Training Industry Blog

“House of Lies” is a critically acclaimed comedic series that airs Sunday nights on Showtime. It centers on a character named Marty Kaan and his team of consultants. The topics, that the series explores, are compelling and provide a number of lessons for leaders. Unfortunately, many of these lessons are negative in nature. The behavior that Marty exhibits makes the show a case study on much of what is wrong with too many leaders.

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In my many years of working in the training profession, virtually every training organization I've ever worked with uses an external supplier to assist with some part of their training activities. Whether it is contracting for external instructors, having a company provide print services for student materials, renting classroom space in hotels or conference centers, or hiring companies to create online courses, we all depend on partners to help us deliver successful training programs.

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Ready for a little flight of fancy? Imagine this scenario: What if your professional life was like “American Idol”?

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Organizations change when engaged employees recognize both why the change is needed and the potential of the proposed solution. Witnessing commitment from their leaders, having the necessary new tools and skills, and seeing support and rewards within the organization for making the change furthers their involvement. There are seven areas—seven levers of change—that set employee engagement in motion and give it momentum. The levers are not meant to be a formula, but represent seven aspects that require attention and planning for successful change management.

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In the many years [over a decade and more than 1,000 interviews] I have been writing about higher education, there are a good number of issues that come up repeatedly and seem to never really get resolved. One is in the workforce development arena where the emphasis is on identifying the challenges and issues community colleges and corporations face to effectively communicate with each other to collaboratively produce cost-effective training programs that have meaningful learning outcomes.

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Creating training that's in alignment with business needs is more than a short-term goal, it's an ongoing mission of the organization. And it all starts with a clear understanding of what it takes to create alignment between learning and business. It takes, in a word, greatness. But what does that mean?

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Let me ask you some personal questions: Do you like the brief encounter, where things move fast to a quick conclusion? Or are you more into building long-term relationships, where the joy comes from intimate knowledge and exploration that builds to mutual satisfaction? Both ways can be enjoyable, especially when that big moment finally arrives.

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There is a glut of good people in the job market. Companies feel that they should not have to develop content to train people to do their job. In fact, they would like employees to tell them how the job should be done. In most cases these companies will be disappointed.

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In its effort to protect you, to keep you alive and safe, your brain can keep you from getting what you want if you don’t take the steps to stop it.

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OK I’m going to be honest. With all due respect, I’ve never been much for coaching, as I grew up knowing it. I wasn’t on my school sports teams, I’ve never trained myself for a marathon and even though I grew up in Indiana, my basketball diaries are limited to a few slow-moving games of Horse (or Pig if I was really lazy).

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