Training Day – Professional Development

A cascade of written developmental words

What is Professional Development?

I began this article by looking again at the differences between training and education, or trainers and teachers. In A Look at the Education vs Experience Debate and in an earlier post, What’s the Difference Between Training and Teaching, I made a few comparisons. This time, I thought it might be interesting to comment on what some consider the end-result of training: professional development.

To some organizations, professional development means a training day of best practices. This isn’t professional development; this is a day of opportunity. It could be a sharing conference; however, most attendees are more likely to be sharing drinks. Ironically, it is during these moments of relaxed opportunity the best information to aid in one’s quest for professional development occurs. Still, that is not professional development, but it’s a start.

Why? Because professional development includes so much more. Interestingly enough, the social aspects, character modeling and professional information comparisons from a single conference may be more valuable than a single, specific knowledge-based training day.

Professional development refers to the acquisition of skills and knowledge used for personal development and for career advancement. Generally, professional development would include all types of learning opportunities some facilitated and some not. It should start with specific training, college and university education as well as conferences and never end. Along the way, continuous learning should provide other opportunities and practice specific to an employee’s position and career goals.

Many organizations fall short. They may have a director of professional development, who in most cases, is a glorified training manager. That’s not always the case, of course. There are professional development directors who understand the concept, but many other who do not. It could be, they have the definition wrong.

At its core, professional development with an organization should begin with a plan for long term use of an employee. At interviews and during the orientation references are made about employee growth, but, for the most part, the employee is left alone after that to survive and strive or not deliver and not survive. The individual employee, unless mentored by someone with influence, is left to his or her devices when it comes to professional development. The valuable employees are those who seek out additional opportunities to learn, continuously learning. Ironically, and it shouldn’t be, these same employees ask for raises and promotions, which may annoy their superiors.

In an environment where professional development is practiced, the process is collaborative and intensive. Professional development should include a career manager who ensures employees are right for their jobs, and works to keep them in jobs that, not only make them successful but the organization as well. That is not to say, there should not be an evaluative stage, but by incorporating career management, we assure someone who is not doing well flounder, but can thrive in another position.

In larger companies, this is easy to do. In smaller companies or organizations the same attitude toward professional development can be extended to the employee by modifying his or her position to include a different, yet positive skill set. If that doesn’t work, the employer should assist the employee in finding a more suitable position rather than him or her “kick to the curb;” asserting that this employee–who they hired–is now a nuisance, guilty of negatively impacting their mission. As a part of professional development, employers should offer support, not grudgingly. Employer and employee responsibilities go both ways. At one time, providing an employee security and career develop was every corporation, company and organization’s mission.

In this current economy, it was the first employee support to go, followed quickly with practices of limiting hours, making employees part-time so benefits were not required. With failure or disappointing results, newer, less experienced employees are the ones to go–with the hope being that this will change the financial outlook.

Then, again there are employees who lose it, who don’t fit in anywhere anymore. Too much damage is done.

Perhaps it could have been prevented by nurturing rather than coercing production based on potential termination or demotion. “If this doesn’t happen, you’re fired.” And said nicely, “So, if you fail to deliver…” with threat hanging there. It isn’t always a competence or performance failure, but sometimes–often times, a personality factor.

Not everyone fits with everyone in the organization. In room filled with people who do the same thing, there are only a few true connections; the rest are tolerated. Unless, one or two cannot be tolerated. Now, we get into leadership and management issues, which if you think about them, are intricately linked to professional development.

The process of professional development is mistakenly called training and vice versa. We train for a career by learning a trade or receiving an education. After that, any type of “training” is immediately included in the professional “portfolio,” as if presentations on diversity and sexual harassment have to do with an individual’s career growth. Not that those items–usual presentations or simple computer orientations–don’t have value, but they have more to do with character. Certainly, not paying attention in those areas could result in termination of one’s career. Still, by definition, it is not part of professional development, nor are they really training. If anything, they seek to affect one’s moral character.

People may be trained to do a specific job, or perform a job that requires a very prescriptive skill, i.e., a surgeon or architect. Attorneys learn about the law or more specifically; however, although they were educated in litigation techniques, they will not be considered trained until they have litigation experience. My preference for a surgeon is not one who has read about techniques in a book, but has practiced them. That could be said about many professions. And, here we are back with professional development, requiring training to be an element in career progression.

Continuing education or training is but one of the many ways to pursue professional development. These ways include simple lesson study (a specific training like leadership, supervision, management, analysis… Mentoring is a great way to incorporated and ensure proper employee development, as is individual coaching and consultation. As an Executive Coach, my job was to offer assistance, usually to middle management, assistance in speech preparation and delivery. Interestingly enough, my clientele were confidential. My clients did not want their company to know they had a coach. So, my business grew by word of mouth.

Rather than a training day, the organizational attitude should be about helping individuals learn and grow within as well as outside the organization. An employee who feels his or her worth is a valuable employee that gives more all the time, knowing the reward is always there. It doesn’t have to be compensatory unless he or she measures his or her worth by that compensation. However, that does take away from self-satisfaction. Had the corporations, companies, or organizations an enlightened view of professional development (and conveyed that to employees) my clients wouldn’t have felt the need for confidentiality. Naturally, they paid for professional development out of their own pockets. I’d say that’s an employee to develop and keep an eye on his or her career.

By having an attitude of continually exploring and learning new aspects of our profession, we, indeed, become professional. At various times, I was a spokesperson, then a teacher and finally, a trainer and speaking coach. Today, I teach and train. I’m constantly comparing the two words on my training and development blog. One blog in particular is the one garnering the most hits. Guess which one that is. It’s on the difference between teaching and training.

Professional development, it turns out, is misunderstood by many. I’m not saying I got it right or even say it better than others, but professional development involves training and teaching/education and is not as interchangeable as one may think. And, the subject is complex; I have only grazed the surface.

Finally, while professional development is thought to be different and sometimes the same, it doesn’t need comparison. Employers, employees and the economy changes over time. Sometimes we forget original intentions in favor of profit margins. Some might say we’ve forgotten the very people we hire to make our company or organization what it is today. We changed the definition when it didn’t suit our pocketbook or actions. Many English words have interchangeable definitions and usage; however, there are times in which we should look back for the original meaning and pursue those intentions. Professional development needs to be new again, and used accordingly.

The above is commentary and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Free Management Library.

Happy Training.

By the way, this is not all I do. I believe in connections. Information and communication is applicable in training and development as well as education. If you are interested in my approach here or in other offerings on the site, you might also be interested in my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. “Cave” and “Man” are separate on purpose. The “cave” is simply where we train. I promise there will be a II and III based on my articles here. If you like what you see here, I have a blog site, Shaw’s Reality, where I look at the world’s reality from a variety of perspectives. I have also published a young adult science fiction dystopian novel, In Makr’s Shadow.

By all means though, check out The Free Management Library’s complete training section.

October 21, 2014June 27, 2022

The PowerPoint Crutch and How to Fix It

a-lady-using-powerpoint-to-present-in-a-meeting

You stand at the podium or in the classroom waiting to begin. You have all the symptoms of person who has to do public speaking and doesn’t do it all the time. You’re nervous. Your sweaty hands shake. Your knees wobble. You adjust clothing and eyeglasses. All those things you do when you are uncomfortable surface. Invisible or magnified, these involuntary twitches grip your entire body.

But, you can do this. You have Power–PowerPoint that it is. With it you won’t skip a beat. It will make you brave. Or, so you think. Your eye contact with the audience will be diminished. The audience won’t see your passion for the subject because you are reading from the screen, but you know you are there because you are the subject matter expert (SME) and that means whatever you do will be fine. Or, will it?

You begin doubting yourself: should you even be here? And, worst of all, while you stand there waiting, you are losing credibility. Then, disaster strikes! Something is wrong with equipment and your visual presentation won’t work! Do you “tap dance” or tell jokes until the equipment is working again? Or, do you go on with the show?

The simple path to good communication is sometimes hard to find however obvious it seems on the surface. The presentation isn’t the presentation.

Sometimes, it’s good to find lighter voice to tell us what we need to hear. And, she’s much nicer than me in talking about it.

I have enlisted the aid of Lorraine Ranalli, Philadelphia communications expert, and reposting her article from LinkedIn.

Don’t Let Microsoft Co-opt Your Presentation

At a restaurant, do you ask for a cola or a Coke?

After showering, do you reach for a cotton swab or a Q-tip?

When you tell someone to look up something on the Internet do you say, “Conduct a web search,” or “Google it”?

Do you have parents or grandparents who reach for Kleenex instead of tissues?

Perhaps you’re from the generation that made Xeroxes instead of copies.

Most of us recognize the marketing genius of companies that so expertly align their brands with a product that the two become synonymous.

Whether intentional or not, Microsoft is one of those brands. For better or worse—I will argue the latter—MS PowerPoint has become synonymous with presentation.

I mean no disrespect to Microsoft and no disrespect to the millions who use it. I draw the line with the synonymy that has become accepted practice in business and academia.

PowerPoint is an effective visual aid for public presentations but it is no substitute for the presenter.

When conducting public speaking workshops, I often have to re-educate participants as to the definition of a presentation. Because of excellent marketing and subsequent habitual usage, many don’t even think about addressing an audience without first putting together a PowerPoint. In fact, many rely on PowerPoint as a means of deflecting jitters, keeping organized or saving prep and practice time. The result can be disastrous for unskilled presenters.

Public Speaking Rule #1: You are the presentation! Your PowerPoint or any audio-visual aid is just that, an aid. Your visual aids should be gathered and put together after you’ve researched, outlined, and crafted your presentation.

You wouldn’t ice a cake before baking it, would you? (I can bring food into any conversation!)

At best, preparing your PowerPoint prior to researching and outlining your speech will likely leave you with unnecessary slides. At worst, you’ll have a very boring presentation.

I know some reading this are thinking, “I don’t care if I’m boring as long as I can get through the presentation and the audience has something other than me to focus on.” I’ve heard such comments from college students and from professionals. Don’t concentrate on getting through your presentation. Concentrate on getting TO it.

Think about the types of presentations you enjoy attending. Do you like to read or be read to, or do you prefer an engaging speaker?

I realize most of us aren’t born public speakers but I also have proof that with a little coaching 99% of us can become better public speakers. In addition to my personal experience, I’ve had the honor of helping hundreds of professionals and students through my classes and workshops.

So, why settle for mediocrity, especially if a promotion or a big-ticket deal is at stake?

When you have the opportunity to address a live audience, embrace it! Don’t waste your audience’s time. They can view a PowerPoint from the comfort and convenience of their PCs, tablets, or phones.

For tips to creating effective PowerPoint slides, please consider the wisdom of comedian Don MacMillan: “Life and Death After PowerPoint.”

*Random fact: Invented in 1920 by Leo Gerstenzang, Q-tips were first called Baby Gays.

About the author: Lorraine Ranalli is a Philadelphia media personality, writer, speaker, and soft skills trainer. She currently directs communications and marketing for CUNFL (Credit Union Network for Financial Literacy). Her book Gravy Wars: South Philly Foods, Feuds & Attytudes is a humorous narrative about the Italian-American culture—its traditions, superstitions, and idiosyncrasies—complete with 70 family recipes.

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Thanks so much to our guest blogger, Lorraine Ranalli. Please check her site and book. Meanwhile, Happy Training.

By the way, this is not all I do. I believe in connections. After 30 plus years of acting, speaking, training and coaching, I can’t help believing that effective communication is critical in both training and development as well as education. If you are interested in my approach on this blog or in other offerings on the site, you might also be interested in my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. “Cave” and “Man” are separate on purpose. The “cave” is simply where we train. I promise there will be a II and III based on my articles here. My personal blog site, Shaw’s Reality, is where I look at the world’s reality from a variety of perspectives. I have also published a young adult science fiction dystopian novel, In Makr’s Shadow.

By all means though, check out The Free Management Library’s complete training section.

October 20, 2014April 30, 2022

Performance Management: Why Aren’t We Using Performance Information

Every once in a while it is necessary to get the details.

The following article is reposted with permission from John Kapensky via GovLoop. John is a Senior Fellow, IBM Center for The Business of Government in Washington, D.C.

W HY ISN’T PERFORMANCE INFORMATION BEING USED?

Champions of performance management in government are confounded. After decades of trying to integrate the use of performance information into agency decision-making, it still isn’t happening on as broad a scale as once hoped.

The initial premise twenty years ago was that if performance information was made readily available, it would be used by agency decision-makers. That turned out to not be true.

Background. A recent GAO study conclude that the “use of performance information has not changed significantly” in surveys of federal managers between 2007 and 2013. More specifically:

“. . . only two [of the 24 major] agencies – OPM and the Department of Labor – experienced a statistically significant improvement in managers’ use of performance information.” And four experienced a decrease.
But “SES managers used performance information . . . more than non-SES managers both government-wide and within each agency.” And in 9 of the 24 surveyed agencies, the gap was statistically significant.While Congress was able to mandate the collection and reporting of performance information via the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act, there hasn’t been a successful strategy to get managers to use the information. The Bush Administration tried, by focusing on program-level measures. The Obama Administration tried, by focusing on cross-agency and agency-level “priority goals,” supplemented with quarterly progress reviews. But the GAO survey doesn’t show any real changes over time.

So Now What Do We Do? GAO’s report offered some “better practices” that it thinks would help, based on some of its past work and observations. These included a series of “effective practices” such as improving the usefulness of performance information and better communicating performance information. These practices may help. However, a recent article (paywall) by Jeanette Taylor, a professor at the University of Western Australia, offers some new insights on what leaders might do differently. She examines the “lack of use” challenge from a different perspective – organizational culture. In her research, she found “the effects of performance information on organizational performance depend on the organization’s culture,” and that “organizational culture . . was the dominant antecedent of performance information use,” and that “. . . different types of cultures adopt performance management differently.”Her research tries to unbundle the distinctions in order to provide a roadmap of the different ways leaders need to approach the use of performance information in their organizations.

Four Types of Organizational Cultures. Drawing on the work of other academics, she highlights four distinct models of organizational culture:

The Individualistic Culture. This type of organization stresses individual effort and skill, and a belief in competition. It may, for example, adopt performance incentive structures.
The Egalitarian Culture. This culture emphasizes a high sense of belonging to a group. Staff in this kind of agency would be more receptive to performance dialogues instead of incentives.
The Hierarchical Culture. This type of organization stresses well-defined rules of social interaction. Employees and managers here will likely want performance management to be aligned with the professional and technocrat core of the organization.
The Fatalist Culture. Employees are skeptical about organizational prescriptions for human betterment and may “engage in ritualistic performance management exercises” (e.g., passive-aggressive compliance with requirements: “Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it”).

In practice, real organizations do not fall neatly into one or the other of these models. But understanding the distinctions suggest different implementation strategies.

Three Layers of Organizational Culture. Fellow academic Edgar Schein differentiates three levels of organizational culture that exist within each of the four types of cultures.

Observable Artifacts. In this layer, visible characteristics that an outside observer can see might include office layout, dress code, observable routines, and published documents. Some academics see routines as “the critical factor in the shaping of behavior.” Learning forums are examples of organizational routines, as are strategic planning and benchmarking. Interestingly, Taylor says that “routines can promote continuous change if they occur regularly, the organizational context support the changes, and “professional employees have discretion in the way they perform their tasks.
Espoused Values and Beliefs. This layer is comprised of documented norms, ideals, goals, and aspirations of the organizational group. Taylor says: “A clear, understandable, and distinctive organizational mission has been found to be positively related to employee mission valence.” She also observes: “The development of a common language, particularly for key concepts like performance indicator and benchmarking, can contribute to the successful use of in-project measurement.”
Underlying Assumptions. This layer is comprised of unconscious, taken-for-granted, non-negotiable beliefs and values that influence how group members think and feel about things and guide their behavior. This is the hardest layer for outsiders to influence because “. . . performance information involves subjective interpretation by the managers who acquire and use it,” and “Performance management requires that judgments be made on what to measure, how to measure and interpret it, what determines success and failure, and what information is relevant or important.” As a result, an organization’s underlying culture “can influence how it views and behaviorally responds to performance management.”

Just ask any VA executive over the next two decades about how its underlying culture affects their perception of performance management!Schein’s layered approach explains how understanding an organization’s culture differs, depending on one’s perspective, and how the deeper ones are harder to identify, measure, and change. His approach also recognizes that there can be subcultures within an organization (geographic, professional, hierarchical), and that it is inappropriate to assume that a single, organization-wide dominant culture will prevail across a department or agency.

So the bottom line, says Taylor, is that successful implementation “requires changes in the organization’s systems and structures (artifacts), its underlying values (assumptions), and the way management reinforces these values (espoused values).”In contrast, most federal agencies have emphasized the creation of what Schein calls “artifacts” – processes, methods, and technical know-how.

Re-Thinking Strategies. It may be time to re-think the strategies for how best to encourage federal managers to use performance information in their jobs. GAO and Taylor both help point the way to a more nuanced approach.Getting managers to use performance information isn’t just a procedural or technical exercise.It is a fundamental change in how they do their day-to-day jobs and how they approach problem-solving. Harvard’s Bob Behn says that using performance information is a leadership strategy, not a set of processes and procedures.In fact, GAO found that training managers on how to technically develop performance measures actually led to a decrease in their use by managers! GAO found that training managers on how to analyze and use performance information was far more conducive to use.Is this too hard? Can managers’ mindsets be changed? It already has been done, in dozens of places across the federal government.

The challenge is to showcase and share lessons from existing efforts. The successes aren’t called “GPRA.” Instead, they go by different terms, such as “strategic analytics,” or “evidence-based decision-making,” or “moneyball government.” These efforts are not rooted in complying with GPRA requirements. They are energized by managers who use these approaches to get clear mission results such as reducing fraud, increasing air quality, speeding drug approvals, streamlining disability benefit approvals, and more. Showcasing these initiatives is happening, but more could be done. Maybe a mentoring program is needed. Maybe more targeted training could help. But it is clear that requiring new processes, procedures, organizational structures, and reporting isn’t going to increase managers’ use. The hard part will be that it has to be developed within each organization, and within their respective cultures.

Graphics Credit: Courtesy of Salvatore Vuono via FreeDigitalPhotosTags: Analytics, Evidence-Based Decisions, GAO, GPRA, Modernization Act, Moneyball,Omb, Organizational Culture

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Thanks to John Kapensky for this fine article. For more information, click on the tags above. Check out The Free Management Library’s complete training section.

September 30, 2014February 17, 2023

Risk Averse? Me?

risk-gamble-opportunity-swot-weakness-unsure-concept

Nah uh! But I don’t gamble in the traditional way. I hope you enjoy this mild rant even if you don’t agree.

This blog is in response to comment I received about a previous training article, Preparing Millennials – A Matter of National Interest…and the inference that we shouldn’t single Millennials out because risk aversity has been around a long time. Like since the Cave. Perhaps, I should have used “Concern” instead of “Interest” to give my title more weight. The comment, in all fairness, was not negative, but connected my blog with risk-aversity. I’m sure there is an academic discussion on risk aversity somewhere, or a vendor using their words…

I mean no insult to anyone, but let’s face it, we are all about defining and naming everything. I remember a scene from one of Arthur Miller’s least known plays, Creation of the World and Other Business, where Adam goes around naming things–sometimes in a ridiculous sense. (I could have said “stupid,” but that’s name-calling and Adam wasn’t, or isn’t in the play.) We place people in all kinds of categories–race, religion, extrovert or introvert, worker, manager, leader, transformationalists, game changer, and, of course, now the working generations. You know them as The Baby-Boomers (me),Generation X, Generation Y and, of course, The Millennials. There have always been differences between younger and older generations; this shouldn’t be a surprise.

We train about accepting change, creating change. Change the words to risk. Hmmn.

I admit to accepting society as it is. I’m not in a position to change it or fix it if it needs fixing. Who am I to say? However, we toss definitions, categories, and slogans around as products. To me, training is training. It is what a company or organization may need to sustain itself or move safely to a higher ground–the ground below being a bit more competitive. Or, we, trainers, often encourage company or organizational investment with our words. Words that make sense in the right setting, that put people in successful dioramas.

Everyone wants the keys to success. The keys come in many shapes and sizes, but mostly words. Words we can say that have no guarantees. Don’t you hate it when a product’s guarantee is ridiculously short, say, for example, three months or ninety days. The “lemon” law is how many days? Yet, our words spoken by persuasive people to people who need to hear those words have no guarantees. No guarantee of success.

I had a boss once, when I was creatively working for two separate divisions, whose favorite saying was, “If you do it this way, it will only take a few minutes.” Any longer for whatever reason–you didn’t do it “this way.” It seemed I was taking all the risks and he was taking all the successes. I won’t say that he did. I don’t know what went on behind closed doors, but singing my praises is a bit suspect.

So, as I admit society likes to name and define things. I was talking about Millennials. You know, the kids who are running the world after most of us. Some are already in the workplace, and, naturally, more will come as we die off. Oh, don’t frown! We will die and others will take our place–unless there is a meteor or some other catastrophe that takes us all out.

Saying nothing more about our distinction, I still maintain we have to see the newest generation on their own terms. These are the same terms we had only different. (I did that on purpose.) Okay, now I’m using society’s words now that are probably academic, media or trainer–or human resources in origin.

I am taking a stand. I don’t believe Millennials are any more “risk averse” than any other group. In a world of work made up of different types–baby-boomers, x and y generations, and finally Millennials, my point is more how do we nurture them, and how should we view them. See my previous article.

As a baby-boomer, I am familiar with risk-taking; I didn’t want to take many when I was young, unemployed and had no money–seeing security as more important in my life at that time. I’m not crazy about the term “risk averse.”

Charles_Darwin_as_an_ape_1871-223x300 — Where would we be without change?

Most people are opposed to change–that being the buzzword of billions who cringe at the thought. A few of us welcome change though, as you may welcome risk. Maybe I’m saying the same thing… Of course, change is not the same thing, but it is more of a general issue for society. Some handle it better than others. The same for “risk.” It weighs heavier for some than others.

I see different kinds of risk-taking, some risks I’m willing to take and some I’m not–especially in certain situations like a workplace. Working with others competing for a manager’s attention? That’s not me. Throwing out ideas or taking risks with the status quo to people who are not receptive is not fun. Getting slapped down for questioning or crossing established boundaries is different from being rejected. It comes with a higher price.

When it comes to investing, I don’t want to invest or “risk” what I have little of without a support system. In fact, I think it’s smart. If the workplace (my boss) views risk as a plus, I’m on board all the way. I love being creative. In my last government job (the one from which I retired), taking a risk was an anomaly. I suppose I went there. So, I retired to take risks. I am now an actor, a writer, a theatre director and critic. I wore all those job titles in my spare time while I was working. Everything I do is a risk. To me it was a “risk” to get involved with social media; at my age, that’s rarer than you think. As you can tell, my response was a second blog. I risk using my words a lot.

A bit of a rant, like rage poetry, is good for the soul, and might cause one to think. I hope I touched a nerve or two; if so, I did my job.

Happy Training. (By the way, I should be preparing for classes tomorrow, but I’m doing this instead. Emotions. My own intelligence or lack thereof. Creativity. All to blame.)

By all means though, check out The Free Management Library’s complete training section.

September 11, 2014March 28, 2023

Failure Résumés—A Training Guide for Success

job search — “Failure is not an option.”

Who says your failures can’t lead to success? Employers it seems.

We are fond of saying, “Failure is not an option.” And “when it’s rough, the tough get going.” That may be a positive result of the United States unemployment situation and lagging economy.

Today’s unemployed may have failed in nailing a specific job or holding on to one in hard economic times, but they are learning fast from previous mistakes and have an attitude more in tune with success than failure. If they don’t get a job, they’ll make one. Highly successful start-ups are one result. And leaders who think finding alternative options and problem-solving are sometimes one and the same.

That raises an interesting question. What might happen if you were to submit a list of your failures and what you learned from them as a résumé?

How many people do we know who made it “big,” after years of failure? Today, fewer people may be unemployed statistically because rather than be unemployed, they kept plugging away at re-designing themselves to fit in, but since that didn’t appear to be happening, they had to do something on their own. So they created.

You hear it all the time. Statistics show we can be expected to have 11 to 13 different careers in a lifetime. That tells me times have changed. Do employers really think a job hunter will be with the company for 30 years with an eye toward retirement? If they do, they’re out of touch. Especially when it comes to employing the millennials in the workforce today; a long-term commitment, tied to one place, is not the life for a millennial. In fact, most millennials would probably prefer to be unemployed than work for a company that puts itself first.

Listing major accomplishments has been the format for effective résumé for a long time, and companies still ask for the obvious position-related experience.

That’s not the norm in the Silicon Valley and other high technology centers where creativity and failure is used to evaluate candidates for new jobs.

Companies and organizations are forever complaining they can’t find innovative workers with problem-solving abilities. However, the real problem is that companies aren’t hiring employees or even training employees in most cases to be innovative; instead they hire people, using the same barometer and that barometer has changed.

Can we predict an applicant’s future performance based on the failure résumé? Probably not. The applicant will have, however, demonstrated a pioneering, entrepreneurial spirit, a form of leadership, in overcoming the odds with persistence. In computer science, “persistence” is a characteristic, outliving the process that created it. In humans that persistence seems more a sort of perpetual motion, once thought to be impossible. Survival. Not survival of the fittests, but survival nonetheless.

Albert-Einstein-1921 — Albert Einstein-1921

The idea of using a “failure resume” is intriguing to contemplate. So intriguing, in fact, it could and should become the way we look at ourselves and others. After all, scientists overcome many failed experiments to form a new theory, discover a novel idea or develop a unique product. Artistic professionals, albeit in art, in music or in theatre, withstand many failures or rejections of their work before they become successful. It is about creativity or talent, doggedness, and, most of all, learning from mistakes. As a society we try to learn from our mistakes often over and over again.

The HR’s idea of having a “proven track record” should change, but only in the way we look at people who learn from their mistakes and go on to have successes based on what they learn.

We all learn best by doing. Isn’t that what apprenticeships were for in 16th through 19th century? To allow apprentices to learn the trade, expecting they would make minor mistakes under the guidance of a seasoned mentor, but that they would learn from their mistakes.

Experience is still what we need in business or any organization. The hiring system needs to be more welcoming as far as candidate failures. Negative candidate behaviors such as stealing from the company, abusing their position or treating their workers inappropriately are still not forgivable. But some failures, any failure at all really, is used to narrow the pool of otherwise qualified candidates.

Some management and leadership experts, including university professors, now suggest we look at an applicant failures and the after result. A few universities and colleges are developing this approach, but change is hard across the board. Many corporations, still wired to the market approach to business, adhere to that tradition and do not develop creativity and problem solving within; if the market dips for their products they often look to buy thriving innovative start-ups, absorbing their creative personnel. In general, you might say, creativity and unproven problem-solving is not embraced; although if you look closely, the most successful CEOs are innovative in their thinking and leadership. Companies will often hire from that proven traditional “success” pool—hence the increasingly large salaries. Perhaps, they should do otherwise, finding creativity outside among the “losers” who aren’t really “losers.” These are dedicated professionals who have redirected their creative energies out of frustration with the status quo.

If they accept this notion, how do companies and organization go about updating their system? Change doesn’t happen overnight either, so they should start small. Hiring creative managers (maybe even developing a creative manager position for the company) would be a good start. They should also begin by taking the same risk creative people do, trying on a number of options. That means hiring former failures and trainers to maintain that sharp, creative edge. There’s no other way to find a Henry Ford, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and more recently a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs. They all have a wealth of ideas and the willingness toward innovation in common. And the determination to continue until they created a novel occurrence in the form of a product or idea. Of course, they all failed miserably at first.

But the business communities aren’t the only ones ignoring creativity as a means to success. So are the schools with their “right and wrong” testing. As a college professor, I offer my students a chance to fail an assignment and then succeed at it; I want students learn from their mistakes and correct them. It has always made sense. If in education, why not in training? Why not train a creativity manager for a company or organization? Or, become one yourself.

Be sure to use a “failure resume.” Why not a resume that lists failures and corrective actions (and the bigger picture: what was learned)? List your biggest failures versus achievements. Then, ask yourself, what you learned from those failures. Did those failures, in any way, help you with your achievements–what you are most proud of.

cave-wheel — If we don’t learn from our mistakes…

Is it time for a failure resume?

Yes, according to David and Tom Kelley in their article, “To Find Your Success, Write Your First Failure Resume,” reprinted in FastCopy, an online magazine focused on leadership. This isn’t new idea. Failure theory has been around since the days of the caveman, when it made sense to keep trying to improve their present grasp on rudimentary tool making—the technology of the day. Officially, it’s been around in scientific journals since at least 1870s. You could say it’s paid its dues and earned its place.

Fifteen years into the new millennial era, we are still in the Technology Age–a fertile world for innovation. Even the idea of left brain/right brain determination of creative ability has changed. Current views favor the notion that both parts of the brain contribute plenty, depending on the individual and the type of activity, i.e., artist versus engineer. Creativity flourishes in the face of adversity.

Just as it’s healthy by psychological standards to accept your failures, accept change, adapt and move on, all the while learning from those failures. Failure and our adaptability define us.

Check out these related links. See “A Resume of My Failures,” and “How ‘Failure Resumes’ Can Boost Leadership Development.” You may also be interested in “Einstein’s Big Brain” and Steve Martin’s play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

Of course that’s not the end of the story…only the beginning.

Happy Training.

By all means though, check out The Free Management Library’s complete training section.

August 27, 2014April 30, 2022

Rating Training

We're after an improved product. Improper training doesn't do it.Yet, we evaluate our trainers and training in about five minutes. — We’re after an improved product. Improper training doesn’t do it. Yet, we evaluate our trainers and training in about five minutes.

We know training is important to both organizations and employees, yet it is often seen by workers and supervisors as extra work of no real value. It interrupts the workflow. It is the immediately tangible evaluations that become most important.

The effectiveness of training should matter. That’s what we tell ourselves and, yet, we hand out trainer and training evaluations before that training is even over, asking participants how valuable that training was. A bit odd, don’t you think? What we think after a training session or class is often inconclusive and doesn’t always matter. I know that sounds like a fairly ridiculous statement, but please hear me out because it should matter.

Evaluations tell us the impact training has on production or a variety of more mundane but equally important issues that must be repeated per State or Federal law. Why? Trainers in a rush to get the job done, employers aching for results push for participant validation.

Trainers are most concerned about the perceived impact. They believe the real impact will come later. Maybe. Most often, after a training session, participants are asked to “rate” the training.

So, how does someone rate training? Usually by answering questions about how they felt the training was appropriate and/or a useful addition to their work proficiency. Of course, this begs the age-old question: if participants need to be trained, how do they know what is good for them?

Rating trainers is another issue. With each, personality, speaking and presenting ability, and likeability make a difference. Someone can appear too friendly, too relaxed, stiff, snooty, bitchy or arrogant, etc.

leader-glasses — There are always a few trainers (and teachers) who know nothing at the moment, according to some respondents.

True. There are always a few trainers (and teachers) who know nothing at the moment, according to some respondents. While the respondents are being dramatic, I’m being facetious, not sarcastic. We cover a range of talents. It’s nice to think everyone is Grade A.

Maybe the trainers and teachers did know something once and lost it.

I had a teacher, a professor emeritus, a pioneer in his field who had gained worldwide recognition and prominence. He had Alzheimer’s by the time I attended his class; the lectures were odd sometimes, but beneath it all whatever the man said proved his undeniable genius and inspired the class.

Similarly, retired CEOs who take to the road lose their edge at some point. It happens. Listen closely. His or her ramblings may still contain some wisdom. Also, it happens that a trainer may not have given the training assignment sufficient research, analyzed his or her audience well; however deep down they are not ignorant–just mistaken and in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Allotting five minutes to complete the evaluation doesn’t allow enough time for critical thought. Since they received the evaluation request (as it usually happens) before the training is even over, the training session’s value has been minimized by the immediate and unnecessary rush to judgment.

Most of us believe that training should reflect positively on one’s career. Although there are companies that view training as adding to worker credibility or a stepping stone in the company, many still, however, do not. For the companies and organizations that truly value training a worker receives, bravo!

leaderw — The boss is miffed because work isn’t getting done.

They take time out of their already busy day; the boss is miffed because work isn’t getting done; the “why we train” is seldom mentioned and, if it is, employees are suspicious of the organization’s motives regardless.

Still most of the time the process of evaluating training is guesswork. And, that evaluation is always tainted by personal factors. Like mediocre movie or plays, the reviews may be mixed. Positives and negatives cancelling each others.

What if it is a training product? I hate watching videos, taking online quizzes, etc. For me, that kind of training (the kind necessary by law) is a box-filler. The training itself is no joke, but the form diminishes its value. In this case, the training isn’t about delivery skills; it’s about the method.

Is the company trying immediately to see if the training is effective? We all know employees love to train. They take time out of their already busy day, the boss is miffed because work isn’t getting done; the “why we train” is seldom mentioned and, if it is, employees are suspicious of the organization’s motives regardless. I doubt most responses are accurate or totally honest.

Trainees will say anything to get out of the room. If they are truly pissed off, they are likely to give the training or trainer a negative review based on personal prejudice. In order to believe training is or education is beneficial the attitude has to cross personal lines.

Perhaps the majority (the bell-curve part) of trainees feel the training is worthwhile. It may even be documented that the training is necessary or useful, but employees don’t have to like it. Besides, what is the documentation based on? Others may feel the training is worthless and a waste of time if it is not immediately applicable to what they are doing at that very minute in their work tasks. Some training is meant for long-term effects and there is no way to measure it in the short term. Still we fill out the forms.

The reality it seems is that the training, while important, is not imminently as important as the first tangible product. The evaluation.

Happy training.

By all means though, check out The Free Management Library’s complete training section.

July 22, 2014June 30, 2022

Are We Falling Into Internet Space?

A-person-working-on-the-internet-with-his-laptop

Most of us “technology-minded” people think we are connected to the world, but we aren’t. Not really. Not in what matters. Now, that’s the real question. What matters?

Little things like humanity, a caring, giving society, right? Isn’t that what we hope for? Then, the stark reality sets in. Humanity be damned and survival of the fittest begins yet again.

In today’s economy, it’s not unusual that my students are generally older and already working… They are not always at the jobs they envisioned or credible at the level in which they wish to be perceived. My students seek jobs in IT, business management and medical records and technical support. Practical jobs. There’s the problem. Humanity is all around us, not just at work.

I hope what I said to my students via email resonates with everyone, especially trainers who may have to do the same job, will find the approach useful. It was one of the those moments when I felt I was on a roll and that my message might be useful to others. So, here goes:

Please don’t take this as a scolding. It’s more of a philosophical discussion to help you understand why we approach things as we are doing.

You are a great class. I love your enthusiasm however misdirected. Sometimes it gets off point and it seems we waste time, but we aren’t. We talked about me a lot last class. We need to talk about you. Personally, I don’t mind; I’m an open book. That’s just who I am. Because I have a lot of experiences I share them with you, and I apologize if you don’t think they are always on point. I try. Give me some credit; many of you are otherwise engaged and not listening (hearing doesn’t count, remember) to me. Your persuasive speech is about you. What you think, how you put relevant facts together and communicate your idea to us.

This is all for you. I am fully engaged in helping you improve on what I think is one of the most important aspects of work and life. People who communicate well generally do better than those who don’t. Not all us have the luck or the heritage or money or even guidance to have had the early breaks to success. Now’s time to make up for it. The world has so much to offer that to exclude anything because you don’t know much about it just seems wrong.

The group evaluations were particularly telling about you as a class. You support each other. You care that everyone gets a good grade. You even make excuses for those not there. None of this is bad, but there are times to see yourself as part of a group, and times when you are an individual. There are times to step back and look at what it really takes to do a job as an individual with a past life of experiences. That will make you a compelling communicator.

If you work hard and take advantage of what is offered, you can’t fail. On its appearance, most people assume this is an uncomplicated subject and easy class. Wait ’til these people come in to take it.

You know how complicated and intricately woven communication is. I try to make it basic because it is basic–perhaps so basic as to be overlooked and taken for granted. People just say “I can’t do that,” or “That’s not my skill set,” or “I don’t do Sushi.” What happened to, “I’ll try it,” “I’m game,” or “Gee, that’s interesting, tell me more?” Do you understand the subtlety here? One group is passive and the other active. It’s not introvert and extrovert; it doesn’t matter. It’s how you approach whatever it is you want to do.

You should know by now that I don’t break down into little pieces what we do and “spoon feed” them to you; still, I simplify the process as much as I can. I don’t want someone to answer specific questions because there are no specific answers, and so there is very often no wrong answer. This is one of those subjects. (Think softer skills training.)

Why do I do I not “spoon feed” you the answers? It’s simple. I want the ideas and processes to ingrained in you forever, not forgotten after the tests. It doesn’t matter if you know what something is called specifically–only if it works and you do it. It becomes a part of you. Then, you have learned it.

We learn what works well when it comes to work. To be successful at anything as you should already know, we need to do more than the expected to be noticed in the workplace. Sometimes having a novel idea will rocket us to the top, but not that many of us do that. I could give you tiny details like someone telling you exactly point-by-point how to do your job, but I don’t.

You can see that in the speech evaluation sheets you get back from me. You can see I look at areas and how hard you tried to accomplish the general task. I give you general guidelines for a specific product and leave a door wide open for you to discuss if you have an issue or a problem. I try to make common sense out of what we are talking about and relevant to you because, after all, there no hard and fast answers.

Enough of the motivational speech (I wrote this here and now–not previously). I really want you to see that giving you examples and being human like you is to make you a human presenter. If you only fill in the blanks and get them right, you lose in the end.

You may have thought this isn’t a class for everyone (at least in everyone’s mind), but it really is. Not so much “philosophy” next email. I have some helpful additional sources and precautions I need to share relevant to the next two speeches.

That’s right. This is coming at the end of the class. It has taken this long to pull many students into the discussion, into the idea that communication is as important as the details.

Hopefully, they see for themselves now the very idea that humanity is losing touch unless we start communicating personally as well. Our current lack of communication skills has been extrapolated and commented on in many recent films and novels, all of which are usually very dark, where people are dull-witted, despairing and fearful of the future. In dystopias–not utopias. We know our society is on a wrong path, and we ask the question: how are we going to survive? If we aren’t, we should be.

Are we falling into Internet Space? No, but we’re holding on to the proverbial edge of reality.

The “cave” is simply where we train. I promise there will be a II and III based on my articles here. If you like what you see here, I have a blog site, Shaw’s Reality, where I look at the world’s reality from a variety of perspectives. I have also published a young adult science fiction dystopian novel, In Makr’s Shadow.

By all means though, check out The Free Management Library’s complete training section.

July 22, 2014February 8, 2022

Résumés Can’t Speak

The Age of Technology seems to be creating more introverts than ever. Although not true in every workplace, introverts in most work environments used to be the minority. Now that’s changed. Our electronic devices are pulling us inward. We all have phones but rarely use them to make a call. The idea of talking to someone directly or via a device is not the preferred method to communicate. We text, text and text. Well, sometimes we Skype, but mostly we communicate with abbreviated text, often incognito, in the freedom of the internet world.

At work, more people are sitting in the shadows these days, hiding behind a computer screen, locked on to hard-fast rules, knowing only one answer to a problem. It is comfortable to stay invisible. We all know that the world of work may appreciate that some people have to turn in work without communicating; however, few would deny that most of our business and community leaders are high achievers in part because they are good or great communicators. These leaders know the value of face-to-face communication and have the confidence to use it.

Most of us feel we are connected, but we aren’t really. What we may have gained in our reach for knowing the world, we’ve lost in knowing ourselves, in our personal connectivity. So many things we do in person, we leave to an abbreviated script. It allows us to maintain aloofness, disguise our intentions, and forsake our fellow humans because it’s easier to be shy. Or, distant. Or, above the fray.

As if it all didn’t matter–it being not IT, but interpersonal communication. Pun intended.

Naturally, good communication is important in work, play and home. So, why then is it pushed aside for efficiency? It is, and you know it. You’ve experienced it. You know how bad it feels when someone sends a text or email and you think they should have called or spoke in person. The rules have changed and there are probably only a few handbooks on what is appropriate now.

It’s not just about appropriateness. We need to communicate honestly with spoken words.

Since this blog is about training… How do we inspire people who don’t see the need for soft skills acquire them? It’s a tough call. Check out my next blog. Better yet, offer some answers yourself.

I’ve written on communication skills for trainers on occasion, but this is–a rather unusual piece of writing addressed to “students” to help them understand the connection among us and the significance of communication to their world of work.

Before I was a trainer, I was a teacher. Now that I have somewhat retired… No one who really loves their work really retires… I am teaching again–this time teaching English, Critical Thinking and especially Public Speaking at a proprietary college, where no one majors in these subjects and, for the most part, find them redundant if not totally unnecessary. “Public speaking” is code for communication plain and simple.

Today’s reality is not so stark, yet employers are concerned that workers have problems interacting and problem solving. The idea of selling oneself is almost a thing of a past–or at least in eyes of job-seekers. Mostly, they want their résumés to do the talking when good communication skills are what the job interviews and the jobs really calls for.

May 12, 2014July 3, 2022

Preparing Millennials–A Matter of National Interest

Asian-people-wearing-black-in-a-group-picture

Our current generation of millennial professionals will make up the majority of the workplace in the next twenty years. Employers report millennials aren’t ready for work–that in management and leadership areas they only succeed because they are bright achievers. So far. We have the power to change that.

It’s not anyone’s fault–everything is happening so fast. But a solution is of national–if not world importance. This world will be their world so millennials look at it differently. They see business and politics interconnectedly on the world stage, and for the world’s benefit.

Giving millennials the right tools is a matter of national concern–at the least. Making them fit into the current organizational parameters seems impossible, but it’s not.

Millennials don’t fit in now, for the most part. And, they don’t feel like they do either. According to the Deloitte study released January 2014, more than 30 percent, feel unprepared. Those in the system are taking risks while trying to innovate in an environment that doesn’t think like them.

Two-thirds of the next generation to run our business, nonprofits our government believe “the outlook and attitudes of management are serious barriers to innovation, such as a reluctance to take risks; a reliance on existing products, services, and ways of doing business; and an unwillingness to collaborate with other businesses or universities,” reports the study.

“It’s clear that millennials want to innovate and businesses should be listening,” said Salzberg, Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. He also says that traditional ways of training and developing employees doesn’t work anymore.

So, how do we as trainers, help millennials gain the critical skills they need as well as change employer support?”

Millennials think business and government should do more to help alleviate the wrongs of the world–that our way of doing business only makes matters worse. It is apparent that they feel strongly about collaboration and cooperation, not only with other businesses but government organizations.

Here’s what employers need to do:

Offer employees the means to feel connected to the whole.
Help them experience the entire organization by giving them work that is either linked to all areas in the organization or provide them an opportunity for multi-mentors.
Provide opportunities to take on entire projects with lots of networking and partnering and run with them.
Let them help or lead the company in making significant changes in the world, and in the worldview of the company by adapting its business practices or assist with branching out.
Let them lead community outreach areas.
Involve millennials in foreign offices or with government actions abroad.

This is by far not an all-inclusive list. Millennials connect to everyone, everywhere. It’s a very small world to them–as small as their devices.

In most offices, working overtime or late hours today is the norm–especially now the economy is not terrific. Since millennials are more connected than most of us; their priorities are different. They believe their personal lives are as important, if not more so, than work, but they aren’t lazy? Not at all. It seems they see the whole picture as an interlocking puzzle. That the answers are innovation derived from everywhere. Think “out the box?” These guys live “outside the box.”

So, how do we train them to be productive employees and eventual leaders in the world of work–participating in commercial, nonprofit or government organizations?

Millennials have admirable traits that we have to bring out in the workplace. Although inclusive, millennials are achievers; they goal–oriented, civic-minded, confident and hopeful. Oh, and connected.

That even goes for college students preparing for the world of work. We need to start here.

College student millennials have to be treated and taught as any other. In addition to training, I teach public speaking at a local university. My university classrooms are task- and product driven. Primarily, individual in nature, these tasks and products are the result of cooperation–and certaining bringing in outside sources as we would expect. There’s theory, too. The “why” of what we do or effect.

My millennial students are connected as well. While my world of communication is focused outward, while they focus communication inward. More and more students seem to be introverted and shy these days. It’s no wonder with all the devices, new technology and games. My own high school kids tell me, “It’s even cool to be a nerd.”

These shy millennials may not seem a perfect fit for the mainstream; they soon will be anyway. We have to do something now to make that transition easier. To do so, there are ways to draw them out, while deriving the advantages of their innovative nature.

Here are some techniques that will work for trainers as well to bring them out of the inner world of technology:

Learn their language–just as a missionary learns the language of the people he or she is trying to convert.
Let them know what’s important.
Model the behavior you want to see in them,
Always explain the why you are asking them to do something. They are curious–more than wanting to know what’s in it for them.
Always tell the truth. Millennials respect that–even if they don’t like it. They want to be clear.
Make the training or teaching session fun. Not like the ones we usually do with other trainees. Remember these folks are particularly adept at games–so nothing simple.
Look for opportunities to praise them in public, and give them the tools to do the job.

Although millennials are confident, it’s not expressed in public. They are confident of their abilities.

In my class, the first impromptu speeches my students give count very little, and in fact, students are usually given the maximum number of points no matter their performance. This helps the student’s confidence level in public; the students also know they won’t fail. My class is loose but controlled. Millennials like a measure of control. I tell them how I am grading their activities or speeches. Even if my grading seems subjective, as long as I tell them that may be the case, they accept my word and the grade graciously.

The same characteristics that are successful in the classroom apply readily in the workplace. I’m talking about preparing a millennial for that world of work and we have to be inside their heads.

Whether in school or work, they are the same. Doesn’t it make sense that teaching them should start early? I can only start with college, but I’m sure other innovative teachers from kindergarten to 12th grade in high school can figure it out.

Obviously my classroom isn’t typical. Students are speaking everyday as I told them they would at the beginning. I told them I might stop them and have them start over, but that did not mean the action would affect their grade. I set the tone for every lesson by telling them what I and they are going to be doing–and why. When they ask about future lessons, I am frank with them. I also tell them how they can fail, which can be by lack of participation, i.e., attendance, or by “texting” in their homework. There is no “just good enough;” there’s only the standards I set for them and they acknowledge. Employers should say the same.

Hopefully, we can see the application in both areas of teaching and training millennials. We want our workers, devoted to tasks, take pride in their work and make our organizations in the world. The economy gets better and the nation perhaps more politically savvy. The situation in both have to improve. It’s a matter of national interest.

By the way, this is not all I do. I don’t only write about training and development, but I believe in connections. Information and communication is applicable in many ways. If you are interested in my approach here or in other offerings on the site, you might also be interested in my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. “Cave” and “Man” are separate on purpose. The “cave” is simply where we train. I promise there will be a II and III based on my articles here. If you like what you see here, I have a blog site, Shaw’s Reality, where I look at the world’s reality from a variety of perspectives.

By all means though, check out The Free Management Library’s complete training section.

November 30, 2013June 6, 2022

Training the “Educated” Consumer

mobile-phones — It’s not just cell phones and texting that has made for more strangers…

Do we educate the consumer or train those who do, or should that even be the case? Now, the rest of this article is commentary and reaction to that question, hopefully to give us all something to think about.

Anything you buy today you need to research on the internet and still you could buy an inferior product, but once it’s in your home, you still have to install it (obviously something technical), you have an army of “blogs, forums, FAQs, and expert communities” all ready and willing to help with sage advice.

Not only is the public in need of this army, but so are the companies, making these products and taking advantage to cut back on their support resources. Who wins? Surely not the public except out of necessity. I think this is an accurate picture of the way customer service is today. My question is: does it have to be?

Face to face customer service may be coming a thing of the past, but should it? When it does, we stop communicating and we stop caring about each other. More and more people become strangers.

The “educated” consumer? We are so “educated” that we have to research the quality of products by looking at consumer reviews before we buy them. Call me a old fashioned, but I’d like to think a product will last a reasonable amount of time and I shouldn’t have to buy an extended warranty to get enough life out of a product. Those blogs and forums, FAQs and expert communities that were mentioned, I believe, were the public’s answer to poor customer service, especially in this computer age of complex electronic products.

Customers were tired of calling the companies involved and not getting a satisfactory response. And, now companies are taking advantage. I get my answers there as well. I have always found it interesting that an employee of the company finds his or her way on the blog or forum and provides a solution or says the solution is coming out next month.

The problem is bigger than just customer service. The manner in how we deal with others has been affected as well. It’s not just cell phones and texting that has made us more strangers. The workers on the receiving end, even the retail end, are developing an attitude of “if you don’t like it or it doesn’t work, bring it back.”

Smiling Cashier — The workers on the receiving end, even the retail end, are developing an attitude of “if you don’t like it or it doesn’t work, bring it back.”

Most of us don’t remember when companies that made the products and the retailers who sold their products used to stand behind their products. That meant we trusted one another and we communicated so well we knew one another. Strange that a society that’s becoming overpopulated is becoming a society of strangers.

I was watching my fifteen-year-old son, Aidan, today as he helped me out on the computer. Nothing major I thought. I wanted to compress some audio files. I’ll play the part of a bragging parent today. For him it was child’s play, literally. He whipped out his laptop, pecked away, found a few free sites, and over-solved my problem (if that’s possible), and provided me with two linked podcast sites. I was amazed and commented that he really had found his calling, and he looked at me and frowned, “Dad, that’s way too easy. Kidstuff. You’ve got to be kidding.”

I wasn’t kidding. Here’s the part that matters to us. Do you know what’s hard for him? Talking to a stranger, or even someone he knows socially unless video games are involved. We hosted a German exchange student, Max, at the house. We expected Aidan and Max would be talking up a storm. Nope. Not in German anyway, which they both spoke. However, they both spoke the language of video games better.

Aidan is super bright–like genius bright, and at 15 he’s already into college-level physics, philosophy and the humanities. So, caring about society and people should be pretty high on his list. Is he shy? Is he a nerd.? You could say that. He prides himself on it. In fact, he’s a lot retro. He’s also sensitive for a boy his age. But all this has to do with isolation from a real lack of face-to-face communication, not shyness. We love it when he has an opportunity to be involved face-to-face.

It’s the same as the counter person or retail person who conducts business without caring what the customer thinks because that person doesn’t really exist in their world. Aidan doesn’t want any part of the world unless he creates it and I don’t think he’s alone. Don’t get me wrong. He’s a great kid, but he’s like so many others who are accepting the way things are. It’s not a phase we are going through. The devices will only get smaller, more complex and devious.

When I lived in Tokyo for a while, as crowded as it was (and still is), people lived in their own little space rarely recognizing their neighbors. People walk with their heads down in a perpetual bow. We are learning that here, too, while we keep our noses buried in our devices. Friends walk by and we text them. My daughter has two friends with her in the back seat. Silence except for clicking. How rude she is I’m thinking. I don’t know which is worse. The noise of three excited teenagers or the lack of social skills. Turns out they were talking to each other the whole time. Via text!

Our new toys and technology may have made the world more efficient in some ways, but some interactions in society still need a personal touch.

A good cook still checks on his or her food occasionally, never leaving anything to chance, or kitchen timers and unequal oven temperatures.

Hopefully, the holidays bring everyone together happily to socialize. Aidan was not so happy being dragged off for dessert at a friends house and stayed buried in a handheld video game for a time, but for the last hour, I think I saw it sitting on the sofa alone and he was sitting another room with people.

All is not lost. We have to keep reminding people to keep holding their heads up. For the most part, we are not a bowing culture. Not that there is anything wrong with that in itself–unless it is caused by oblivion–like that of an ostrich with its head buried in the sand or us with our heads buried in our devices.

Happy Socializing…er Training.

For more resources about training, see the Training library.

As the Host of the Blog site, I ask that you take a look at my new blog that focuses on other topics than training. My training/speech blog is still out there, but I’m letting it die in cyberspace. My best selling e-book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development is out. I need to tell you that I know Cave Man is not spelled that way and that is on purpose. The Cave is where we work, play and live. Read the book and you’ll get it. I hope to have two more following it soon.

My futuristic e-novel, Harry’s Reality, is a look at what happens when society gives up control of the mismanaged dying planet to an evolving artificial intelligence. It is also available at any bookstore that sells e-books for direct downloads to your ereader, and directly through Smashwords. By the way on my blog site you’ll find clips from the novel as well as discussions.