by Judy Rathwell | Sep 26, 2023 | Continuous Learning, Executive Leadership, Influence, Leadership Development, Recognition, Trust
4 Differences between learning and development
HR professionals are under a lot of pressure to prove that leadership development programs have a return on investment. When leaders’ time is precious and financial resources are limited, how do organizations get the most out of their programs? One way is to focus on the difference between learning and development. But what is the difference between learning and development?
Learning is defined as gaining new knowledge. Development is applying that knowledge to drive results and growth. When it comes to leadership, we simply can’t afford to build programs where leaders are learning but not developing.
For starters, if your leaders are learning but not developing, you might see one or more of the following:
1. The organization relies too much on self-directed learning.
It’s common to hear that leaders should own their development. Yes, it’s true that leaders should fully participate in development and try to apply what they’ve learned to get better. What this doesn’t mean is that we should only rely on self-directed learning.
Many organizations invest in huge online libraries of learning content. They promote them to leaders as a “one-stop shop” for building leadership skills on demand. Sounds great, right? As an added bonus, this content is often high quality and presented in a compelling way.
Unfortunately, this “build it and they will come” strategy doesn’t provide the same benefits as a more coordinated leadership development program. But what does a more coordinated program have? Leaders can also practice skills in a safe environment and socialize new behaviors while working with their peers.
Lately, leaders have been asking for more development experiences with a social component. In the era of virtual and hybrid work, leaders feel more isolated from their peers. According to DDI’s recent Global Leadership Forecast, their most desired development experience is instructor-led training. Meanwhile, self-paced digital learning is near the bottom of the list of preferred learning methods.
2. Leaders participate in programs but don’t change and grow.
Learning only becomes development when it’s applied on the job. When leaders go to training programs but don’t change their behavior, they may have learned, but they certainly haven’t developed.
Does this cause a lack of change and growth? It’s often a shortage of self-insight. Resources like 360 feedback tools and simulation-based assessments uncover blind spots. These resources also do a good job of showing leaders why they need to change and how they can do it. In addition, with the data and insights these tools provide, leaders become more committed to making a change.
Leaders also have a hard time changing when they feel their employee development isn’t connected to the organization’s business or cultural priorities. If the same learning programs have been in place for years despite significant changes to the organization, leaders may see the programs as outdated, irrelevant, or a mere formality. But how do top organizations avoid this? Regular leadership needs analyses are a good place to start. It can also be helpful for organizations to align development offerings with the challenges their leaders are facing today.
3. Learning is episodic and lacks “connective tissue.”
When learning is event-based and not part of a bigger development experience, it’s hard to build the momentum for meaningful leadership development. Leaders may have a desire to make the most of leadership development opportunities, but ultimately, they need guidance and direction to do it. As a leadership development professional, your job is to create that structure, accountability, and engagement.
For this reason, many organizations have adopted a learning journey approach. This approach treats development as behavior change that takes place over time. Leaders achieve behavior change through a focused mix of formal learning, one-on-one coaching, assessment, and online reinforcement tools (like job aids, microcourses, chatbots, and practice simulations). In a learning journey, leaders are given a road map for development as well as all the ways they can apply their learning on the job.
DDI research on the impact of learning journeys shows that organizations that adopt this approach are 3.4X more likely to have high-caliber leadership development. These organizations are also 2.9X more likely to have high leadership strength and 2.5X more likely to be financially successful.
4. Learners don’t have support from their leaders.
Learners have the best opportunity to develop when their own leader supports them with coaching. In this environment, learning is the means to better performance, but not the end. For learning to become development, the learner’s leader must challenge them to apply new skills and provide meaningful feedback.
Some well-meaning managers may send struggling leaders to training programs so that “HR can fix them.” While someone struggling with their leadership skills should certainly participate in leadership development, relying on HR to fix performance issues is a sign that the leader’s leader could play a more active role in their development.
“If you cant fly, then run. If you cant run, then walk. And, if you cant walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward”.
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Did you know this about disc?
DiSC is an assessment that aids with effective communication
by Judy Rathwell | Aug 8, 2023 | Adaptability, Communication, Decision-making, Executive Leadership, Influence, Trust
10 Characteristics of a good leader
No matter how much or how quickly the world changes — how automated or disrupted work and life become — one fact remains: outstanding leaders create a positive path forward for us all. But what does good leadership really look like?
Based upon our decades of research and experience in the field, we’ve found that good leaders consistently possess certain essential qualities. Read on to learn what they are, and how to begin cultivating these 10 characteristics of a good leader within yourself, on your team, and at your organization.
- Integrity
Integrity is an essential leadership trait for the individual and the organization. It’s especially important for top-level executives who are charting the organization’s course and making countless other significant decisions. Our research shows that integrity may actually be a potential blind spot for organizations. Make sure your organization reinforces the importance of honesty and integrity to leaders at various levels.
- Delegation
Delegating is one of the core responsibilities of a leader, but it can be tricky to delegate effectively. The goal isn’t just to free yourself up — it’s also to enable your direct reports to grow, facilitate teamwork, provide autonomy, and lead to better decision-making. The best leaders build trust on their teams through effective delegation.
- Communication
The best leaders are skilled communicators who are able to communicate in a variety of ways, from transmitting information to inspiring others to coaching direct reports. And you must be able to listen to, and communicate with, a wide range of people across roles, geographies, social identities, and more.
- Self awareness
While this is a more inwardly focused trait, self-awareness and humility are paramount for leadership. The better you understand yourself and recognize your own strengths and weaknesses, increasing your self-awareness, the more effective you can be as a leader.
- Gratitude
Being thankful can lead to higher self-esteem, reduced depression and anxiety, and better sleep. Gratitude can even make you a better leader. Yet few people regularly say “thank you” in work settings, even though most people say they’d be willing to work harder for an appreciative boss. The best leaders know how to demonstrate sincere gratitude in the workplace.
- Learning agility
Learning agility is the ability to know what to do when you don’t know what to do.
If you’re a “quick study” or are able to excel in unfamiliar circumstances, you might already be learning agile. But anybody can foster learning agility through practice, experience, and effort.
- Influence
For some people, “influence” feels like a dirty word. But being able to convince people through logical, emotional, or cooperative appeals is an important trait of inspiring, effective leaders. Influence is quite different from manipulation, and it needs to be done authentically.
- Empathy
If you show more inclusive leadership and empathetic behaviors towards your direct reports, our research shows you’re more likely to be viewed as a better performer by your boss. Plus, empathy and inclusion are imperatives for improving workplace conditions for those around you.
- Courage
It can be hard to speak up at work, whether you want to voice a new idea, provide feedback to a direct report, or flag a concern for someone above you. That’s part of the reason courage is a key trait of good leaders. Rather than avoiding problems or allowing conflicts to fester, courage enables truth-telling so leaders can step up and move things in the right direction.
- Respect
Treating people with respect on a daily basis is one of the most important things a leader can do. It will ease tensions and conflict, create trust, and improve effectiveness. Respect is about more than the absence of disrespect, and it can be shown in many different ways, but often starts with being a good listener.
Source: Center for creative leadership
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality”.
– Warren Bennis
Did you know this about disc?
DiSC is an assessment that aids with effective communication
by Judy Rathwell | Jan 28, 2022 | Continuous Learning, Decision-making, Executive Leadership, Respectful Workplace
What if you’re unintentionally hurting the people you lead?
Here are some ways that may be harmful, even if they seem helpful:
1. Not giving employees a chance to show what they’re capable of. Allow people to show you why they were hired and how much they can do. One of your most important abilities as a leader is to let people shine.
2. Telling people what to do instead of letting them show you what they can do. Telling people what to do isn’t leadership, it’s direction. Leadership means creating a space for others to accomplish their best.
3. Constantly speaking and not allowing others to express their opinion. Listening only to your own voice harms your credibility and disempowers your leadership. Power doesn’t come to those who speak the most but to those who listen best.
4. Providing solutions to problems other people should be solving. You should not be the fixer of all problems.. Allow your people to develop solutions—their abilities will grow and they’ll come up with things you might not have thought of.
5. Complicating simple business processes. Keep things as simple and uncomplicated as possible. People have enough to do without the bother of unnecessary bureaucracy and complicated processes.
6. Saying things like “I know best.” Even if you know you’re right, it’s far more effective to guide people into the answer through dialogue and communication. People want to know they’re contributing, not just following orders.
7. Giving rewards where there hasn’t been effort. In many companies where I coach, it’s common practice to give bonuses regardless of the effort people put in. This approach only creates a culture of mediocrity.
8. Playing favorites with your team. For any leader, fairness builds trust and trust is everything. Treat everyone with the same respect and be equitable in providing opportunities.
9. Saying you’re going to do something but you don’t. Any time you don’t keep your word, your leadership loses respect and credibility.
10. Shaming, criticizing or blaming others publicly in meetings. As the saying goes, appreciate in public and criticize in private.
Lead from within: Most leaders have good intentions, but those intentions sometimes lead to bad results. Try to keep your eye on the consequences of everything you do as a leader and ask yourself whether it’s helping or hurting.
Source: Lolly Daskal
by Judy Rathwell | Jan 8, 2022 | Active Listening, Executive Leadership, Working from Home
With the intensity of working online, it is particularly important to find ways of consciously managing your attention. Here are some things to try (whether on Zoom or in person) so that you stay energized as well as engage your co-workers.
1. Before a meeting
Take a few moments to become present. Find a quiet space where you can close your eyes and notice what you’re feeling. Put away your phone (unless you need it to be logged onto a meeting or for a call.) Keep it out of sight so that you’re less likely to swivel your attention in its direction. The people you’re with will feel more valued if they’re not competing for your attention.
2. During a meeting
Notice yourself breathing in and out. Maintain eye contact when another person is speaking. If you’re not able to give other people your full attention, say so. It is better to say, “I know you need to talk with me and I’m interested, but I want to give you my undivided attention” than to be in a semi-distracted state. Take care of what you need to and then return to
the conversation.
3. After a meeting
Carve out whatever space you can between meetings rather than rushing from one to the next. Even a short break of a few minutes helps to clear your mind and reduce “attention residue” (continuing to think about one issue when you need to pivot to the next). If it’s possible to stand outside or open a window, even for a few seconds, the fresh air will help to keep your attention focused in the here-and-now.
At the end of a meeting, jot down any actions or decisions that were taken so that these don’t remain as ‘open loops’ in your mind. Close your ‘loops’ from one meeting before you head to or log into the next.
In closing
Our presence is what creates the most impact when someone walks into the room, whether in person or on Zoom. Great leaders have it and you can too. Presence is available to us each moment. Cultivating presence will greatly enhance the quality of your leadership and life.
Source: Allan Watkinson, Rohit Kar and Jennifer Robinson via Gallup
by Judy Rathwell | Jun 15, 2021 | Continuous Learning, Executive Leadership, Habits, Newsletter, Stress Management
To perform their best, leaders must nurture their minds and bodies.
Twenty years ago, the sudden
emergence of ESPN’s daily poker broadcasting sparked global debate. How does
card playing merit coverage, given the absence of spherical objects and sweaty
high-fives? The emerging consensus that cards, chess, and spelling all qualify
made sense to me only when I returned to the dictionary. Merriam-Webster
defines an athlete as “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises… requiring
physical strength, agility, or stamina.” Like chess, leading change requires
stamina and takes a toll physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Leadership’s daily demands create a
high-stress work environment. In a December survey, 76% of workers
reported burnout. These challenges are especially
prominent among leaders, and even pre-date the pandemic: school principals, for
example, are nearly twice as likely
to experience stress symptoms
than the general population. Managing change daily on tight timelines requires
nonstop communication, often with overstretched team members and stakeholders.
The work requires the pace of a sprint for the duration of a marathon.
For both athletes and leaders,
sustaining performance throughout an intense season requires careful planning
and consistent execution. For their part, leaders need good mental acuity and
energy to support decision-making. Leaders benefit from a comprehensive plan
that parallels the holistic benefits of an athlete’s support system.
These 8 strategies create the
foundation for optimal leadership performance:
1. Be clear on your priorities.
Fulfilling a leadership role
requires clear vision not only for the organization but also for yourself. What
is most important in your life? What do you want to drive toward, and why? How
do these priorities compare with your role’s goals? Alignment between what your
personal mission and your daily professional experiences is essential for
fulfillment and for preventing or mitigating burnout.
2. Fuel your mind and body.
What you eat directly impacts the
quality of your thinking. Intentionality here is especially important, as high
stress levels can lead to cortisol hormone spikes, which increase appetite and
emotional eating behaviors. As a school leader, I often skipped meals due to a
busy schedule and forgot to drink water; on other days, I chose to eat
something on the go. Processed foods are low in nutrient density; consuming
foods dense with nutrients — such as seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, fruits, and
vegetables — and sufficient water is essential for brain activity. Slowing
down lets your body absorb the nutrients in your food. If you make time to sit,
connect with other humans in a relaxed environment, and chew your food fully,
your brain serves you better.
3. Exercise sustainably.
Athletes must move their bodies to
promote recovery and strong performance. Leaders typically fall short in one of
two ways. Many don’t move enough; twenty minutes of light exercise can trigger
the release of serotonin, which makes you feel more focused, emotionally
stable, happier, and calmer. The movement need not be extreme: walking helps you
think, improves your mood, and helps you
sleep better.
If you have developed an exercise
habit, evaluate whether it is supporting your goals. When an intense fitness
class leaves you nauseous, exhausted, or injured, how does that help you? High
intensity work, in fact, can promote brain fog. Is that actually what you want to do before your strategic
planning session? The ideal is somewhere in the middle. A balance of
resistance training and aerobic work appropriate for your capacity and skills
will best support you. Strength training has been found to improve sleep and
cognition and to alleviate anxiety and
depression.
4. Sleep.
For all humans, sleep is one of the
most important things you can do, yet most Americans don’t get enough. Being
underslept correlates with poorer decision-making and health. The really hard part is that, when you’re sleep
deprived, your brain does not realize how sleep deprived it is. Take steps to
ensure you are getting the sleep you need. Wind-down routines leading to a
dark, cool bedroom help you bring your best self the next day.
5. Balance work and rest.
It’s important to think about
balancing work with rest and recovery, both in the short and long term: day,
week, month, year. Most people enter unsustainable professional stretches,
whether driven by a new project, understaffing, or significant disruption to
work conditions. The rate of work at these times must be balanced by rest in
order to avoid burnout. Periodic pushes may be unavoidable, but they must be
balanced with rest and recovery. Don’t throw yourself out as the starting pitcher
every day all year. Build a full bullpen by empowering your team around you.
There’s a reason why leagues track player minutes and throw counts precisely.
You have to periodize to avoid overuse and burnout. Conventional schedules
allocate time for you to rest: use your nights, weekends, and vacations to
unplug and recover.
6. Regulate your emotions.
Athletes are able to regulate their
emotions to bring out their best performance. Emotional stability brings out
the best performance in you and your team. Practicing mindfulness, noticing
your emotions in the moment, breathing, and building awareness of specific
emotions all support your ability to lead. After practicing these strategies
for your own emotional health, consider creating pathways to support your team
in doing the same. Cultivating a space in which people feel safe to continually
improve starts with you.
7. Learn.
Elite athletes stay on top only by
getting better each day. Modern teams have improved in recent years by drawing
upon new sources of information, such as video and data analytics. Leaders,
too, must intentionally seek out ways to learn. Dedicate time to reflect daily
on what went well and what didn’t. Actively solicit feedback from your coach
and your colleagues, and show your team how you have incorporated their
opinions. Creating a culture in which your team learns starts with you.
8. Build habits and routines.
40% of our behaviors are habitual. Busy schedules do not allow for daily
conscious choices in prioritization, rest, nutrition, movement, learning, and
emotional regulation. Building consistent routines in each of these domains is
essential to bringing your best each day. In the long run, consistency
outperforms short, intensive bursts.
We receive and internalize complex messages about our bodies and our work. Optimizing for leadership performance requires aligning professional and personal visions with habits. As with professional sports, leading change requires discipline around the clock to maximize your results.
Source: Leading Well, Leaders as Athletes
by Judy Rathwell | May 17, 2021 | Executive Leadership, Newsletter, Productivity
Does the boss buy your time or your productivity?
In the pre-industrial age, when we worked from home (“cottage industries”) workers got paid by the piece.
As we moved to factories, it shifted. Many workers preferred a reliable regular paycheck, and owners decided to profit by investing in productivity and keeping the upside. When new machines show up, the workers don’t get paid more, but the boss makes more.
Now, as work-from-home promises/threatens to become a norm for many knowledge workers, the question is back.
Some bosses are demanding workers return to the office, and some managers have spent the last year forcing people to endure endless zoom meetings. The mindset seems to be that if your time is what got purchased, the boss wants to be sure you’re spending all of that time at work on work, not, who knows, tending for an ill family member or something.
But as it gets easier to measure productivity and contribution, and as it gets easier to outsource any task that can be described clearly, there’s a fork in the road:
If we’re not buying or selling hours, what, exactly do we measure and how are we compensated for it? Are workers ready or open to getting a commission, a profit-share or a per-piece price? And if we’re not selling our time but our contribution, does that further self-center the culture?
And if we are buying and selling hours, how does that work when surveillance capitalism bumps into workers needing flexible schedules and the trust that it takes to develop leadership and creative contribution?
Is it okay with you, the boss, if one of your workers dramatically increases productivity through some outsourcing or tech shortcuts on their own nickel and then goes home at 2 pm every day?
Is it okay if you have another worker who works until midnight every night but doesn’t get nearly as much done?
What about a team of five deciding to skip most of their meetings, coordinate through a shared doc and put the time they save into going for a walk or thinking about the next breakthrough?
If it’s truly about what we produce, how many people on the team are aware of how much they produce? What would happen if they were?
The theory of the firm was based on two key assumptions: That workers needed to be in physical proximity to each other, and that communicating with and measuring outsiders was simply too expensive to scale. For a lot of knowledge work, neither is completely true any more, and so we have to reckon with what the right size of a ‘firm’ even is.
The very nature of the factory and employment is completely up in the air. Instead of bragging about how many employees a company has, how big the office is, how many folks are in any given meeting… some leaders may start optimizing for how few they need to get the work done.
Source: Seth Godin via Seth’s Blog
