Lead at Any Level

Leadership

Knowledge Transfer: Increase Your Training ROI

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During one of my programs on Creating a Learning Culture, a participant asked, “How can we demonstrate a return on investment (ROI) for our training dollars?” While I’m not a financial wizard, I can tell you that it’s easy to multiply your training value with knowledge transfer activities.

What Is “Knowledge Transfer”?

Knowledge transfer is a fancy way of saying “telling other people what you know.” There are countless ways to conduct knowledge transfer. Some companies even invest in expensive software for this purpose. But if you want to improve team cohesion, interpersonal methods go a long way toward building trusting relationships.

Raise Your Hand… Politely

Perhaps you’re the self-appointed Hermione Granger of your team. You can share what you know without being a know-it-all. Try asking for accountability from your team. For example, you might say, “I just read a blog post on knowledge transfer. With that in mind, each time I attend a professional development webinar, I plan to write a brief synopsis to share with the team. Will you hold me to that?” If you do this every time your boss sends you to training, it shows you’re serious about your professional development. It also shows your manager that you’re a good investment.

Look for Cross-Training Opportunities

Ideally, everyone on your team has different skills and strengths. Reserve a few minutes during team meetings or schedule monthly cross-training sessions so each person can share. These can be formal or informal. The goal may be to actually train team members on different tasks or simply to create a greater awareness about what each person brings to the team.

One-on-One Opportunities

Use formal and informal mentoring programs, manager/employee coaching sessions, and other one-on-one meetings to talk about professional development activities happening in and around the team.

Lunch & Learns and Book Clubs

Lunch & learns are a great way to introduce new concepts. They can also be used to help a new team member “show what they know” and add value while they’re still getting up to speed. Anyone can lead a lunch & learn, and you can even rotate the responsibility.

Your team can form a book club or use rotating “book report-outs” to keep up-to-date on your industry, customers, and skill sets. Better yet, bring in your customers as experts to speak to the team! They’d love to tell people in your office about the challenges they face and how you can better serve them.

Amplify Learning Opportunities

If you’re a member of a professional association , see if you can host member webinars for your team. That way, you’re paying one registration fee (or membership fee) and sharing the direct benefits with the whole group.

If attending as a group isn’t an option, you can still pass along topics of interest to people in your organization. Forward the notification email with a subject line that says, “I thought of you, have you seen this yet?”

How are you getting the most from your team’s training & development investment? Tell me in the comments!

Learn on a Budget: It’s Easier Than You Think!

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“How Do You Learn on a Budget?”

During one of my programs on Creating a Learning Culture, a participant asked, “We’re facing serious expense pressures. How can we continue to support professional development? How can we learn on a budget?”

First of all, a disclaimer: One of my Strengths is Learner, which means I love to learn just for the sake of learning, with no end goal in mind. My other Strengths that amplify Learner are Input (collect information from everywhere), Intellection (think about ideas), Ideation (generate ideas), and Relator (talk about ideas).

My first thought was, “Is it even possible not to learn?” So, here are some tips on how you can “learn on a budget” and make it part of your daily routine!

Learning in the Morning

By the time I wake up in the morning, my husband already has the television turned to the morning news. In the two minutes it takes to make my coffee, I might learn about a new local controversy, business expansion, or human interest story.

Learning in the Afternoon

Even if I don’t go looking for new information during the day, it’s on my radio, on social media, in my email inbox. In the car, I’m likely to catch an NPR story that relates to my work in some way. If I’m not listening to NPR, there’s a good chance I’m tuned into a podcast or audiobook. (Did you know you can get free audiobooks from your local library? Talk about learning on a budget!)

Sometimes, during lunch, I’ll take time out to attend a webinar offered by a professional association, usually free for members. Trade magazines I don’t remember subscribing to show up in my mailbox regularly. There are stacks of books I’ve not read (…yet) in my office and on my nightstand. My Kindle runneth over. (You can also get print and eBooks from your library for free.)

Learning at Suppertime

When my family sits down to eat dinner together (still happens most nights), we talk about what happened during the day. I ask my kids what they tried that was new, what they’re reading or watching, and what they’ve learned. As we’re watching television together after dinner (usually Jeopardy!), we occasionally Google the answers (questions?) we don’t know much about.

Learning Anytime

Here are some more free and low-cost ways to learn on a budget:

  • Blogs
  • YouTube
  • Social media (especially if you follow thought leaders and influencers on LinkedIn)
  • Online magazines, such as Forbes, Inc., and industry-specific journals

I could go for weeks never spending a dime on professional development, but I can’t imagine going a day without learning!

What are your best tips for learning, on a budget?

Life without Closets

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In a recent podcast interview, I was asked this final question: “What one thing do you know?” My answer, in short, was that we all have closets. That statement is in no way intended to detract from the very real experiences of people in the LGBTQ+ community. Rather, while acknowledging that “closets” are most closely associated with LGBTQ+ people, almost everyone feels compelled to hold something back of themselves. Most of us hide some part of ourselves in the shadows, typically out of fear (both founded and unfounded) of judgement of and rejection by others.

A recent Harvard study found that 61 percent of people closet some aspect of themselves!

This is especially true of women, and especially true in the workplace.

I had the privilege of attending a talk by America Ferrera at a recent conference. In her talk, America said, “Diversity is impactful only when we can show up in spaces as who we are. Our power comes from existing as authentically and as fully as ourselves.”

A Balancing Act for Women

In my book, Value and Voice, I focus on women’s ability (or inability) to fully participate. The barriers to full participation are many. One such barrier is the constant balance a woman in the workplace must maintain. She must exhibit enough feminine behaviors to be accepted under the social expectations of women. She must exhibit enough masculine behaviors to be rewarded based on the norms of the male-centric work environment. In other words, she must conform to conflicting stereotypes, while still existing authentically. The truth is, women have to constantly be adjusting these things. Men don’t have to ask themselves, “Who shall I be at work today?” Women do.

Is this balancing a form of closeting? I would argue yes – very much so. Despite the prominence of conversations about “authenticity in the workplace,” most women must hold back, keep in check, reserve, or closet some portion of themselves.

And while this is far too often the case for women and people in the LGBTQ+ community, anyone can be affected. I know I don’t freely share all of me. This is in large part because of judgment and potential ramifications.

Closets Take Emotional Tolls

Closets do take emotional tolls. Holding back those things we reserve very much impacts our performance. As noted by America Ferrera, the result is that we are unable to fully realize and leverage the known advantages of diversity.

Diversity is very powerful. But the advantages of diversity can only be realized when people can freely emerge from whatever closets they may occupy.

Leaders bear the responsibility of creating safe environments for everyone. But is everyone’s responsibility to embrace each other and their authenticity, to put aside judgments, to value everyone, and to make closets unnecessary.

How do we start? It’s simple. Take interest in each person. Ask about their interests. If a person has an artistic bent or hobby, or a unique talent, ask about it! And if a person expresses themselves in attire, hair style, or body art, offer words of approval. Show an interest in the person – the whole person – and watch them blossom. When a person gives more of themselves, everyone benefits. That is the real power of diversity.

Let’s imagine, and work to build, a closet-free world.

Be a Yeti to Survive Change

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Changes, especially at work, can be stressful. The come in a variety of forms: new computer systems, reorganizations, shifts in responsibilities, personnel turnover. We are very rarely the ones initiating the change. Rather, we are more likely to find ourselves constantly responding to a wide variety of changes, all at the same time! Therefore, it makes sense for us to spend time developing strategies to deal with this barrage.

Surviving Change Requires a Change in Mindset

Our reality is defined by our perceptions. Change creates a shift in our reality. We must be prepared to manage our own perceptions, or mindset, if we hope to survive — or even thrive in — change.

Carol S. Dweck’s Mindset: The new psychology of success: How we can learn to fulfill our potential lays out a brilliant distinction between opposing mindsets. Dweck tells us that a fixed mindset says “I am.” A growth mindset, on the other hand, says “I can.” When we adopt a growth mindset, we step away from a static notion of “what has been.” Instead, we move toward an ever-evolving concept of “what could be.” Having a growth mindset, then, allows us to continue accumulating skills and knowledge, pushing ourselves toward infinite possible futures.

I frequently cite Dweck’s work in my own talks on responding to change and creating a learning culture. Then I take my audiences one step further by asking each person to “Be a Yeti.”

What Do We Know about the Yeti?

No one’s captured him …yet.

For that matter, no one has even proven his existence… yet.

The Yeti is a great unknown. So is an ever-changing future. Can we harness the power of the Yeti to create our own change-friendly mindset? I believe we can.

Be a Yeti

We can be more like a Yeti by learning to say “yet.” For example:

  • “I don’t know how to use the new computer system … yet.”
  • “Our new reporting structure hasn’t been announced … yet.”
  • “I haven’t learned about my new responsibilities … yet.”
  • “I don’t have my degree … yet.”
  • Or even, “I haven’t found another job … yet.”

What Being a Yeti Does for Us

The word “yet” says — to ourselves and to others — that it’s not too late for us. “Yet” says there is a possibility of the future being better than the present. It empowers us to take action and to regain a little bit of control.

In a recent article, I explored the need for learning to get comfortable with change. The article cites a Deloitte report about CEOs’ views on change in their organizations. Specifically, the article states that “only 30% of CEOs believe their organizations have the skills to adapt.”

How would a Yeti rephrase this statement? The Yeti would say, “Seventy percent of CEOs don’t think their organizations have the skills to adapt … yet.” This distinction is important.

We need to be clear with our employers and each other that we can grow and learn and change and meet these challenges, even as things shift around us.

Even if we aren’t experts at dealing with change … yet.

Listening and Empathy: Critical for Success

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Listening is a skill.

Few other skills are more critical for effective communication and strong leadership than the ability to listen.

In fact listening is one leadership skill that ranks far and above all others in determining your overall success as a leader according to a new High-Resolution Leadership report from Development Dimensions International (DDI), a – report that was based on the analysis of real behaviors in assessment center simulations from over 15,000 leaders across 300 companies in 18 countries over a decade. According to the report Leaders who master listening and responding with empathy will perform more than 40 percent higher in overall performance, coaching, engaging others, planning and organizing, and decision making, according to the research.

In the workplace, the focus on listening is likely that of a tool to foster effective work. And thus, we often come to think of listening largely as a tool to gain information. Listening is a necessity to acquire essential task-based and decisional information, but also information that simply helps us be in the loop, or to fit in the culture or team, or to meet other experiential needs and desires.

Information Is Power

In my own career I also learned the lesson, many times over, that the saying holds true – information is power. Whenever I had a leading role in anything I would listen first, talk second. It may seem backward but being able to influence is much more about listening than speaking. Before speaking you must first not only have the necessary information on hand, but you must also know other’s thoughts and perspectives in order to find the influence sweet spots. Listening and influence are not mutually exclusive. Many great influencers have also been great listeners.

Listening is one of the most powerful relationship builder and/or strengthener. Listening shows respect, engenders trust and connects people emotionally and intellectually. In case you doubt the power of listening, I ask, “Who are the great listeners you know or have known?” I bet you can name them quickly regardless of how near or far they are or whether recent or past.

An Example

My cousin Barb and I grew up together and have kept mostly in touch throughout or lives. In my late forties at a time of reconnection with Barb, I told her she had always been a hero of mine, or rather the hero of mine, because of the great amount of laudable work she has done in her life. Much of her work was as a volunteer and all of it was done in service to others. When I told her she was my hero, she countered that it was the other way around.

Since adolescence I had always been her hero. And the reason was that I listened. I am several years older than Barb, but we were close even when I was a teen and she a pre-teen. She recalls perfectly the two of us talking during long walks together during a time when her life was difficult for her. I recall these times together, but I was a teenage boy oblivious to her angst. Yet the teenage boy took the time to listen to his younger female cousin.

That simple act was so important to Barb that she can recall clearly how it made her feel after all these years, and how helpful it was for her for no reason other than a caring, friendly ear. My listening touched her, and her story touches me deeply. Her story is invaluable not only as a lesson in connection, but it is also testament to the durable and strengthening power of listening.

Don’t Pretend to Listen

Another thing I learned about listening during my long career …

Don’t pretend to listen. People eventually see through any subterfuge regardless of how well you mask it.

In not being forthright you will either be seen as someone not to be trusted or someone who is only placating. In either case, you will be seen as someone not to connect with.  Listen, do not not listen.

Listening, as opposed to non-listening which occurs in various forms not presented here, has two basic forms: 1) give-and-take and 2) empathetic.

Empathetic Listening

With give-and-take listening, the more common form, a person legitimately listens with their own interests equal to what the speaker is saying. It is basically taking turns – turning on and off selfish listening with empathetic listening. There is nothing inherently wrong with give-and-take listening. But empathetic listening can yield greater value.

Research shows there is no other single leadership skill that is more important than empathy and yet, in today’s culture, it is near extinction.

There is a wealth of research that shows empathy is on the decline, A study by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research found that college students are 40 percent less likely to have empathy compared to 20 to 30 years ago. DDI’s High-Resolution Leadership report found the same in today’s workplace. Only 40 percent leaders were proficient or strong in empathy. Of the eight leadership interaction skills measured, listening and responding with empathy was one of the weakest.

We need to increase empathy. This starts with empathetic listening.

Empathetic listening is solely about the other person and what she or he has to say. This listening, sometimes called receptive or active listening, requires movement of position and/or perspective. Receptive listening is hard. We sometimes call this active listening because it requires effort. And it is the type of listening most difficult for some to master.

Follow These Steps

  1. Listen. Keep your mind quiet and process the other person’s words in a focused manner. (On average, we retain just 25 percent of what we hear, which is because of our busyness and lack of listening skills.)
  2. Repeat the speaker’s words. This is a simple form of reflecting and involves repeating almost exactly what the speaker says. Repeating what the speaker says shows you’re paying attention, at a minimum. More importantly, it ensures you did indeed hear all that was said.
  3. Rephrase. At this stage, rephrase what the other person said, using your own words. This ensures you understood and will reveal any misunderstanding. Paraphrasing involves using different words to reflect what the speaker has said. It demonstrates not only that you are listening but that you are attempting to understand.
  4. Reflect on what the other person said. Focus on the feelings behind the words. Reflect what you sense. This helps get to the real (personal) meaning of the words. Consider this “listening with your heart.”

It is difficult to resist the temptation to ask questions when you first use this technique. And it is difficult to remain completely focused and not think about your own thoughts, perspectives and experiences.

Although the rephrasing step may seem stilted and awkward, is vital to the process. When you both rephrase content and reflect feeling, others will sense your desire to really listen and understand. It also demonstrates that full and correct information was shared and that you understand it from the perspective of the speaker. It also shows you care.

If you are a good listener, you will become known as such. People will seek you out for support, and in return you gain valuable relationships as well as valuable information.

I started this article saying listening was a skill – more correctly … Active listening is an art, a skill and a discipline that takes a high degree of self-control.