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Leading In Tough Economic Times: 10 Steps For ManagersSeptember 19, 2008 | 7:53 AM
Listening to the media dissection of the most recent Wall Street meltdown, we hear a lot about poor leadership – bad decisions, greedy CEOs, “head in the sand” mentality and the list goes on. No doubt, these “leaders” should be held accountable for their actions (or lack thereof)... Educating Senior Management About Business GamesSeptember 9, 2008 | 6:05 AM
 In the early 90's, when we first started our business, it happened a lot. I would hear "We don't play games here at XYZ Company.we're serious about our business". Now, fast forward to 2008. Although the use of games and other discovery learning techniques is much more widely accepted, every once in a while I still encounter a company executive who objects to game playing as an educational approach. As a learning professional, you might also run into these objections. Here are some examples of issues I've encountered over the years and some thoughts on how to address them:
· Aren't business games more about fun than serious learning?" Well, not if they are designed to successfully get learners learning! When facing possible objections to games, I often use the phrase "sophisticated business simulation disguised as a board game" to get into the executive suite. I've found that if I can get a senior executive engaged in a demonstration of one of our "games", objections disappear pretty quickly. For example, I was recently able to take the CFO of a major company through a shortened version of one of Paradigm's business acumen simulations and he got so involved in the experience that his perspective changed 180 degrees. He saw that the game was an easy - and fun- way to convey some very sophisticated financial concepts. In fact, it was as if a light bulb went off. "This is what I've been attempting to get people to understand with my PowerPoint presentation for years!" So, one trick is to use your best persuasive approach to get past the initial objection so that you can get your executives playing the game you want to use. ·We've developed a program internally and think it's fine - Ownership pride is hard to overcome! Recently, a training director I know took a risk and persuaded two senior finance managers to "just take a look" at a business acumen game. The game would be an alternative to a program that they had developed themselves (A Powerpoint program, what else! ) Her persistence paid off. The two finance managers decided that they should have been using the game all along and said "this is not really a game after all! ". They became such advocates that they acted as subject matter experts for customizing the program to their financial metrics. So, sometimes, it's about being willing to take a risk in order to make your case. ·Can a complex subject really be taught in a game? - This is another common concern, especially around subjects like business acumen. Actually, complex subjects can often be learned faster and with much higher retention when they are presented in a game format. Learners are more motivated to learn, they have fun learning, and they are learning along with others. There have been studies showing, for example, that a discovery learning approach can improve retention by 70-80% over traditional learning methods. Games involve learners and make them think. They even exert a certain amount of "peer" pressure, since games are usually designed to be played with others in a time-compressed environment. So, what I've found is that using information from studies about the effectiveness of games and simulations and sharing the successes of other organizations can help overcome this objection. So I'm curious, have you had struggles getting games accepted for use in your business? What have you done to overcome objections? What Talent Management Is … and Isn'tAugust 22, 2008 | 8:01 AM
In the July issue of T&D Magazine, I read about an interesting online survey. Recently, more than 1,000 managers and senior leaders were surveyed by Right Management, a well-respected HR consulting firm. The findings indicated that 30 percent of employees left their jobs to seek new challenges or opportunities that were not provided to them by their former employer. Another 25 percent left their jobs because of ineffective leadership and 22 percent cited poor relationships with their managers. The article is titled, "Wandering Eyes: Talent mismanagement increases employee turnover." To me, this contains a very clear message to organizations: Talent management is not just about how well HR departments do their jobs. It's not just about the technology and the tracking systems being implemented to keep on top of talent issues. It's not just about the training opportunities being offered and the succession plans beingimplemented. Talent management is also very clearly abouthow well managers throughout the organization accept and act upon their responsibilities as talent leaders. Managers need to see how their decisions, behaviors, and actions impact the retention and development of talent. They need to understand that talent management is all about their relationships with employees, their recognition of accomplishments, their development of employee strengths, their recognition of professional and personal needs, their clarity around the organization's current and future objectives, their involvement as part of the company's overall talent management team, and their true partnership with HR/Personnel in the quest to get and keep the best people. Looking for ideas on how your managers can improve their role as talent leaders? Here are a few to get you started:
I believe that companies, faced with an ever-increasing array of talent challenges, need to address the mindset and skills of managers around their role in talent management. What would you add to the above list? Where Does Business Acumen Fit Into The Leadership Skill Set of Today’s Managers?July 17, 2008 | 7:46 AM
Our clients wrestle with this issue every day, and my experience working with them has taught me that in order for a company to succeed, it's not an "either-or". Leaders - and I believe that this means managers at all levels of an organization - need excellent people and process management skills as well as a high level of business acumen - the strategic understanding of the business and the ability to take actions in support of business goals. The combination of the two provides the powerful synergy required of managers in today's complex business world. I agree with Selden when he says, "Designers and providers of leadership and management development need to focus equally on the development of both strategic business skills and good leadership and management skills." What are your thoughts on the subject or the article? Where do you think that business acumen fits into the leadership skill set of managers in organizations today? HR Professionals Often Lack a Deep Understanding of Business and Financial IssuesJuly 16, 2008 | 10:30 AM
I couldn't agree more! Having worked with organizations over the years as they've explored the use of our financial literacy and business acumen training program, Zodiak®: The Game of Business Finance and Strategy , I have too often seen people in HR positions demonstrate a serious lack of understanding of -- or worse, a lack of motivation to understand --the "business of the business." Although there are many exceptions, asmore and more HR professionals are becoming quite savvy about business and finance, I still hear things like, "Finance isn't my thing --I'm a people person" or, "I really don't have time to learn about income statements and balance sheets -- I'm not accountable for the financial side of the business, anyway. "Yikes! Just a few years ago, Paradigm Learning tried to "give" several Zodiak sessions for free to learning professionals at a training association as a way to help them develop higher levels of financial literacy and business acumen. At that time, Zodiak was being used to train managers and employees in over half of the Fortune 500 companies. The association declined, saying that the topic was not as important as other topics on their short list. Is it important now? You bet it is! If HR is to play an increasingly key role in the business, HR professionals will have to understand the business. That means understanding financial reports, concepts and key ratios, as well as understanding how strategic decisions and actions -- including those involving HR -- impact the bottom line. That's true business acumen. I welcome any ideas you have about this subject. |
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