Elearning blog: Learning re-imagined

Untangling the training, mentoring, coaching confusion

By Jim Clemmer

For over three decades Jim Clemmer’s keynote presentations, workshops, management team retreats, seven bestselling books, articles, blog and newsletters have helped hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.The CLEMMER Group is Zenger/Folkman’s Canadian Strategic Partner, an award-winning firm best known for its unique evidence-driven, strengths-based system for developing extraordinary leaders and demonstrating the performance impact they have on organizations. http://www.clemmergroup.com

Like “vision,” “service,” or “leadership,” “coaching” has become a word that means different things to different people.

Many people think of the typical sports coach who’s a veteran of the game (often a retired player). Sports coaches typically develop skills, guide improvements with feedback and actively direct game plans. Other people talk about coaching and mentoring in one phrase as if they were two sides of the same coin. And we know of a few organizations where “coaching” means giving corrective feedback. So having your boss say, “I’d like to give you some coaching” sends shivers up your spine.

This wide range of meanings is one reason that an organizational survey in a large telecom company showed managers scoring themselves high on providing coaching while their employees scored them low.

This chart shows the improvement distinctions we’ve found between three key development activities:

Developing Distinctions
Training	Mentoring	Coaching
Trainer possesses skills or information student lacks.	Senior person conveys wisdom and corporate culture.	Coach could be superior, subordinate or peer.
Primary activity is transmission of information.	Mentor has traveled the path mentee is seeking.	Coach does not need same background or experiences.
Teacher/student relationship is typically temporary and narrow in focus.	Provides connections, references and advice.	Enables others to work through and solve their own problems.

We need all three to lead our teams and organizations to peak performance. But if we’re going to close the big coaching gap we need a clearer and shared understanding of what exactly good coaching is.

From capitalism to talentism: a complimentary webinar with Lucian Tarnowski

27 March 2013 – 12 p.m. GMT

Understanding the role of social media in talent engagement

As the prevalence of social networks continues to grow, more and more of us are using the likes of Twitter and Facebook for not just personal, but business use. Indeed, last Christmas Twitter revealed that it had more than 200 million monthly unique users; with both people and businesses keen to get involved and reap the benefits of this increasingly mainstream communication medium.

So with interest in social media at an all time high, does it have real relevance for businesses beyond representing a nice add-on?

Lucian Tarnowski, founder and CEO of BraveNewTalent.com, believes social media has created a fundamental shift in the way organisations communicate and engage with talent. He believes talent is king in the modern workplace and will explain how businesses can use social media to engage and foster talent, in a free Skillsoft webinar on Wednesday 27 March at 12pm GMT.

In the session, Lucian will explore:

• The effect and impact of social media on the talent function.
• How next generation talent now expects to be engaged online.
• The opportunity to leverage the internal knowledge and content at your organisation to the external world.
• Social learning trends and the future of online learning.

If you are interested in finding out more about how to use social media to attract and retain top talent, visit our event page to register for the free webinar. We look forward to seeing you (virtually at least!) on the day.

About Lucian Tarnowski
Lucian is Founder and CEO of BraveNewTalent.com the social platform where organisations create talent communities in order to attract, engage, develop people from their past, present and future workforce. The long term value is that BraveNewTalent will map the talent graph by knowledge, skills and potential enabling organisations to increase the efficiency of applying human capital. 

Lucian has been honoured as a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum. He is also winner of the Global Enterprising Young Brit. In his spare time Lucian runs Take Heart India, a no overheads charity that provides blind and handicapped students in rural India with the vocational employment skills that guarantee them jobs for life. Lucian speaks to audiences around the world about the convergence of talent and technology and its impact on the future of the global workforce and education.

Throw back Thursday: mid-level managers

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 features a Skillsoft customer discussing training for mid-level managers.

Hear how Michael Milbier of GlobalFoundries discusses how the company leverages valuable Skillsoft resources for a blended learning approach to leadership, including its use of the Skillsoft® Leadership Development Channel™ , Skillsoft® Leadership Advantage™ and courseware for a mid-level manager program rollout.

 

 

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.

Skillsoft receives accolades for its military and workforce training solutions

Skillsoft today announced that it has garnered recognition from two of the top training news sources for its innovative solutions. Military Training Technology (MT2) named Skillsoft to its “2012 Top Simulation & Training Companies” list for the fifth time in six years. In addition, TrainingIndustry.com named Skillsoft to its first annual “Top Workforce Development Providers” list. These recognitions further exemplify Skillsoft’s role as a pioneer in the learning field with a long history of innovation. Skillsoft provides cloud based learning solutions for its customers worldwide, ranging from global enterprises, government, and education to mid-sized and small businesses.

The MT2 “2012 Top Simulation & Training Companies” list recognizes the companies that have made the most significant contributions to the military training community with their products and services. This is the fifth time in six years that Skillsoft has been selected for its successful and long-standing partnership with the armed forces. Skillsoft’s library of courses and digital reference products are used by active duty, reserve and civilian personnel representing the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard as well as the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. Skillsoft’s solutions support mission-critical training in areas such as IT security, IT certification/professional development, desktop support, executive leadership, diversity, compliance and many others.

Skillsoft was selected by TrainingIndustry.com for the 2012 annual “Top Workforce Development Providers” list based on the following criteria:

• Capability to deliver vocational training for those entering the workforce
• Commitment to the corporate training market
• Industry visibility, innovation and impact
• Number and strength of clients
• Geographic reach

Areas for which Skillsoft is being recognized include its customized management and leadership development training programs, namely The Leadership Development Channel™ (LDC) video-based solutions; Leadership KnowledgeCenter, a pre-packaged learning portal; and the Business Exploration Series portal which provides learners with scenario-based learning that enables them to experience real-world situations in safe, exploratory environments.

In addition to this recent acknowledgement, TrainingIndusry.com has frequently noted Skillsoft’s leadership. Earlier this year, Skillsoft was named to the publication’s "Top 20 Content Development Companies" list. Skillsoft has also been honored for three years in a row on the TrainingIndustry.com "Top 20 Leadership Training Companies" and “Top
20 Learning Portal Companies” lists.

For a complete list of MT2’s “2012 Top Simulation & Training Companies,” please visit http://www.kmimediagroup.com/topsim2012.

To learn more about TrainingIndustry.com’s “Top Workforce Development Providers,” please visit http://www.trainingindustry.com/workforce-development/top-companies-listings/2012/2012-top-workforce-development-providers.aspx.

 

 

Thank you Spiceheads for making SpiceWorld a success!

We’re pleased to bring you a guest post from Ben Holland, an Account Manager, Skillsoft.

By Ben Holland

The Skillsoft team had the pleasure of exhibiting at the SpiceWorld conference in the fun and eclectic city of Austin, Texas, October 9-10. SpiceWorld attendees were very relaxed and eager to share ideas. Most of them are friends and already know one another from interacting on a regular basis within the Spiceworks online community.

Skillsoft was honored to attend this event as a sponsor, and due to the easygoing atmosphere, attendees were very excited to talk to us. Not only did they want to find out who we were and we did, but also, to tell us how and why IT training was important to them. Genuine conversations were sparked about the need for certifications with vendors such as Cisco® and Microsoft®. Most people came from the small-to-medium business space so leveraging training resources from Skillsoft was important to them because they could cost-effectively train people without having to leave the office.

This type of openness was even present during the panels, when the company founders took the stage and opened the floor for questions. The audience could tell these people were very proud of the community they created. Each founder made several remarks on how their company culture is of utmost importance to them and how it’s their top goal to make sure nothing ever harms it.

New Skillsoft IT and Desktop Video Collections

Skillsoft today introduced two new collections of on-demand IT and desktop performance support videos. The Skillsoft IT and Desktop Videos are captivating, 3-5 minutes of targeted learning experiences, covering a variety of desktop and IT topics. The videos, which complement other Skillsoft content and are available on Skillport® Skillsoft’s Learning Management System, highlight specific tasks and features, and cover nearly 1,000 topics. In order to support busy professionals, Skillsoft has made the videos so that they are available on mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones.

The Skillsoft IT and Desktop Videos are the latest additions to Skillsoft’s dynamic portfolio of video based learning assets. Skillsoft has been incorporating video into its learning solutions since 2006, initially with the introduction of its media-rich Business Impact and Challenge series products, and most recently with the addition of video in hundreds of its Business Skills courses. The Skillsoft Leadership Development Channel™ and 50 Lessons offers over 2000 videos, featuring world renowned business and global thought leaders.

Introducing Throw Back Thursdays, a new series

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 discusses how training can help small to mid-sized businesses.

Training is not just for the big guys

In today’s economic climate, it is more important than ever for businesses to have a skilled workforce to help with the strategic growth of the enterprise. For Small to Mid-Sized Businesses (SMBs), developing and retaining a skilled workforce is vital to their success. Unfortunately, many SMBs are so focused on staying afloat that they don’t realize that training their employees can go a long way in strengthening their overall business.

In a recent article on SmallBusinessTrends.com titled 11 Tips for Building and Managing a Team, a question was posed to the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs:

“What one employee management tip would you give entrepreneurs who are building their team?”

The number one response:  “Train Them.”

The value of learning and development is clear. A highly skilled workforce, and the continued development of those employees, can be a strategic differentiator. Employees with well-developed professional skills are more innovative and productive--this investment in training results in a better future for the business and the employee. Large enterprises have recognized this value for years. It’s time for learning managers at SMBs to find learning solutions that deliver the training their employees need in a way that works them.

Skillsoft offers a variety of solutions that can help SMBs train their employees like large enterprises do - by utilizing technology to deliver learning. Regardless of size, businesses need both comprehensive and targeted learning assets that are highly engaging and accessible for today’s time-pressed leaders.

With Skillsoft® Leadership Advantage™ , SMBs can benefit from the combination of formal and informal learning modes. Interactive practice sessions, self-assessments, self-serve resource centers, and online communities allow learners to build skills as needed.  The latest version of the company’s targeted leadership development solution leverages multiple modes of instruction, including text, videos and interactive activities to help leaders build the skills they need to drive business performance.

Middle management – where learning starts, stops, succeeds and fails

By Glenn Nott, VP and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Skillsoft

Having been involved in the Learning & Development (L&D) profession for over two decades I have witnessed many “hot” management trends, read countless books on management theory, and seen more and more attention drawn towards the need for managers to become leaders within their organizations. However, over the years, certain elements of management remain constant. One being their involvement in the L&D function.  

Employees want to know the organization they represent invests in them personally through a formal, structured training and development program. The most valuable asset any organization has is its people. An organization that does not invest in the development of its employees sends a clear message that says “I don’t care about you.” Employees lack motivation to do their jobs effectively when they are not cared for and developed. Yet, how many managers in today’s world become “involved” and see L&D as a function of HR i.e. "it’s not my job"?

Tennis Racquets and the Long Tail of Talent Development

We’re pleased to bring you a guest post by Gary Hartman, a SkillSoft partner alliances manager responsible for partnership programs with LMS, Talent Management and Portal providers.

By Gary Hartman

The Long Tail refers to how technology can be used to serve markets that were, until now, too small to be serviced effectively or economically.  For example, I know my local Tennis Shop doesn’t carry the old, discontinued model of tennis racquet that I use.  It just wouldn’t make sense for them to stock the hundreds of discontinued, but still good, racquets.  But I also know I can easily find the racquet for sale online.  My tennis game benefits from modern technologies’ ability to deliver goods to small, discrete audiences with specific needs.

Many companies design Leadership Development programs for only their top performers.  These programs are usually targeted at the top 5-10 percent of their employees.  What about the rest of the employees?        

Modern Performance Management platforms and Learning Management Systems make it possible to enable every employee to find exactly the learning asset that they need to improve their performance in a way that makes sense to them.  You can provide the right learning to the specific employee who needs it, not matter where they are in the organization.  You can service the long tail of Talent Development.