Speaker Cal Wick has submitted the following questions for your comment:

 1.  What’s your best example of helping your L&D participants transfer what they learned to their work in a way that improved their performance?

 2.  How do we in L&D shift the “finish line” from the delivery of great LEARNING to the delivery of great BUSINESS RESULTS because learning is well applied?

 To register, go to http://www.astdny.org/Event.aspx?id=170.

Date: November 9, 2010

Competency Development

Business Acumen for L&D Professionals

Presentation by: Paul J. Maccaro

The Goal

• Recognize “Business Acumen” as one of the most important competencies that Learning & Development Professionals need to develop for success in their careers.

Identify ways to develop this competency.

Key Questions to Solve

1. Do I know the business  model?
2. Do I know who are the Customers and Competitors?
3. Do I know how this business makes money?
4. Do I understand how LRG contributes / makes an impact?

Key Points

• Learn and understand key financial concepts that companies use for Reporting each Quarter – Assets, Liabilities, Cash, Top Line Growth, Bottom Line Growth,  Earnings Per Share

• Read the Business Section of the New York Times or Wall Street Journal; learn current terms – “BRIC” Countries, “Hot, Flat, and Crowded”, Shareholder Value

• Read Fortune or Forbes Magazine (current books aren’t bad either -Too Big To Fail, On The Brink, Hot, Flat, and Crowded)

• Think STRATEGY first before doing anything - is this the right thing for the business, our Customers, our Employees? And what impact will it have across the business not just in your Function or Line of Business. Understand what your External and Internal Customers want and need from you / Learning

• Spend time on Customer, Market, or Competitive Issues with your Boss and Colleagues. Customers and Growth are focal points in business (not HR and Learning Programs)!

• Learn how to read a Financial Report!!

Discussion Points

• HR / Learning impacts “Fixed Cost” - direct to the bottom line!

• Hiring talent

• Goal alignment

• Skill set improvement / performance focus

• Development of leaders

• Organization structure

• Role clarification

• Recognition of people

Next Steps

• Make a Plan for yourself to develop a “deep economics” understanding, both general and specific for your business or role

• Push hard on getting high quality people

• Ask tough questions about talent, role clarity, performance development, and placement of people

Date: October 27, 2010

This past ASTDNY presentation covered Social Media and its rise and uses in Corporations. David Discenza, past-president of ASTDNY, facilitated the review as a follow up to his recent attendance at Jeanne Meister’s Future Workplace Boot Camp.

Social learning is a collaborative learning environment that uses social media (Facebook, Twitter and blogs) to provide the context where the learning is created by the participants.

The rise of social learning is brought about by the three forces shaping the workplace in 2020.  These forces are:

1. Changing demographics - for the first time the workplace will have five generations working side by side

2. The social web and Web 2.0 - which will connect employees, customers and partners for immediate communication

3. Globalization- the movement of corporate HQs outside the US

When you look at the 2020 learning framework, learning will take place in two formats:

• Formal - skills you need (or Corporation needs you) to know in an instructed and participative environment

• Informal - skills you want to know in an on-demand and collaborative environment

There will be a shift from formal to informal learning as we approach 2020 and we will need to find a way to provide an optimization of how these two environments can complement the other.

The group discussed several issues:

1. Governance- The basic sentiment here is that people generally know what is right or not in public conversation. Also social groups often police themselves and provide feedback to each other.
2. Design- The needs of an instructional designer are probably more paramount now than ever.  To gain the dynamics of informal learning, there needs to be quite a bit of planning and thought (the formality of the informal).
3. Incentive- Companies sometimes incent not just the quantity of social information contributions but also the quality. The quality part is monitored by the fellow users by ratings or reuse.

We look forward to continuing the discussion of this important topic at future events next year.

Best,

-Sanford Gold

ASTDNY Training Directors SIG Chair

P.S. Please register for the November 9th event.

Member to Member Workplace Challenges:  Running Learning Operations as a Business

Our member to member series will be an opportunity to discuss and share work issues. You will hear information on the monthly topic as well as advice on developing your skill set in this area. What learning and development initiatives are working and how?

What are the challenges?

Come here some of the latest findings from your peers and share some of your own with the group.  This month there will be presentations to provide key insights on being a better business learning partner as well as increase your business acumen.

This meeting will cover the following:

• What do we need to know to run our learning operations as a business?
• We will discuss key terminology and the questions you need to solve for to become an effective business partner and add value.
• How can we run a learning function as a business or a business operation?
• We will discuss the key things learning professionals need to understand to run a L&D function, including the environment in which L&D operates.

Your member presenters are Paul J. Maccaro who recently joined Adecco Group North America as Vice-President, Performance Development & Support, and Pei-Cen Lin, a training specialist and business strategic partner in the human resources field.

WHERE?

Hess Corporation

Rockefeller Center

1185 Ave. of the Americas

46th & 47th

10th Floor

WHEN?

November 9th

5:30-7:30 pm

Register:

http://traindirnov2010.eventbrite.com/

Did you know you have over 60,000 thoughts a day? How many of them are
unproductive?

Last week’s co-presentation with the Coaching SIG - Manage Yourself to
Manage Your Career - was, in my opinion, one of the best events we have
had
this year. Dr. Sharon Melnick helped guide our thinking and provided
some
real, practical keys to being successful in the workplace. She presented
several key points:

1. Know your Horizon Point
Focus on a key phrase or image of what you would like to become (e.g.
The
Go To Guy, The Done Person) and spend your precious thoughts on becoming
and being this person. The goal here is to re-focus on what matters and
is
critical for your success.

2. Be Impeccable for your 50%
50% of things we can control and 50% we can’t. Instead of focusing on
what
we cannot change, be responsible and take ownership for your part. Have
we
done everything we can to be impeccable? I found that if you try to do
this, you actually have almost zero time worrying about what you can’t
change.

3. Go Direct
Often times, we seek satisfaction and praise through others in order to
achieve our own validation and self worth. Sharon suggests that we think
about the value we offer and the contribution we bring and then go for
it.
This can be difficult and requires courage and facing your doubts. Be
proactive and you will see results.

Please take the time to go through the presentation. If there is an
interest, we may want to bring Sharon back to discuss these topics in
more
detail.

The next SIG meeting is on October 27th- Member to Member Workplace
Challenges: Social Networking and Management and Leadership Programs.
Please save the date and check on the ASTDNY site soon for more details.

Best,
-Sanford Gold
ASTDNY Training Directors SIG Chair

Dear SIG Members-
I hope everyone is doing well this rainy week.

This month we had a powerful presentation by Diane McCulloch on
branding.
The presentation covered a lot of ground and discussed the process
whereby we can strategically market and define ourselves. As Diane said,
if we do not identify our brand someone else will do it for us.

Similar to past presenters, much of the branding process starts with
intention and authenticity. Here are the steps of the branding model I
took away from the meeting:
1. What are your goals mission and values?
2. What are the technical competence components you are selling?
3. What is your packaging (physical attributes should represent your
brand)?
4. How do you present and communicate your brand (what you say and how
you say it matters)?
5. How visible is your brand (need to get yourself in front of your
buyers)?

To effectively deliver your brand, the first key is being consistent
followed by achieving reputational power. To paraphrase a quote from
Gandi:
“Be the brand you want the world to see.”

Also a community update, we have a discussion forum now on Linked In!! I
have pre-approved all SIG members. Please log into Linked In and enroll
in our group:
ASTD Metro NY Training Directors Group

This will be our area to continue the discussion between meetings and
communicate with each other. After you enter, you will see the group’s
guidelines, please read to get started. You will also see summaries of
our recent events. Happy Posting!

If you have any questions, you can contact me directly as well.
Best Regards,
-Sanford Gold, Chair, ASTDNY Training Directors SIG

This evening’s SIG meeting focused on negotiating during the job interview process. Kathy Meany, Senior Performance Consultant facilitated the meeting. The topics covered included
• How much an employer is willing to pay?
• How to evaluate the company?
• How to take it or leave it?

How much an employer is willing to pay?
To answer this you need to determine your worth to the organization. Make a list of your credentials such as degrees and experience. What measurable successes have you had, such as increased sales or reduced costs? Be specific when quantifying your accomplishments. Next you will need to conduct some research. You need to understand the job offer. What are the responsibilities and job duties? What is the total compensation package - salary, medical benefits, 401k, vacation etc.? Will relocation be required? You also need to research salary ranges. There are several ways to do this. You can use websites such as Salary.com and Career Builders. You should also use your networking capabilities. Talk with people in the industry to get potential salary ranges. Using multiple sources will result in a more accurate assessment of the salary range and a more accurate assessment of your worth.

How to evaluate the company?
When evaluating a company there are a number of areas you should review.
• Functional Fit - Will you enjoy this job? Will you be motivated?
• Employer - Large or small company? Opportunities for advancement? Are they a market leader? Are they in a growth industry?
• Management - Do they have a loyal workforce or high turnover? What is their management style? What type of support/training will you receive? How often will you receive an evaluation/salary review?
• Culture - What is the dress code? What is the office environment like? What hours will you be expected to work?
• Location - Will your commute be reasonable? Will you need to relocate?

How to take it or leave it?
Some rules to follow when negotiating your offer.
• Do not negotiate until you get a firm offer. Always get your offer in writing. Never accept it on the spot.
• Avoid being the first to state your salary range. Ask the interviewer their range for the position.
• Never bluff. Salary history, as well as other information, can surface in the background check.
• Have a negotiating goal of 5% - 15% above your desired salary. As much as 90% of hiring managers do not make their best offer first.
• Support your salary with your experience and successes.
• Know your lowest acceptable offer and walk-away point.
• Although the time can vary you may be able to take as much as one week to consider an offer.
• Reject an offer only when you are willing to walk away. If you reject an offer do so with a meeting or telephone call with the interviewer. It is possible the interviewer could come back with a better offer. Also, always send a thank you note in order to stay on good terms with the company.
Keep in mind that if you have gotten an offer they consider you the best candidate for the job. Communicate your worth and get the offer you deserve.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2010/08/01/105959249/index.htm

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100802/BIZ04/8020357/1001/Firms-crack-down-on-staffers–Facebook–Twitter–YouTube-posts

Tonight’s Coaching SIG built awareness of various coaching methods, tools and techniques to help Coaches with practice and coaching competency development. It was facilitated by Megan Tobin, Principal, Time2Market Inc.; Steven Yorra, President, The Illumination Group; and Dr. Carol Mase, President, Cairn Consultants.

The meeting began with Steven talking about “Personal Core BrandingSM as a tool for positioning and packaging yourself for success - whether you’re coaching leaders, those in career transition, consultants/coaches starting your own business. His “5 E’s of Personal Core BrandingSM include:

1. Examine - your identity
2. Envision - the possibilities
3. Energize - from within
4. Engage - connect with others
5. Embody - own it!

Using the principles of branding, it is especially effective as a leadership development tool, helping executives align personal strengths and values with organizational vision and business strategy.

Next, Carol spoke about change. Carol pointed out that many change initiatives fail because we attempt to follow specific steps in a specific sequence to get us from our current status quo to a desired future, i.e., from one level to the next. This ideas assumes that change is linear and sequential, the outcome and process both known from the start. While we know our current state and what we desire our future state to be, we fail to see and address the destabilizing events that initiate change and make the journey non-linear and unpredictable. They lead us to opportunities and transformational ideas that will get us to our desired future state, even though we cannot predict how each individual or group will make the journey ahead of time. This phenomena is common to complex systems - in hindsight the change journey looks logical, as if we could have predicted each step of the journey before hand, when instead it is emergent, a product of each situation as they unfold.

Concluding the first part of the meeting, Megan reviewed several coaching techniques (e.g., Shadow Coaching), various social media tools and other technologies that are helpful for coaching clients either in-person, or on a virtual basis. Megan’s finding these techniques and technologies are becoming more prominent in her work with clients and that coaching can be completed via telephone, but most clients want to be comfortable with the process first.

The second part of the meeting was facilitated by Carol, who introduced the group to the VUCA model. This model, originally developed by the military, is now commonly used by private businesses. By focusing the client on changing a challenge into a solution, the client establishes a new perspective on the situation, identifies new opportunities (vs. obstacles) and can more quickly attain a targeted goal.

Situation(Challenge)               -            Desired Outcome (Solution)
Volatility Vision                       -            (outcome you desire)
Uncertainty Understanding  -            (what you learn about the situation)
Complex Clarity                      -            (what is now clear about the situation)
Ambiguous Agility                  -            (the ability to interact and resolve)

Carol concluded the meeting by working through a real-life situation with one of the attendees. This was a great activity and included participation from the other coaches and participants.