Training – Page 14 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

Reach Out to Young Employees about Leadership Skills

July 24, 2017/0 Comments/in Books, Career, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Research shows that young employees feel solely responsible for developing their leadership skills. This is how you can make them feel empowered and less alone.

Today’s post is by Thuy Sindell, a principal at Skyline Group International.

When I was younger and less experienced, I made the same mistake as many professionals early on in their careers: I never asked for help. I was surrounded by employees who had years of insights from which I could learn, but I was worried asking questions would be a sign of weakness.

I felt if I was going to progress in my career, it was up to me. I alone would have to learn what I needed to do to succeed. Over time, I did gain skills and experience, but if I’d asked more questions, it would have shortened the learning curve significantly.

What’s unfortunate is that this feeling of responsibility isn’t uncommon in young people. Recent research from the University of Gothenburg found that employees between 24 and 30 tend to believe they’re the only one who can impact their career. They think they have to have all the answers and solve problems alone in order to become a leader.

This creates a rift between young employees and leaders who could be useful resources for them. And as the one who knows better, it’s up to you to create a work environment that shows young employees you have their best interests at heart.

Here are three ways to show young employees you can help them and develop their leadership skills:

Bringing Your Corporation’s Soul to the Classroom

July 17, 2017/0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Project-based mentoring enables your company to get involved with students in a way that builds real-world skills for them and strengthens your company’s image.

Today’s post is by Patty Alper, author of Teach to Work (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

One of the single most important things the human race has done over the course of time is teaching younger generations how to develop and hone a skill. Unlike nearly every other living creature on earth, we humans are born with few instincts, and it takes years before we can be self-reliant. Mentoring, in fact, goes back to the beginning of time with the hunter/gatherers. Starting with masters and apprentices, we have taught the young how to survive and how to thrive.

Today, our young adults must learn the skills of survival in the 21st century. Those skills have changed, and continue to change at a record pace. To thrive, students must learn the skills that are desirable in today’s corporate world, or face the prospect of never gaining financial or social maturity.

In a recent Gallup study, corporations made very clear that we are failing at passing on those skills. Only 11% of business executives agreed that college graduates have the skills their workplaces need. Yet in striking contrast, 96% of chief academic officers at colleges and universities stated their institution was effective at preparing students for employment.

Whether perception, reality, or a combination of the two, this is a huge gap in our understanding of work readiness for college graduates. What can we do to bridge this gap? The answer is surprisingly obvious, but rarely implemented. We need to go back to the roots of the human race. We need experienced practitioners (in technology, accounting, law, journalism, engineering, mathematics, etc.) teaching their hard-learned skills to the next generation. We need the presence of corporations in the classroom. Fortunately, some corporations have chosen to step up to address this gap and we are seeing marked results.

How do you view your need for skill development?

May 18, 2017/0 Comments/in Career, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How do you view your need for skill development?

– I’m good to go and don’t need to spend time on my development: 5%
– I have a couple of focused areas I need to develop: 76%
– I have several areas in need of a lot of development: 15%
– I have a huge need for development across many areas: 5%

You don’t grow without investment. The vast majority of you state you’ve got at least one or two focused development needs. The question is what are you doing to grow in those areas? The only way you develop rapidly is through focused efforts. Don’t make the biggest mistake leaders make with respect to their development: they don’t focus their investment. Choose some specific areas to invest in. Lay out a plan to grow. Whether it’s on-the-job training, conferences, books, or training classes, you need to be deliberate about how you’re going to build those missing skills.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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A Little Learning is a Powerful Thing

May 15, 2017/1 Comment/in Books, Career, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Training is great as long as you apply it. By taking learning and breaking it up into daily applied tasks, you’ll learn more rapidly and more effectively.

Today’s post is by Wally Bock, author of Become a Better Boss One Tip at a Time (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

“The training was great! But there’s a ton of stuff to remember. I don’t know if I can do it. Was it like that for you?”

I knew that Robbie was just back from his company’s management training program, so I asked him about it when I ran into him on my walk. His comment took me back to the time my company sent me to similar training.

It was a two-week program. The days were long and the training was good. But I’d been in exactly the position that Robbie was in. There was so much stuff, I didn’t know what I should do first.

One of the good things about being my age is that you’ve learned some things along the way, so I could share some things with Robbie. Here’s how he and you can get the most out of those formal leadership training programs.

The Problem with Classroom Training

Most corporate leadership training is pretty much like what Robbie and I went through. It lasts several days. The training covers a broad range of things and, even if it’s good, is entirely in a classroom. That’s not how human beings learn best.

We learn best when we’re learning to solve a problem that’s part of our everyday work. We learn best when there are a few specific things to learn. So, for most of us, becoming great at something means becoming a little bit better every day. Here’s how to turn that classroom training into little bits that help you move forward.

Debrief Yourself

As soon after the class concludes as possible, and before you go back to work the next time, debrief yourself about what you’ve learned and what you need to learn. The debriefing process will drive the key learning points deeper into your consciousness. You should also make a plan for trying the ideas from the classroom when you’re on the job. Make two lists.

Make a list of the key learning points from the class you just completed. Go through it and identify the things which are most important for you and the things which you need to work on the most.

Make another list of the things that you want to learn. Start with areas where you need the most improvement. Pick the first thing you want to work on. That will be your starting point.

Find a Partner

What’s the biggest obstacle to you investing in your own development?

May 4, 2017/0 Comments/in Career, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: What’s the biggest obstacle to you investing in your own development?

– I don’t have time: 42%
– I don’t have budget: 20%
– I don’t need development: 1%
– I can’t find any good development opportunities: 8%
– My boss won’t let me: 7%
– Some other reason/combination of the above: 23%

Making time for what’s important. I’m sure some of the 23% of “other/combo of the above” involves not having time to develop yourself. I’d argue you don’t have time to ignore your own development. If you’re not doing your job as efficiently and as effectively as you can, you’re wasting time on rework, fixing problems, or generally not knowing the best way to do something. Unfortunately people don’t plan beyond the week ahead. I challenge you to change this dynamic. Carve out some time every quarter to invest in yourself. Allocate the budget to it. Sometimes all it takes is a day or two for you to build that next level of skills. If you don’t set aside the time or the money, it’ll never happen. It’s sort of like retirement planning. It’s not up to your boss to figure out your development plan or make it happen. It’s purely on you whether you choose to invest in yourself or simply be satisfied with how things are going now.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

How do you view deferring important training to future dates?

March 9, 2017/1 Comment/in Leadership, Poll, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How do you view deferring important training to future dates?

– Totally unacceptable: When there’s a skill gap, fill it immediately: 14%
– Not a good idea: Only defer training if there’s a critical reason: 80%
– Not a big deal: It’s OK if it’s deferred. We’ll get to it eventually: 2%
– Totally fine: Training is pretty low priority: 2%
– Who cares? Training is just a waste of time: 1%

Waiting causes issues. If there’s a skill gap in your organization, it’s clear the consensus is to fill it and conduct the necessary training. While many of you believe that, in my 12+ years of providing training programs, all too often I’ve seen folks not walk this talk. Budgets, “I’m busy,” and other arbitrary metrics get in the way and cause delays on a consistent basis. The next time you’re facing a deferral of training, think hard about how suffering with the skill gap your facing for another three to six months will impact your organization. Ask yourself if it’s worth the wait. If not, go to bat for holding the training and resolving the skill shortfall sooner rather than later. I’ve pushed this point in the past and some leaders have gotten the message. Unfortunately there are many others who bow to the pressures of delaying required training.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

Building Creative Stamina: Three Keys to Strength Training for Adults

February 20, 2017/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Books, Career, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Innovation, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Creativity is a skill that can be built like any other. Understanding your passion and challenging the voices in your head that say “no” are a great way to start.

Today’s post is by Jane Dunnewold, author of Creative Strength Training (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Maybe it’s disingenuous to say that each of us has the potential to be a creative genius. Gifts of personality are dispensed in varied measures at birth. Humans are tangled balls of social conditioning, reactions to environment, and serendipity. Life isn’t fair. Luck plays a part. We’ve all heard someone say, “I was in the right place at the right time” or “I never get lucky.”

As far as creativity is concerned, most people believe you’ve either got it or you don’t. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard someone say wistfully, “I’m not creative.” When I hear a statement like that, I think to myself, “No one has ever shown you where to begin.”

Because the fact is, creativity, like any skill, can be cultivated. It takes a healthy combination of self-knowledge and stamina.

Athletes have an advantage: prescribed methods of building stamina, because physical prowess is revered by our culture. Hire a personal trainer and you’ll start with a series of exercises done repetitively – gradually adding reps as the body gains strength. Exercise is specific, varied, and involves what’s called cross training. One day a session of running to work cardio. Next time? Yoga to maximize flexibility. A steady, balanced program of activity keeps the human machine functioning at its optimal level.

So what about the rest of us? How can we engage creatively with what we care about – whether it’s a job or an avocation? And just as important – how can we identify what works against building creative stamina in every aspect of our lives?

I teach artists how to build stamina through what I call “creativity strength training” but the fact is, the lessons apply to everyone.

Here are three aspects of thinking more creatively each of us can embrace.

The Inner Rebel

An Easier and More Effective Way to Give Feedback

February 15, 2017/1 Comment/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Entrepreneur, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Giving feedback can be difficult and emotionally-charged. But by following a simple model focused on facts and behaviors you’ll be giving more effective feedback more easily than you’ve given it before.

If we want people to change behaviors and improve their performance, we have to give them feedback. Giving feedback can be really difficult because we think to ourselves “Maybe I might hurt their feelings…” or “I have to have an uncomfortable conversation…”, or “I’m telling somebody who I really like and respect that they’re falling short in some regard…” So, we avoid feedback, but that’s a huge mistake especially as the leader of a high performing team.

There’s a simple process you can follow to take the sting and nausea out of giving feedback. I’d like to offer a feedback model that can remove the emotion from those conversations and help people focus on improving performance versus getting defensive.

I like to think of giving feedback as a tennis match. You serve the ball to them, they react to it and return it, and then you react to their reaction and so on. The model goes like this:

– First, you’ll ask for permission to give somebody feedback and ensure, at that moment, that they’re open to receiving it. Their head may not be in it. They may have come out of a tough meeting, or they’re in a rush to go to their next meeting. Making sure they’re ready to receive feedback is critical.

– Next, the feedback recipient should let you know that they are open to receiving feedback.

– The next step really matters a lot in terms of removing the emotion from the feedback process. Read more

Do you invest in training and conferences for your development?

February 9, 2017/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: Do you invest in training and conferences for your professional development?

– Yes – I invest a lot of time in these events: 34%
– Kind of – I invest time in these events occasionally: 47%
– Not really – I don’t go to training or conferences often: 15%
– No – I don’t have the time or the interest: 4%

A good 80/20. 80% of you are investing time in your development via training and conferences. For the 20% who aren’t, ask yourself if you’re happy with your career and your growth. If the answer is no, I’d suggest you start carving out time to develop yourself. Only so much growth happens via osmosis on the job. For any of you looking to invest your time, find programs where you’ll get a disproportionate amount of content and growth for the time you’ll spend. By being judicious about where you invest your time, you’ll tend to pay attention more during the program and therefore take away more information that you can apply.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

Fishing For Job Descriptions

December 5, 2016/0 Comments/in Books, Business Toolkit, Career, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

We often miss the mark when we write job descriptions. We’d be much better suited to understand the job vision before we list qualifications for a candidate.

Today’s post is by Bill Munn, author of Why Make Eagles Swim? (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Dave is thirty-eight and manages a team of HR professionals. But he still remembers a peaceful day over thirty years ago when his father took him fishing for the first time.

For two weeks, Dave and his father had talked about the day they had planned. Dave’s dad described all the details of the sport – how to choose a lure, cast, tie a fisherman’s knot, and so on. Dave never tired of these descriptive details, which began to define fishing in his mind.

When the day of the outing finally arrived, they stayed on the lake from morning to dusk, covering all Dad’s favorite spots. Dave got to practice everything he had learned on shore.

But in the end, they caught nothing.

Dave was crestfallen. But later, he forgot his disappointment in the face of a big shock.

“How was it?” Dave’s mom asked when they walked in the back door.

“Fabulous,” his dad replied.

What? Dave thought. How can he think that when we caught nothing?

Later that evening, Dave shared his confusion with his father. The man smiled.

What’s the most important element of a great leadership conference?

December 1, 2016/0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: What’s the most important element of a great leadership conference?

– Awesome speakers and topics: 62%
– Lots of vendors to interact with: 1%
– Great breakout sessions: 22%
– Social and networking activities: 13%
– Great venue and location: 2%
– Other aspects like cost and giveaways: 1%

Content is King. With time being so limited, it’s important to get the most out of learning events and conferences. Folks were pretty clear that the best conferences are about speakers and topics first and foremost. Breakout sessions were a distant second but still hold a draw. And of course, the ability to network with colleagues is important too. If you’re not focusing first on content above all other things, you might not be attending the best conferences out there. Check out the agendas and the speakers before writing a conference off because of cost. Clearly you get what you pay for.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

Turning Your Potential into Tangible Success

November 21, 2016/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Books, Career, Guest Blogger, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Achieving greatness is a matter of mindset, action, and habit. The more you reflect on where you are and where you want to be then take action to move in that direction every day, the higher the likelihood you’ll achieve the success you desire.

Today’s post is by Michael Teoh, co-author of The Potential Matrix (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

In the pursuit of success in life, the potential to do great things is presently available in each and every one of us. At birth we are gifted with a unique tendency to do something spectacularly well that no one else is able to do. However this potential within us often times goes to waste as we are unable to get past the stage of just great potential.

There are many reasons as to why an individual is unable to unlock their greatest potential with the main reason being their inability to see their own potential for themselves. Many young people in the current generation spend their days wondering about their life’s purpose but are not actively putting themselves out there enough to be able to really discover their true path.

The road to success may seem like a treacherous and dangerous journey. However with the right tools and proper mindset the journey become less painful and will seem worthwhile to those who takes the road less travelled. No matter what potential an individual has or what the pursuit an individual is currently persevering, there are three cores in which every aspiring young individual must unlock before they are able to fully attain success. These three cores are the self-programming core, the self-action core, and the self-impact core.

First Core: Self-Programming

Who we are as individuals is all a product of what we believe to be true and what we believe to be false. For us to truly get to where we are going we first need to believe that success is something within our grasps instead of something only a select few are given the privilege to have. You may think that you already believe that. But if your mindset was already geared towards success the proof can already be found in the actions you choose to take every day.