Chief Learning Officer- September 2008

I n today’s knowledge economy, with lightningfast Internet connections and an increasingly globalized marketplace, information reigns supreme. Modern, user-generated tools such as Wikipedia.com and blogs have not only made communication easier and faster, they have emphasized the importance we place on sharing knowledge. For this reason and more, education is a hot commodity. Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees help those in the workforce acquire the theoretical knowledge and technical expertise required to get a leg up on the competition. But even in today’s world, a degree can only take you so far. “The notion of a degree or a certiﬁcation or a certain educational level really is [just] the price of admission into a job or job function,” said David Collins, vice president and general manager of the training products division at Tracom Group, a provider of workforce performance solutions. Once an individual has the knowledge, it’s the way he goes about doing his work — his organizational, time-management and behavioral skills — that ultimately drives results. “Proven knowledge and skills are often necessary conditions for people to be high performers and to be successful. But the will-do, the motivation, the engagement facets really play a role in whether or not you will deploy what you’re capable of doing,” said Dr. Kenneth Nowack, a licensed psychologist and president and chief research ofﬁcer of Envisia Learning. Keeping this in mind, learning organizations can leverage the work styles, choices and techniques of successful employees to elevate curriculum and improve the overall productivity of the workforce. Review article, titled “How the Best of the Best Get Better and Better,” also offered insight into this topic. “Some of the things [writer Graham Jones] mentions is having a long-term perspective, blocking out distractions, seeking candid feedback, stretching development, reﬂecting on ways to improve and celebrating success,” Nowack said. Many of these behaviors are innate character traits that people exhibit as early as childhood, Collins said. “That preferred pattern of behavior sticks with people their whole lives,” he said. “Those behaviors impact how people think and use time, how they make decisions [and] their outward actions with others.” According to Tracom research, these behaviors also have an affect on personality traits, including pace of speech, volume of speech, quantity of speech, assertiveness and responsiveness. While many of these characteristics are innate, there are several main themes that emerge from them, on which organizations can train employees. Self-Awareness “When people understand themselves and what their preferences are and how they do things, they can organize their work more effectively,” Collins said. Indeed, one of the ﬁrst things required to become a successful worker is self-awareness. Kathy Wojcik, manager of leadership development and learning at Gates Corp., an automotive and industrial equipment manufacturer, recalled an incident that highlights the importance of self-awareness. DATA POINT “I clearly remember these three guys who Research by Tracom worked together in a machine shop, and all found that managthree were of strong mind and opinion,” ers who exhibited she said. “That created a signiﬁcant amount higher versatility were of clashing — not necessarily destructive, 27 percent better at but a barrier to moving forward.” leading teams and After enrolling in personality training, 25 percent better at the three employees became aware of their coaching others. behaviors and began to understand why they were having difﬁculties coming to an agreement, Wojcik said. “Then [they could] take a look at what behaviors would make them more effective,” she said. Versatility The key to making self-awareness work, however, is versatility. After all, even if you can identify your own behavior properly, you won’t change unless you’re willing. “One of the best habits in working with other people is ﬁguring out how to best work with them,” Collins said. “It’s adjusting or adapting your behaviors to meet their needs as opposed to your own. What you really want to be able to do is work with people Chief Learning Ofﬁcer • September 2008 • www.clomedia.com Successful Social Styles Nowack said success can be conceptualized as a scorecard that involves four independent elements: happiness, values, achievement and relationships. A successful person is fruitful in all four. But how does he or she do it? “The most successful individuals possess a set of personality qualities and practice lifestyle behaviors that facilitate continuous growth and learning,” Nowack said. “Some of these include being conscientious and achievement-oriented; identifying and deploying signature strengths; practicing forgiveness and expending less energy [on] remaining angry; actively acknowledging stress and practicing stressreduction techniques when experiencing work and life triggers to reverse the ﬁght-or-ﬂight response; utilizing support of others, as well as expressive writing to let feelings out; maintaining a regular sleep cycle; [and] taking time to become physically active.” Nowack added that a recent Harvard Business 23 http://Wikipedia.com http://www.clomedia.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chief Learning Officer- September 2008

Chief Learning Officer Editor’s Letter Contents Connections Imperatives Selling Up, Selling Down Strategies Take Five Lifestyle Learning: Improve the Bottom Line With Behavioral Education Tracom’s Social Style Model CLO Profile IOL: Determining the Impact of Learning Communicating With the Boss About Impact Mission Accomplished? Measuring Success of Corporate Universities Borrowing Measurement Practices From Investors Value Creation With Human Capital Investment Business Impact Analysis at Chrysler Learning or Performance Enhancement: Which Is It? Best Practices in Global Project Management Training Case Study Business Intelligence Advertisers’ Index Editorial Resources In Conclusion

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.