March 2023
Superhero of the Year: Meet David Sluss!
I see passion in my coworkers. They care about their clients, and they care about their work, and we care about each other.David Sluss Recognition is our Superpower! Matt Odum,…
September 2020
By Mary Ann Herny
Summary. Learning leaders face unique challenges in today’s business environment. The need is greater to meet learners where they are, budgets are tighter, and emotions are high for learning teams adjusting to new workplace norms. Leaders need to find ways to turn challenges into opportunities. More importantly, they need to make sure that their teams, and the learners they serve, are helped and encouraged to do the same.
Highlights:
Introduction. In the past few months, leaders in all industries and at all levels have had their work cut out for them. The current disruptions in our workplace environments, and the resulting impact on employees, have created unprecedented challenges, and learning leaders are in the eye of the storm. Even the most stable learning organizations may be seeing changes in their workload, their budgets, their methods, and their teams. For smaller organizations with fewer resources, the challenges may be even more profound, and their very existence may be at risk.
The Center for Creative Leadership website makes a timely and relevant point:
“Leadership is a journey that never stops… and the organizations that can evolve, adapt, and turn challenges into opportunities will be the ones who thrive in the world that comes next.”
Many of us in leadership positions want to think of ourselves as forward-thinking (we all describe ourselves as innovative in our resumés). However, even the most creative leaders may be feeling unprepared for current needs.
Surveying the challenge for learning leaders. While challenges vary for different organizations, three challenges are particularly prevalent among our clients and partners.
Dealing with reduced budgets. There have always been options that learning leaders can control when working with lower training budgets. Thinking about the possible variables is a great start as you strategize ways to help your team adapt to reduced funding.
Overcoming the fear factor. Briljent has long believed that learning is an emotional journey, and that we must manage learner emotions if new knowledge and skills are to take root. It is why our analysis process often starts with identifying the emotional needs and situation of the learner population.
When dealing with apprehensive learners, it can be useful to borrow techniques from organizational change management practitioners. OCM specialists use a set of tools and actions that are designed specifically to alleviate the fear and resistance that occur when change is imminent. Team members with OCM experience can assist with readiness assessments, impact assessments, stakeholder engagement and communications planning. Frequent, honest, and inclusive communication is especially important.
Inspiring new focus and new ideas. One of my college professors described design as creative problem-solving within fixed parameters. Fundamentally, instructional designers do exactly that. The parameters we normally think about, however, are evolving, and our learning customers are asking new questions:
Learning leaders need to get their teams thinking now about the new questions that are being posed and how to address them. Leaders also need to be willing to consider, test and support new ideas. Not all will be effective, but those that are successful can energize your team and create new avenues and options for the next opportunity.
Creating lasting change. “What we do now echoes in eternity.” Marcus Aurelius had it right. This time is going to impact our work and our team members for years to come. As we adopt and adapt, some, and maybe many, of the new and creative learning approaches we invent now will gain traction in the community with other learning professionals. It’s not likely that hard-won cost saving approaches will be thrown out once more funding becomes available for training initiatives. They may, instead, gain broader acceptance in business sectors where training timeframes and budgets have traditionally been shorter and slimmer, thereby improving the learning experience even in places where there are fewer dollars and less time available.
For learning leaders, this is a time when greater creativity will expand our options and increase the potential value of our work and the work of our teams. My hope is that as a community we will reach out to each other, share ideas, and pull through this time together, truly turning these challenges into opportunities from which we, and our learners, can all benefit.
March 2023
I see passion in my coworkers. They care about their clients, and they care about their work, and we care about each other.David Sluss Recognition is our Superpower! Matt Odum,…
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