and make sure that we are using our technologies in the best way possible - it can feel a little bit like re-inventing the wheel, AND the wheel is going to roll a lot faster when we are finished!What is your favorite thing about working at Fierce? I love the culture, I love the people, I love the innovation, and I love the mission. My generation wants to be part of organizations that they align with at a deep level, and Fierce is that for me. I feel incredibly lucky to have a job that I enjoy at a company that has a product that I feel good about sharing with people.What fierce principle are you working on this month? Master the courage to interrogate reality.When you’re not at Fierce, what are you most likely doing? You can usually find me at a Barre class, wandering around Ballard (a Seattle neighborhood), playing kickball, or trying a new restaurant. I try to be outside as much as possible - and it definitely depends on the fickle weather we have here in Seattle!What inspires you? I am surrounded by people that inspire me. My colleagues are amazing, my friends are incredible, and my family is the best support system I could imagine. And lucky for me, some of those people even overlap! I am inspired by growth, innovation, learning, and especially being a part of something that matters - both to me and to the world.What was your reaction when you found out that you were Fierceling of the Month? I was WILDLY excited to get to wear the sexy orange cape!! I was also very honored, it is an incredible feeling to be nominated for something like this by your peers, especially when they are people you hold highly and respect immensely.What else do you want to ask Katelyn? Tweet @fierce_inc #fiercelingofthemonth to ask any other questions.The post Meet our May Fierceling of the Month: Katelyn Sorensen appeared first on Fierce, Inc..