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The Business Delivery Model for Learning has Changed

4/5/2022

The pandemic has brought about many changes to how we all work. I don’t know how it will have impacted your business or enterprise, but there have been many new business opportunities in my field.

For instance, the provision of my services has been aided thankfully by the emergence of the medium of ‘Zoom’ and ‘Microsoft Teams’ as a teaching or mentoring medium.

My clients, for example, now understand that the face to face interaction training room is not the only ‘go too’ medium for imparting learning. Of course, we have always provided blended learning, but now there is strong evidence to ensure that the future lies in ‘sharp, short bursts of learning reinforced with online resources, such as Learning Management Systems. A carefully timed session with specific outcomes defined well in advance can often deliver the required behaviour changes that traditionally may have taken place over several training events.

The ROI of Learning

A carefully crafted session of 30-60 minutes delivered through a Zoom call can be just as effective as a several-day training workshop. The 1:1 or small group nature can be compelling with the additional benefit of not having to take people away from their jobs or roles for those days, with savings in accommodation and travelling expenses for delegates and facilitators.

Further, the hybrid model of working from home/office ratio makes this so much more solid as a valued learning experience. You don’t have to be in a training room, hotel or office for learning to be delivered.

This process enables a far firmer handle on investment return for people development. Very specific outcomes can be debated and those attending can do pre-event planning and tasks, and report on their progress. Further, the tutor or facilitator can build on this and record the call for later reinforcement.

The Medium is the Message

A tailored 1:1 session or small group event can be compelling, especially when defining the behaviour outcomes that you want to flow from a Zoom call. Additionally, those attending are the focus of attention. They cannot retreat into the anonymity of the background of the wider group. Further, mentoring can be specifically focused on individuals. The critical issue here is that the learning can be tailored specifically to individuals.

Examples of Learning Input

Here are some examples of the activities that we have created.

Influencing skills for internal auditors
Performance improvement
Top Team development
SMT strategy workshop – from Vision to KPIs
Feedback in the use of Psychometrics for recruitment and development (16PF, Myers Briggs etc)
Team Psychometrics for group cohesion
Individual Coaching and Mentoring
Coaching for Career development
Brand You – Prep for Job Interviews

Business Model for Learning has Changed

Eight years ago, we committed to developing Learning Management Systems (LMS) for Lean-Six-Sigma (Business Transformation). This was our solution to spreading the provision of one aspect of our business.

We can win the support for students worldwide, and many have established themselves with our ISO accredited programme for Yellow, Green and Black Belt status. We are expanding this to cover the main aspect of our work, which is organisational change management and personal development.

I also find that producing Training Videos and distributing them through the Udemy Platform has opened other valuable learning vehicles. We are committed in 2022 and 2023 to consolidate this process through the Kajabi platform.

So, we have found a new enthusiasm from our clients to adapt their views on how Learning and Development can be delivered, and we think that more organisations need to consider this for induction and Employee Orientation, early career counselling, performance management and 360-degree assessment.

If this is of interest to you, please contact Philip direct.

Lance Armstong talks to Tony Robbins about his new book Life Force

3/3/2022

Over the weekend, I read Tony's new book, Life Force, and was impressed by how he had integrated research into Longevity and positive mindset driving behavioural change.

Tony Robbins

I have to share a recent podcast from two illuminating minds – Tony Robbins and Lance Armstrong. Tony Robbins, now 62, is, of course, the personal development guru, presenter and author who has trained millions of people in large-scale open training events and developed online educational training available to millions. Tony has such charisma, and I attended many of his events many years ago, including his four-day course Date with Destiny held in Birmingham, England. His events are compelling experiences, motivating and emotionally charged. If you want to create personal change, he is the go-to guy.

Many of my interventions, coaching, and mentoring work have re-engineered Tony's transformational development elements and applied the personal change paradigm to organisational and culture change.

I was also lucky enough to meet with him to exchange a few ideas about my business in Birmingham, and he was gracious enough to endorse my book on Culture Change.

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong ex-racing cyclist who had initially won seven Tours de France amongst many other professional races. After admitting blood doping on Oprah TV after the UCI removed his 7 Tours de France titles from the record books, he has had to reinvent himself.

In the early part of his career, he contracted cancer. Through treatment, he managed to beat this cancer and went on to a successful, if not uneventful, cycling career.

I met with Lance at a cycling meet when he came to Glasgow in the early noughties, and he struck me as one of the most resilient people I have ever met. He set up the Livestrong Foundation in 1997, which raised $470 million to support cancer research. You will remember the yellow rubber wristbands that many people wore in support of the foundation.

I subscribe to Lance's 'Forward Podcast' and was pleased to see his name and Tony linked together in a podcast on Tony's new book on Longevity, which prompted me to devour the 700-page text in a weekend.

Life Force Review

The book is brilliant and explores possibilities in various scientific research themes into Longevity. The last two chapters, however, focus on behaviour change and what you can do about your own negative beliefs, fixed mindset and how you can shape your life.

The podcast or YouTube video is outstanding. I would not suggest watching the 72-minute feature if you were not going to benefit from the experience. Here are the links below. (You might want to fast forward from the beginning for 5 minutes because of adverts)

Listen: iTunes|Spotify|YouTube

Direct YouTube

There is never a second chance to make a great first Impression

11/2/2022

Just recently, I have been running one to one mentoring sessions with a variety of people. Three students are ready to go for their postgrad University interviews, and several technical managers are working for both charities and FS. They all have one thing in common. They are sharp, bright, technically able but tend to veer towards being quiet introverts than chatty extroverts.

They each have interpersonal challenges ahead of them and asked what they could do to improve their presentation skills and, in particular, their outward enthusiasm.

The law of Requisite Variety!

I wanted to be both balanced and ensure that they retained their authenticity and, at the same time, improved their behavioural flexibility in interpersonal competence. It is not often you can get the opportunity to state the law of requisite variety (What is the law of requisite variety? It suggests that, the most flexible element in the system generally controls the system. Rigidity in behaviour may make us lose control over the outcomes we receive. It means those who have more adaptability will have a better chance of achieving their outcomes than those who don’t have the same combination of interpersonal styles and competence.

You are the Brand

Here are a few ideas – you may agree or not.

It is helpful to think of yourself as a brand. What brand do you want to become? What do you stand for? What are your core values that are reflected in your behaviours? It is helpful to think like this, especially if you are selling yourself in business and academically.

What is Enthusiasm?

Enthusiasm is an emotion rather than a trait – but it can be described. You get to choose what type of enthusiast to become. The enthusiasm you portray has to sync with your personality and the brand you want to build as you. After all, you are shaping your brand just as industry experts do: Gucci, Apple, Marks & Spencer, Virgin, Microsoft, Apple etc. – but you are doing it for yourself. How would you view the brand associated with Branson, Musk, Gates, Beyonce, Adele, etc.? More importantly, how do they differ and what precisely do they portray?

Authenticity is an issue

I know the idea is to be authentic – but sometimes you may have to ham it up. It is all about learning to switch on enthusiasm when required. If you are not naturally enthusiast in a specific setting like work, you will have to turn it on. It can be pretty tiring for an introverted person, but people have already made a judgement once you have created that first impression. Put your energy into the first part of your session. People form impressions quickly.

Lack of Enthusiasm may indicate a lack of interest, energy and ambition. It might not be the case, but people will not know if you are quiet or just plainly not interested. People will only experience how you respond, i.e. actively.

Busy and enthusiastic idiots

A big issue for enthusiasm is competence. You can have all the traits to be enthusiastic. Still, if you are considered less than competent, you would be perceived as a busy fool, an incompetent or idiotic enthusiast – noisy, having little of value to contribute or say. So you have to channel your enthusiasm through your knowledge and experience lens. People can see through the busy or noisy fool, and I am pretty sure that is not you. However, there is a matter of balance. You will understand the behaviours that will be reflected in the characteristics. Here are some traits that we think are relevant.

Active vs Passive

Take the lead – actively lead discussions.
Create the impression that you have something to say. “As far as I see, there are three key issues here, and they are X, Y, and Z. Is it okay if I expand on them?“ (It is nice to ask for permission but just assume it).
Rehearse the topics of discussion – never rely on ‘seat of the pants’ thinking – it will drain you of confidence and signal uncertainty with others.

Express personal energy

Similar to activity – you have to be excited and emphasize your passion for whatever it is you are discussing.
People with personal energy light up a room
Demonstrate your knowledge and eagerness by introducing ideas rather than waiting in the wings to contribute as an afterthought
Do not wing it – ever

Eager to contribute

Not like a caged beast but somewhere along the scale where people know you want to contribute
Starting the discussion with ‘I have a few thoughts on that’
Do not behave like the idiots of the Apprentice BBC TV series

Extraversion

It is unlikely that you get quiet introverts lighting up a room or attracting too much attention. So you would have to fake it and get into the Amy Cuddy Power poses (TedTalk)
Emulate Beyonce avatar even be ‘Sasha Fierce’ (Youtube with Oprah) and Adela’s avatar (interview with Rolling Stone Magazine) ‘Sash Carter’

Social Confidence

This naturally increases when you practice all the moves outlined
Prepare and rehearse so that it becomes second nature
Few people have the natural confidence to wing subject areas. The consequence of winging it to tarnish your image, reputation and brand

Body Language

Prepare a la Amy Cuddy
Take the space in the room – make your space bigger with more expansive gestures without being too ‘Jazz hands.’
Stand upright – be erect or sit with a straight back. Don’t slump!

Final Words

You never get a second chance to make a great first impression. If this and other mentoring interests you, please email me. Philip Atkinson

What’s the one thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary

11/2/2022

About this time of year, six weeks into the New Year, we see the optimistic gym memberships falling back to normal levels, diets being abandoned, and time management diaries, planners and apps neglected and incomplete. Let’s face it all our good intentions for the New Year are probably now long forgotten.

Bounce back in 2020

Can we re-engage with our positive intentions and ensure that we have get back on track? I have some advice based on a book which I worked through during the Winter holidays. It’s called ‘the One Thing’ and the author, Gary Keller, suggests that we focus on the ‘One Thing’ that will make all the difference to improve our personal and organisational performance.

My Business ‘One Thing’

My ‘One Thing’ for the business is to write, write and write and publish as much as I can through my websites LMS (Learning Management Systems) and video training platforms. Key to all these activities is writing. Without the ideas fleshed out in precise detail none of my business activities, including consulting projects would evolve and prosper. My ideas will never see the light of day without focus.

My Personal ‘One Thing’

My personal ‘One Thing’ to get to be the fittest and healthiest I have ever been and to psychologically be able to rank myself in the top 5% of men in my age range regarding health and fitness.

To score big time on ‘Goal Getting’ one has to focus and then get into the detail. What will the goal look like when it’s completed? How will it be apparent that the goal has been achieved? How will the goal be actualised and materialised in a reliable form and presence?

Business Goals Materialized

It is simple. I will have continued with monthly publications in specific management Journals. I will maintain my contribution in several blogs. My books will have been transferred into eBooks and be available on Kindle and other platforms.

My Video training courses will be increased from 4 to 6 and I will have developed a new Learning Management System specifically geared towards Leadership and Influence.

Personal Goals Materialized

Without disclosing weight loss, I certainly will be exercising at least 4 days per week and improve my personal three miles ‘eye-balls out’ best running time and my 25 mile cycle time trial (for my age). I will be mostly vegetarian 4 days per week and radically cut back on red meat.

‘One Thing’ Workshops

In the Spring of 2020, I hope to be explaining how this methodologically can be used with my NFP clients.

Here is the general idea

1. Set a Three-Year goal that follows the principle of ‘What’s the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?’

2. Based on my Three-Year Goal what’s the ONE Thing I can do this year to be on track to achieve my Three-Year Goal?

3. Based on my One-Year Goal, what’s the ONE Thing I can do this month to be on track?

4. Based on my Monthly Goal, what’s the ONE Thing I can do this week to be on track?

5. Based on my Weekly Goal, what’s the ONE Thing I can do today to be on track?

Learn to Master the ONE Thing and you will see your performance skyrocket.

Philip Atkinson

Becoming Bullet Proof & Resilient in an Uncertain World

11/1/2022

"As we move towards the start of the New Year, no one can guarantee how the economy and employment trends will recover after the COVID-19 pandemic has finally run its course. Leaders of organisations are unsure how to adapt to change, and people dislike uncertainty in their personal lives. In times of unprecedented change, consider the positive impact on our lives if we could develop a degree of resiliency that can be installed around at the personal and organisational levels. This is desirable compared to the current state of fear about dealing with the unpredictable changes that we will have to confront. Many people do not know how to develop the personal and organisational resilience to master an uncertain future.

You can read the rest of the published article below.

Email Philip

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Hard Decisions on the ROI of Learning & Development

5/12/2021

Just when we thought we were getting over COVID and taking steps to get back to business as usual, we have a new strain of the virus threatening the population and the organisations that comprise our economy.

In the old days, any threat of uncertainty to continuing business was met with a harsh budget-slashing process impacting people development. Your mantra was that you have to save money, which means you cannot afford to invest in people. Never mind the alternative mantra of 'you cannot afford not to do so' because no one is listening, no matter how often or how loud you say it.

Mid-COVID business impact

Now, forget post-COVID scenarios and consider Mid-COVID realities. As we move towards the festive season, it is tough for many organisations to create a viable business and prepare people for the challenges of 2022.

So, how tough will it be to equip organisations with the right people, attitude, and skills to shape things for 2022? It is going to be a challenge, and we need to develop a new business for all L&D activities. That starts with business planning and risk assessments.

It does not matter what type of business or organisation you run or manage. This is true for not for profits, charities, large state public-sector bureaucracies, the commercial sector and social enterprises.

What is the bottom line of investing in our people?

The thesis is to be careful where you invest your scarce energies and resources. Above all, ensure that investment generates a positive ROI (return on investment) for your organisation.

In tough times, organisations slash training budgets, and so-called essential L&D activities are delayed, postponed or dropped. It does not have be the case if those organising and delivering L&D prove their value.

Invest your energies with positive returns

Ask yourself, why would anyone commit people and resources to 'activities' that do not meaningfully make business achievement easier?

Does it not make more sense to focus on those things that add tangible value. Our understanding is that every L&D activity should be appraised quickly by asking, 'does this enable business results to be achieved quicker, easier and more efficiently?'

If the answer is vague and unsubstantiated, then discontinue activity in that area. In a competitive world, we should prove a robust causal link between 'L&D delivered' and 'business improvement'. Any activity that fails to fulfil this equation is a 'nice to have' rather than an 'essential' activity.

Gone are the days when the average organisation could experiment by committing unlimited resources to non-tangible development processes, hoping that these would positively impact morale and productivity. Now, most businesses are appraising their L&D activities along simple 'value-added'.

We coach managers to add credibility to their HRD activities by challenging them to assess what they should do 'more of' and 'less of…'.

What two areas of 'technical' knowledge would, if were they delivered effectively, quickly improve the performance of each business process or unit?
How can we reduce the time taken to master those things that immediately impact speed, customer delivery, effectiveness, quality, safety, and team performance?
What do we need to do to ensure that people move quickly along the 'competence curve' to doing, rather than just knowing?

Philip Atkinson regularly consults on Organisational Development. Author of seven books on change management, he can be contacted at philip@philipatkinson.com or by telephone on 07779-799286

Deeply Troubling Stereotypes

9/11/2021

I have just read a passage that is deeply troubling. I have just read Rebecca Heist's "Instinct – Rewire the Brain". According to Rebecca, when it comes to gender, we are still wrestling with the importance of appearance for women, and status for men as indicators of worth.
Gender stereotypes
The aggregated data from millions of people across the world conducting Google searches demonstrate that the likely words to follow "is my son . . ." are "genius" or "gifted." In contrast, the similar search "is my daughter . . ." was most commonly finished with the words "ugly" or "overweight."
I had no idea that these trends were set in common stereotypes that shape the attitudes and behaviour that cause friction, miscommunication and rigid thinking in organisations. We have a long way to go in creating the right culture of mutual respect.
Tip of the Iceberg
Let's open this up to look at a more comprehensive view of organisational culture.
It makes me wonder how well organisations read the typical stereotypes that drive decision making. A good 90% of decisions at many levels in organisations, are operated by unconscious bias, whether that be gender, race, religion, age or any other form of discrimination.
The only way to redeem the situation is to undertake a cultural analysis of the business, examine the dominant values (conscious or unconscious), and structure policy and practice around that.
This means transforming thinking and moving away from a Fixed to a Growth mindset culture.
Fixed Mindset Culture
The dominant culture is command and control, mechanistic, and core values focused on bureaucratic relationships. Speed of change is slow and ponderous, and change happens because of the people you know and where they fit in the order of things, rather than rationality and what they know and the experience they have.
Views on change and innovation are risk-averse, and career dynamics focus on progression through a functional hierarchy. Management style is based on authority, rather than knowledge and the ability to work across boundaries.
The Growth Mindset Culture
The Growth mindset is organic, expansive, consultative and participative. It is results-driven and driven through teamwork. Dominant values focus on working across silos rather than in them. Initiative and enterprise are rewarded above status. Speed to drive implementation of change is valued, as is taking thoughtful risks, and the management style is long-term transformational rather than the short-term transactional style.

In which would you like to work or do you work?

Email Philip
Source: Heiss, Rebecca. Instinct: Rewire Your Brain with Science-Backed Solutions to Increase Productivity and Achieve Success (p. 37)

Success Post Covid is down to Leadership, Culture and Purpose

12/10/2021

Every business has some degree of Leadership, a Culture and a Purpose. It does not mean it has the right intensity of Leadership, Culture and Purpose. Still, many organisations are often led by ambiguous Leadership, demonstrating an undefined, uncaring culture that has evolved by accident or by default. Often, managers are more interested in transacting day-to-day business than transforming their existing business to be an outstanding one.

And consider, just for a second if you had a magic wand to create what you truly wish for, we have no doubt your own business would be led by an inspiring, challenging, committed, enthusiastic senior leadership team forming a robust customer-centric culture and delivering superior performance in its purpose and identity. So, if that is our mabition where does it start?

The Essential Triad

To develop the triad of Leadership, Culture and Purpose requires a curious and challenging mindset determined to do things better. COVID has slowed down the pace of change, and many organisations need to counter the decline of their business with a fresh viewpoint.

Take A Good Look in The Mirror

What's it like to transact business with your organisation? As a customer or user, is it a fun and stimulating experience that delivers added value or a bureaucratic nightmare that leaves you with the lingering doubt that this could be so much better if someone cared?

It all starts by reflecting on current performance and the most prevalent behaviours at the top two levels. Organisations go into decline like a fish rots, from the head down. Don't expect outstanding leadership behaviours at the bottom if they are not visible and modelled as desirable behaviour at the top.

No matter in the sector in which we work, massive change is taking place. Is your organisation ready for the changes, and how keen are you to implement them on a scale of 1-10?

Undertake a Diagnostic of your Business in the Marketplace

Review how resilient your organisation is to master that change and be prepared to take action to make it happen.

Is your purpose still relevant to your market? Does your business identity stand as a lead or lag player in the organisational change game?
Where are you most vulnerable in your business and operations?
Do you have an integrated strategy to unite and integrate all functions and operations? Is everyone on the same page?
Do you have a credible Leadership strategy ready to build a Positive Culture?
Can you differentiate between solid and positive Leadership that transforms your business and distinguishes it from the mediocre?
Have you the best staff you possibly could recruit? What action are you taking to protect the high achievers from moving on and the deadwood from staying?
What're the worst things your competition could do to you and have you taken steps to counter it?

What to do about Leadership?

It drives everything – without it, you don't get any change at all or not the type you need to take you to the next level. Commit to a review and ask yourself how well the interplay between Leadership, Culture and Purpose is playing out for you.

Assess your strengths and limitations and act on building and investing in Leadership (because Leadership drives everything), and ensure you develop a Leadership culture to share the broader and deeper purpose and align your staff with your customers.
If you want to find out more about our diagnostics, email me at philip@philipatkinson.com

How would you feel if your Leadership actions and behaviour were front-page News?

7/9/2021

There is an exercise I undertake with senior management teams when we start working on culture change. I make every attempt for them to forget the coffee cup and coaster slogans which are supposed to convince staff that the Leadership values which drive the business are accurate. I attempt to stop the PR and marketing people rushing to the local print shop to have multiple copies of tee-shirts overprinted with the most recent version of corporate Leadership values and behaviour.

I do not want to see 'In Innovation we Trust', 'Customers are King' and 'Quality in Everything we do' emblazoned across the chest or neatly arranged in a small quadrant of the corporate polo shirt, sweater or hoodie

Taking a good look in the mirror

If senior managers want to change their organization, they ask people to change how they behave and act. It makes sense for those managers to lead by example. I ask managers, especially those comprising the SMT, to consider their behaviour and think about how they consciously behave. I ask them to be open and assess their strengths and limitations. Ostensibly, I want them to take a long critical view in a mirror and consider the consequences of their behaviour when they are their best self and when they slip. Their behaviour may be perceived as less than desirable.

What's it like to receive your behaviour on a bad day?

I do ask SMT members to think about what it is like to receive their behaviour. Not just on a good day when they are behaving impeccably but also on a bad day when things are not going right, when they may be time-pressured, grumpy, and not in their best moods.

The perceived 'You' and the real 'You'

Often, we are unconscious of how our behaviour is received and how others interpret it. We may be slightly annoyed by a decision that did not go our way and appear less than patient, overly argumentative, short-tempered, and frankly unpleasant.

Everybody is a boss watcher

If you are in a position of authority, people will watch and listen to you most of the time – even when you are unaware of it. Your actions and behaviour help form opinions and indicate how best others can deal with your known or favoured actions and behaviours. They learn how to respond to you to put themselves in the best psychological position possible.

Honest or dishonest responses

I know of many instances when staff have been requested to complete an honest 360-degree assessment of their bosses' behaviour. You would not be surprised how many complete the form with a politically astute and defensive, rather than an honest, response.

The front-page test

So, finally, I asked managers to assess the front-page test. That is, how you would feel if your actions were on the front page of a popular newspaper? Would it make you proud, or would you have a difficult moment? As the cartoon implies, would you squirm or be proud of things you said and did?

It is one of many tests that senior Leaders have to pay attention to when committing their organization to culture change. If handled well, it could model the way for behaviour change across the whole organization.

Some final questions

How much is your view of your authentic self shared by other people?
If you could hear what people were saying about you before you entered a room, would it make you feel good or not?
What behaviours do you know are holding you back from being a more effective Leader, and what are you prepared to do to change them?
What should you do more, and what should you do less?
What behaviours do you believe your Leadership cohort or peers display which is not conducive to effective change?
What can you do to kick off a meaningful drive for behaviour change to build a strong culture?

Email Philip
Thank you to Sketchplanations

September 05th, 2021

5/9/2021

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