January 2011

We’re all settling into 2011 now (maybe even remembering to write the correct date on checks, for those who still use them), and hopefully you’re working on the personal goals you’ve set yourself for the new year! As workplace learning professionals, it’s just as important to take time to examine your learning team’s goals and to be clear on key workplace learning issues this year. For 2011, what really matters and where will you focus your energies?

Talking here at TLW and with other professionals, it’s clear that we need to continue to enhance our organization’s competitive advantage through workforce training and by promoting a culture of learning. Within this are a number of issues that seem to matter big time for T&D professionals for the new year . In no particular order, here are 5 important ones:

1. Achieve – and demonstrate – meaningful business gains through training. This includes boosting our ability to impact performance, and to communicate this impact in financial terms to top leaders. If you’re not in the habit of regularly conducting level 3 and 4 evaluations (a la Kirkpatrick), this is your year to nail these.

 

2. Strategically use training to reduce organizational vulnerabilities and improve performance. It’s more important than ever now to be sure T&D activities are fully aligned with organizational goals and planning. Training needs to be strategic.

 

3. Continue to rethink delivery systems. Most workplaces today can’t afford to take people away from their work for several training days (or even for just a couple hours); there just isn’t the time or people-power for this. At the same time, research keeps raising questions about the efficacy of online learning, as it’s been done in the past. We need to rethink not only our delivery systems, but our whole way of thinking about how, when, and where learning occurs in our workplaces, and to make use of new technologies and networks to enhance learning.

 

4. Promote leadership development – including self-leadership. The preparation of people to be effective leaders will continue in 2011, particularly for first-time and frontline leaders. But leadership development needs to go beyond designated leaders and include people at all levels within an organization. And the best leadership starts with self-leadership – leading others is always an inside job. This demands no longer viewing leadership development as simply one more training topic, but instead place a greater focus on critical thinking, reflection,  and other characteristics of effective leaders within each and every learning opportunity we create.

 

5. Build organizational wisdom. This goes beyond knowledge management as we’ve known it, and to even (dare we say it?) ease up on our over-reliance on metrics and control. Wisdom involves insight, perception, and good judgment –making the best use of knowledge. It’s wisdom, not simply knowledge and skill, that results in our ability to consistently act in ways that produce optimal results (and with a minimum of time and energy).

 

If you’ve not already begun conversations about what matters most for 2011, now’s the time to get it started. Talk with your team. With other leaders. With the people on the floor or in the front office or out on the docks. Then focus your work this year on doing what matters!

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