Mary Ann Masarech, lead consultant of the employee engagement practice of BlessingWhite, a division of GP Strategies discusses how it is every employee’s responsibility in the work force to play a role in employee engagement. It is important for individuals, managers and executives to be committed to the success of engagement.   Individuals in an organization must A.C.T. on their engagement. "A" - Assess what is important to them as individuals. "C" - Communicate their interest and goals/inspirations. "T" - Take action. Managers have an important role, they must C.A.R.E about engagement. "C" - Coaching employees to higher levels of engagement. "A" - Align team to make sure interests are the same. "R" - Recognize the effort of the team. "E" - Engage in regular conversation and engage themselves. Senior leaders must set the tone for the work environment, and build a C.A.S.E. for engagement. "C" - Community, a sense of belonging people can connect with emotionally. "A" - Authentic, help people learn who you are behind the title. "S" - Significance, people want to do meaningful work and see how they fit into the big picture. "E" - Excitement, senior leaders must inspire and set high standards for performance. When it is all pulled together, we’re looking at individuals who A.C.T. on their engagement, managers that C.A.R.E. about engagement and executives who build a C.A.S.E. for engagement - not just once a year, but every single day in order for it to be successful.

Mary Ann Masarech, Lead Consultant of Employee Engagement for BlessingWhite, a Division of GP Strategies, discusses the significance of how "Great Days at Work" leads to long term, positive results. How are you going to consistently get the discretionary effort of your best people, of the folks you’re investing in? In the video below, Mary Ann Masarech describes how "Great Days at Work" increases employee engagement and positive results by focusing on the actual work. The program begins by asking employees to think about a great day at work, specifically revolving around: Where were you? What were you doing? Who were you with? Who benefited from your work? What challenges did you face? "Great days at Work" then asks employees to tell their experience, using five descriptors; either phrases or words to explain their day. Leaders are often surprised about the results. Stories are usually focused around people utilizing their talents and what they do best every day, challenges they overcame - often as part of a larger team, happy customers, recognition and achievements. All of these factors add up to not only being great days but also great results.

A great deal of information is being written on the topic of leadership and leadership development. In this issue, we’ve compiled some ideas on leading and provide suggestions on how to help you improve your leadership skills. As an individual, you can apply the action points to strengthen your ability to engage at work, driving better performance and making you even more valuable to your organization. Where to begin? Get a few tips for getting started here. Click here to read the full issue of Performance Matters.

Rapid development of training collateral always has its challenges including the fast pace and compressed timelines; however, developing training in a fluid environment, one subject to constant change, poses unique and sometimes frustrating challenges for instructional designers. Software systems, while under development, are constantly in flux, much like the ocean tides; there seem to be no distinct beginnings and endings, with revisions scattered like seashells, washed away by the whims of the tide. Software developers are intrinsically okay with this and have a level of comfort with imperfection and incompleteness. They put together a basic package; throw it out there, and then revise the heck out of it as needed, throwing in patches and updates. For instructional designers trying to keep up with these fluid changes and take training development to completion, the following offers some insights to provide a better understanding of the process and of the challenges encountered and strategies to overcome them. Communication on a large scale is often difficult and sometimes takes longer than usual to filter down to the designer level. This means as designers, we have to sift through large volumes of emails to scan for nuggets of information and have to keep our ears open for conversations that may have an impact on the work. Constant version changes also pose a challenge to the design process. Screens change color, buttons move, menu paths change, and system refreshes make data disappear. To cope with this situation, we must be flexible and willing to accept that each new version of the software may have small or significant changes included and plan to deal with them as they come. Milestones that are moving targets increase the challenge factor as well. For instructional designers to succeed in this environment, we need to stay aware and in front of any impacts and then quickly decide which may require revisions, reviewing and reassessing planned activities frequently. The fluid environment is fraught with challenges for designers, but it is also an opportunity to grow and change with the rapid pace of development to become more flexible and responsive instructional designers.

I recently hosted a 20-minute webinar highlighting some of the most current thinking around Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a topic receiving much attention in both the academic and corporate worlds. In the short time we were able to cover: Different varieties of MOOCs Pros and cons of the various flavors of MOOCs Ways MOOCs can be leveraged in a corporate environment Lessons to be taken from MOOCs as you grow and adapt your learning arsenal During the session a number of questions came up, and while we were able to address several of them, we were not able to get to all of them due to time. Below are those questions, and my best answers. This is an ongoing conversation, and I encourage you to keep the questions coming in the comments section below, and mark your calendars for September 17th at 2 p.m. ET to join me for a live Tweet Chat!   Q: Please remind me; what does MOOC stands for? A: MOOC stands for "Massive Open Online Course," although each of those terms is subject to interpretation, and there are several different varieties or subsets of MOOCs, too. Wikipedia offers a good starting point on MOOCs, and typing the term into your search engine will return a large number of hits also. A key point to remember when developing a learning plan is that a "traditional" MOOC may or may not be appropriate for your goals, but certain components such as collaborative platforms and curation of "micro-chunks" of learning artifacts might be incorporated into your overall L&D strategy. Q: I don’t really understand the difference between a corporate MOOC and just running webinars over WebEx at our company. Can you explain more? A: Some the differentiating factors between MOOCs and webinars include curation; an ongoing multi-session experience; and, depending on the type of MOOC you choose to adopt (or adapt, as the case might be), collaboration and peer contribution. Q: How do you compare this to online or webinar training? A: Webinars are typically considered to be unidirectional in communication—perhaps a very basic xMOOC ("expert" MOOC) of sorts, while online training is typically asynchronous and participants often complete their coursework independently and "solo, in silos." MOOCs weave in a social component, offering the opportunity for collaborative curation and community cohesion. Depending upon the type of MOOC or MOOC components deployed, the learning experience can also have both synchronous and asynchronous components. Q: Are MOOCs 508 compliant? A: The short answer is that well-designed MOOCs will take accessibility issues into account. But because MOOCs are still maturing, and the definition of what constitutes or can be labeled as a MOOC is open to debate, you should scrutinize any MOOC you choose to adopt or enroll your employees in. If you decide to go the self-development route, then of course incorporate accessibility into your development and deployment plans. (For more on the Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, go to http://www.section508.gov ) Q: If our company is interested in specific MOOCs for HR development, is there a place where all MOOCs that fit in that category are aggregated? A: I want to answer this as best as I can so I’m still doing some research to get you more input, but in the meantime if anyone else reading this blog has insights, I encourage you to add your thoughts to this question in the comments section below. Q: Who manages content of course selection at companies like Coursera? Do courses get removed? A: Similar situation as above, while I research my answer, if you have thoughts to add, please leave your reply below. Q: Can you give me an example of an ambisynchronous MOOC? A: An "ambisynchronous" MOOC would be a learning experience that has both synchronous and asynchronous components. For example, certain assignments (or possibly "optional" activities) might call for all participants to convene via teleconference or an online chatroom at a certain time, while other portions of the course may only involve contributions to an asynchronous discussion board. As for examples, I’ll turn this back to our readers: Have any of you been involved in or heard of a MOOC that meets the above criteria? Q: Have you seen examples of MOOC education replacing educational assistance programs in big companies for greater effectiveness? A: I am not personally aware of any company replacing their educational assistance programs with MOOCs, although many are now experimenting with MOOCs to supplement their professional development initiatives. Fraser Marlow, with GP Strategies’ BlessingWhite division, cautions that "clients might consider how employees will perceive their efforts if they just tell people, here is your annual development: go join this free online MOOC!" Q: What do you mean by cohort structure? A: The term "cohort structure" refers to the roles the participants play not only in driving the direction and discussion topics of the class, but also potentially "grading" one another via peer assessments. Q: Can you describe different elements used to engage students in the corporate setting? A: Badging, the issuing of digital badges for successfully completing certain elements of the course, along with the use of leaderboards can channel a friendly competitive atmosphere. Peer-to-peer learning can also help drive accountability and engagement. Q: What are some practices to manage massive amounts of content so that employees do not have to spend time searching? A: Some practices that can help cut down on search times include tagging content with multiple keywords, storing search results to provide "others who searched for this term also searched for" feedback, and indexing content components with item or module numbers to allow quick retrieval when a specific item is recommended by a coworker or curriculum, allowing the learner to search by number as well as topic. Miss the session? Click here to watch a recording of the webinar: Musing on MOOCs

Are you ready to go mobile? I blame Steve Jobs. The creation of the slick, fun mobile phones and tablets sent ripples through the learning community like eLearning did 10 years ago. As a multiple iDevice user, I am a case study in this affliction. Looking back, there is no other piece of technology that employees will purchase themselves and want to use for every interaction. Quickly other companies pushed the market with newer, faster, thinner, bigger, and smaller devices. What’s the result? We live in an always connected world full of demands and expectations. How do companies meet this demand? At first glance, it is an incredible opportunity to deliver training to a hungry audience. There is also the perceived bonus of training being 10 times cooler just by being mobile. Unfortunately it’s not as simple as your IT department deciding to go with a different brand of computer. At least then compatible browsers and constraints are in place for consistency. With mobile, there is an entirely new lexicon. HTML5? App? Native? No Flash? No problem. Right? Wrong. As much as your learners will be clamoring to access the LMS from their phone and take that latest course from their iPad, are you ready? I live in the world of content development. It used to be quite simple. I could be content to enjoy the world of design and engagement with my greatest worry being SCORM or AICC compliance. As I start to ask the important questions, I realize there is only one critical question to ask: Do you have a mobile learning strategy? Do you have a mobile learning strategy? A mobile learning strategy is the single most important part of mobile deployment. Without a strategy, get ready for content challenges, missed deadlines, help desk calls, disappointment, and the financial impacts that will follow. It doesn’t need to be complicated. We have a simple five-step action plan to help you REACH your learners. Research Your first step is to research the different ways to develop mobile content. Your research should be more than just the software specs on the company’s website. Get acquainted with the new terminology. Learn what software requires an app. Remember that every app is like having a new piece of software on your computer. Having a few key pieces of software on a computer leads to a productive individual. Too many apps, like too many pieces of software, can lead to "app confusion," which is the moment where you blankly stare at your device not knowing which of the bright shiny icons will get you what you need. Talk to people (real people) and get their impressions. And, hey, give me a call. I’m always happy to share my opinions. Evaluate Once you’ve found a few programs that might do the trick, put them to the test. Do they work on your LMS (or for that matter, does your LMS work on mobile devices)? Do they work on a desktop computer? How easy is it to create and edit content? What is the user experience like? As much as users are hungry for learning, they do want it to be GOOD, too. No pressure. Adopt If you haven’t called the super tech savvy people in your organization, call them now. Talk to them about what you’ve learned and the direction you want to go, but leave the conversation open to discussion. These individuals need to have buy-in to what you are doing or they will go rogue, and all of the sudden, you will have a slew of apps within your organization (more app confusion) and most likely lack of direction or focus. If you get their buy-in and they feel like a part of the solution, they can help you with the next two phases (and you will need them). Communicate So you’ve made a decision. GREAT! You’re 15 percent there. Now you need to communicate across your organization how mobile learning is done. This is where your friends from the Adopt phase can help get your message out. Hold lunch and learns, send out communication pieces, tweet your message across the enterprise, and remember that choosing phone or face-to-face is still an option. Help The most critical phase is to support the organization as it begins to deploy mobile content. You and the early adopters can guide, coach, and support as your organization embarks on this exciting adventure. If you find yourself in need of extra help, give us a call at GP Strategies. That’s what we’re here for! Want to hear more from Sheri Weppel, Director of the Professional and Technical Services Group for GP Strategies? Join her as she discusses tools and techniques to leverage the capabilities of SMEs and maximize their engagement during a 20 Minute Webinar - Training Takes Time: The SME Commitment in Outsourced Training.

Transforming from a traditional pharmaceutical giant to a next-generation BioPharma company driven by innovation and customer service is a strategic and ambitious journey. Fortunately, GP Strategies™ was there to help. Watch the full impact story.   Organization and Leadership Development solutions: Leadership Development Employee Engagement Coaching Mentoring Talent Management and Development Organizational Change and Transition Team Building Read more information about how GP Strategies’ creates an impact on companies and the world around us:  http://www.gpstrategies.com/impact/default.aspx

Virtual instructor-led training (VILT) has evolved into a mainstream option for delivering training to learners who are spread out across multiple locations. Companies see it as an inexpensive alternative to flying employees to a central training location. VILT can be an effective solution to many training problems, but it does differ from instructor-led training (ILT) in a number of important ways. This blog will focus on the issues that are unique to VILT, including the pros and cons of VILT, some methods for creating an interactive environment, and the importance of up-skilling facilitators for the virtual classroom. I hope that others will jump in with their discoveries and questions. This first post will answer the question, "To VILT or Not to VILT?" Why VILT? VILT provides some of the same benefits as ILT, but it removes the need for employees (either instructors or students) to travel, allowing classes to span multiple locations. Virtual meetings can also accommodate far more people than a typical training room can hold. Most software will allow you to record VILT sessions, which creates an additional opportunity to get more out of the instructor’s time. While the travel and the opportunity to network that is associated with ILT may still be preferred by employees, VILT has become a familiar option. Some companies are interested in converting their existing classroom training to the virtual classroom, which may make sense, but they may not realize that converting ILT to VILT requires new course development even if the content will remain the same. Classroom activities will probably have to be modified, and the facilitator guide will have to be rewritten to provide instructions for the virtual environment. To keep learners engaged with the facilitator, the VILT format requires frequent and small interactivities. Also, a VILT course is typically much shorter than an ILT, meaning that long courses will probably have to be broken into multiple modules that are delivered with breaks in between. Despite the additional development required to convert a course to VILT, in many instances, it will still be worthwhile due to the ability to leverage a single instructor to reach a wide audience without travel expenses or time away from the job for learners. Why Not VILT? Some features of ILT translate easily, but others don’t. If you have an opportunity to choose between ILT and VILT, take a critical look at the learning objectives. If there are objectives that would be best taught by having a facilitator directly observe the learners’ performance and provide feedback, VILT might not be an option. Similarly, there may be some objectives that you’d like to cover with a role play or small group practice, such as a difficult customer conversation. While it is possible with some meeting software to use breakout rooms, it can be complicated and time consuming for the facilitator to set up and explain, and it doesn’t allow the same level of feedback that a roaming facilitator in the classroom can provide. That’s not to say that you can’t make it work, but if role play practice is the central activity in the course, it would probably be more effective live. Whenever objectives call for high touch and direct feedback, VILT may not be the best choice. Another option to consider is a blended solution in which part of the training is offered by VILT, while some of the objectives are covered on the job or in a live coaching session.

Do you know what your meeting software can do? Most large companies use a meeting software package already. If you are planning to offer virtual instructor-led training (VILT), first you will need to know some information about the virtual meeting software. Even if you frequently attend virtual meetings, you may not ever use the features that instructional designers exploit in order to make VILT more interactive. Most of the meeting products on the market offer the same basic features that are used to develop VILT interactions, but due to variations in licensing and IT decisions, they are not necessarily included or activated. The way the meeting organizer sets up the invite can also make a difference in what features will be available to attendees. It will be very helpful to your instructional designer if you can provide some information on the features they’ll be able to build into the training. Your training solution will include instructor notes about how to set up the classroom and coach students on how to use the tools for interactivities. If your instructional designer is not familiar with both the presenter’s view and the attendees’ view, it will be difficult to write instructions. A lot of features can be used to create interactivity. Some of the features you might be able to use include: Upload/download for handouts Two-way voice communication Chat (or Questions and Answers) Note-taking panel White boards On the fly polls Preloaded polls Stamping tool Raised hand Webcams Record and playback Typing tool Audio clips Video clips Breakout rooms You can help your instructional designer get up to speed on your company’s software by setting up a half-hour meeting with him or her in the training environment. Practice creating and responding to poll questions. What does the presenter see when attendees respond to the poll? Do the attendees see the results? Launch white boards and practice typing, stamping, and moving text around. Find out whether you can use the annotation tools on a PowerPoint slide. Use the instant messaging window to send questions and answers back and forth. Notice if there is a raise hand feature or a seat color feature. By spending a little time up front to learn about the virtual classroom, you can help to create the most interactive course possible and avoid having to remove interesting exercises that are not supported later. I’d love to hear from you. Please share your ideas: Which virtual meeting product do you use for training? Have you run into any glitches or anything unexpected with the meeting software? How were you able to work around them? Read more from Jeanne: To VILT, or Not to VILT?

During a recent 20-minute webinar, Steve Swink, Training Specialist for GP Strategies, highlighted some of the most current thinking around Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a topic receiving much attention in both the academic and corporate worlds. When the question, "How does your organization leverage MOOCs?" was asked,  webinar attendees responded in a variety of ways. Conversations that sprung from Steve’s MOOCs discussion included topics revolving around: new employee onboarding,  leadership development training, self-directed learning environment and more. The word cloud below visualizes the trending keywords webinar attendees have been talking about since the MOOCs webinar. For background on the discussion, a recording of Steve Swink’s recent 20-minute webinar, Musing on MOOCs is available.

Each year, more corporations are turning to an outsourced learning model for enterprise learning. While the desire is for this to be a turnkey approach, many companies overlook the subject matter expert’s (SME’s) role in outsourced learning. This can lead to frustration on behalf of both organizations. What are the responsibilities of and optimal roles each person can play in the change? How do we prepare these individuals for the change? I recently hosted a 20-minute webinar highlighting some of the most current thinking and explored tools and techniques to leverage the capabilities of your SMEs to maximize their engagement, including: How can your SMEs help you drive your new learning model? How can you reduce the knowledge transfer to your partner organization? How can you manage review cycles within an SME’s current workload? When is the best time to engage an SME? During the session, a number of questions came up, and while we were able to address most of them, we weren’t able to get to all of them due to time. Below are those questions and my best answers. This is an ongoing conversation, and I encourage you to keep the questions coming in via the comments section at the bottom of this page. Q: What happens when analysis has more than one component (inform, define, practice, apply)? ­ A: Actually some of the best analyses have more than one component. These components can be combined into a single deliverable, or a blended learning solution can be created to provide the learner with a variety of experiences. When it pertains to SME engagement, we use this technique to quickly levelset what the learner needs to know to establish the curriculum map. Stay tuned for a webinar in November 2014 to discuss this approach to analysis. Q: What do we do if we don’t have SMEs available? A: GP Strategies has a large partner network of SMEs who can be brought into a project to support an organization. It’s important to have candid conversations at the project onset about SME availability so that this can be considered in the scope. Remember that your SMEs have full-time jobs. Accurate assessments about their willingness and availability to support a training initiative are critical to a project’s success. Q: What are the biggest challenges you see working with SMEs? A: One of the biggest challenges of working with SMEs is also the biggest benefit: the passion they have for the subject matter. This rich experience and point of view make the difference between a good training and a great training. There are times when this passion can cause significant schedule challenges as SMEs write, re-write, and then write content again in an effort to capture their message. Clear definitions of roles and responsibilities as well as definitions about what is in scope during each phase of review are a critical path to success. Q: Should the SME even be involved in the wording of the script one is composing during the design phase? A: Script writing is one of the most challenging aspects of instructional design as you need to ensure that the content is written in a manner the learner can understand without having to replay the content again. While I often see SMEs want to write the script, this is often not the best use of their time. The end result is often verbose and complex based on their level of expertise. Additionally, it often will take an SME longer to write a script than it may take an instructional designer who is trained in script writing. A better solution is to have the SME present the content as if they were talking to a new employee. Record the session and then have the instructional designer play the content back to pull the key pieces of information into a script. Q: My company has SMEs who are used to having too much involvement. Can you suggest a good way to pull that back for an SME who is used to it? A: The key is to ensure that the SME understands their role. In the webinar, I mentioned their role focuses around direction, content, and review. Allow the SME to be more engaged in the first two phases so that they feel comfortable with the training solution that is being put together. After the analysis is complete, be sure to explain what is in scope and out of scope for each phase. At times, this takes a strong project manager to keep the reviews in line, but in time your SME will find a great benefit in the change in their role as they can maximize their impact in a minimal amount of time. Q: What should we do if we have too much content in the analysis phase? A: There is never too much content in analysis; it just doesn’t all need to be included in the training. During analysis, establish what content needs to remain as reference material, and refer to it in the training without specifically including the details. This is where the Inform, Define, Practice, and Apply approach can help you sift through that content and find the pieces that are critical to your training solution. Stay tuned for a webinar in November 2014 that will dive into that process. Miss the session? Click here to watch a recording of the webinar: Training Takes Time: The SME Commitment in Outsourced Training

For the fourth consecutive year, GP Strategies organized a team to participate in the 24 Hours of Booty Columbia ride on August 23 & 24, 2014. The weather started out cool and rainy, but that didn’t stop the participants from getting on their bikes and putting in hundreds of miles to show their support in the fight against cancer. By Sunday morning, the participants were treated to beautiful blue skies and a perfect day to continue their ride and celebrate the impact they have towards putting an end to this ugly disease. Also, for the first time ever at the 24 Hours of Booty Columbia event was an organized "Kids Ride & Ice Cream Party" Sunday morning to give the younger supporters a way to be included in the event and get involved in giving back. The representatives from the GP Strategies "Booty Loopers" team put in dozens of laps, both riding and running, and the team raised over $8,100 for the cause. Overall, the Columbia teams and riders raised more than $215,000 for the national and local charities, which include the LIVESTRONG® Foundation and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. It was great to be a part of such a fantastic team, helping to make in impact on the community. I look forward to next year! If you are interested in more information or to learn more about how you can support, please contact me at kwirth@gpstrategies.com.

Selling is evolving and sales productivity is facing multiple challenges. Complex changes are not only happening within companies, they are occurring from the customer standpoint as well.  Obstacles surrounding the sales process include new products, new processes, new strategies, heightening demands and higher expectations. In this video, Sales Enablement Principal Consultant Brian Lambert discusses four key factors that address the issue of sales productivity: Decrease ramp-up time. Get the right people in the right jobs. Reinforce the right behaviors. Understand the benefits of technology. In a recent webinar, Sales Enablement Principal Consultant Brian Lambert and Training Consultant Greg Renner shared real-world examples, providing insights on: Cross-Functional Teaming Challenges and Opportunities in Sales New Hire Training.

CEOs are continuing to look at bringing costs into alignment while at the same time looking for ways to grow their organization. As a result, a lot of activity continues within the sales team. Sales leaders are looking to increase the competitiveness of their sales team as the economy continues to slog along. One area under increased scrutiny is the onboarding process within client-facing teams. On one hand, the new hires need to perform quickly and hit their sales goals as fast as possible. On the other hand, the new hires need to understand what customers need and how to communicate the value of products and services. While this is an age-old problem, today’s solution to this challenge is anything but routine—especially when learning and sales leaders are struggling to justify the investments being made in new hire onboarding activities. Learning leaders often find they need to do a better job explaining how their activities clearly link to improved competitiveness at the point of sale. I recently hosted a webinar with Brian Lambert, sharing real-world examples and providing insights on these tough challenges. We specifically talked about what it takes to: Orchestrate a new hire onboarding process that decreases ramp-up time of new hires Understand how learning and sales leaders are taking a top-down and bottom-up approach to help new hires achieve more immediate sales results Define the often overlooked critical links within the process and how companies are looking to manage friction points in the process Get in front of the likely onboarding "mandates" from above, or from product groups or business units If you missed the webinar, a recording is now available: Cross-Functional Teaming Challenges and Opportunities in Sales New Hire Training But if you’re looking for the Reader’s Digest version, I wanted to offer a quick look at some of the key takeaways we offered. Think in terms of deploying a "service" that extends beyond creating isolated training courses Remember, your solutions must be integrated with operations, and you need to think that through before approaching sales leaders Be watchful of the pull towards "jumping to the solution"—many challenges need to be thought through first Don’t be afraid to look at the whole organization to align/enroll the support you need to be successful You will likely need to develop skills to think like an "architect" as well as a "plumber" During the session, a number of questions came up, and while we were able to address most of them, we weren’t able to get to all of them due to time. Below are those questions and my best answers. This is an ongoing conversation, and I encourage you to keep the questions coming in via the comments section at the bottom of this page. Q: Can you talk more about the concept of engagement? It means a variety of things, not just sales activities and achieving numbers. As a Sales L&D person, creating engagement or engaging environments is key. A: When organizations look to establish a go-forward strategy, it is crucial that they appropriately engage across the organization to validate the vision, understand the different mechanisms that need to be orchestrated in order to achieve the vision, and gain a commitment of the appropriate stakeholders that will be involved in the initiative. Q: What KPIs are determining success of your Sales New Hire Process? A: We often see reducing ramp-up time of sales new hires as a typical KPI of the Sales New Hire Process. Each organization typically has its own specific measures that define what constitutes being "ramped-up." That said, we often work with the organization to pinpoint the specific problem that they are experiencing related to their sales new hires. Zeroing in to the specific need enables us to then establish the go-forward vision and the desired business outcomes of this vision. Then we can work backward from these business outcomes. Q: What if the new hire is an experienced person; how do you ensure that they will fit into the company’s culture? A: It is certainly important to assess the dynamics of the company’s culture against the new hire experience and the desired outcomes of the new hire program. In many cases, an effective learning experience will accommodate experienced participants and look to leverage their skills in support of other less experienced new hires. Another key element often resides in the level of participation from the sales managers/leaders who are often in the best position to aptly leverage their experience while passing along the culture. Q: What does "own" actually mean when it comes to training? A: When we look at the end-to-end initiative, "owning" refers to the idea that all stakeholders are committed to the vision of the program and take an active role in the shared definition of success. For example, if the new program includes a component where sales managers need to provide some level of support to help enabling performance for new hires, the VP of Sales should own these responsibilities in addition to the key design points of the new hire training itself. Q: Do you have any examples of successful sales new hire training that you can share? A: We recently designed an end-to-end new hire training program that targeted reducing ramp-up time for new sales associates for a global financial services operation. We are currently working on defining a comprehensive new hire training program for the sales associates for a major US department store retailer.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are currently receiving a lot of attention in both the academic and corporate worlds. Through the use of MOOCs, organizations are not only trying to involve everyone within the company, but they are trying to anticipate the future of learning. During a recent 20-minute webinar, Steve Swink, Training Specialist for GP Strategies, highlighted some of the most current thinking around MOOCs. The topics included: different varieties of MOOCs, ways MOOCs can be leveraged in a corporate environment and lessons to be taken from MOOCs as you grow and adapt your learning arsenal. Following the webinar and heightened interest in Massive Open Online Courses, GP Strategies took the conversation to Twitter to answer questions, engage with followers and further shed light on MOOCs. The following are the highlights from our recent #CorpMOOCs tweet chat. Welcome! We’ve had great discussions this year around #CorpMOOCs and are excited to take the conversation to Twitter today w/ @SteveSwinkTN. — GP Strategies Corp (@gpcorp) September 17, 2014 Q1: Can you explain what #MOOC is and how they fit into today’s global organization? @SteveSwinkTN #CorpMOOCs — GP Strategies Corp (@gpcorp) September 17, 2014 To see how Steve responded to the question, visit here. Q2: What are the Pros and Cons of #MOOCs in the corporate world? @SteveSwinkTN #CorpMOOCs — GP Strategies Corp (@gpcorp) September 17, 2014 #CorpMoocs - Corp MOOCs are great for global orgs. Can scale massively, & provide consistent cloud-based learning across an enterprise. — Darin Hartley (@soc_net_writer) September 17, 2014 Click here to see what Steve Swink believes are the Pros and Cons of MOOCs in the corporate workspace. Q3: How do you see #MOOCs fitting into the corporate environment? @SteveSwinkTN #CorpMOOCs — GP Strategies Corp (@gpcorp) September 17, 2014 To see how folks on Twitter answered to this question, visit here. Q4: Is there a type of learner who is more successful using a #MOOC? @SteveSwinkTN #CorpMOOCs — GP Strategies Corp (@gpcorp) September 17, 2014 To see which kind of learners thrive through the use of MOOCs, click here. Q5: What topics are best suited for a #MOOC environment? @SteveSwinkTN #CorpMOOCs — GP Strategies Corp (@gpcorp) September 17, 2014 Click here to see what topics Steve Swink thinks are best for MOOCs. Q6: Are #MOOCs synchronous, asynchronous, or both? @SteveSwinkTN #CorpMOOCs — GP Strategies Corp (@gpcorp) September 17, 2014 Which category do MOOCs fall under? Find out here. Q7: How do you see #MOOCs evolving in the future? @SteveSwinkTN #CorpMOOCs — GP Strategies Corp (@gpcorp) September 17, 2014 A7: Hopefully will morph into an individualized, prescriptive & synergistic environment. What thought do YOU have - hype or hope? #CorpMOOCs — Steve Swink (@SteveSwinkTN) September 17, 2014 To view the whole conversation please visit here. The full webinar "Musing on MOOCs" along with the slide deck and link to Q&A follow up are available for download in our Webinar Archive.

A 3D animation has many factors that can alter its complexity. In this blog post, we will take a behind-the-scenes look at how 3D animation is created, including: creation of the environment, application of textures, creation of the object, application of textures to the object, animation and rendering.   Creation of the Environment The first step in 3D animation is to create the environment. To create an environment, create your objects using basic shapes assembled together. In the example shown below, you can see that steel coils, a stop sign, and pipes and other parts of the infastructure were added to the environment that will be needed during the final animation. This process can take up to a week to produce depending on the complexity. Application of Textures The next step is to apply the textures. This is where all the objects in the environment begin to take shape. Logos, colors, textures, and writing can be added at this phase, as shown in the graphic below. This typically takes 1-2 days to produce. Creation of the Object Next, the equipment is created in a manner similarly to the way the environment was created, as shown in the graphic below. This also can take a week to produce depending on the complexity. Application of Textures to the Object Next, the textures are applied to the object, in this case the forklift as shown below. This is where the writing and additional textures and colors can be added. This typically takes 1-2 days to produce. Animation The next phase of the process is animation. Animation is where you create the movement in the graphic by changing what is happening on the screen in small increments. Across the bottom of the screen you can see a timeline. The animator specifies what the screen will look like at each of those points, and the software fills in the small gaps. Rendering The final step in the process is rendering. This is when the computer takes control and creates the animation in still frames. GP Strategies has a render farm, a group of interconnected computers that are dedicated to rendering, that operates 24 hours a day/7 days a week to complete animation tasks. Once the computer is finished, the still images are assembled into the video file and implemented in the module. This can take anywhere from a few hours to several days depending on the complexity and size of the animation. The graphic below shows rendering in process. And the final result is a video file ready to be embedded in your next eLearning module. A huge thank you to our Digital Creative Lead, Adam Roman, for the behind-the-scenes tour. For more information on creating eLearning modules with 3D animation, please review the recorded webinar Designing SAFE Instruction: The Use of 3D Animation for Safety Training or contact Sheri Weppel to continue the conversation.

It’s old news that the shrinking labor pool, caused by the looming retirement of Baby Boomers, will present significant challenges for businesses in the near future. One could even say businesses are on the verge of experiencing a seismic tremor. Some have taken precautions by adding automation capability, others have begun documenting the entire "tribal knowledge" that resides in the minds of those soon to retire, and still others are embracing solutions leveraging the global labor now possible through the Internet. Can high-performance teams play a role in helping solve this dilemma? Imagine a new world that embraces a paradigm in which you, as a business leader, can institute new processes and mindsets that improve your operational capability and increase your capacity. The automotive assembly line model is highly adaptable and has served business well for a long time. Revolutionary at its beginning, this sequential flow manifests itself not only in manufacturing, but also in other support functions such as accounting, project management, and training development. In this model, each person adds value to a product or transaction as it passes his or her workstation in a predetermined linear sequence. At some time or another, most businesses have experienced a crisis generally manifested by a time-commitment constraint or last-minute, client-directed change. These crises often require a team of people to come together to "resolve issues." These intense periods of time are disruptive to the planned workday as well as family and social schedules. Employees rise to the challenge and overcome these events time and time again, but at what cost? That new world I hinted at earlier can help overcome these challenges and build extra capacity, but doing so requires a different operating model and mindset. Consider the differences between building an automobile and an airplane. With an automobile assembly line, each workstation along the line adds some kind of value (for example, installing the front seats - 8 bolts) before proceeding to the next workstation where more value (for example, adding the front doors = 12 bolts) will be added. This process repeats until a car is driven off the assembly line. Now let’s look at how an airplane is built. The airplane is stationary for major parts of its assembly. When the cockpit is added, multiple teams of electricians and mechanics are involved to connect the controls to the hydraulics, avionics, and electric systems throughout the cabin. When the landing gear is added, again hardware needs to be attached to the mainframe, the hydraulics systems need to be connected, electronics need to be attached to operate the hydraulics, etc. The point is that teams with a specific role (specialists) are working in the same location at the same time. This requires communication, cooperation, and coordination. Now let’s take a quick trip backwards to consider applying this kind of approach to solving specific business problem, before we move forward. During WWII "Tiger Teams," ad hoc teams, were created to address specific business problems (crises). Each team member was carefully selected based on a particular skill he or she possessed. These teams were sanctioned at the highest levels of the organization and were chartered with necessary authority to accomplish their mission. This is an early example of a high-performance team leveraged to solve a specific business problem. However, because these were ad hoc teams, they were dismantled when the problem was resolved. This high-performance team concept was not cemented into the organizational structure. Now moving forward, consider the possibilities of inculcating this type of approach directly into your organizational structure as a normal way of doing business. The "problems" you solve are defined as the normal work projects and services. In this world, individuals are assigned specific responsibilities that bring one perspective to the problem that needs three to five perspectives to adequately solve the problem at a given milestone. All perspectives are brought together at critical "build" moments to exercise. This access to a larger brain trust enhances quality, resolves challenges, and cross-pollinates ideas. This approach embraces the notion that "good ideas" and "solutions" come faster and better, and can drive greater consistency across the organization with a synergy that comes from a high-performance team environment where individual perspectives and insights are valued. This is a key concept because it requires a change—in mindset for many organizations. Can you describe examples where you have experienced or observed the benefits of high-performance teams in action? Was this an ad hoc team or was it instituted in the organizational structure?

Have you ever experienced a crisis situation at work where a looming deadline caused you to alter your work plans, your family activities, or your social schedule? Of course you have. What was it about how you handled the disruption, that crisis, which helped you succeed? Did you do anything differently other than putting in more time? Did you have a more focused breakdown of the work or a more focused task delegation, considered new perspectives, stopped a circular decision-making process, or something else? From necessity is born innovation. From crisis is born resilience. Politicians say, "Never waste a crisis." My questions for you are, "Why wait for a crisis? Why not artificially create one?" When I discuss the idea of "artificial crisis," it is generally followed by uncomfortable laughing at the audacity to even suggest this. But given time to reflect on the idea, people begin to agree that they could be more innovated and resilient if they were able to focus on a problem for a period of time. A crisis will bring that focus. Would you be more interested if I told you that in the process of exercising artificial crisis, you can increase capacity at the same time? Let me be clear, I am not asking you as a CEO to impose a management style that brings you some kind of masochistic power pleasure. I am encouraging you to inject "artificial crisis" events and milestones into your program/project plan that are designed to leverage your collective brain trust, which will accelerate value and rapidly advance a project. Consider a project using an "airplane" build model (see blog entitled "Can Process and Mindset Improve Capability and Increase Capacity?). This project traditionally takes six weeks to reach a particular milestone. However, by using the value acceleration technique, the team can reach this milestone in a fraction of the time, assuming the right planning and the right team mindset. You may be saying, "But I have three priority programs ongoing, and all my people are committed and focused on their responsibilities for the next six weeks. I don’t have the time to do what you are suggesting." If you can find a way to accelerate each of your programs by embracing this new process and mindset, would you do it? We have all participated in a project crisis in which we worked long and hard to meet a particular deadline. How much was your program advanced at these times compared to the program planned timeline prior to the crisis? Don’t wait for the weekend or the long evenings; build this focused process into the "normal" way of doing work. By building value acceleration events into your programs/projects, you will be creating new, untapped capacity with the same workforce. Let’s do the math. Let’s keep it simple and assume one person per project. Now compare. Traditional Program Planned Approach - Baseline: 3 projects x6 weeks (30 workdays) to complete 18 project workweeks (90 workdays) Value Acceleration Approach: Now, build into your plan 2 workweeks for value acceleration in which your "airplane" teams spend about 3 days of focused attention on each project (no interruptions or distractions allowed including other meetings). This approach results in advancing the projects 4 weeks each (20 workdays times 3 projects equals 60 days). 3 projects x3.3 value acceleration workdays per project 10 total workdays (rounding up) Assume the 10 workdays invested in value acceleration save 4 weeks of time for each project (when using the "airplane build" model, I have observed many times far greater advancements). Four workweeks (20 workdays) times 3 projects equals a savings of 60 days. This is building additional capacity with process improvements not by investing in automation or other strategies. In full disclosure, you can’t simply schedule a value acceleration event and make it successful. It needs to be planned. Participants will need some advance reading materials. The event may need to be scheduled off-site. You will likely need to "whiteboard" approaches, ideas, and action steps. You will need ground rules and a facilitator to keep the meeting moving. You may need breakout groups to work on specific activities. I invite you to provide your thoughts, insights, and ideas on the types of things you would have to do or plan in your line of business to maximize your value acceleration event.

Whether your organization wraps its business model around products, services or both, the one common denominator in every business is the need to sell. As products and services become more complex and customers become more sophisticated, many established sales professionals struggle to communicate the value of their products and services effectively. Moreover, new hires who may have stellar sales skills may nonetheless have zero knowledge of how to engage your unique customers in more powerful conversations about your products and services. While new hire training programs are rich with product knowledge, company culture and other corporate mandatories, they are often lacking in the kind of human-focused, globally consistent information that enables new people to hit the ground running with your customers. Most would agree that they’d rather not have new people learning to develop their skills on the customers themselves, but that’s often the only recourse as sales leaders and training leaders find it difficult to speak the same language and collaborate effectively on meaningful sales programs. The following series of essays from GP Strategies’ Sales Enablement expert, Brian Lambert, addresses the issues of new hire sales training programs, including improving effectiveness among existing sales leaders and closing any communications gaps between sales leaders and sales enablement and other training professionals. Download a copy of the Sales Enablement eBook today: http://bit.ly/1Da2caQ

Based on my 20 years as a sales leader, many tasks and priorities have remained consistent; however, many more have changed. It’s still about driving revenue, yet the evolving needs of our clients as well as the profile changes of our salespeople point to the fact that as a sales leader, there are things I know for sure and areas that require serious rethinking. What has stayed the same? The basic definition of what my job is remains true. My role is not to be a super salesperson. It isn’t my job to close business. It is my job to ensure that all of my team members have the tools to be successful. That means removing barriers so they can do their jobs. Most importantly, I lead from behind and not out in front. Recruiting the right people is still the most important thing that I do. If you hire the right people, they will find a way to get the job done. However, it is the hardest thing that I do. Great salespeople are in demand. Because of their regular client contact, the word gets out quickly when someone is available, and they usually have their fair share of good offers from competitors. Working with salespeople regularly still enhances their engagement. Being in sales is a lonely job. Although they thrive from individual contribution, most salespeople appreciate the team-selling process. It remains important to spend time with team members so they know that they are connected to a company with other employees and resources. I can provide that connection. There still is a surprising amount of luck involved in order for salespeople to be successful. The most successful strategy includes casting a wide net. In other words, one should work both hard and smart. Leading with certain metrics in mind is a strategy critical for sales leaders. These metrics are particularly important when a salesperson is not satisfying certain revenue requirements since adhering to metrics should eventually lead to sales results. Sales talent is still street smart and is often successful because of strong relationships. A sales leader should understand these relationships and interact with customers in a similar manner. Yet, the sales leader needs to be mindful that key relationships are always with the salesperson and not with their leader. The leader has to be sure to step aside when confronted with a client relationship opportunity since it could undermine the client’s relationship with the salesperson. Now, what has changed? A lot. Using business development technology has evolved over time. It requires understanding database management and sophisticated CRMs. CRMS are not only useful to salespeople, but also the data available to understand customers, the way they buy and sales activity, has become invaluable when leading a sales team. If a salesperson isn’t successful, the data gleaned from a CRM will often provide the diagnostic information necessary to make changes that will ultimately put him or her back on course. The way salespeople develop leads has changed; therefore, coaching this process requires understanding social media, grassroots marketing, and other ways that customers interact with each other. In addition, being active in organizations where customers and competitors find valuable resources is critical in a sales leadership role. It allows me to develop soft leads for my team members in a non-sales capacity. Leading virtually has become more sophisticated based on technology tools available. Conference calls are the norm; however, meeting tools encourage sharing of information real-time with the ability to build community among a remote team. Because our clients are global, the job of a sales leader is not confined to the normal workday in a respective time zone. Often, we are on calls early in the morning to late in the evening. There is no such thing as an eight-hour day in this job. The global aspect of our business also creates account ownership challenges. Client locations were generally confined to territories so salespeople could be aligned as such in the past. Now, buying decisions, client locations, and implementations often cross over defined geographies, making decisions regarding account ownership complicated. Often, it’s the client that dictates who the account manager should be based on their own organizational structure. What is still true and will remain true is the dynamic and exciting nature of this job. Deciding to become a sales leader is never made because of financial reward or status. In fact, in some compensation schemes, top salespeople make more than their managers and could have much more prestige and influence in an organization. Still, a great sales leader has the ability to both increase the engagement levels of their team members and to positively and measurably impact the bottom line of their organization through others. I will continue to embrace this great challenge in the future!

As the next generation of learners enters the workforce, many organizations are finding that traditional learning methods are no longer as effective. Whether distance is a challenge due to a global workforce or budgeting is a challenge to bring individuals together, organizations are finding a need to rethink their core programs. When redesigning a program, blended learning using the 70-20-10 rule is considered the industry standard. But how do you decide what you keep as the 10% formal learning? And what does that formal learning look like? This can often become a time and cost-intensive exercise to redesign a curriculum. However, there is a better way. By using the Inform - Define - Practice - Apply model, you can quickly map your existing curriculum to a new format by answering the following questions: What knowledge does a learner need to be informed of? What details does the learner need to define? What knowledge will the learner need to practice on the job? What information will you want the learner to ensure they can apply to their job? In a recent GP Strategies Webinar, I discussed an accelerated analysis tool that can take your curriculum into the next generation and beyond. Below is a look at this approach: Training Approach The training approach is composed of four types of training, as shown in Figure 1, with each type building upon the previous type: Inform: The first level of training informs the learner about the training program, information that should be prerequisite knowledge, or other basic awareness-level information. Define: The second level of training defines the new information. This knowledge could include tasks, definitions, desired skills, or behaviors. Practice: The third level of training allows the learner to practice the new skills or knowledge that has been presented. This is typically completed in a highly interactive format. Apply: The final level of training requires the learner to apply all previously presented information into a capstone scenario. This is the final phase to ensure the learner can transfer the knowledge to the job. Figure 1: Inform, Define, Practice Apply Strategy The knowledge types will build upon each other. As such, each training solution will have an Inform component prior to beginning to define the knowledge, as shown in Figure 2. However, all training programs may not progress to the Apply level. As the learner begins the journey, the training can be conducted independently through self-study tactics. As employees become competent in their jobs (Practice), being able to perform tasks without job references or being able to complete complex tasks, learning advocates can provide support through on-the-job training and guidance to where to go for assistance. As employees transition to the skilled level of knowledge (Apply), the need for a mentor diminishes and is replaced by a coach. A coach is available to provide guidance in troubleshooting, brainstorming, and sample experiences. This is a critical role in keeping the workforce engaged. Figure 2: Role of Learning Advocates and Coaches Modalities Training will be delivered via a blended approach, involving multiple formal, on-demand, social, and coaching methodologies. This format will effectively address multiple audiences, cater to various learning styles, and provide numerous opportunities to further embed the client’s culture into the concepts. Table 1: Modalities outlines a number of potential training delivery methods in formal, on-demand, social and coaching categories.  Table 1: Modalities      

Staying a step ahead of your business requirements in the area of learning technology can be difficult when dealing with antiquated technology and limited delivery options. During a recent Saba webinar poll, an outdated LMS was the number one reason for needing to change to a new LMS. In my experience, I’ve found that some often-overlooked and less obvious better practices tend to have the greatest positive impact during an LMS upgrade or migration. Consider these ideas when you need to step up your learning technology to create a strategy for the migration and provide tools and tricks for preparing your organization for a limited-impact change. When leaders within learning organizations were asked which best practice is the biggest fear when moving to a new system, data migration took the top spot. Ensure that only accurate, relevant data is migrated to the new LMS. Plan as much time as possible to clean up data in the old system before migrating. It is worth it. A new system full of clean data will make it easier to use, maintain, and administer. Also, find out how many years of data must be in the system based on your corporate, industry, or compliance requirements. Archive the rest. Change management was another key concern related to migrating. You must prepare your audiences for an LMS migration and technology upgrade. Training on the new system is critical and must be planned. Who needs to be trained? Administrators, managers, learners, instructors? Others? What topics and functionality does each user group need to be trained on? When during the project will be the most ideal timing to deliver the training to the different audiences? How will the training be provided and best received by the end users? In addition to training, good communication about the new LMS is a key task for successful change management and to ensure organizational readiness. Identifying the recipients that should be provided communication related to the project, the format of that communication for each group, and the frequency and timing for key communications are all important and must be planned in advance and accurately delivered. Lastly, you must ensure through these communications prior to the system launch that you are obtaining buy-in. The reason for the change must be communicated clearly. Make sure the end users know what’s in it for them. If you can sell the destination, change should be easy. Resource engagement is also critical for your migration. Before the project starts, ensure stakeholder buy-in so that you have their support. Then identify the project team that will be involved. Ensure their commitment throughout the entire project. Finally, if not already established, form a governance committee to oversee decisions that must be made that may impact other groups using the LMS or even the entire system. You must also carefully plan your cutover. Don’t be afraid to take a long cutover to ensure tasks aren’t rushed and resources have time to perform the configuration and testing that must take place when the old system is down and before the new system launches. Also consider when to sunset your old system. Avoid taking it down and losing access to it immediately so it can be a reference in case something needs to be verified from a historical standpoint. Lastly, carefully strategize your launch. Consider a pilot or phased implementation to lessen the impact to end users by allowing for a "live testing" period before the organization-wide system launch. Involving this select group of pilot users may also result in obtaining "champions" of the new system who can support the change. Additionally, consider only enabling minimal, necessary functionality at launch of the new LMS to make the switch to a new system easier for end users. New features can be introduced after the dust settles. In your experience with learning technology and lessons learned from other migrations, which of these best practices do you feel is the most critical to incorporate when upgrading or migrating to a new LMS? Which can have the greatest impact? What other best practices not mentioned here led to a successful migration for your organization? Please leave questions and feedback as I would love to hear from you!

You receive a request for a three-hour, medium-complexity virtual instructor-led training on a new software system still in development. The training needs to roll out within two weeks of the system stabilization, and key roles must be trained before system launch. Does this sound like a familiar project request to you? In recent years, the increased needs from clients to rapidly develop learning content have led teams to work with more unknowns in a shorter amount of time. These factors have steered teams to turn to agile training development methodologies. If you’ve been in the training field, I am sure you are familiar with the agile concept or at least have heard of the terminology. The concepts of agility and agile design and development may be simple to understand, but often are difficult to implement. To reap the benefits of an agile approach in the development of performer-centric learning systems, an organization must be willing to shift its culture, decision-making practices, and talent development strategies. As agile design and development processes become more prevalent in the field, several myths can get in the way of a team or organization making the shift. The following are some of the myths that organizations and teams need to work to dispel as you set your expectation for agile training development: Myth: Agile works for everything. Reality: Agile can be a very powerful approach to solving learning and performance challenges; however, it isn’t appropriate for all situations—especially if the solution is well-defined. For example, it would be overkill to adopt an agile process to implement a handful of clearly defined changes to an existing, well-designed eLearning course. On the other hand, a project involving the creation of a learning system to support an emerging business process would be a more appropriate application of the agile process. Myth: Agile can be optimized through a transactional process. Reality: An agile design and development process is powered by the quality of collaboration within the team, which can only be achieved through a consistent, shared experience. Gaining the commitment of key stakeholders is critical to the success of an agile design and development process. Myth: Agile means fast. Reality: Although a component of agile is getting to a prototype sooner in the process, agile training development at its core is not about being faster than a linear development process. It is about being responsive to the insights you learn from the rapid prototyping and testing process. Myth: Agile is unstructured. Reality: Progress in a linear development process is measured by the progression of signed-off documents and deliverable milestones. Agile, on the other hand, progresses through an evolution of discussion and dialogue, which may seem unstructured. However, this evolution is driven through regularly scheduled conversations and rapidly developed outputs from which the process and results are documented. Myth: Agile has one size of tools and templates for all projects. Reality: The agile design and development of training solutions includes a range of tools and templates that can be used to meet the varying needs of a project. You can use a Scrum, Kanban, or other approach to manage the workflow. You could use personas or performance visualization tools to help drive the design. The key is to engage the team in the selection of tools and approaches for the project at hand. Would you consider an agile training development approach for the scenario at the beginning of the blog post? How would you work to ensure that these myths don’t get in the way of your team’s success? Learn more about agile development methodologies by downloading Matt’s recent webinar "Agile Isn’t For Everyone", hosted by Training Industry.

As you finish your delivery and glare into your catcher’s open mitt, you think of nothing other than successfully executing the decision the two of you just made. As a pitcher, your "battery mate" is not only there to catch the ball when the batter whiffs—he is also there to share accountability for the result of each at-bat. A catcher is a pitcher’s most valued customer, a partner who is in search of a trusted collaborator who can effectively map his arsenal of capabilities (e.g., change-up, curveball, slider, two-seam fastball, etc.) to successfully solve the problem at hand (e.g., runner on first, one out, full count, top of the eighth inning, your team has a one-run lead). I’ve been delivering "pitches" for nearly my entire life—first in baseball and then in business. Here’s my biggest takeaway so far. Nobody cares about your pitch. That may sound harsh, but stick with me, as I’m actually trying to help. What’s truly important is the role each pitch plays in a much larger problem-solving process. Mapping out the problem-solving process In baseball, the top brass from each major league team is faced with the exact same macro-level problem at the beginning of the season—build an organization that will win the World Series in October. If you break that problem down a bit, each team has 162 chances to earn the right to compete for a World Series championship each season, and within each of those regular season games are (at least) 9 innings, or a total of 27 outs, where each team has the same opportunity to make progress toward earning the season’s grand prize. If you were to zoom in and take an iterative approach to winning the World Series, you might begin to focus on the only thing that really matters during each moment of a game, that is, winning the current at-bat, one at-bat at a time. A pitcher and a catcher should guide their team toward solving one mini-problem at a time pitch by pitch while always keeping their "October destination" (winning the World Series) in mind. What does this have to do with sales? Having been a pitcher and a salesperson, I could probably cook up a long list of similarities between pitching a baseball and pitching a product/service/idea. For now, let’s just go with the following four elements that showcase the common ground between the world of baseball and the world of business: There is no clock - Have you ever been right at the verge of closing a sales deal when it suddenly seemed to go backwards in time? New proposal, new stakeholders, new opportunity all over again—from scratch. It’s not fun. I’ve been there too, but it demonstrates the fact that your customers aren’t on a clock to close your deal. They are on a journey to solve their problems. The absence of a game clock is one of the reasons I love baseball so much—absolutely anything can happen, or as Yogi Berra once put it, "It ain’t over till it’s over!" Situational awareness is vital - Walking into a sales meeting is one of the most interesting things that happens in business. At its very core, the meeting serves as a potential platform for value to be created. I believe that’s mostly up to the salesperson and her/his ability to connect the dots logically between three key points: the customer’s current situation, the customer’s desired future state, and the sales organization’s set of capabilities. Mastering this art is harder than it sounds, so I’ve decided to give it a name that sounds difficult: "situational triangulation." Pitching also requires this type of expertise—you’d better know exactly what you’re aiming for in a given situation (e.g., in my example at the beginning of the post, with one out and a man on first, you’d rather get a ground ball than a strikeout). Success depends on navigating one conversation at a time - I’ve been involved with sales deals that took as short as two weeks to close and some that took as long as two years to close. In every single meeting were key conversations that took place between "sellers" and "buyers"—and keep in mind, the seller isn’t always the salesperson. In fact, I usually know that a deal has some good momentum when I am no longer selling to my main point of contact, but instead enabling that individual to sell to others about the value that needs to be created to move away from the status quo. A pitcher and a catcher have as many "conversations" during a game as the number of at-bats. You can think of every single pitch as a "value exchange" during the conversation: The catcher communicates what type of value he expects by flashing the signs, and the pitcher responds with the value he believes his catcher needs by either agreeing or shaking off the suggested pitch and then ultimately delivering to the plate. With every pitch comes a new moment that’s never existed before, a new count, a new at-bat waiting to unfold, and the result of each conversation is recorded in the history books for further exploration by players, coaches, fans, and an avid community of sabermetrics experts. Wouldn’t it be interesting to explore sales conversations with such rigor? The way things are today, many sales conversations vanish the moment they’re over, never to be analyzed again. If you could shine a light on sales conversations the way we do in baseball, what would you measure? What would your customers measure? Your competition is literally sitting in the waiting area - A colleague of mine told me that as soon as he finished a recent sales meeting, a competitor was waiting in the lobby of a customer’s office ready to roll with the next sales pitch. When you are a pitcher, it’s even more cutthroat than that. You have seven guys sitting on a bench staring at you from the bullpen, each one chomping at the bit to get his shot after you’re done. That’s right; I’m making reference to a pitcher’s competitor as other pitchers, not the other team. I know it might sound taboo to say that, but when it’s a healthy competition, everyone steps up his game. The other obvious competitor is, of course, the opposing pitcher. Here’s something I’d love to see—a nine-inning buying cycle where the customer narrows the competition down to two finalists who each take the "field" for three outs at a time. Let your imagination go wild with the rest of the rules. A quick comment about hitters You might wonder why I haven’t focused on the hitters yet. Here’s what I’d say: Hitters introduce a little something we can call "reality" into the pitching equation. A pitcher and a catcher can lay out the perfect strategy together and attempt to execute exactly as planned. Guess what? You might still give up a home run. And every single person in the stadium will be watching closely to see how you bounce back afterwards. We’ve all had sales meetings we wish we could erase, but the only thing we can control is how we behave in our next one. The complexity of dealing with a new hitter with each new at-bat is similar to dealing with the complexity we are faced with day in and day out in the constantly changing business environment. Your plan is one thing. Reality is another. Don’t ever underestimate the hitter. If you’ve ever pitched anything in your life—a baseball, an idea, a business plan, or a tent—it would be great to read your thoughts, reactions, and questions. Or if you’re just an avid San Francisco Giants fan looking for a place to boast, feel free to take advantage of the opportunity here.