Can You Win at Work with Cookie Cutter Training and Development?

Recent research has revealed some dismaying trends in the Professional Development and Training and Development industry.

As a member of this industry it disturbs me to discover that quality programs and providers are being overlooked in favour of promises of “quick fixes” that are delivered “cookie cutter” style, with little or no regard for the ROI of the employer or the long term engagement and development of the worker. The surveys show that many organisations, managers and Training and Development Managers are either taking expensive shortcuts in their attempts to develop their people, or are completely misinformed about what really takes to activate peak performance.

Survey results

A. Here’s what people who want to win at work, who want to maximize their professional performance said in the surveys about the value of the training and development courses and programs their managers arranged for them:

• Not related to overall career development plan of participant
• No choice for participants - one size fits all very common
• T & D not related to current role
• Not matched with talents, strengths and interests
• No ongoing support to integrate the new development into existing work practices
• No time allocated to integrate the new learning into existing work practices
• Training added to time pressures, rather than creating efficiencies
• Information overload from courses added to fear of burning out

What has been your experience of professional development courses and programs as a worker? Contribute your private comments to the survey here.

B. Here’s what managers who are seeking Training and Development Providers for their people stated these unmet needs:

• How to keep their workers motivated and on task
• How to communicate so their people get the message
• How to manage information overload for themselves and their team
• How to be certain the the training provider will deliver “best practice”
• How to get best value for their dollars invested in T and D
• How to ensure the T & D will have a positive impact on business results

What has been your experience of professional development courses and programs as a manager? Contribute your private comments to the survey

Can cookie cutters create real stars?

Managers and business owners want their people to be motivated, to give the best of themselves at work. At the same time, the great majority of workers want to release their talents and achieve their professional potential. Both groups share a similar goal … yet neither is getting what they want on a consistent basis.

What’s the solution?

I believe that managers who aspire to become Maximized Managers need education in how to:

• Start matching the learning needs of their workers, as a group AND as individuals, with the organisation’s goals
• Start Identifying the characteristics of “best practice” adult education programs
• Start Integrating new learning into existing management plans and work practices
• Stop treating the people on the teams as clones

So I am in the process of writing a short, practical and readable report, “The Managers’ Guide to Choosing a Professional Development Provider.” I’ll let you know when it’s available for download.

“The Managers’ Guide to Selecting a Best Practice Professional Development Provider”

This unique document will be available soon … in the meantime, you can contribute by making your private comments in the surveys below:

Fast 4 Question Professional Development Survey for Peak Performance Zone Workers

Fast 4 Question Professional Development Survey for Maximized Managers

Thank you for your contribution to the surveys and I hope our paths cross soon …

G’day from Sydney,

An Invitation to Maximized Managers … do you want to accelerate the performance of the people you manage without burning them out?

Do you want to be part of the Win at Work Book?

My “Win at Work” Book Will be Published by a New York Publisher!

You can contribute to the usefulness of the book with your response to a 4 question survey …

But first here’s a short overview of the contents of the book, which has the working title “Win at Work - How to Crack Your Unique Peak Performance Code for Exceptional Professional Achievement AND stay true to your values”:

Basically the book will be filled with practical case studies which reveal how workers and managers in a variety of corporate, professional and small business roles have achieved exceptional professional results by:

• Cracking their unique Peak Performance Code™.

• Applying the proprietary P.E.A.R.L.S.™ system used exclusively by LeaderCoach clients

At the moment the book is in workshop format so I need to rewrite it into a format suitable for publishing, refining it as I go to make it as useful as possible for my readers.

This is where you have an opportunity to become involved …

I would really value your feedback through some surveys I will be conducting to make sure that I answer as many of my readers’ training and development or professional development needs as I can in the book. Your situation may become case study to be included in the Win at Work Book.

Here’s your 4 question survey - fast and simple

Just post your responses in the Comments Box immediately below this post:

1. What is your biggest question about how to get the right training and development to maximize the results of the people you manage?
2. Rate that question on a scale of 1 to 4 (with 4 being the most important), in terms of its importance to you
3. What is one experience that drove you to consider getting more education to help you maximize results of the people you manage?
4. What is the one question about getting the right professional training and development for your people that you think has no answer (but if it did have an answer you would jump for joy)?

Feel free to pass the survey on to 3 or 4 of your friends and colleagues

Register for updates

To make sure you receive every survey and follow the progress of the Win at Work Book you need to register for the Win At Work Book updates at http://winatworkzone.com/Win-at-Work-Book.php
You can claim some gifts there, including sneak previews of the book as they are released and a scholarship for my basic eCourse, Hidden Value - Discover What Really Motivates You, valued at $97

I really appreciate your involvement in this project and look forward to your contribution.

Hoping our paths cross soon …

Until then,

Value your life, live your values …

Your ValuesCoach, Karyn Clarke

G’day from Sydney,

My “Win at Work” Book Will be Published by a New York Publisher!

You can contribute to the usefulness of the book with your response to a 4 question survey …

But first here’s a short overview of the contents of the book, which has the working title “Win at Work - How to Crack Your Unique Peak Performance Code for Exceptional Professional Achievement AND stay true to your values”:

Basically the book will be filled with practical case studies which reveal how workers and managers in a variety of corporate, professional and small business roles have achieved exceptional professional results by:

• Cracking their unique Peak Performance Code™.

• Applying the proprietary P.E.A.R.L.S.™ system used exclusively by LeaderCoach clients

1. What is your biggest question about how to maximize your professional performance?
2. Rate that question on a scale of 1 to 4 (with 4 being the most important), in terms of its importance to you
3. What is one experience that drove you to consider getting more education to help you maximize your professional performance?
4. What is the one question about getting the right professional training and development that you think has no answer (but if it did have an answer you would jump for joy)?

For many years the urge to share what I have learned about how to maximize your professional performance AND stay true to what you really value has burned in my spirit.

My passion is to see men and women liberated from the constraints of conventional wisdom about what it takes to win at work, and empowered by the truth, backed up by the principles and practices that deliver real results.

And now I know for certain that the Win at Work Book WILL be written and published!

How do I know? Glenn Dietzel at Awaken the Author Within has just announced that I am a joint winner for live mentoring in his Books Mean Credibility program. This was a global competition and I am truly humbled to have been chosen as a joint winner, along with Laurie Kirk of USA. 

Here’s the video announcement of the competition winners.

Why am I asking for your help?

It’s very important to me that the finished Win at Work Book is as real and useful as possible for my readers, so I am still conducting surveys and collecting case studies from employers, employees and small business owners.

How can you help?

If you are willing to be involved in surveys, short courses and case studies you can register your interest here

Your registration will also give you access to some useful freebies and sneak previews of the Win at Work book.

G’day from Sydney, Australia …

I’m glad you’re reading this because I need your help … I’m just putting the finishing touches to my 2008 WIN AT WORK - Without Sacrificing Your Values workshop series and want to check that I’ve got all bases covered.

I‘ve enclosed a link to a short 5 question survey, and would love to get your feedback so I can meet my clients’ needs more effectively. Please feel free to give this link to 2 or 3 of your friends and associates who may be managers, HR Managers or T&D Managers, or others who are interested in maximizing their own professional growth.

Please accept my thanks in advance, and get ready to receive a surprise from me as a token of my appreciation for your time and effort. Here’s the link to the survey: http://www.winatworkzone.com/2008-survey1.php

I’m looking forward to reading your responses and suggestions. 

This survey is now closed, but you can register to take part in more surveys at www.WinAtWorkBook.com

Do you know your unique motivation code (your values)? Do your actions align with your values?

To win at work AND stay true to your values, you need to be able to answer YES to both questions.

Here’s a story that illustrates the point …

The Tale of the Man, the Boy and the Donkey

An old man, a boy and their donkey were going to town. The boy rode the donkey and the old man walked. As they went along, they passed some people who remarked it was a shame that the old man was walking when the boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe these critics were right, so they changed places.

Later, they passed some people who remarked, "What a shame that he makes the little boy walk". So they then decided they would both walk.

Soon, they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So they both rode the donkey.

Next they passed some people that shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey. The boy and man thought they were probably right, so they decided to carry the donkey.

As they crossed a bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and it fell into the river and drowned.

The moral of the story … If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass good-bye!

How does this apply to winning at work, without sacrificing your values?

When your goals and actions are based on your own values and value priorities, (your unique motivation code), you are much more likely to remain consistent in your focus, and therefore achieve your professional performance targets more readily.

Take a minute to share one of your wins or losses based on being true or NOT true to your personal values, in the comments box below …

Value your life, live your values The focus of this entire site is how to win at work, AND stay true to your values. Why the focus on values? Because your values are what focus you!

So, here we go with the top twelve things you need to know about your values:

1. Your values are what motivate you. They are the bridge between your inner desires and outer reality.
   
2. Your values are your lifestyle priorities and preferences, your unique motivation code. You need to know what your values are. They silently guide your words, your decisions and your actions. Get to know them … unless you want to be led through life by a stranger.
3. Knowing your values gives you clarity - you can make decisions based on choices, rather than habits.
4. Some of your values are more important to you than others. They are your core values and usually remain consistent over a long period of time.
5. Your values are with you 24/7. There is no distinction between personal and professional values. There is however, a distinction between what is an appropriate context for living out some values.
6. Your values are not necessarily predictors of your behaviour. For example, you and I may both value leisure and play. I might (would) choose to live that value by going to the opera, and you might choose to go rock climbing … same value, different expression.
7. All people, regardless of race, colour or creed, share 5 human needs: survival, freedom, fun, belonging and power. How you attempt to meet those needs depends on your values … your lifestyle preferences and priorities.
8. Your values come from your world-view. Your world-view is a set of (mostly unconscious) beliefs you hold about how the world works, or how you believe the world should work. The formation of your world-view was influenced by many factors as you were growing up: family, culture, geographic location, socio-economic conditions, media - old and new, peers, education, religious affiliations, groups such as Scouts and sporting clubs, and significant life events.
9. Your values and your ethics are not the same. Your values will motivate you, usually unconsciously. Your ethics will constrain you, usually based on conscious choice.
10. Clarity around what you value will help you choose more compatible friendships and business partners.
11. Knowing your values helps you to be clear about what you DON"T want in your life … your values are a guide to the boundaries you have in place in your life.
12. Consciously choosing to live your values leads you towards being more of who you were created to be.

Let’s make it a baker’s dozen and give the last word to the Bible:

13. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21) Your treasure is what you value, so get to know what your values are, and learn how to live them.

What experiences have you had as a result of living or NOT living your values? Take a minute to share your response in the comments box below.

Why engagement helps you to WIN AT WORK without sacrificing your values

My previous post identified 3 dimensions of professional growth that are vital to your professional performance – engagement, meaning and a customer focus.

Remember that engagement at work stems from actively applying your natural talent code at work. Highly engaged workers display more confidence, more intense focus & higher productivity than non or poorly engaged workers. Let’s examine each of those benefits:

Confidence

Success at work breeds confidence. Success comes from engagement with your work. Engagement comes from working on tasks for which you have a natural talent. When you develop that talent code into professional strengths, and have daily opportunities to apply your strengths to produce quality work, your confidence soars and leads to even deeper levels of engagement … an upward spiral of performance and success.

Focus

Maintaining the motivation to stay “on task” and focused is a real challenge to all of us if we are not working in our strength zone AND working on tasks we value. Your values are your inner desires, and one of the keys to motivation. Think back to a time or situation when you felt successful, and were able to maintain focus on your tasks for extended periods of time … I can guarantee that you valued what you were doing, and had a natural aptitude for the skills required to succeed.

Productivity

Peak performance stems from the alignment of the task at hand with your strength zone and your values. We can express that as a simple formula: * strengths + values + aligned task = productivity.

Transform yourself into a valuable employee by applying this formula for professional performance.

Are you ready to maximize your engagement at work? Post your comments, questions or suggestions in the comments box below.

Live your values: find meaning in your work

My next post will reveal why you need to find meaning in your work to win at work without and avoid burnout