Elearning blog: Learning re-imagined

Throw Back Thursday: Your mindset matters

We receive so much valuable content from our customers, partners and internal subject-matter experts. On Thursdays, we thought it would be fun to do a “throw back” and bring back an older post that was valuable to our audience. Today’s throw back is about how mindset impacts leadership.

Leadership skills training lesson: Hit a wall? Your mindset matters

By Shawn Hunter

“Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.”

- Thor Heyerdahl, innovator, adventurer, and border-smasher

I have a friend who installed the same invisible dog fence I did, but he admitted he didn’t bother with the training and simply installed the underground wire and shackled his dog with the electrical buzz collar which would shock the dog whenever he got near the line. His thinking was the dog would just learn the boundaries himself and violà – a dog self-trained to stay in the yard. I asked him what happened, and he described that as his young boisterous dog started to run and play as usual he would get shocked and, since he didn’t associate the pain with any clear boundary, he eventually sat in the middle of the yard shaking in fear, paralyzed to move. From that point on all the dog wanted to do was stay in the house.

There are many dimensions to this story – not least the owner’s choice and behavior – but what I want to address is the dog’s perspective. The dog, not understanding why the random shocks, arrived at a state psychologists call “learned helplessness.” It’s the point at which they (we) are capable of believing that nothing we do matters, and regardless of our action, we’re going to be punished or bad things will befall us. A sense of control, and a sense that our behavior matters, is one of the most important predictors of happiness, and in turn workplace productivity, collaboration and creativity.

Get an exclusive sneak preview on 2013 data protection

Data threats continue to be on the rise for organizations worldwide. Avoid being a victim— arm your IT professionals with the right knowledge to face these security threats head-on.

Attend a complimentary cyber security webinar on Tuesday, December 4
Join Skillsoft and Bryan Sartin, Vice President of the RISK Team, Verizon Business, for a sneak preview of the 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR). The DBIR is an ongoing study into the world of cybercrime that analyzes forensic evidence to uncover how sensitive data is stolen from organizations, who’s doing it, why they’re doing it, and, of course, what might be done to prevent it. During the webinar, Bryan will discuss:

• Three common criminal motivations
• What current threats look like and how to handle them
• Real life examples on how to mitigate risk

Register today

Flawless team motivation

We’re pleased to bring you a guest post by Dennis Walsh, a Manager of Inside Sales at Skillsoft.

By Dennis Walsh

Running any sort of department or team has its inherent challenges and soulful rewards. While there is no simple formula for keeping your team motivated and productive, I’ve followed a few simple guidelines that were effective with my own team.

Stay connected.
In my experience, building a team to peak performance requires members to be dialed in.  In today's workplace where so many employees are remote, we rely on phone, chat, chatter, email, past conversations and a plethora of supporting cast to ensure the momentum always continues to build and move forward. This type of communication is key for producing clarity. Our social learning layer, Skillsoft® inGenius® fosters informal learning and gives teams the opportunity to share knowledge and collaborate. In early 2013, customers will be able to take social collaboration and learning a step further with our Skillport® 8 platform.

Don’t miss the upcoming Skillsoft Live Event featuring David Nour

Skillsoft Live Events are produced annually providing executives with cutting-edge thinking in business and leadership through live and interactive presentations. These presentations feature the most recognized and sought-after thought leaders including Ram Charan, Tom Peters, Lynda Gratton, Dan Pink, Renée Mauborgne and more. Up to seven times per year, Skillsoft customers that subscribe to the Skillsoft® Leadership Development Channel™, 50 Lessons and Skillsoft® Leadership Advantage™ get access to these valuable virtual events! Customers can leverage this engaging content for team exercises or individual learning.

David Nour, Wednesday, November 28, 12 p.m. EST

Your personal and professional success depends on the diversity and quality of your relationships with others. Yet most of us don’t spend enough time building and nurturing the key relationships we need to achieve success. That’s where Relationship Economics® comes into play. Relationship Economics isn’t about networking. It’s about learning how to invest in people for an extraordinary return. It’s about exchanging Relationship Currency, accumulating Reputation Capital and building your Professional Net Worth. It’s about learning the art and science of relationships.

David Nour, author of the best selling business book, Relationship Economics, has developed a unique transformation process of individuals, teams and corporations in the way they build, nurture and leverage their personal, functional and strategic relationships.

Skillsoft gives back to families in need this Thanksgiving

 

With Thanksgiving just days away, Skillsoft is helping families in need stock up on supplies for their holiday meals.

Employees at our corporate headquarters in Nashua, NH recently participated in our annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive. Together, we collected enough traditional Thanksgiving fixings plus other useful items including utensils, turkey pans and even meat thermometers to fill 46 Thanksgiving baskets!

The baskets will be delivered to local families via the Bridges Domestic Violence Shelter, Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter and Corpus Christie Food Pantry.

A huge thank you goes out to our generous employees who donated their time and resources to this worthy cause. We couldn’t have done it without you!

The 7 Deadly Skills your IT team should possess

By Kevin Young

Here Kevin Young, Managing Director of Skillsoft EMEA, outlines the seven deadly skills that every IT team should possess.

Technology is evolving at breakneck speed and businesses are coming along for the ride by using it to help them grow faster than ever before. A productive and successful business will choose its technology wisely and will ensure that the necessary support is in place round the clock. Despite this though, there is an IT skills shortage in the business arena and the reason is simple – lack of training.

1. Data storage and data integrity

One of the most important considerations for any business is data storage. This has changed dramatically over the last decade. The data servers in many companies have developed from a single server into banks of rack-mounted data storage servers with removable SAS or SATA drives. It is therefore vital that your team has a thorough understanding of new technologies through training so they can proactively manage and support data storage devices.

2. Software support and development

If your company is using bespoke software, server database solutions or software that has been developed in-house, you need to be able to support it. In-house software development skills will prove to be a huge asset to your company. Empowering and developing your IT teams to handle your software support and development needs gives you total control over software design and spend.

Whether using bespoke software, server database solutions or software that has been developed in-house, many businesses are focusing on the development of in-house talent and training individuals and teams to handle software tasks. This will offer an excellent return on investment and avoid the need to call in expensive consultancy teams.

3. ITIL knowledge

Project management, implementation and future change are all areas in IT that need tight control. ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) training will help to address and avoid issues such as keeping track of configuration changes. ITIL ensures robust project and change management measures are put in place and ultimately it is the most widely accepted method of IT management worldwide.

4. Security

Denial of service attacks, company-wide virus breakouts and compromised business data are all external threats that an organisation can face. All businesses must ensure that data is safe and that hardware is protected against the latest viruses, malware and spyware. End-users must also be informed of the potential security risks. To avoid any data loss, businesses must ensure that they have dedicated technical experts who have the skills to configure, support and troubleshoot network security systems and protect business assets 24 hours a day.

The secret to building a good IT team lies in identifying those with a natural proficiency in specialist areas. These individuals must be given the chance to develop their instinctive skills with comprehensive training.

Throw Back Thursday: Delivering IT training to those in need

We receive so much valuable content from our customers, partners and internal subject-matter experts. On Thursdays, we thought it would be fun to do a “throw back” and bring back an older post that was valuable to our audience. Today’s throw back is in honor of Veterans Day this week.

Delivering IT training to those in need

Earning IT certifications can help individuals do their jobs more effectively and keep IT operations running smoothly. While this may be a great value-add for some, for others it can actually be life changing!  SkillSoft customer CompTIA helps individuals at risk of falling below the poverty line—as well as candidates under-represented in the IT industry such as minorities, women, veterans and displaced workers—to prepare for, secure, and succeed in IT careers by offering  free IT certification training.

The shift in training – complimentary webinar with Lynda Gratton

Your business may well be investing in training but has it taken “The Shift “into account? In her book The Shift: The Future of Work is Already Here, acclaimed author and global authority on the people implications of strategies Lynda Gratton says, there have been three shifts that businesses need to embrace in order to be a success.

Attend a complimentary webinar

Lynda Gratton will address topics from her book in a complimentary 45 minute webinar. Lynda’s discussion kicks off at 12 p.m. GMT on Friday 30 November and is followed by an interactive Q&A. Register completely free of charge.

The first shift manifests itself in a change from a generalized to specialized approach. As the world becomes increasingly connected in the 21st Century, having a small amount of knowledge about a lot of subjects gives next to no competitive edge to a business. In contrast, a workforce with a depth of knowledge on a specific area will be able to offer insights and points of view which will keep them ahead of the rest of the field.

People who can become serial masters are well-equipped to be both happy and successful in their careers. Serial masters’ working lives can revolve around a core of highly valuable skills that they love. These can be used as a gateway to rediscovering lost passions, reforming initial ideas into new mastery or spinning off into new paths.

Last year one of the most interesting ideas that came out of the Future of Work Consortium was that by 2020, five billion people will be connected with each other through their handheld devices.

Time: the hidden cost of free

By John Ambrose

As I described in my 2012 Skillsoft Perspectives Global keynote, “time” is the single most important asset of any organization. The hidden cost of “free” is the time required to make that content relevant to the individual in the context of the organization’s goals and mission. Misdirected time is the ultimate enemy of human productivity. Skillsoft’s business model has enabled it to invest literally hundreds of millions of dollars over the years in building a full spectrum of connected, inter-related learning modalities that optimize the transfer of relevant knowledge and skills. Unlike the academic world where reflection and scholarship are an integral part of a largely time-insensitive learning process, corporate solutions focus on delivering highest quality in the least amount of time to drive specific business outcomes. Time equals money.

Moreover, the larger and more complex the organization − the greater the challenge. An effective, global learning program in a large, dispersed organization requires not just access to content, but a significant amount of consulting, tailoring and advisory support to drive successful business outcomes. This includes subject matter expertise, platform integration, alignment to initiatives, program design, rollout planning, marketing communication, alignment to competencies, leveraging of social and mobile platforms, mapping to initiatives, reporting, and business impact analysis. 

These services have been key to distinguishing Skillsoft’s value proposition over low cost and “free” sources of content, as well as higher priced alternatives such as classroom-based learning which is costly and not scalable.  

Nonetheless, the “free” dynamic is a big driver of why Skillsoft continues to push its thinking around how to evolve our business model to continually enhance the overall value and service it delivers. It is clear that all types of standalone content products, including traditional courseware, face some level of greater pressure especially when the “buyer” is less discerning about quality, accuracy, relevance, time-commitment, and consistency of the content.

Skillsoft understands this dynamic and continues to migrate to a model that leverages our relentless focus on organizational development and results. Ultimately SkillSoft must and will continue to deliver an experience that customers cannot receive elsewhere through its unique combination of content, services and total user experience.

Skillsoft and MindLeaders moving forward as one

As we announced in September, MindLeaders has been acquired by Skillsoft. The integration of our organizations is well underway. Throughout this process we are constantly thinking about how this activity affects our most important asset: you, our customers.  Accordingly, we have started executing a more integrated communications strategy to ensure you are receiving the latest information from us and know where to get it.   

Starting today, we will be winding down the frequency of content being posted to the MindLeaders social channels.  We will also be syndicating content from the Skillsoft channels to the MindLeaders channels.  Beginning in January 2013, MindLeaders’ social media channels including the blog, Twitter channel (@MindLeaders) and Facebook page will be discontinued.  At that point there will be links on those channels to direct you to the various Skillsoft channels.