Leadership teams are no strangers to changes and challenges related to successfully executing strategic objectives. Add in a global pandemic, an almost entirely remote workforce, and challenges tend to multiply. So how can organizations keep engagement levels high while creating alignment with one another over leading priorities?

The key is alignment from within the very body that determines the organization’s direction, the executive team. Sure, many of you are reading that last line, rolling your eyes and sighing, “no kidding.” And sure, it sounds primary and elementary. So was legendary basketball coach John Wooden’s request that his UCLA basketball teams “practice” putting their socks on during the season’s first practice. His reasoning? If you don’t put your socks on correctly, you might develop blisters, which will negatively impact the team.

Back to the leadership teams, trust me. If it were that simple, literally every organization would be operating with high employee engagement levels, maximum efficiency, and profitability that would keep every shareholder and stakeholder ecstatic. A quick glance of the business landscape tells us this is most certainly not the case. So, how can you create this alignment? Through a series of powerful, authentic, robust, and transparent conversations.

The first step in this process is to take a long look at how you arrived at where you currently are. What were the key conversations that took place, and with whom? What were the key decisions you made and didn’t make that helped form your current reality?

Take a close look; where were we, the leadership team, in alignment? Where were we a little bit off and, what was the impact of us not all being on the same page? How did this misalignment affect our communication, our execution? How did this impact the people working with and for us? How did it impact our customers? How can we benefit from that great gift of hindsight to lay the foundation of how we will communicate and align with each other moving forward?

Speaking of moving forward, after aligning on the strategy that you want to execute, who are those key people who will be responsible for putting that strategy into action, and how will you communicate with them to ensure this alignment stays intact? Hearing a consistent message is one thing. Feeling that message is another thing altogether. Endless research shows the difference between “hearing” strategy – this is where we are going and how we will get there – and “feeling” strategy – here is why we are moving in this direction and how what you do is key to all of us succeeding. In other words, to ensure high levels of alignment, engagement, and productivity, the organization, the people who will be doing the work to get us to where we need to be, requires the same level of clarity that the executive team has.

Admittedly, this is nothing new. Countless executive teams struggle with this in the best of times, to say nothing of the complicated world that we’re currently operating in. To offset the economic impact of a global pandemic, much of the focus has been on speed and agility. Yet, the best-laid plans will almost always fall victim to misalignment and a poor understanding of why we are moving in this direction. So, to the executive teams who are reading this, take the time to put your socks on properly. You just might be surprised at how much more effective your organization can be as a result.

 

At Fierce, we know the value of soft skills training, particularly training in the art of communication. Effective communication is crucial for business success.

Equipping employees to meet these challenges requires planning, development and training in both hard and soft skills. Hard skills are tangible, such as the ability to use the needed equipment or perform a particular function. Soft skills, on the other hand, are more elusive and include teamwork, the ability to adapt and communication.

How do soft skills impact the bottom line at your company?

In this Forbes article, Fierce CEO Ed Beltran discusses the significance of soft skills development and how soft skills are crucial for effective collaboration, problem-solving and decision-making among employees and leaders alike.

Read: The Significance Of Soft Skills Development

 

 

At Fierce, we know that the relationships shared between everyone involved in the business, both coworkers and clients, determine its ability to succeed or fail.

As our Founder, Susan Scott, wrote in FIERCE CONVERSATIONS, “Our most valuable currency is not money. Nor is it intelligence, attractiveness, fluency in three-letter acronyms, or the ability to write code or analyze a P&O statement. Our most valuable currency is relationship.”

The virtual workplace only deepens our need to have authentic relationships with the people we work with, especially those we lead.

In this Forbes article, Fierce CEO Ed Beltran discusses one significant mistake remote managers are making and outlines key steps you can take to avoid it.

Read: One Mistake Managers Make When Leading Remote Teams

 

 

In order to turn sensitive conversations into productive workplace communication, a company must be prepared to pivot. With the recent shift in the workplace landscape, Fierce took a more digital approach and introduced interactive microlearning: driving better outcomes through real-life scenarios. With 3D simulation training, employees are equipped with the tools to navigate successful solutions in the workplace while saving company time and resources.

Check out this California Business Journal article where Fierce CEO Ed Beltran breaks down the importance of interactive 3D simulation training.

If you’re curious to learn even more about how you can improve employee development training through fast and engaging microlearning, check out Fierce Microlearning Simulations.

Watch as CEO Ed Beltran breaks down how Interactive 3D Simulations training is changing the landscape of employee development while driving better outcomes. Within the simulations, employees control the narrative while interacting with bite-sized learning sessions through 3D technology. Through real-life scenarios, employees are equipped with the tools to navigate successful solutions in the workplace. 

If you’re curious to learn even more about how you can improve employee development training through fast and engaging microlearning, check out Fierce Microlearning Simulations. 

“We fundamentally believe that the conversation is the relationship and a missed conversation, or poorly executed conversation, can have dire consequences.” – Ed Beltran, CEO of Fierce Conversations.

I’ve been in the field of leadership development my entire 20-year career. And while the landscape of leadership learning has changed tremendously in that time (virtual, on-demand, simulations, gaming), the need to measure its impact has not.

I learned very early on that the most difficult part of my job was the moment a leader asked me to “show them the return”. They wanted to know will this program benefit the company. And if so, how? Usually, the first thing running through my head after this interaction was “do you not trust my judgment? Do you not trust my expertise? Why do you need proof? I’ve told you this is the right training – it will work!”

I’m not unlike many other L&D or HR professionals in the sense that measuring training programs can seem confusing, overwhelming, and even downright impossible at times. I mean let’s face it, we aren’t measuring how much shrink is being produced, or the percentage of call volume. We are talking about measuring trust in leadership or building managerial courage. These can seem like impossibly intangible things.

And yet, it doesn’t have to be rocket science. To successfully realize the value of leadership development and training organizations must expand their focus and consider both the Smart + Heart of measurement. ROI, the “smart” part of this equation is critical.

For instance, Jane went through the coaching workshop and is saving more than 4 hours a week because she is no longer in the “advice-giving” business. That’s 208 hours a year of additional capacity for Jane! Based on Jane’s salary, that time is equal to $7,000 annually. That is a significant result. So yes, ROI is one piece of the evaluation puzzle.

The other piece, in addition to ROI, is what we call the “heart” or for our purposes today, the ROE (Return on Expectations) This includes compelling stories and anecdotes when the numbers don’t explain the results as well as we’d like.

To take the previous example further “Retention has been an issue on Jane’s team in the past. In the months following the coaching workshop, retention has improved by nearly 33%. When her team was asked what they enjoy about their relationship with their manager, 75% mentioned the newly instituted coaching conversations and they feel their opinions matter and their job expectations are clearer.”

When faced with the challenges of measuring behavior change, ROE is a major idea being explored in today’s world of business. While ROI is still acknowledged as crucial, as Kirkpatrick says, “ROE is now being appreciated for what it is; a relevant, focused, big picture look at results”.

Understanding the ROE of L&D

ROE is not limited to just the monetary numbers. ROE encompasses much more. It can be measured in simpler terms and can even measure intangibles such as employee morale or loyalty.”

Is ROI a sound financial measure? Absolutely. Is it the ONLY measure? No. Consider this, what is the cost to our organizations/our teams when we focus so heavily on a pre-determined formula and exclude the big picture? It’s like implementing cost-cutting measures without considering the impact on employee productivity or customer experience. It’s a very narrow view that could be limiting your returns. In addition to ROI, the smarts of measurement, we need to be considering ROE, the heart of measurement.

Measurable ROI and ROE for leadership development rely on one foundational element: Having Skillful Conversations. Leadership development is not an “event”. It’s not a “one-day, two-day, three-day workshop” or “transaction between trainer and participant.”

We can’t go into training thinking “I’m going to deliver this event and then SUDDENLY everyone will change their behavior and we’ll be good.”  Instead, what if you approached training as a development initiative, a continuous conversation to discuss the who, what, where, when, and why of training with leaders, stakeholders, and participants, that begins before the event even takes place and continues long after the event is over?

How to Ensure ROI of Employee Training

Not all of us sit at the level of the strategic conversation. However, all of us play a part in helping our organizations realize better returns on leadership development initiatives. THAT is a conversation we can all add value to. So what can you do to ensure success? I’ll give you 4 tips.

1. Interrogate Reality

Reality is a moving target, which makes it especially challenging to identify clear expectations for leadership development and training. Not only are there differing perspectives of “what is important” based on what functional area you sit in, each person’s individual perspective isn’t necessarily shared by others, even if they are a part of the same conversation. So how can you set clear expectations for training in advance?

As a leader: Have the “What’s in it for me” conversation with your team members who are participating in the training program.

Research has shown us that for sustainable change to occur, insights must be generated from within. Developing a competency or skill just because someone else wants you to do it will never be enough motivation for the change to become lasting. Instead, the more personal the commitment to the learning goals, the more likely the success – If you want to make the learning “stick”, individual ownership is necessary.

As an organization: Before the training is even defined, have the conversations with stakeholders about what skills are required.

A McKinsey & Company report said, “Too many training initiatives we come across rest on the assumption that one size fits all and that the same group of skills or style of leadership is appropriate regardless of strategy, organizational culture or CEO mandate.”

Senior leaders must determine the specific leadership skills and behaviors needed to successfully execute the company’s strategy. Whether your organization is planning a merger, entering new global markets, ramping up sales operations, or creating a flatter corporate structure, it’s important to first think about what skills are needed to successfully execute the initiative.

2. Provoke Learning

As a leader: Provoke your own learning. As a, are you taking an active approach in the learning process, or are you hanging out on the sidelines? If you want to direct an orchestra, you have to learn at least the basics of every kind of instrument. You can’t tell the string musicians how to make a sound you want if you don’t have a firm understanding of how that instrument works. You won’t build trust that way, in fact, you’ll likely get booted off the stage by your own musicians. It’s the same in business. Are you willing to learn the same skills you are asking others to build?

As an organization: Ask yourself, have we created the optimal learning environment? In an inciting HBR article, “Why leadership training fails” when researchers looked at a corporate training program aimed at improving problem solving and communication between managers and subordinates, they discovered that success varied across the company. Improvements were greater in units that had already developed a “psychologically safe” climate in which subordinates felt free to speak up and practice new skills. 

3. Tackle Tough Challenges

As a leader: Focus on the doing rather than the learning.

So often, leaders will follow up on the learning experience with participants by asking “what did you learn?” Being asked the question “what have you learned?” is very difficult for even the individual to answer in an actionable/tangible way. I heard someone say the other day,

“If we consider that learning is a process that we go through to be able to do something new, different or better, shouldn’t we be focusing on measuring the ‘doing’ rather than the ‘learning’?” Brilliant! And YES!!

As a leader you can help support behavior change by actively participating in the doing vs passively asking about the learning. How do you do that? Give Feedback – even when it’s difficult to hear. Building a feedback-rich culture supports behavior change and improved performance.

As an organization: Steer clear of “flavor of the month training”. “Flavor of the month” is what happens when we just keep throwing new training solutions at our perceived skill gaps but nothing sticks – the behaviors never change. Instead of pausing and asking ourselves and the learners, what is happening? Have we missed the real need? What is getting in our way? We just keep finding new training solutions to throw at the problem. The result? There is none. It is the very definition of insanity, keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results.

To avoid the flavor of the month, keep the conversation open by asking questions. Explore this initiative from every angle – How often will you survey participants? How will you gather the data? What will success look like?

4. Enrich Relationships

Often forgotten or overlooked, this is where respect and engagement truly occur as a result of more authentic and transparent conversations.

As a leader:  Reinforce behavior– consistently. Consider this: how important has it been in your career to receive praise/positive feedback on your behavior? A recent Gallup poll found that 65% of US workers receive no praise at all in a given year. A similar survey of 4 million people found that people who received regular praise increased productivity and engagement.  Reinforcing behavior is an essential ingredient to high levels of performance and behavior change.

As an organization: Tie learning to the business and invite the conversation. When it comes to leadership development, it only makes sense that senior leaders and the department responsible for creating and executing training programs come together to determine what is the real skill that is needed for employees to succeed.

To do that successfully you must determine what the need of the business is first. And that requires conversation. Yet so often that conversation doesn’t take place. The lack of real, authentic conversation between L&D and senior leaders is having a direct impact on the value of L&D and the quality of the learning that is produced. I am certain this is not the result that the organization is looking for. If you know a conversation needs to take place, it is you who must invite it.

Bottom line? Skillful conversation is the only way to successfully measure the impact of training on the business and improve the learning culture in your organization. So invite the conversation, with your team, your learners, your leaders, your learning professionals. Consider the benefits when you do.

The art of having a great conversation seems to be lacking today. Blame it on technology, blame it on divisive politics, blame on the rain if you’re a Milli Vanilli fan and that makes you feel better. But much like chivalry which I don’t believe it’s dead, I just think it’s gone into hibernation; it could use a little prompting to come back into full force. 

Let’s face it, communication has always had its challenges from cave drawings to grunts, you know there was always someone on the other end to misinterpret the original meaning. I’m sure Ugh’s buffalo wall painting was mistaken for a mammoth and a heated debate ensued. 

Miscommunication has been a constant through-line since the beginning of mankind. Take the #1 bestselling book in the world, the Bible. It has been translated over and over again for centuries, from its original Aramaic into Greek and Latin and then into dozens upon dozens of other languages. Let’s not forget the additional influence of scholars, clergy, and kings who had the authority to make changes as they saw fit making the Bible essentially the longest-running game of “Telephone” ever!

Fast-forward to today where even in the 21st century with all the multiple modern ways we have to communicate it is easy to misinterpret someone’s email or text because without hearing the other person’s tone or inflection; even a missed comma all meaning can go to hell in a handbasket. And I’d be remiss to discount how the use of CAPS can tarnish a relationship.

So, you’d think we could easily correct this giant margin of error with face-to-face interaction but that has become a challenge in and of itself for multiple reasons. To list a few, we’re: distracted, anxious, fearful, arrogant, harried, scared, impatient, or D- All of the Above. Can you remember the last time you turned on any “news channel” to see people simply sharing, instead of shouting their opinions and ideas at one another as if the louder they are the more the person will understand them? 

Sometimes it’s like watching my Aunt Suzy Belle, bless her heart, speak louder when I introduced her to my seeing-impaired friend. It is fascinating and comical how people honestly think being loud and repetitive is how they will sway the opinions of others. The irony of course is they are barely listening to the other person and forget about the poor moderator if there is one. 

The Best Ways to Have Better Communication

Everyone wants to be heard more than they seem to want to listen. And this isn’t just the case on TV, it’s happening at work, in our families, with our friends and certainly on social media. 

This is why I want to share 10 ways to help you get GREAT CONVERSATION back into your life (‘cause I know you miss it.)

1. Take a Step Back

Or in laymen’s terms, chill for a second. Put yourself in a self-imposed mental timeout for a few moments to calm down and reflect on what is really happening in the conversation. The benefits will be far outweighing any discomfort having to pause will cause you. Have you ever been in a heated argument with someone only to realize at the conclusion you were both saying the same thing? (By the way, this is a regular thing in marriage) Well, taking a step back allows you to get to that place without having exerted all that unnecessary energy. 

2. Be Present

Actually pay attention to what the other person is saying. It’s easy to daydream and or think ahead. Don’t cheat yourself or them. RIGHT NOW is a gift that’s why they call it the present. If you don’t know how to connect to the present, try going zen for a moment or think about yoga. A quick exercise is to take a few deep breaths…in and out; and your breath will refocus you on the here and now.

3. Look the Other Person in the Eyes. 

Many ancient cultures say the eyes are the window to the soul for a reason. You can see more and understand more from looking into people’s eyes and watching their facial expressions than from their words sometimes. What’s really cool is there is actual science behind it as well.

4. Put Away Your Devices  

Have you ever been out to lunch or dinner with a friend, colleague, or significant other and they are constantly checking their phone? How infuriating is that?! Put your technology away (not face down on the table- actually away in a pocket or bag) and pretend it’s 1990 and have a face to face conversation with no other distractions.

5. Don’t Listen to Respond, Listen to Hear

This is called Active Listening and it is crucial to having a great conversation. If you are having issues because you think more about what you are going to respond with instead of what the person is trying to say, you are NOT an active listener. One great way to participate in active listening is to repeat back what was just said. Try it and see how much a) the person appreciates feeling heard and b) how much better your exchange will be. A fun little FYI – the same letters that make up the word LISTEN also spell SILENT. Deep, right?!

6. Ask Questions 

Enhance the conversation and get more out of the dialogue with some good questions. Don’t ask a question that will be met with a one-word answer, turn the questions into a conversation about the topic at hand.

7. Remember What it Feels Like to be Ignored 

Whether it happened to you as a child, in a group of friends, or at a brainstorming meeting last week. It doesn’t feel good. So, remember to give the courtesy of giving your time and attention to the person who is speaking to you. That’s really more manners than anything else.

8. Check Your Watch and Environment

Make sure you have time for a conversation, this is more than a tweet or post; it’s live and in-person so you need at least 5-10 minutes. If you don’t have the time, reschedule for when you do. Also, look around at your environment, is this an ideal place to speak? Steer clear of the loud places where you can barely hear or be heard. Source out a conducive place to converse. Think coffee shop off the beaten path or even an outdoor space is ideal, maybe sign up for a conference room just to ensure that quality time is quality. It will be worth it in the long run and the conversation will go over much smoother with a few extra minutes being in the right place.

9. Find a Common Ground

If you should find yourself in a conflict or with seriously contrasting views, what is it that you can both/all agree on? Connect with your shared values and touch on those for a bit.

10. Smile

This may sound so silly and simple, but it works. Smiles are inviting. When done sincerely and genuinely a smile will immediately put people on the receiving end of at ease. Smiling also sends subliminal messages to your own brain that “You’ve GOT this!”. It’s truly one of the easiest things to do to get people to open up and share.

 

This post was written by Fierce guest writer, Karith Foster. For nearly two decades, author, speaker, and humorist Karith Foster has taken her passion for entertaining and critical thinking nationwide — from the airwaves to organizations, from universities to corporations, creating a seismic shift in mindsets and revolutionizing the way we address issues of diversity and leadership.