Leadership
This week, our guest writer Christopher Kiely writes about the ways in which Leadership can become more effective when it comes to people.
$366 billion dollars. If you spent $366 billion dollars on training only to obtain negligible to non-existent results you might start thinking you were wasting money, or at least most people would. Not corporations though. In 2019 an article by Chris Westfall for Forbes magazine¹ put the yearly global Leadership training expenditures at $366 Billion, yep Billion with a B. You can use your Doctor Evil voice, it is appropriate. $166 billion of that is apparently spent in the USA alone. The article goes on to claim most of that training does not work and then cites another article from Chief Learning Officer Business Intelligence Board² that says 94% of corporations “plan to increase or maintain their current investment in leadership development.” Wow!
Let’s recap, $366 Billion spent, mostly on ineffective training, but the vast majority of corporations plan to continue spending on the ineffective training. This is a condemnation of leadership training in and of itself. Who has the gumption to point out the emperor has no clothes (a leadership trait BTW) when it comes to leadership training? Apparently, almost none of the people that had $366 billion spent on them.
If you Google “effective leadership” you will be presented with lists upon lists of “characteristics” and “qualities”, those seem to be the two prevalent terms used, some lists will be 6, some 10, others 12. There seems to be variation in how many qualities are required. Just as there is variation in what those qualities are, but a few do stand out. Listening, empathy and being “authentic” come up a lot. Not sure how you train those things to adults and apparently after billions spent neither do leadership trainers.
I have been in the communication courses where we learned what designated colour or shape everyone was and how their colour or shape changes how we communicate with them, I was a blue square, for what that is worth. I have taken the course where we all learned each other’s Meyers-Briggs personalities and how to effectively work and lead different personality types. I have taken part in different forms of empathy training and team building initiatives. None of them changed anything, the next day we all went back to being ourselves and doing as we do… which is what people do, because it is what people want. They want to be themselves, warts and all.
If you Google “define leadership” you get “the action of leading a group of people or an organization”. A not infrequent case where a form of the word being defined (i.e., leading) is being used to define the word (i.e., leadership). A leader leads. Ahhh… got it, thanks for that Google.
What even is a leader? How does one become someone that takes part in the “action of leading a group”? Most people are simply designated leaders. Paying big bucks for some MBA or other C-suite qualifying degree from some fancy business school makes you a “leader” apparently, then you move up the leadership ladder chosen not by those you will lead but those that designate you to be the leader. Seems dubious to me.
Some people are leaders, and some are not and most of what is learned about the basics of leadership characteristics is learned young. Most the “characteristics and qualities” used to define effective leadership are developed during youth or they are not developed or even developable at all. If billions down the drain with little to no positive results proves anything it is that training adults to be leaders doesn’t really work. Sure, you can perhaps blame some bad training, or cliche training programs with more sizzle than steak and even a leadership development industry that is more about personal branding and making money than developing leaders. There are plenty of all three.
But a follow up article³ to the initial Forbes article was written by Kevin Kruse a year later, in it he gives 6 reasons for why the money was wasted. He begins to get to the heart of the matter with “Reason #2: Training Too Late”. If you are seeing the need to train adults how to “listen” have “empathy” and be “genuine” (i.e., don’t only think and listen to yourself and try not to be a phoney). It seems to me you don’t have a training problem as much as you have a narcissist problem. Leadership training is full of these sorts of nuggets. Harvard Business School online⁴ adds “Integrity and Accountability” with “…’high moral standards’ as the most important leadership competency.” I’m not sure “morals” are a “competency”. If you are planning to train morals into a bunch of 30-something C-suiters, good luck to you.
What has happened to create a corporate culture where hating one’s boss is common, where the phrase “people don’t quit their job, they quit their boss” becomes cliché? When it is already becoming difficult to attract young talent can we really persist with known issues of decades past? There needs to be a fundamental shift in the notion of corporate leadership. You may begin to notice I like the “fundamental” changes; we’re swinging for the fences over here folks, I need to make it worth the price of the ticket for you.
That same Harvard Business School online post that talked about needing morals had “Ability to Influence Others” as the number one characteristic of being an effective leader, stating:
“…influence is “the ability to produce effects on other people’s behavior.” Influencing others requires building a strong sense of trust with your colleagues. “This means [you] need to understand the types of resources people value when it comes to achieving safety and self-esteem,” says Harvard Business School Professor Julie Battilana.”
Uhm??? Not tell Harvard what-is-what, but that is kind of messed up. Leaders should not be seeking to “produce effects” on their employee’s behaviors by manipulating their “safety or self-esteem”, that is Machiavellian nonsense. Do we wonder why we have a narcissist problem? Do we really wonder why people hate their boss if this is what the elite schools are telling the C-Suiters? Enough with the designated top-down “leaders” and the billions wasted trying to turn adults in to caring empathizers with morals that then apparently will seek to “produce effects” on people’s behaviors by manipulating their self-esteem. What a colossal mess this whole corporate “leadership” notion has become.
I played a lot of youth sports when I was young. You know youth, when you learn empathy and morals. The best most effective team I ever played on was barely coached, it had no top-down leadership at all. We had a head coach that was always busy and a few dads that supervised us. We lost one game in two years of competitive rep-football. That team was successful because even at 12-15 years of age it had strong natural leaders, no billions needed. And they mentored a culture of caring and accountability. Where each and everyone of us knew the other had their back and would perform at the expected level and if we didn’t, we would call each other out on it, but only in the huddle and only ever that once. And if you needed help blocking the giant from the other team, you got it. All that leadership pre-Harvard business school. Wow, almost like you don’t teach that stuff…
I have spent 20 years now training various corporation’s employees all over the world. If you have been a mechanic’s trainer you know a lot of venting goes on in training sessions, perhaps this is unique to mechanics, but I don’t think so. When people are removed from their daily work environment they tend to talk, probably where the slang “talking out of class/shop” came from. They say as a trainer you learn more from the class than they do from you, it is often true. I have learned most people do indeed hate some of their bosses (there are layers) and often for good reason. I have learned some people are leaders and some are not, and some are active (in the moment) leaders, the doers, and some are passive (after the fact) leaders, the listeners. The main lesson on leadership I learned is that it is naturally occurring in almost all groups, a lesson I originally learned on the football field when I was 12.
What most corporations fail to do is recognize, legitimize and foster it and you don’t really do that by designating anyone “the leader” or by bringing in “leaders” with big degrees from outside the group, unless you have some serious problems with current group dynamics. You foster internal groups with a sense of accountability and caring that have people that are the natural leaders of the group acting as mentors, not designated top-down authorities. If done right, you are selecting the people the group wants in those positions, no authority is required. No one needs to be “in-charge” and these types of working groups if structured right will often self-regulate to ensure no one considers themselves such. If the quarterback of a football team suddenly starts thinking he is the main man-in-charge, the offensive line quickly reminds him otherwise. If the people who are natural leaders lack the business acumen or skills to be entirely successful in the designated rolls than corporations should be training those competencies and skills, not trying to train “listening, empathy and morals” to the tune of $366 billion a year, that is a lot of college MBA degrees.
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/chriswestfall/2019/06/20/leadership-development-why-most-programs-dont-work/?sh=636f883b61de
- https://www.chieflearningofficer.com/2018/03/21/follow-the-leadership-spending/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2020/01/07/top-6-reasons-your-leadership-development-program-is-failing/?sh=764f7eea74fc
- https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/characteristics-of-an-effective-leader
Did you enjoy this blog? Read more great blog posts here.
For our course lists, please click here.
Leadership
Leadership
This week, our guest writer Christopher Kiely writes about the ways in which Leadership can become more effective when it comes to people.
$366 billion dollars. If you spent $366 billion dollars on training only to obtain negligible to non-existent results you might start thinking you were wasting money, or at least most people would. Not corporations though. In 2019 an article by Chris Westfall for Forbes magazine¹ put the yearly global Leadership training expenditures at $366 Billion, yep Billion with a B. You can use your Doctor Evil voice, it is appropriate. $166 billion of that is apparently spent in the USA alone. The article goes on to claim most of that training does not work and then cites another article from Chief Learning Officer Business Intelligence Board² that says 94% of corporations “plan to increase or maintain their current investment in leadership development.” Wow!
Let’s recap, $366 Billion spent, mostly on ineffective training, but the vast majority of corporations plan to continue spending on the ineffective training. This is a condemnation of leadership training in and of itself. Who has the gumption to point out the emperor has no clothes (a leadership trait BTW) when it comes to leadership training? Apparently, almost none of the people that had $366 billion spent on them.
If you Google “effective leadership” you will be presented with lists upon lists of “characteristics” and “qualities”, those seem to be the two prevalent terms used, some lists will be 6, some 10, others 12. There seems to be variation in how many qualities are required. Just as there is variation in what those qualities are, but a few do stand out. Listening, empathy and being “authentic” come up a lot. Not sure how you train those things to adults and apparently after billions spent neither do leadership trainers.
I have been in the communication courses where we learned what designated colour or shape everyone was and how their colour or shape changes how we communicate with them, I was a blue square, for what that is worth. I have taken the course where we all learned each other’s Meyers-Briggs personalities and how to effectively work and lead different personality types. I have taken part in different forms of empathy training and team building initiatives. None of them changed anything, the next day we all went back to being ourselves and doing as we do… which is what people do, because it is what people want. They want to be themselves, warts and all.
If you Google “define leadership” you get “the action of leading a group of people or an organization”. A not infrequent case where a form of the word being defined (i.e., leading) is being used to define the word (i.e., leadership). A leader leads. Ahhh… got it, thanks for that Google.
What even is a leader? How does one become someone that takes part in the “action of leading a group”? Most people are simply designated leaders. Paying big bucks for some MBA or other C-suite qualifying degree from some fancy business school makes you a “leader” apparently, then you move up the leadership ladder chosen not by those you will lead but those that designate you to be the leader. Seems dubious to me.
Some people are leaders, and some are not and most of what is learned about the basics of leadership characteristics is learned young. Most the “characteristics and qualities” used to define effective leadership are developed during youth or they are not developed or even developable at all. If billions down the drain with little to no positive results proves anything it is that training adults to be leaders doesn’t really work. Sure, you can perhaps blame some bad training, or cliche training programs with more sizzle than steak and even a leadership development industry that is more about personal branding and making money than developing leaders. There are plenty of all three.
But a follow up article³ to the initial Forbes article was written by Kevin Kruse a year later, in it he gives 6 reasons for why the money was wasted. He begins to get to the heart of the matter with “Reason #2: Training Too Late”. If you are seeing the need to train adults how to “listen” have “empathy” and be “genuine” (i.e., don’t only think and listen to yourself and try not to be a phoney). It seems to me you don’t have a training problem as much as you have a narcissist problem. Leadership training is full of these sorts of nuggets. Harvard Business School online⁴ adds “Integrity and Accountability” with “…’high moral standards’ as the most important leadership competency.” I’m not sure “morals” are a “competency”. If you are planning to train morals into a bunch of 30-something C-suiters, good luck to you.
What has happened to create a corporate culture where hating one’s boss is common, where the phrase “people don’t quit their job, they quit their boss” becomes cliché? When it is already becoming difficult to attract young talent can we really persist with known issues of decades past? There needs to be a fundamental shift in the notion of corporate leadership. You may begin to notice I like the “fundamental” changes; we’re swinging for the fences over here folks, I need to make it worth the price of the ticket for you.
That same Harvard Business School online post that talked about needing morals had “Ability to Influence Others” as the number one characteristic of being an effective leader, stating:
“…influence is “the ability to produce effects on other people’s behavior.” Influencing others requires building a strong sense of trust with your colleagues. “This means [you] need to understand the types of resources people value when it comes to achieving safety and self-esteem,” says Harvard Business School Professor Julie Battilana.”
Uhm??? Not tell Harvard what-is-what, but that is kind of messed up. Leaders should not be seeking to “produce effects” on their employee’s behaviors by manipulating their “safety or self-esteem”, that is Machiavellian nonsense. Do we wonder why we have a narcissist problem? Do we really wonder why people hate their boss if this is what the elite schools are telling the C-Suiters? Enough with the designated top-down “leaders” and the billions wasted trying to turn adults in to caring empathizers with morals that then apparently will seek to “produce effects” on people’s behaviors by manipulating their self-esteem. What a colossal mess this whole corporate “leadership” notion has become.
I played a lot of youth sports when I was young. You know youth, when you learn empathy and morals. The best most effective team I ever played on was barely coached, it had no top-down leadership at all. We had a head coach that was always busy and a few dads that supervised us. We lost one game in two years of competitive rep-football. That team was successful because even at 12-15 years of age it had strong natural leaders, no billions needed. And they mentored a culture of caring and accountability. Where each and everyone of us knew the other had their back and would perform at the expected level and if we didn’t, we would call each other out on it, but only in the huddle and only ever that once. And if you needed help blocking the giant from the other team, you got it. All that leadership pre-Harvard business school. Wow, almost like you don’t teach that stuff…
I have spent 20 years now training various corporation’s employees all over the world. If you have been a mechanic’s trainer you know a lot of venting goes on in training sessions, perhaps this is unique to mechanics, but I don’t think so. When people are removed from their daily work environment they tend to talk, probably where the slang “talking out of class/shop” came from. They say as a trainer you learn more from the class than they do from you, it is often true. I have learned most people do indeed hate some of their bosses (there are layers) and often for good reason. I have learned some people are leaders and some are not, and some are active (in the moment) leaders, the doers, and some are passive (after the fact) leaders, the listeners. The main lesson on leadership I learned is that it is naturally occurring in almost all groups, a lesson I originally learned on the football field when I was 12.
What most corporations fail to do is recognize, legitimize and foster it and you don’t really do that by designating anyone “the leader” or by bringing in “leaders” with big degrees from outside the group, unless you have some serious problems with current group dynamics. You foster internal groups with a sense of accountability and caring that have people that are the natural leaders of the group acting as mentors, not designated top-down authorities. If done right, you are selecting the people the group wants in those positions, no authority is required. No one needs to be “in-charge” and these types of working groups if structured right will often self-regulate to ensure no one considers themselves such. If the quarterback of a football team suddenly starts thinking he is the main man-in-charge, the offensive line quickly reminds him otherwise. If the people who are natural leaders lack the business acumen or skills to be entirely successful in the designated rolls than corporations should be training those competencies and skills, not trying to train “listening, empathy and morals” to the tune of $366 billion a year, that is a lot of college MBA degrees.
Did you enjoy this blog? Read more great blog posts here.
For our course lists, please click here.
Service Department Efficiency Gains through Repair Options
Service Department Efficiency Gains through Repair Options
Guest writer Ron Wilson continues his series with “Service Department Efficiency Gains Through Repair Options.”
Four-part series relating to Repair Options offerings:
This is the third in a four-part series relating to Expand Product Support Offerings with Repair Options.
The first article outlined the overall advantages Repair Options provides the customer and the dealership. The second article outlined how Parts Kits used in Repair Options can be a benefit to Parts Department of a dealership.
The Service Department can benefit from the utilization of Repair Options due mostly to efficiency gains in labor hours utilized in building a component. The hours utilized in building a component include:
Based on the list above the key element is to reduce the number of labor hours relating to non-wrench time, while providing a quality rebuild within a specific timeframe. Pauses during the rebuild process adds to inefficiencies, delays in completing the rebuild timely, and can contribute to quality issues.
Repair options addresses several of the above items by providing:
As can be seen using repair options can streamline the overall rebuild process. The customer pre-approved the level of rebuild, Parts Department has the parts kits delivered to the shop bay, and the technician focuses on the rebuild.
This is a Win-Win for the customer, the Parts and Service Departments, and for the overall dealership.
Did you enjoy this blog? Read more great blog posts here.
For our course lists, please click here.
Friday Filosophy v.03.31.2023
Friday Filosophy v.03.31.2023
For Friday Filosophy v.03.31.2023, our Founder, Ron Slee, shares quotes from comedian George Carlin.
George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed “the dean of counterculture comedians”. He was known for his black comedy and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and taboo subjects. His “seven dirty words” routine was central to the 1978 United States Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government’s power to censor indecent material on public airwaves.
Carlin said that he picked up an appreciation for the effective use of the English language from his mother, though they had a difficult relationship and he often ran away from home. He grew up on West 121st Street in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, which he and his friends called “White Harlem” because it “sounded a lot tougher than its real name”.
Carlin joined the U.S. Air Force and trained as a radar technician. He was stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana, and began working as a disc jockey at radio station KJOE in nearby Shreveport. Labeled an “unproductive airman” by his superiors, he received a general discharge on July 29, 1957. During his time in the Air Force, he had been court-martialed three times and received many nonjudicial punishments and reprimands.
Over time, Carlin changed his routines and his appearance; he grew his hair long, sported a beard and earrings, and typically dressed in T-shirts and blue jeans. He lost some TV bookings by dressing strangely for a comedian at a time when clean-cut, well-dressed comedians were the norm.
In this period, Carlin perfected his well-known “seven dirty words” routine, which most notably appears on Class Clown. The Supreme Court upheld the FCC action by a vote of 5 to 4, ruling that the routine was “indecent but not obscene” and that the FCC had authority to prohibit such broadcasts during hours when children were likely to be among the audience. The controversy increased Carlin’s fame. George Carlin was arrested seven times for reciting the “Seven Dirty Words” routine.
Carlin was honored at the 1997 Aspen Comedy Festival with a retrospective, George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy, hosted by Jon Stewart. His first hardcover book, Brain Droppings (1997), sold nearly 900,000 copies and spent 40 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list.
In 2001, Carlin was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 15th Annual American Comedy Awards.
Carlin had a history of heart problems spanning three decades. This included heart attacks in 1978, 1982, and 1991; an arrhythmia requiring an ablation procedure in 2003; a significant episode of heart failure in 2005; and two angioplasties on undisclosed dates.[ On June 22, 2008, at the age of 71, he died of heart failure at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. His death occurred one week after his last performance at The Orleans Hotel and Casino. In accordance with his wishes, his body was cremated and his ashes were scattered in front of various New York City nightclubs and over Spofford Lake in New Hampshire, where he had attended summer camp as an adolescent.
The Time is Now.
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College of Western Idaho Press Release
College of Western Idaho Press Release
College of Western Idaho Press Release: College of Western Idaho Is Now a Center of Excellence for Online Delivery of Learning Without Scars’ Online Dealer Management Programs.
HONOLULU, March 21, 2023 – Learning Without Scars (LWS) is pleased to announce the establishment of its first Center of Excellence (COE) at the College of Western Idaho (CWI). As a COE, the College will deliver Learning Without Scars’ online dealer management educational programs in parts, service, sales and marketing through both its academic and workforce development channels.
Offering premier programs and degrees that make a difference, CWI, a fully accredited public college, remains a top choice for higher education in the Treasure Valley. Empowering the community one student at a time, CWI moves fearlessly forward paving the way to bold new futures with flexible options, exceptional tuition value, and support every step of the way.
Students soon will be able to earn up to seven academic credit hours by completing up to fourteen LWS elective classes in conjunction with the two-year Heavy Equipment Technician Program at the college. Mr. Alex Beal, Assistant Dean, School of Industry, Engineering & Trades at CWI, Nampa, ID, Micron Education Center stated, “Working with industry has greatly enhanced what we can offer as training and development for our partners and communities. Learning Without Scars establishes and important link between education and workforce development. We are honored to be named a Learning Without Scars Center of Excellence.”
Through the workforce development channel at CWI, students soon will have the opportunity to take their selection of thirty-six classes in each parts management, service management, and sales & marketing management. Professional certification in these disciplines will be available.
The fundamental purpose of Learning Without Scars is to present meaningful and relevant professional educational theories and methods in an understandable manner. Our students take away ideas that have the potential to impact productivity, market penetration, and profitability in dealerships. We pride ourselves in being able to transfer knowledge to our students without them having to get the “scars” of mistakes along the way. Learning Without Scars is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.
Friday Filosophy v.03.24.2023
Friday Filosophy v.03.24.2023
Friday Filosophy v.03.24.2023 offers thoughts and quotes from Joan Rivers.
Joan Sandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavily self-deprecating and acerbic, especially towards celebrities and politicians, delivered in her signature New York accent. She is considered a pioneer of women in comedy by many critics.
Rivers started her career in comedy clubs in Greenwich Village alongside her peers George Carlin, Woody Allen, and Richard Pryor. She then rose to prominence in 1965 as a guest on The Tonight Show. Hosted by her mentor, Johnny Carson, the show established River’s comedic style. In 1986, with her own rival program, The Late Show with Joan Rivers, Rivers became the first woman to host a late night network television talk show. She subsequently hosted The Joan Rivers Show (1989–1993), winning a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host. From the mid-1990s, she became known for her comedic red carpet awards show celebrity interviews.[3][4] Rivers co-hosted the E! celebrity fashion show Fashion Police from 2010 to 2014 and starred in the reality series Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? (2011–2014) with daughter Melissa Rivers.
In addition to marketing a line of jewelry and apparel on the QVC shopping channel, Rivers authored 12 best-selling books and three LP comedy albums under her own name: Mr. Phyllis and Other Funny Stories (Warner Bros 1965), The Next to Last Joan Rivers Album (Buddah 1969), and What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most? (Geffen 1983). She was nominated in 1984 for a Grammy Award for her album What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most? and was nominated in 1994 for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance of the title role in Sally Marr … and Her Escorts. In 2009, Rivers competed alongside her daughter Melissa on the second season of The Celebrity Apprentice, ultimately winning the season. In 2015, Rivers posthumously received a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for her book, Diary of a Mad Diva.
In 1968, The New York Times television critic Jack Gould called Rivers “quite possibly the most intuitively funny woman alive”. In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine ranked her sixth on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time, and in October the same year, she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. She is the subject of the documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010).
The Time is Now
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Parts Department Efficiency Gains through Repair Options
Parts Department Efficiency Gains through Repair Options
Guest writer Ron Wilson talks about how the use of parts kits can benefit your business in, “Part Department Efficiency Gains Through Repair Options.”
Four-part series relating to Repair Options offerings:
This is the second in a four-part series relating to Expand Product Support Offerings with Repair Options.
In the first article we outlined the overall advantages Repair Options provides the customer and the dealership. Let’s talk a little more specifically about how Repair Options are a benefit to the Parts Department of a dealership.
There are two common types of lists used for component rebuilds:
The paper kit is utilized to process the part orders and delivered to the shop bay as needed. By entering one part number the kit number breaks down into the consist list of individual parts.
One of the key advantages of utilizing parts kits is the reduction of parts being returned from the Service Department. The kit only contains 100% utilized parts that have been predetermined based on the level and type of Repair Option that is being completed. Very often in the traditional rebuild it is not uncommon for there to be 10-15% return percentage and several last-minute parts orders due not knowing what will be replaced until the component is disassembled and being re-assembled.
A few other points relating to Parts kits:
The Parts and Service Departments working together to build Parts Kits can provide improved efficiencies in the warehouse operations and in the component rebuild bay. All of this contributes to adding value back to the customer in quicker turn times, higher quality of work, and turn time expectation being met or exceeded.
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How you can ensure your continuous improvement efforts succeed
How you can ensure your continuous improvement efforts succeed
Guest writer Mark Fitzsimmons offers readers a detailed guide on how you can ensure your continuous improvement efforts succeed in this week’s blog post.
Continuous improvement is a key factor in any organization’s success. It involves constantly identifying areas for improvement, implementing changes, and measuring the effectiveness of those changes. However, continuous improvement efforts can be challenging, and many organizations struggle to see results. In this blog post, we will explore what organizations need to do to ensure successful continuous improvement efforts.
Develop a culture of continuous improvement.
The first step to successful continuous improvement is developing a culture that embraces it. This means creating an environment where employees feel comfortable identifying areas for improvement and suggesting changes. It also means encouraging employees to take ownership of their work and providing them with the tools and resources they need to make improvements.
To develop a culture of continuous improvement, organizations need to communicate the importance of it regularly. They can do this by holding training sessions, providing resources such as books or articles, and highlighting success stories. Organizations can also incentivize employees to participate in continuous improvement efforts by offering rewards for suggestions or improvements that lead to significant results.
Establish a clear process for continuous improvement.
Establishing a clear process for continuous improvement is critical to success. This process should include the steps for identifying areas for improvement, collecting data, analyzing the data, developing and implementing solutions, and measuring the effectiveness of those solutions.
The process should be well-defined and communicated to all employees. It should also be flexible enough to allow for changes as needed. By having a clear process in place, organizations can ensure that everyone is on the same page and that improvements are made consistently and efficiently.
Set measurable goals.
Continuous improvement efforts should be guided by measurable goals. These goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). They should also align with the organization’s overall objectives.
Setting measurable goals allows organizations to track their progress and identify areas where improvements are needed. It also provides motivation for employees and helps keep everyone focused on the same objectives.
Use data to inform decisions.
Data are essential for identifying areas for improvement and measuring the effectiveness of changes. Organizations should collect data regularly to inform their decisions.
Data can be collected in many ways, such as through surveys, customer feedback, or process monitoring. Once data are collected, they should be analyzed and used to identify areas for improvement. Organizations can then develop solutions and measure the effectiveness of those solutions by collecting more data.
Involve employees in the process.
Employees are an essential part of continuous improvement efforts. They are the ones who do the work and have first-hand knowledge of the processes and procedures that need improvement.
Organizations should involve employees in the process by encouraging them to identify areas for improvement and providing them with opportunities to contribute to the development of solutions. This can be done through brainstorming sessions, focus groups, or suggestion boxes.
Involving employees in the process also helps build buy-in and ownership of the changes. When employees feel like they have a stake in the process, they are more likely to support the changes and contribute to their success.
Provide resources and support.
Continuous improvement efforts require resources and support. Organizations should provide employees with the tools and resources they need to make improvements. This may include training, access to data and information, or support from management.
Organizations should also provide support for continuous improvement efforts by assigning a dedicated team or individual to oversee the process. This team or individual should be responsible for facilitating the process, providing guidance and support, and ensuring that the process is followed consistently.
Celebrate successes.
Finally, organizations should celebrate successes. Continuous improvement efforts can be challenging and time-consuming, so it is essential to recognize and celebrate the progress made along the way. Celebrating successes helps build momentum and motivates employees to continue making improvements.
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The Trends in Workforce Development for 2023
The Trends in Workforce Development for 2023
For this week’s blog on Lifelong Learning, Founder Ron Slee writes about the trends he sees in workforce development for 2023.
At Learning Without Scars we believe that the leadership of business plays an essential role in helping their employees reach their personal and professional potential. In fact, we believe that it’s CRITICAL. To go further, employee development has been one of those “discretionary” expense areas in many companies. We completely DISAGREE with that.
It is the employees of a business that create the relationships with the customers on whom we depend for our success. Without talented employees who care about what they are doing it would be extremely difficult for any company to remain in business let alone succeed.
The first thing on our minds in 2023 is the rapid change of technology. This is true in many directions:
According to a Price Waterhouse Workforce Hopes and Fears in 2022 one in five workers was likely to change their jobs from one employer to another.
In 2023 it becomes even more important that learning programs are critical to success. This involves the new skills that are required for the work. It also requires that we “upskill” many of the current workers to enable them to continue to be valuable contributing employees. Process improvement through business systems and the use of new equipment requires further training and learning opportunities. In this time of rapid change we need to be able to provide “stability” for the employees. They need to feel wanted and that their opinions are listened to by their team leaders. It directly relates to the culture of the business.
Melissa Daimler, the chief learning officer at Udemy says: “Learning is an ongoing process of building skills, experiences and knowledge through our work, NOT around or on top of it. A company is not automatically a learning Organization when it offers training programs. It may even be the opposite. True Learning Organizations are clear on their purpose, strategy and culture. They ensure the connection between those and the skills they are building.”
That is a tough statement to think through. It is a comprehensive and complicated issue. This is clearly something that must be created and implemented that is specific to a department within a company. Yet it needs to be in alignment with the company strategy and purpose.
Udemy Business learner data shows that many employees are seeking to learn personal skills that better enable them to be more effective in their jobs and drive business results.
That statement takes me back to the time when the “boss” used to tell me that they did not want to spend any money on their employees to make them better. All that would happen is that the talented people would leave and get a better job with someone else. My response was “So you want to keep the people that don’t know how to do their jobs then?”
To me what is interesting is that the “pandemic” pushed us forward to some future that happened much more quickly than we were ready to realize. It forced many people and businesses to reevaluate how they did things. Just look at the working from home situation.
In 2021 Deloitte Human Capital Trends identified “the ability of their employees to adapt, reskill, and assume new roles” as their top-ranked requirement to navigate future disruptions successfully. Now many of you will tell me that this does not apply to us. We are a local retailer serving a specific market of people. We just must be good at what we do and not worry about disruptions. They do not happen here. Really? So increasing interest rates don’t affect you? Or your business?
When we take our eye off the ball and just continue to do what we have always done we are at risk. The leadership of a business has a huge responsibility to provide a safe and secure place for talented people to work. Too many of today’s leaders are simply protecting the status quo and waiting for their turn to retire. They are forgetting their most important asset class. Their employees.
I often come back to my friend Alex Schuessler who created the phrase “paper to glass” to describe the changes with business systems. All we have done is replace a paper form with a screen template. We no longer write on a form we type on a keyboard. Things are just processed faster.
Let’s look at what we believe are the most critical elements in employee development in 2023. As many of you know, or will assume, we talk to a lot of people in the education community. The same issues keep coming up.
Similarly operational related skills and tools:
Let me wrap up this paper with some data obtained from Udemy Business. This is also consistent with the schools we are engaged with in the creation of our Centers of Excellence.
The Top Ten Used Business Skills:
In closing, one of the metrics that should be in place with every organization is employee turnover. We are all exposed to this very difficult workforce that is in place today. There continues to be almost two jobs open, companies seeking to hire someone, for every person that is not working in America today.
The primary cause of employee turnover continues to be the “boss.” We persist in resisting conducting performance reviews frequently enough, if at all. How do you stack up here? Have a look at your success in onboarding new employees. What is your turnover rate for employees in the first six months of employment with you?
We have a lot of work to do in the area of employee development. We cannot continue to do what we have always done. That would truly be insanity.
The Time is Now.
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Friday Filosophy v.03.17.2023
Friday Filosophy v.03.17.2023
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Friday Filosophy v.03.17.2023 shares quotes from Irish comedian Dave Allen.
David Tynan O’Mahony (6 July 1936 – 10 March 2005), known professionally as Dave Allen, was an Irish comedian, satirist, and actor. He was best known for his observational comedy. Allen regularly provoked indignation by highlighting political hypocrisy and showing disdain for religious authority. His technique and style have influenced young British comedians.
Initially becoming known in Australia in 1963 and 1964, Allen made regular television appearances in the United Kingdom from the late 1960s until the mid-1980s. The BBC aired his Dave Allen Show from 1971 to 1986, which was also exported to several other European countries. He had a major resurgence during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His television shows were also broadcast in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Yugoslavia, Australia, and New Zealand.
At the end of each summer season, he did stand-up at strip clubs; for the next four years, he appeared in various night clubs, theatres, and working men’s clubs. Allen’s first television appearance was on the BBC talent show New Faces in 1959. While on tour in Australia in 1963, he accepted an offer to headline a television talk show for Channel 9, Tonight with Dave Allen, which was successful. However, only six months after his television début he was banned from the Australian airwaves when, during a live broadcast, he told his show’s producer—who had been pressing him to go to a commercial break—to “go away and masturbate”, so that he could continue an entertaining interview with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. The ban was quietly dropped as Allen’s popularity continued unabated. In 1967, he hosted his own comedy/chat series, Tonight with Dave Allen, made by ATV, for which he received the Variety Club’s ITV Personality of the Year Award.
He signed with the BBC in 1968 and appeared on The Dave Allen Show, a variety/comedy sketch series. The shows introduced his solo joke-telling-while-sitting-on-a-stool-and-drinking routine. This stand-up routine by Allen led to sketches that continued the themes touched on in the preceding monologues.
As he grew older, Allen brought a rueful awareness of aging to his material, with reflections on the antics of teenagers and the sagging skin and sprouting facial hair of age. He was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the British Comedy Awards in 1996.
The Time is Now
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Coaches Corner v.03.16.2023
Coaches Corner v.03.16.2023
Right before St. Patrick’s Day, we have guest writer John Anderson writing Coaches Corner v.03.16.2023: Put Me In, Coach!
Great players and great teams all have one thing in common: they have a coach. It doesn’t matter if it’s a team sport or an individual sport, both are comprised of people who are driven, motivated, and among the very best in their sport or field. They have an energy and skill set that enables them to rise to the top. They also have a self-awareness that leads to continuous improvement. Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Venus Williams, and Michael Jordan each had a coach despite being the best in their respective disciplines. Their coaches were able to see, analyze, and offer a perspective based on expertise, experience, outside knowledge, and without being influenced by being in the game.
The same thing happens in business. Having an experienced and knowledgeable coach will elevate a business to a next-level enterprise. It’s easy to look at your own company and say you’re successful, but it’s more important to look at your business and say, “How do we become the best, or remain the best?” Often judgment and decisions are clouded by ego, job security, or just lack of experience. The complexity of operations is compounded by growth and even simple family dynamics.
Thankfully, finding a good coach today is easy. Between 2010 and 2020, a significant part of the workforce retired either by choice or economics. The very best and brightest were offered packages leading to early departure. Often these high performers were also some of the highest paid executives, and cost-cutting won out over logic. So why the exodus? Most were in their 40s and 50s and looking forward to retirement. They were driven for so many years to the top of the food chain that a chance at regaining a work-life balance had real appeal over their $200K + bonus job. Suddenly we had senior executives, innovators, leaders, true entrepreneurs who were pulled from their respective games and left the field of play. We were left with a void in the one area you can’t just fix: experience.
Fast forward to a post-pandemic model where many companies are preparing for the next wave of challenges, be they economic growth or recession-related. Companies are operating without business and spiritual coaches. Teams are being reassembled under a new dynamic but without the experience factor. Middle managers are now expected to be the leaders. Without coaches, they are destined to make big mistakes, micro-manage the less dedicated workforce, stifle creativity, and curb innovation. Why not bring in the experience at a fraction of the cost, as a resource to help navigate without the commitment of a $300K hired gun.
Today you can find a coach who has walked in your shoes for 20 years. They have led multimillion or even billion-dollar businesses. They have connections and wisdom learned from mistakes that you don’t have to make. They do not want your job. They only want to help you succeed. A good coach can offer a completely different viewpoint without the fear of losing a job or political influence. A coach isn’t in the game, so don’t expect them to be calling plays or making shots. Their role is to coach people, situations, and decisions to improve your organization. Imagine having a successful entrepreneur with 30 years of experience sitting beside you during your business planning sessions or having a superstar sales exec sitting in on your weekly sales team meetings. What about navigating an acquisition or going public? These are potentially life-changing events that you would never do without counsel or coaches.
Finding a coach is easy these days. People who left the workforce early have played enough golf, traveled when they wanted, caught up on familial responsibilities, and are just waiting for the phone to ring. They relish the idea of working and contributing more than getting a big paycheck. Often times, the cost of a coach is less than an entry-level employee, but having access to that knowledge is priceless. They look forward to working a few days a week or even a few hours every day. Getting a coach is easy. Accepting coaching is harder and what will elevate you to a champion.
In conclusion, having a business coach can be a game-changer for your organization. Great players and teams all have coaches for a reason, and the same applies to businesses. Having an experienced and knowledgeable coach will elevate your business to a next-level enterprise. With the abundance of highly skilled coaches available today, finding one that fits your needs and budget is easier than ever. A coach can provide a fresh perspective, offer guidance and advice, and help navigate challenging situations. Don’t let ego, job security, or lack of experience cloud your judgement and decision-making. Embrace coaching and take your business to new heights.
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