Chief Learning Officer - August 2006 - (Page 4)
CO0806.qxd 7/18/06 4:16 PM Page 4 editor's letter Learning's Leap of Faith
You've seen me discuss in this space the CLO Access: No matter what the
desired delivery Symposium, our conference program that method, make sure
the message reaches the brings together learning and development right
learners in the right way. thought leaders from around the world. It's not
Faculty and management satisfaction: Two the facts of the program that I
dwell on, but the separate nuts there, but intertwined. A happy amazing
levels of discussion and discourse that faculty leads the most productive
learning take place there. The CLO Symposium is experiences; a content
management supports becoming the industry's cafeteria of food for them
financially and otherwise. thought, and after every event I walk away with
another nutritional nugget. Student satisfaction: Again, we're going beyond
smiley sheets here, but if the learners Well, chew on this: Our most recent
Symposium, aren't engaged this time, imagine the hurdles this past March in
Amelia Island, Fla., offered a you'll have to clear next time. rich diet of
inspirational items. Two comments from one of our Birds of a Feather
sessions were Learning effectiveness: That is, of course, especially
tasty. First, this quote, from Kee Meng the heart of the matter. Without
effective Yeo, director of Johnson & Johnson's e-universi- education,
you've just got workers accessing ty: Learning will need sometimes a leap
of faith, random information. That's what television sometimes on
management's part. and home computers are for. I couldn't agree more.
Learning, practically by Cost effectiveness and institutional commit-
definition, is about faith and acceptance. You ment: Peter's right to lump
these together. can crunch numbers, review metrics and study Senior
leadership, especially in the CFO smiley sheets for hours on end, but
ultimately suite, will be more committed to the afford- you still need a
little devotion to your own able than the not. Of course, even a seven-
efforts. Learning is change from within, and figure sum is affordable if
the value it returns like all such change, the true results might not is
high enough, and if you can demonstrate manifest themselves immediately.
The that value. Welcome back my friends to the Colorado River carved the
Grand Canyon, but show that never ends. no one standing on those
magnificent cliffs Faith is more than loyalty and commitment, recognized
what was happening. just as education is more than the delivery of That's
where management comes in. Sometimes facts. Faith is believing in
yourself, in your peo- we business leaders expect immediate results, ple,
in your mission, in the higher powers of something that's more reasonable
in some indus- desire, ambition and ability. Education is a sci- tries
than others, with learning and develop- ence; faith is anything but.
Somehow, the two ment being an other. It's part of the CLO's role still
walk hand-in-hand. to manage the expectations of management, Have you
taken any leaps of faith lately? If walking a razor-thin tightrope to be
sure. you're poised to jump, consider these words You are, of course,
management yourself, so from physicist Edward Teller a scientist don't
forget your own leap of faith when it discussing faith: When you come to
the end of comes to learning. That requires more than all the light you
know, and it's time to step into hoping to fill seats or having a gut
instinct. You the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing have to trust
in the support of leadership, the that one of two things shall happen:
Either you strength of the organizational learning culture, will be given
something solid to stand on or the talents of your team and the complete
par- you will be taught to fly. ticipation of the learners. No evangelist
ever August 2006 Happy landings. said faith was an easy state of grace.
Fortunately, faith in the power of education I www.clomedia.com I Chief
Learning Officer isn't blind devotion. Whether you're relying on tactile
delivery or strategic value, workforce development is a calling you can
control, at least to a point. Which brings me to the other tasty tidbit
from Norm Kamikow the Spring 2006 Symposium, this one from Peter Editor in
Chief Shea, a professor at the University of Albany. In norm@clomedia.com a
Birds of a Feather discussion group, Peter out- lined for attendees five
pillars of successful work- force development. Make these your mantra: 4
http://www.clomedia.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chief Learning Officer - August 2006
Editor's Letter
Table of Contents
Trends
Effectiveness
Taking the Lead
Best Practices
Learning Solutions
In Practice - U.S. GAO
Environment
In Practice - Army National Guard
CLO Profile
Productivity
In Practice - PerkinElmer
Case Study
Human Capital
In Practice - Countrywide Financial Corp
Tactics
In Practice - Siebel
Business Intelligence
Advertiser's Index
Editorial Resources
In Conclusion
Chief Learning Officer - August 2006
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