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At the start of 2019 in the world of Learning and Development, online training and E-learning were unavoidable, they were the new buzz words and everyone was talking about it. Everyone was championing how amazing new technology is and how that technology will enable your employees to learn at their convenience and save costs for the business. 

In reality, for a lot of organisations, Online Training and E-Learning platforms became a box ticking exercise for compliance and has affected the overall development within the business. Whilst this can be a great method for training, it is not always the best solution and takes the focus off other learning solutions. 

For example different software providers will have different capabilities. Some are modern, fun and engaging but sadly there are also some that are quite tired and dated and not as engaging. Some have the function for knowledge checking to ensure learning has taken place whilst others will just record that the training has been completed. I have also seen it happen in practice where employees all undertake the same generic learning module online at their desks whilst discussing it and sharing the answers at the end. Shared learning can be good however in these situations some individuals will not participate in the learning and will simply input the answers they have been given at the end. This is a risk to the business if they miss crucial information.

If we have an E-Learning system or online platform then it can be easy to overlook other learning and development opportunities. For some companies their full Training Budget went into the system which meant there was no face to face learning interventions. We need to remember that there are different learning styles and we should be catering to them all.

The written word can be very powerful. It is especially needed when we’re trying to communicate the full detail of a subject or theory. There are also many learners out there who prefer the written word. It’s usually the same people who like to read a good book, magazine or subscribe to a blog. When using text within your training, keep it relevant, clear and engaging. You can use your text to communicate the details, tell a story and keep your learners hooked to the very end. The important thing to remember is there’s a time and a place for text and there often needs to be more than just words.

A huge 65% of people are visual learners. This explains why infographics and video are the most popular form of content today. People are drawn to imagery, because it’s easier and faster to digest the facts when they’re surrounded by pictures. Image and video content communicate your training narrative quicker than text ever could. So, if you are solely using online training I would encourage you to review the content and add relevant images and videos where possible. If it already contains imagery than rate the quality. Nobody wants to view Clip Art anymore and there is nothing worse for me than watching poor quality videos, it’s completely distracting for me and sometimes feels write painful. 

30% are Auditory learners and these are the people who will most likely opt for an audio book over a physical copy. We have all seen how podcasts and TEDtalks have taken the internet by storm. Why does the power of the spoken word remain such as hit? Well remember that vital aspects of communication can never be fully replicated by text or image, such as tone of voice (It’s not what we say it’s how we say it!). If you include audio content, make sure it’s engaging! For example, include webinars or podcast-style assets to break up the text and support the narrative. Think more inspirational speaker and less monotonous teacher voice and you’ll be well on your way to success!

Some individuals prefer to learn in a social environment whilst others tend toward solitary study. Our learning style is not set in stone and our preference for social or solitary learning can shift depending on the setting or circumstances. Why not combine the two and create engagement activities that cover both learning and have a social aspect. 

To me, learning should be fun and engaging and I want businesses to re think their training solutions for 2020. I would ask you to reflect back over the past year and see what training activities have been implemented and what the result of each were. If there is a heavy bias on online training then really look to ensure this is the best solution possible. Ask yourself would you be able to compliment this with other methods for a better result? If online training is the best solution for you then make sure you are using it to it’s full potential and all employees are engaged with it. Don’t let training become a box ticking exercise in your organisation, harness it for it’s full potential and reap the benefits. 

To find out more about online learning, please contact our Learning and Development Consultant, Kimberley Fidler, on 07487 512 928.

Why you should grow your own

I’m not talking about tomatoes here, I’m talking about future leaders. 

We have all seen it happen in the past were a new manager is recruited into the business based on their shiny CV and amazing skill set. Sometimes it’s a great fit and the transition is smooth and they are leading the team to success in no time. Other times they just don’t fit the company culture or are able to get on board with the Mission, Vision and Goals. When it goes wrong it can cause team conflicts, lower morale and affect outputs. You may even loose some members of the team. 

This is one of the reasons it can be beneficial to implement career development pathways and give internal employees the opportunity to work towards promotion. You might think this would be time consuming and costly to implement but, it can be done quite simply.

All organisations undertake employee reviews, and these are great opportunities to identify your future leaders. To me a leader needs two things, the will and the skill. Ok the skill will usually be a lot more than one thing but that’s where we work with them to develop their existing skill set and teach new skills. As long as they have the will, I believe we can help them with the rest.

 

In practice what does this look like?

Development opportunities

There are always tasks the manager can delegate and this is where I would start. What tasks does the manager currently perform that could be undertaken by someone else in the team? By delegating these tasks, the manager can work more closely with a team member to teach them how to perform new tasks and assess their capabilities. 

Mentoring

Implementing a Mentoring Programme or more simply a buddy system can be one of the best ways to share knowledge within the business. It is also a great way to encourage teamworking, strengthen relationships and boost morale. To do this you would start by identifying which individuals would make great mentors and then provide them with some initial training around the role of a mentor, what the requirements are how to achieve this. You can then start to identify who would benefit from a Mentor and start pairing them up. The Mentors overtime will start to identify those rising stars who have the potential to be future leaders within your business.

Formal Training

Once you have identified your talent pool you can start to implement formal training. There are lots of topics that would benefit all employees:

• Change Management

• Effective Communication

• Influencing and Negotiation

• Problem Solving and Decision Making

• Time and Self Management

• Mentoring

And more specifically for those in a Management role:

• Building Successful Teams

• Coaching Skills

• Performance Management

These are programmes that can be booked externally or why not offer these programmes in house? When individuals undertake training in a group setting it can be very valuable and also create an internal network who can speak to their peers about their own experiences, share ideas and challenges and ask each other for advice. 

 

If you would like to discuss how to implement this in your organisation or any of the programmes listed, please contact our Learning and Development Consultant, Kimberley Fidler, on 07487 512 928.

Five Values for Successful Leadership

Forming a team and creating trust is quite difficult. Especially if you are a busy manager who is also expected to perform in a role whilst managing the team. It can be quite natural for people in a position of authority to feel they need to communicate that authority.

“If they fear me, they will listen and do as I say” 

Is that statement correct? Well in most circumstances yes but what we should be asking ourselves is what do we want from our teams. If we want individuals to sit and automate tasks, then great this method may work well. But if you want a forward-thinking team who are not just performing in their role but are also contributing to the team development, business growth, troubleshooting, adapting with change and raising ideas and concerns then this approach will not work.

In my view, whole teams need to work collaboratively, face up to challenges, tackle problems, find solutions and deliver results. Sounds good doesn’t it? So how do we achieve this?

Here’s my top five values I feel are required when leading high performing teams:

Honesty. Creating an open and honest environment is vital and should be one of the first priorities. Whilst working through the forming stage on a new team and getting to know each other you need to be able to have direct and honest conversations. You need to be able to say you are not sure how to do something and ask if anyone can help. You need to be able to say you made a mistake and notify the correct people. You need to be able to check in with each other and ask a colleague how they are. Getting this right will take you to the performing stage a lot quicker. People often feel more at ease and safer in an honest environment. When team members feel they are unable to be honest in this way they may hide mistakes or try rectifying them alone. This can be more damaging for the business.

Equality. From my personal experience teams work best when everyone is treated equally. Although there is a hierarchy on paper every individual should be treated with equal respect. Each role is critical to ensure whole processes are completed. If one was taken away the full service would not be provided. Therefore, every task should be seen as value add. The best ideas can sometimes come from the most junior team members who bring a fresh outlook and can see what others may overlook. These team members should feel empowered to contribute and share their ideas and not feel as their voice should not be heard.

Collaborative. Often roles interlink without employees linking. Ask yourself; Do all team members have good working relationships? Do we have effective communication within the team? Do we work as a team on shared goals or are we all operating independently? What will bring the most value to the business and its customers/clients?

When setting targets one thing to keep in mind is individual targets can lead to fierce competition and lone working, whilst this might bring short term results it can cause long term damage to the team environment. Group targets are a great way of allowing all individuals to utilise their key strengths, to plan set roles and tasks to achieve their mutual goal.

Supportive. When working collaboratively you will notice colleagues automatically become more supportive of one another. When you are all playing a role working towards the same goal you want to ensure your colleagues are ok and working well. You start to care about each other’s wellbeing more and I think this is possibly also because you notice more about each other when working more closely. In a supportive work environment, nobody experiences extreme pressure even with high targets and short deadlines. Feeling supported at work is proven to lower stress levels.

Regular Reviews. These are a great way to encourage two way discussions. The introverts in the team may not wish to approach you directly, establishing dedicated time provides the opportunity to share anything that is on their mind. This could be a new idea, a request for development opportunities or to confide about a problem outside of work. By building strong relationships and really understanding your team members you can learn how to achieve the best from them. Some will be incentivised by financial gain or flexibility, others will be looking for a challenge and sense of achievement. Do you know how best to motivate all your team members? If not start to get to know them better on an individual level and see what makes them tick.

Managing by fear will only provide limited results, we want to lead with authenticity. When people believe in you and the journey you are all on, you will find managing them easier. When you manage a team you spend a lot of time on the details of how you reach your goal. When the main goal is broken down into individual goals each team member is able to focus on their key responsibilities and the manager can operate at a higher level leaving the details to individuals in the team.

If you would like to discuss management and leadership within your business then contact me to discuss what options would be best for you. At Optimal PBS we have developed a full Leadership Development Programme with modules focused on all key areas of managing others. We also offer one-to-one coaching with your managers and can work with you to implement new Performance Management Procedures and Policies to best support your organisation and any future growth. With a free initial consultation, you have nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain so please call me on 01422 897 673 or email kim@optimal-hr.co.uk to get started today.

Kim Fidler
Learning and Development Consultant
Optimal PBS