All organizations want to identify, develop, and deploy their high-performance employees. And no wonder: The top 5% of a company’s employees account for a full quarter ( 26%, according to ERE Media ) of its productivity. Still, more is needed than just good intentions and “managerial instinct”—whatever that is. The best-performing companies have well-developed systems in place to identify high-potential employees and turn them into production powerhouses. In fact, all of the Fortune 100 do this on a regular basis. Identifying those high potentials can be the trickiest part of the process.

In training and development, content is important. But finding (or creating) quality content is only the first step in the process of building a training library. Content curation (including content vetting) is just as crucial—and worth investing in. Although many people talk about curation, few have come out and explicitly outlined what content curation is in a training context. Really, content curation is not all that different from, say, museum curation. museum can gather a number of artifacts, but until the museum curator does his or her job, the museum simply has a collection.

If you’ve ever stayed to finish a report instead of heading off to lunch, gone for a morning run instead of grabbing an extra 20 minutes in bed, or sat through a kid’s school play, you’re familiar with setting priorities. Setting priorities isn’t just about choosing to do one thing over another; it’s about choosing to do important things first so that you can achieve your long-term goals. Once priorities are established, they help us to stay organized and on-task. We are most familiar with individuals setting goals and choosing priorities, but teams and organizations can do so as well.

No matter the size of your company, there are going to be laws and regulations that mandate certain kinds of training. Companies have to stay in strict compliance with these mandates, or else face penalties. OSHA, for example, penalizes companies every year for lapses in required training or training inefficiencies. This creates a need for delivering compliance training quickly and efficiently, and then proving that the training was completed according to the pertinent laws and regulations. This is where the exercise gets difficult. Twenty-one percent listed it as their #1 concern. Compliance

A leader not only brings a vision to their team, but motivates them to make their vision a reality. Contrast that picture with what we typically think when we hear the word “manager.” A manager has milestones and expectations, concentrating on the work, the day-to-day, and measures performance based on what the team does. leader wants to develop other leaders; a manager has a to-do list the team must complete. We may readily recognize those differences, but it might not be clear how the skill sets of the two differ, if at all, or how they affect different approaches to training. Leadership

There’s an old saying that says, “Knowing is half the battle.” That’s true, and a good reminder of the importance of learning. Still, it leaves one wondering “What’s the other half?”. Answering that question is not just playing arm-chair philosopher by pondering a proverb. There are real-world implications hidden in that quote. When 80 percent of training courses fail to be recalled by employees, it is important to understand what other elements are needed to retain and apply training information—and how those elements can be worked into existing programs. Will their recall be better now?

Every few decades, there is a shift in the ways in which people get their information. Printing presses made leaflets and newsletters easy to produce. Journalist networks gave rise to the morning paper. Widespread adoption of television led to the nightly news. Nowadays, social media is becoming the primary way that we find and ingest information. According to the latest research from Pew Research Center, 78 percent of Americans use social networking sites. For those ages 18-29 who are just entering the workforce, that number is closer to 90 percent. What would training courses look like?

Everyone exists somewhere on the continuum from introvert to extrovert. That’s a good thing because both the quiet, introspective introvert and the outgoing, assertive extrovert have their place to communicate in the work environment. Still, leading a team composed of different personality types can be a challenge. One of the biggest issues in such a group will be communication—both your communication with team members, and their communication with each other. Overcoming this challenge is worthwhile. Learn what those differences are and think about how they could affect team dynamics.

Employee feedback is a widely recognized way for managers to develop their direct reports, and no event provides a better opportunity for candid feedback than performance reviews. Giving Giving your managers and leaders extra training on reviews is a good way to help them overcome the discomfort that often follows formal feedback situations. Indeed, soft skills like “coaching and providing feedback” are precisely the ones that many of today’s managers lack. Feedback is a Critical Step in Development. Think back to the first time you tried to do something new. How did that change?

Einstein once said that any idea “should be as simple as possible—and no more.” He realized that simplicity was a good thing, but like any good thing, there can sometimes be too much of it. The same advice applies to the trend of micro-learning. The slogan behind micro-learning endeavors are “shorter is better.” This is true, to a certain extent. Some vendors and educators are taking this to extremes without truly investigating the ideal length of learning material. Just what is micro-learning, and how is it changing corporate learning initiatives? The average Ted Talk is 18 minutes long.

This is a story about finding creativity in something that normally does not come across as imaginative nor inventive: templates. The story starts almost 20 years ago, when a trio of Israeli researchers working at The Jerusalem School of Business Administration set out to see if good advertisements—the ones that seem the most creative, the most inspired, and that have the most impact—could be generated by a process that was teachable. After studying hundreds of ads, they noticed that many of the ones viewers deemed “successful” followed certain patterns. Or management policies? Consequences.

There’s no denying it, Olympic fever has washed over us. Not Not only are we glued to our screens watching Phelps, Ledecky, Biles and Thrasher, but our social media feeds are filling up with “useful advice” inspired by our Olympians’ superb accomplishments. significant amount of this advice is useful: eat well, sleep at least eight hours, mentally prepare, and practice, practice, practice. But though these pieces of advice are routines all Olympic athletes (and healthy human beings) should follow, none of them distinguish the gold medalists from other participants. Leadership

The term “workplace harassment” often conjures images of 1950s-style gender-based pestering where men made women feel uncomfortable and powerless through comments and touch that would not fly in today’s workplace – “Mad Men” style. The issue has become much wider than just gender though, and is recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court. By its definition, harassment can include ethnic, racial, age, disability, color, religion, pregnancy, and gender-identity harassment. This means that education about and awareness of harassment should be a top priority for organizations.

“Workplace diversity” once meant representation by two genders and a small range of skin tones. Today, diversity means more: Different generations (Boomers, Millennials and Gens X, Y, and Z), the whole spectrum of LGBTQ, and vastly different cultures of origin. It also covers introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts; visual learners and verbal learners; geeks, hipsters, and moms. The organizational challenge now is bigger than just bringing all this diversity together, keeping the peace, and getting the job done. Put simply, employees aren’t simply a conglomerate of groups with labels. Absolutely.

Most trainers and teachers have heard of blended learning. Perhaps you yourself have tried to incorporate it into your training programs. Still, the term has been used so much that it frequently gets misused. Once one understands what blended learning really is, it becomes a lot easier to see its benefits, and to recognize vendors that are actually offering true value, as opposed to a buzzword. The idea is that computer-mediated instruction is added to, or combined with, more personal face-to-face instruction. It reduces training costs. It offers 24/7 access to training. Learner options.

Learning cultures don’t just appear out of nowhere; they take time to cultivate. The The habits of your employees have to be changed at the same time you are changing the attitudes of your managers and the policies of your company or unit. Such wholesale change does pay off , however. According to a study by Bersin & Associates, companies with high-impact learning cultures tend to significantly outperform their peers in many ways: They are 32 percent more likely to be first to market with an innovative product or service. They have 37 percent greater employee productivity. Refine as needed.

A study conducted by PricewaterhouseCooper found that only a mere 2.5% of companies complete all the projects they set out to do, and about 1 in 6 projects had a cost overrun of 200% or more. We thought it worth following up to see if anything had improved over the past couple of years—and if not, why not? Another Wake-Up Call on Poor Project Management. What we found were even more sobering statistics to add to the list. They reported that, for every $1 billion spent on projects in the U.S., Why Project Management Continues to be a Challenge: The 4 Cs. Greater Speed of Change. Leadership

A study conducted by PricewaterhouseCooper found that only a mere 2.5% of companies complete all the projects they set out to do, and about 1 in 6 projects had a cost overrun of 200% or more. We thought it worth following up to see if anything had improved over the past couple of years—and if not, why not? Another Wake-Up Call on Poor Project Management. What we found were even more sobering statistics to add to the list. They reported that, for every $1 billion spent on projects in the U.S., Why Project Management Continues to be a Challenge: The 4 Cs. Greater Speed of Change. Leadership

The front end of the Baby Boomer cohort—77 million strong —is turning 70 this year, with many of them already retired for a number of years. The back end of this demographic is age 52, with a lot of good work years left. In between are wave upon wave of soon-to-be retirees: deeply skilled and experienced workers leaving the workforce in unprecedented numbers. The Pew Research Center projects 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach age 65, the traditional retirement age, every day during the next 16 years. The point is, employers cannot count on their most experienced to stick around.”. Human Resources

The front end of the Baby Boomer cohort—77 million strong —is turning 70 this year, with many of them already retired for a number of years. The back end of this demographic is age 52, with a lot of good work years left. In between are wave upon wave of soon-to-be retirees: deeply skilled and experienced workers leaving the workforce in unprecedented numbers. The Pew Research Center projects 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach age 65, the traditional retirement age, every day during the next 16 years. The point is, employers cannot count on their most experienced to stick around.”. Human Resources

When promotion time comes around, it makes sense to look to your best employees for potential leaders. Theoretically if someone has the skills and the work ethic to be a good employee, he or she should be able to teach, organize, and motivate a team, but this may not necessarily be the case. The skills that make an employee good at his or her job are seldom the same skills that make a good leader. Consider the following job areas: Programming/IT : A good programmer or “coder” is logical, detail-oriented, and good at problem-solving. Not necessarily. The list could go on and on. Absolutely not!

When promotion time comes around, it makes sense to look to your best employees for potential leaders. Theoretically if someone has the skills and the work ethic to be a good employee, he or she should be able to teach, organize, and motivate a team, but this may not necessarily be the case. The skills that make an employee good at his or her job are seldom the same skills that make a good leader. Consider the following job areas: Programming/IT : A good programmer or “coder” is logical, detail-oriented, and good at problem-solving. Not necessarily. The list could go on and on. Absolutely not!

There’s an old meme that gets circulated on LinkedIn and other sites, reporting a conversation between a CEO and a CFO: CFO: What happens if we spend all this money training our employees and they leave? CEO: What happens if we don’t, and they stay? The idea, of course, is that organizations can’t afford NOT to train their employees. But where’s the proof? What does a training program really accomplish in terms of productivity? Employee loyalty? The bottom line? It’s time for that perspective to change. How Does 353% ROI Sound? That’s a 353% ROI. How are such figures calculated?

There’s an old meme that gets circulated on LinkedIn and other sites, reporting a conversation between a CEO and a CFO: CFO: What happens if we spend all this money training our employees and they leave? CEO: What happens if we don’t, and they stay? The idea, of course, is that organizations can’t afford NOT to train their employees. But where’s the proof? What does a training program really accomplish in terms of productivity? Employee loyalty? The bottom line? It’s time for that perspective to change. How Does 353% ROI Sound? That’s a 353% ROI. How are such figures calculated?

We all have workplace habits that could themselves use a little work. Sometimes though, bad habits combined with bad attitudes can create a toxic combination that spills over and affects whole teams. There are many toxic behaviors that may be present in your workplace, but it’s important to consider looking out for the unproductive behaviors such as: . Disorganization. Disorganized individuals are easy to identify – they’re often running late, missing deadlines, or arriving to meetings unprepared. What’s the antidote? Pair this training with frequent check-ins and offers of support.

We all have workplace habits that could themselves use a little work. Sometimes though, bad habits combined with bad attitudes can create a toxic combination that spills over and affects whole teams. There are many toxic behaviors that may be present in your workplace, but it’s important to consider looking out for the unproductive behaviors such as: . Disorganization. Disorganized individuals are easy to identify – they’re often running late, missing deadlines, or arriving to meetings unprepared. What’s the antidote? Pair this training with frequent check-ins and offers of support.

In day-to-day operations and their accompanying challenges in IT, marketing, compliance, and so forth, there often isn’t time to focus on projected problems. In reality though, effective company leadership must face the fact that any organization, including theirs, could experience just one life event — a big client expansion, a C-level sabbatical, or a maternity leave, that extends into a career switch—away from an unexpected change in leadership. Unfortunately, most organizations are ill-prepared for those changes. Identify the essential positions in your organization.

In day-to-day operations and their accompanying challenges in IT, marketing, compliance, and so forth, there often isn’t time to focus on projected problems. In reality though, effective company leadership must face the fact that any organization, including theirs, could experience just one life event — a big client expansion, a C-level sabbatical, or a maternity leave, that extends into a career switch—away from an unexpected change in leadership. Unfortunately, most organizations are ill-prepared for those changes. Identify the essential positions in your organization.

In day-to-day operations and their accompanying challenges in IT, marketing, compliance, and so forth, there often isn’t time to focus on projected problems. In reality though, effective company leadership must face the fact that any organization, including theirs, could experience just one life event — a big client expansion, a C-level sabbatical, or a maternity [.]. The post Succession Planning: Solving Issues Before They Form appeared first on. Training and Development

There is a perpetual debate on whether leaders are born or made (or both). Whatever the truth may be, there is always going to be a gap between a high-potential employee and the leader he or she can, and hopefully will, become. The job of development is to fill that gap and make leaders that employees willingly follow. Employees naturally want to follow good leaders, and while many leaders are charming or energetic, that charisma will only bring them so far. Employees will only continue to follow someone who supports and challenges them. Those are leaders that employees will naturally follow.

There is a perpetual debate on whether leaders are born or made (or both). Whatever the truth may be, there is always going to be a gap between a high-potential employee and the leader he or she can, and hopefully will, become. The job of development is to fill that gap and make leaders that employees willingly follow. Employees naturally want to follow good leaders, and while many leaders are charming or energetic, that charisma will only bring them so far. Employees will only continue to follow someone who supports and challenges them. Those are leaders that employees will naturally follow.

A training program can only be considered effective if employees apply the new behaviors or skills they’ve learned in the workplace. Studies have found that up to 90% of new skills are lost within a year and so, by that benchmark, a lot of corporate training is ineffective. Highly successful programs do exist though. One of the main ingredients that separates truly effective training from what amounts to corporate busy work is a strategy for getting employees to remember and use their training to the point where it becomes habit. In short, training has to stick. Use Visuals in Your Training.

A training program can only be considered effective if employees apply the new behaviors or skills they’ve learned in the workplace. Studies have found that up to 90% of new skills are lost within a year and so, by that benchmark, a lot of corporate training is ineffective. Highly successful programs do exist though. One of the main ingredients that separates truly effective training from what amounts to corporate busy work is a strategy for getting employees to remember and use their training to the point where it becomes habit. In short, training has to stick. Use Visuals in Your Training.

A training program can only be considered effective if employees apply the new behaviors or skills they’ve learned in the workplace. Studies have found that up to 90% of new skills are lost within a year and so, by that benchmark, a lot of corporate training is ineffective. Highly successful programs do exist though. One [.]. The post 5 Simple Tips For Creating Unforgettable Training Content appeared first on. Training & Development Uncategorized

Employee performance reviews are one of life’s pesky and unavoidable necessities thousands of workers endure every year. Given how much they are a part of corporate life (and employee stress), one would expect most companies to have them down to a science. On the contrary, research firm i4cp found in a 2013 study that only 55 percent of respondents thought performance reviews had a positive impact on their organizations. Furthermore, only 28 percent believed their organizations were any good at performance management as a whole. So what is that 28% doing that other organizations aren’t?

Employee performance reviews are one of life’s pesky and unavoidable necessities thousands of workers endure every year. Given how much they are a part of corporate life (and employee stress), one would expect most companies to have them down to a science. On the contrary, research firm i4cp found in a 2013 study that only 55 percent of respondents thought performance reviews had a positive impact on their organizations. Furthermore, only 28 percent believed their organizations were any good at performance management as a whole. So what is that 28% doing that other organizations aren’t?

An international study done by CCP Capital found the majority of employees (85%) deal with conflict to some degree during their work week. Unsurprisingly, poorly managed conflicts cost – the average employee spends over two hours a week dealing with conflicts, adding up to 385 million work days nationwide spent on conflict resolution every year. [.]. The post 7 Ways to Understand Workplace Conflict (Without Throwing a Punch) appeared first on. Communication at Work Communication Skills Training Training & Development managing workplace conflict understanding workplace conflict

We’ve all had to deal with leaders who have noticeable flaws, and we’ve said we would never be one of those leaders ourselves. Despite those good intentions, bad leaders are all-too-common in the workplace. One study done by Barna Group, in partnership with Leadercast, found that 40 percent of Americans work for someone they consider [.]. The post 6 Traits You Don’t Want in Managers appeared first on. HR Compliance Leadership Training Supervision bad managers bad managers are bad for business six wrong ways to manage employees

A study by CompTIA found 58 percent of employees saying professional development contributes to their job satisfaction, and that percentage grew even higher for millennial and Generation X employees. Future of Work study by PWC (a global professional services networks) found 35 percent of millennial employees reported “good training and development programs” were the [.]. The post How to Get Employees Interested in Training appeared first on. Employee Motivation Training & Development

No business wants to destroy its learning culture. Despite there being clear benefits to having a learning culture, many organizations give little-to-no thought on how to foster one, or even discuss why they would want to. So we asked ourselves: What would it look like if we wrote a tongue-in-cheek guide for businesses on [.]. The post 7 Ways to Destroy Your Learning Culture appeared first on. eLearning Training & Development bad learning cultures at work how to destroy your learning culture

Suppose your company is putting together a team for a new project – perhaps it’s a new sales team, a product development team, or a marketing team. Naturally, it needs to be a high performing team, capable of working together to get results while still welcoming innovation. What should the personalities on that team [.]. The post Introverts and Extroverts: Getting the Right Combination for Your Team appeared first on. HR Compliance Performance Improvement Training & Development

There are over 893 groups in LinkedIn dedicated to change management, a fact which tells us two things: One, executives and business owners are worried about change and want to learn how to manage it effectively, and two, they believe change management is something they can learn. It’s no wonder training for change management has [.]. The post Can You Truly Teach Change Management? appeared first on. Leadership Training Performance Improvement Training & Development

Most people would admit to struggling with meeting deadlines, so much so that Apple’s App Store has over 3,700 productivity apps. In 2011 alone, more than 5,000 books about procrastination were released. Yet despite all of the resources available, deadlines are still being missed. Missing a deadline can prevent career advancement and damage reputations. Every [.]. The post 3 Tips For Never Missing Deadlines appeared first on. Performance Improvement Training & Development Uncategorized

Everyone knows the value of having critical thinking skills. From grade school to college, people are encouraged to think critically about the world around us. The development of this skill is highly sought after in employees. But is there a skill that goes beyond just thinking critically, and that we should be looking for? The [.]. The post The New Business Skill: Critical Observation appeared first on. Communication Skills Training Performance Improvement Training & Development

One of the biggest challenges of employee training programs is getting the material to “stick.” If your trainees can’t recall relevant material in the instant they need it, the training was not effective enough. For example, if your employees take a safety course but still forget to wear the appropriate protective clothing (or wear it [.]. The post Getting Learning to Stick: Go Beyond the Training Program appeared first on. eLearning Training & Development Uncategorized

Over the last few months we’ve published a few articles on learning cultures in organizations, including the benefits of having a learning culture, the ROI of such a culture, and encouraging continued learning with eLearning tools. There’s a good reason why we’ve focused on learning cultures this much: They are at the heart of what [.]. The post Can ej4 Help You Build a Learning Culture? appeared first on. Corporate Training Training & Development building a learning culture building corporate learning culture

Thanks to a 2015 World Happiness report released by the United Nations, it’s now fairly common knowledge that the Danish are among the happiest people in the world. But few know that one of the very things that makes them happy is also what makes them so incredibly productive. Denmark has one of the happiest [.]. The post 3 Lessons in Workplace Happiness We Can Learn From the Danish appeared first on. Performance Improvement Training & Development Uncategorized Workplace happiness

Some say the only real way to develop and train leaders is throw them into leadership roles to get actual experience while pairing them with a mentor. This way, the theory goes, future leaders get experience and receive the necessary guidance and feedback to succeed. This trend in leadership training stems from a school of [.]. The post Mentoring vs. Training: Less at Odds Than You Think appeared first on. Leadership Training Mentoring Training & Development mentoring and training similarities

In business, few things carry more weight than a well-researched statistic. And few things are just as easily misunderstood. Why are stats so perplexing? Put simply, our brains are not wired to readily understand abstract percentages and large numbers. They are much better at comprehending smaller groupings and relationships. To get a fact across, it [.]. The post How Should You Present Statistics So People “Get” Them? appeared first on. eLearning Content Training & Development presenting data in training courses presenting stats in training

Cards on the table: We’ve been talking to some marketing professionals recently. Besides being interesting people, they taught us a few things…like teaching a skill is, in a lot of ways, like marketing a product. For example: Don’t just provide information. In marketing, you do have a “core message” to get across. Of course. But [.]. The post 5 Ways Teaching a Skill is Like Marketing a Product appeared first on. eLearning Training & Development Uncategorized teaching a skill and marketing training is like marketing

There’s no doubt that executives are talking about emotional intelligence (EQ). quick Google search will turn up hundreds of articles and posts about the subject. Some tout that emotional intelligence will be the factor to look for in employees and leaders for the foreseeable future. And some have us asking: “What’s all the hype [.]. The post Is Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Real? appeared first on. Business Ethics eLearning Training & Development emotional intelligence emotional intelligence and employee performance emotional intelligence and the workplace employee emotions at work

We’ve all been on the receiving end of a boring Powerpoint presentation. And we’ve probably created our own share of them, too. This despite the fact that we know how dull they can be. In fact, we reported on one study that found the PowerPoint delivery system so dreaded that 24% of respondents said they [.]. The post Why Do Faces Work Better Than PowerPoint? appeared first on. eLearning Presentation Skills Training & Development Training & Education powerpoint and training training with powerpoint

We all want to be heard. And when coworkers say they want to be heard, it means they want their teams, their company, and their leaders to listen to them. An important part of leadership development, then, is improving one’s listening skills. Skills like active listening. Active listening is simply a method for listening to [.]. The post Active Listening: How to Do It & Why You Should Practice It appeared first on. Communication at Work Communication Skills Training eLearning Active Listening training Developing Listening skills at work Improving Communication at work

For many companies, investing in training and training resources tends toward two extremes. On one extreme, companies lean towards mediocrity: just enough training to say it got done, with as little money spent as possible. On the other, companies will “chase the shiny,” grabbing every new technology and teaching method that comes down the pike. [.]. The post 5 Ways a Strong Learning Culture Provides ROI appeared first on. eLearning Training & Development Uncategorized corporate learning ROI ROI of corporate training ROI of learning culture the right learning culture

Let’s be honest: most training does not transfer well into the “real world.” You can sit someone down and expose them to a rigorous 48-hour training session, and even if they ace the material, precious little might come of it. The problem is exactly that traditional format where information is blasted at the learner [.]. The post Getting Training to Stick with Bite-Sized Learning appeared first on. eLearning eLearning Courses Off-the-shelf eLearning Training & Development bite sized learning courses bite sized training videos success with bite-sized learning

Have you ever wondered why some teams seem to go straight to the top, while others just struggle or sink to the bottom? It all has to do with team dynamics. Team dynamics are the behavioral relationships between members of any given team. How a team interacts, communicates, and works together has a dramatic [.]. The post 7 Characteristics of Winning Team Dynamics appeared first on. Team Building Training & Development building better collaboration at work building winning teams at work teamwork at work

You know that people grow business. And the people bringing you the most long-term success are those that are creative. Creative employees spearhead innovation and find new ways to overcome obstacles. So it’s important to create an atmosphere where that magical, elusive substance called “creativity” can flow. But therein lies the problem. Part of what [.]. The post Is Logic a Roadblock to Creativity at Work? appeared first on. Performance Improvement Training & Development creativity at work ej4 using creativity and logic at work

Changing the “culture” of any organization is a real challenge. It’s all too easy to focus instead on day-to-day tactical issues (How do we make this meeting shorter? What’s a better email program? How can we take steps out of our workflow?) But, as they say, most things that are hard to do are, in [.]. The post 10 Benefits of a True Learning Culture appeared first on. eLearning Learning Strategy Training & Development Training & Education Training and Development true company learning culture

For the past few years, just about every senior executive has had the words “skills gap” on their lips. In fact, a report released last year by Adecco Staffing US found a whopping 92% of executives felt that there was a skills gap in their worker pool. And so thousands of jobs go unfilled every [.]. The post The Missing Executive Skill Set That’s Hurting American Business appeared first on. Leadership Training Management Training Training & Development Executive training executives soft skills training

If you have worked with people for any amount of time, you’ve probably figured out by now that every person practically speaks their own language. You can look directly into the eye of two employees and ask them to handle the exact same task and one will get straight to work while the other will [.]. The post Is Your Communication Style at Work Effective? appeared first on. Communication at Work Communication Skills Training eLearning Workplace Communication communication at work communication styles at the office employee communication styles

Managing diversity and inclusiveness has typically been a human resources function—though that tendency is beginning to change in many organizations. What is still up in the air, however, is the “why?” of organizational diversity. For many recruiters and HR staff, organizational diversity means avoiding discriminatory practices (especially in hiring, recruiting, and promoting), posting relevant employment [.]. The post Does Workplace Diversity Really Benefit Organizations? appeared first on.

When a new manager is promoted, a more senior manger is generally tasked with their training. But even an experienced manager might not know how to prepare a new manager for their role. Managing or training employees is one thing… but when showing a new manager the ropes, there are still common training pitfalls. To [.]. The post 3 Ways Good Companies Get Stuck When Training Managers appeared first on. Management Training Training & Education

In business, you can’t please everyone. Though everyone has to deal with a disgruntled customer at one point or another, that encounter doesn’t have to ruin your day— or theirs. Unfortunately, a lot of the customer service advice out there is pretty trite: stay calm, listen, solve the problem, the customer is always right. That’s [.]. The post Dealing with Upset Customers: The Advanced Guide appeared first on. Customer Feedback Customer Service eLearning Training & Development

We’re happy to share our latest customer success story from GreatCall! They came to us looking for a better alternative to training that would increase employee engagement and allow employees to develop new skills in a short amount of time. With over 900+ employees all across the globe, our content fit their needs perfectly – [.]. The post See How GreatCall Uses ej4 to Great Success in Training appeared first on. ej4 eLearning Employee Training News Training & Development

We’re happy to announce the release of our new and updated Supervision content! We’ve updated important managerial lessons such as transitioning from co-worker to boss, becoming a successful delegator, or learning to analyze employee performance, while at the same time, introducing new courses on how to create a workplan and how to become better [.]. The post Check out our New and Updated Supervision Content appeared first on. ej4 eLearning Management Training management training courses new manager training courses supervision courses supervisor training content

You just promoted one of your most promising employees to manager. Along with other new middle managers, she will also be leading a small team of three junior employees. While she has taken the lead on several projects, this will be the first time she’s “the boss.” The question isn’t “Can she do the job.” [.]. The post 5 Traps that New Middle Managers Fall Into appeared first on. eLearning Management Training Training & Education

What do inner-city public schools tell us about best practices for corporations to inspire and retain their talent? And what do they say about the role that business skills training can play? As it turns out: a whole lot. Before we explain that connection, consider this: a recent study by Right Management found that a [.]. The post Why Incentives Are Not Enough to Inspire (and Retain) Your Talent appeared first on. eLearning Training & Development Employee incentives how to retain employees Inspiring your staff ways to retain top talent

Here's a guide to help you connect with the millennials in your office. . The post Communicating with and Keeping Millennials: A Boomer’s Guide appeared first on. Performance Improvement Training & Development

A 2013 PwC study shows that most companies aren’t receptive to the social media feedback they are receiving - 57% of companies don’t use social media for crisis management. Why aren’t companies more responsive to this type of feedback?  Not knowing how to resolve customer complaints is one thing, but ignoring a complaint or fumbling [.]. The post Handling Customer Complaints on Social Media appeared first on. Customer Feedback Customer Service Customer Service Training ej4 eLearning Retail Training Social Media Training & Development Uncategorized customer complaints on social media

We’ve updated our popular Objections series for sales professionals! It’s still the same short, powerful message that teaches or refreshes you on how to identify and handle objections from customers, and turn every “no” into a “yes.” Preview the new look below. Sign up for a free trial today to see the [.]. The post We’ve Updated Our Objections Series! appeared first on. ej4 eLearning eLearning Courses Sales Training Selling Skills Training & Development

Avoid wasting the talents of your staff by offering opportunities for growth. You can start by creating effective training programs. The post How Corporate Training Affects Employee Development appeared first on. eLearning Performance Improvement Training & Development

Did you know only 42% of employees really know what their company’s trying to achieve? That’s a depressing statistic for many reasons but the impact to your business is significant because your company can’t reach its full potential if employees don’t fully understand the company’s objectives, and how they can contribute to the success. If you have important goals, policies or new processes to talk about, you can’t always rely on a company-wide memo, or an email to deliver your message because you won’t know if it’s been read. Start Your Free Trial Now.

Everyone relies on motivation to get through the work day. When the 2 p.m. slump comes around, a cup of coffee isn’t always enough to finish the remaining three hours. For this reason, boosting employee motivation is important for businesses. New research published in the journal Neuron sheds some light on a tool that improves intrinsic motivation: curiosity. According to the study, curiosity can improve learning outcomes and memory, so it’s an effective tool for training programs. You can use this information to help your employees learn new skills. The magic of curiosity.

Taking on eLearning for business is a step toward a modern and effective training program, but poor implementation can negate the benefits of digital tools. Companies that want to use eLearning courseware should take time before purchasing a subscription to think about what they need and how they’ll introduce new training tools. Furthermore, they must consider how they’ll ensure the program satisfies employees needs. You should also identify what was not working in your last program to figure out what you’ll need to change in this next one. Reduce training spending. eLearnin

Path-goal theory is a system of leadership that emphasizes the setting and achieving of goals. Leaders use a path-goal approach because it’s designed to increase employee motivation, empower team members and boost productivity. While this method is generally reserved for strengthening leaders, you can apply it to your company’s training program – if path-goal theory can produce all those benefits, it’s certainly welcome in a training setting. Leaders who use the achievement approach set high goals or standards for their employees to meet. Directive. Participative.

As you’ve trained employees on job-related skills, you’ve probably encountered a couple of outcomes: Some may get bored and zone out, others could appear interested and then fail to integrate their new knowledge into their performance, and a few could leave the training and excel at work. Ideally, you want most (if not all) of your employees to find the path to a solid learning experience. How do you achieve that outcome? Studies suggest a number of methods, though the one you choose comes down to your company’s needs. Covert guidance. Achievement as motivation.

While training employees at your company, you may have noticed that some grasp concepts better than others. It’s true that people do process information at different paces, but the issue could also be that your old training program didn’t cater to numerous learning styles. This theory posits that, while everyone can learn the same information, the way they do differs. Some people best understand a concept when it’s presented using images while others prefer hearing it. ” Know the styles. Depending on which model you look at, there are three to seven learning styles.

Everyone likes to feel that they’ve done a good job or are appreciated, and that’s especially true when it comes to work. Employees who are praised are more motivated to put effort into their jobs. In fact, according to a Gallup poll that was published in the book “How Full is Your Bucket?,” ” the No. reason employees leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated. What’s more, the survey revealed that 65 percent of Americans did not receive recognition for their work. “The No. Because of your keen eye, we avoided a disaster.”

Whether you’ve held a high post for 10 years or you’re a newly anointed leader for your company, there are always going to be tough decisions headed your way, and if you’re not careful, mistakes will follow. And while you can’t outrun failure completely, you can learn to avoid the bigger potholes with better knowledge and training. For more on the biggest leadership snares, check out our new video, “Top Leadership Traps.”. Like what you see? Get more leadership advice from our Leadership Curriculum today with a 15-day trial of Thinkzoom. Start Your Free Trial Today.

According to a report by Calculated Risk, the seasonal hiring boom begins in October and is strong through November. As such, now is the time when retail companies strengthen their forces to handle the increase in customer shopping. In fact, retail groups brought on about 600,000 employees collectively in 2013. If this year is anything like holidays past, hiring managers will have a lot of work to tackle as bells begin to jingle. For instance, those 600,000 people all need to be trained. When a company hires someone permanently, they want that person to gain a deep familiarity with the job.

We’re so excited to announce that Thinkzoom 2.0 is now live and ready for you all to explore! To reiterate, Thinkzoom 2.0 is a redesign integrating your feedback with user experience experts to make Thinkzoom the best learning platform. We have a new “Introduction to Thinkzoom” video, a new “Thinkzoom for First-Time Users” video walking new users through the basics, an updated “Thinkzoom, powered by ej4” video and will have many other marketing videos on the way. Be sure to check back to our blog later this week as we’ll have other Thinkzoom 2.0 Groups. Course Tiles. Left Navigation. Reporting.

Have you ever obsessed over an email you were writing? You meticulously selected each word to ensure you wouldn’t alienate or offend anyone. After it’s perfectly perfect, you hit send and what happens? Despite your best efforts the message in your email is misunderstood, misconstrued and misinterpreted! Just a few weeks ago, we touched upon the downsides of stripping emails of their greetings/salutations in favor of saving a few seconds. We decided to go more in-depth on the topic in our newest video, “Why Video is the Voice of Reason.” Check it out now!

What is pre-crastination? As defined by the Penn State University researchers in their study (which you’ll see below): “We define pre-crastination as the tendency to complete, or at least begin, tasks as soon as possible, even at the expense of extra physical effort” Now to the actual study. recent Harvard Business Review article covered this subject  and the Penn State University study where researchers had 9 different buckets of varying weight and told their students to carry them down an alley to a marker. The catch? The heaviest buckets were closest to the start line. Thanks, Bob.