Phillip | Transformational Learning & Leadership

The Transformational Leader: Story of the Seed

March 10, 2011 By Phillip Leave a Comment

THE STORY A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you." The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today - one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO." One woman, named Jill, was there … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Content, Leadership, Multigenerational Workforce, Restoring Trust, Transformation Tagged With: business, CEO, executives, leader, seed, seeds, transformational leadership, young executives

How Does Social Media Play a Role in Training?

February 28, 2011 By Phillip Leave a Comment

Social media is not just a generational fad of the millenials and Gen Y. Organizations are doing more with less and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. This means even after economic rebound, companies will likely keep the belts tightened. Investments in people are under the microscope. Payroll has been typically one of the larger investments a company makes. And, like with any investment today, companies want to maximize their ROI. Many companies have discovered social media is the answer to "just in time" learning. Social media and social learning does not have to be something where we have to feel we are drowning. Upon seeing what is possible in other companies, many are embracing the value of this tool. Companies are leveraging mobile devices for new … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Learning, Featured Content, Social Media Tagged With: astd, ASTD Competency Model, bottom-line, change agents, collaboration, innovation, investment, just in time, learning, mobile devices, productivity, profits, recruiting, risks, ROI, social learning, Social Media, strategic partner, training, wiifm, workplace learning and performance

DISC or MBTI? How about Emotional Intelligence (EI)?

December 29, 2010 By Phillip Leave a Comment

This week I have been reviewing job descriptions seeking candidates with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) experience. And, this week I was asked a question by a colleague wanting to transition from technical training to doing leadership training. He asked which is the preferred of the two psychometrically proven Jungian (Carl Jung) based, behavioral assessment tools, MBTI and DISC. Personally, I find human behavior fascinating and his question meant he was really giving this some careful consideration, and many others may have a similar question. I have found Wikipedia to be a good reference as an overview. Having used them both, I have studied them in great depth. As a DISC instructor, it has been my experience that most businesses find DISC to be practical on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Brain Research and Emotional Intelligence, Featured Content, Leadership Tagged With: behavior, behaviors, Carl Jung, Daniel Goleman's, DISC, EI, Emotional Intelligence, emotional quotient, EQ, Leadership, leadership development, MBTI, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, performance, personality, workplace

Informal Learning: Are Your Maximizing Your Full Learning Potential?

November 16, 2010 By Phillip Leave a Comment

Let me ask you this. What do you feel makes an organization cutting edge when it comes to a learning and development strategy? Recently, I was asked this question in an interview. This question came up because they asked my why I listed Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn among my learning technology experience. The answer of course goes deeper than having the latest and greatest technology or the best classroom. Companies that invest in informal learning are shown to have sustainable results. Informal learning goes beyond tangible and moves into areas we have not traditionally had much success measuring. That said, it definitely becomes an other stitch woven into the fabric of the orgainzation's culture for sustainability. An article I read recently suggests if learning is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Learning, Multigenerational Workforce, Skills Gap, Transformation Tagged With: Adult Learning, astd, culture, formal learning, informal learning, learning and development, performance, social, social learning, Social Media, strategy, sustainable, technology

Public Speaking: Articulate You and Your Business for Increased Profits

August 1, 2010 By Phillip Leave a Comment

business team with a businesswoman leading

Speaking in front of groups is scary for many business professionals. Public speaking is a skill that carries throughout the workplace and into our personal lives. Expressing oneself effectively takes skill and constant practice. In business, you do not G-E-T unless you A-S-K. What are you leaving on the table? Today, margins are tight and that is not going to be changing anytime soon. Standing in a corner at a networking event will not get the business. Keeping quiet about what we do robs others of the opportunity to experience the superior advantages of what we do. Selling our value and our competitive advantage is essential, now more than ever. While price can be a factor in today’s economy, people still value doing business with people---people they feel they … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Learning, Featured Content, Leadership Tagged With: communication, executive, increase profits, increase sales, Leadership, public speaking

How do people see you? Are you a TRUST BOOSTER or a TRUST BUSTER? CORPORATE TRUST Begins with YOU

June 21, 2010 By Phillip 12 Comments

When it comes to trust---How do people see you? How do you view yourself? Are you a trust booster or a trust buster? Today, trust is a critical element in the workplace, whether it is an email, a tweet, one-on-one, in the classroom or in a staff meeting. I have done my share of trust busting in my career. I have learned over time, how to become more conscious of trust from a leadership perspective, and how it literally radiates throughout the culture of an organization. It is an experience. It is a feeling. It is a sense. It can also be seen. It is balance. It is congruence. Trust can make a company. And, lack of trust can destroy one. Once broken, trust is challenging to rebuild and a company can spiral downward without an awareness of ways to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership, Multigenerational Workforce, Restoring Trust, Transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: 401k, balance, boomers, Brain, commitment, communication, congruence, Fitness Together, healthier, Juice Plus, Ken Blanchard, Leadership, loyalty, millenials, multi-generational, time management, trust, trust booster, trust buster

COMMUNICATION: Executives Telling the Whole Story? Or, is Part of the Story Enough?

April 21, 2010 By Phillip 2 Comments

I received a communication requesting recommendations for how to open up communication within the organization. This is a bold and quite perceptive insight for an executive leader to recognize this need. Communication is the root cause that erodes trust and if effectively woven into the cultural fabric, can sustain an organization. Today it requires starting over with a "beginner's mind" considering today's social media climate. More and more, we are hearing about executives in their ivory tower that only tell their employees what they want to hear. But, how much is too much? At what time do we sacrifice productivity for the sake of being transparent and building a culture of trust? The answer is simple, know your audience. One size does not fit all. Otherwise, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured Content, Leadership, Multigenerational Workforce, Restoring Trust, Skills Gap, Social Media Tagged With: audience, boomers, bulletin, communication, corporate culture, Email, erode trust, executives, grape vine, job roles, leader, levels, messages, millenials, mission, multi-generational, newsletter, productivity, senior leadership, senior level, strategic objectives, traditional boundaries, transparency, trust, turnover, twitter, wiifm, withholding, x-ers

Today’s Business Blind Spot-Grants: Money on the Table-5 Points to Keep in Mind to Help Find and Get Funded

April 10, 2010 By Phillip Leave a Comment

Business is the heartbeat of our country and many continue to struggle, their pulse is weakening. Let’s face it, the economy is still tight. We are doing more with less; and, perhaps will have to do so well into the future. There are many blind spots that exist in business today. Organizations that discover and master these today will have a sustainable competitive advantage tomorrow. These include use of implementing a comprehensive social media strategy, shifting to a culture of change and innovation, managing internal and competitive intelligence, and leveraging grant opportunities that contribute to the bottom-line, among others. I will to speak about the latter in this posting today. The political rhetoric and filibustering appears to have no end in sight. We have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Learning, Leadership, Restoring Trust, Social Media, Transformation Tagged With: 501 (c) (3), Board of Directors, business, competitive intelligence, executive director, funding, grant writing, grant writing specialists, grants, learning management system, nonprofit, Obama, stimulus, sustainable competitive advantage

INNOVATION SECRETS: 7 Ways to Manage Psychological Blind Spots, Going Deeper

March 31, 2010 By Phillip 1 Comment

The key to sustaining innovation is being able to think out of the box---keeping fresh ideas coming. Taking leadership to the next level and providing programs that “go deep” means literally digging deeper. Over time, we develop tunnel vision. I know I have. So, I have to consciously keep myself out of that rut. Otherwise, the potential for blind spots increases---I continue to discover that I have more than my fair share. I can at times simply hit a brick wall. My team can also hit a brick wall. And, ultimately innovation is halted. There is nothing wrong that I have blind spots. It is what I choose to do or not do with them when I become aware they exist that becomes most significant. Gaining an awareness of blind spots can come from a variety of programs. As … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Learning, Brain Research and Emotional Intelligence, Empowerment, Leadership, Restoring Trust, Transformation Tagged With: Abraham Maslow, alpha state, asking, authentic, blind spots, blindspots, brick wall, ego, EI, emotion quotient, Emotional Intelligence, emotional intelligence quotient, emotional quotient, EQ, Four Stages, Four Stages of Competence, Four Stages of Learning, go deep, going deep, humble, innovation, Landmark Education, leader, Leadership, leadership development, leadership reform, learning, Maslow, meditate, open, proactive, psychological, psychological blind spots, rabbit hole, relating, relaxed, relaxed alpha state, secret, sustain, sustainability, sustained, Talent Smart, Talentsmart, the secret, transform, transformed leader, unconscious incompetent

VOLUNTEERISM: Improving Innovation, Learning and Leadership Performance

March 16, 2010 By Phillip Leave a Comment

When people are in need, my hand is often raised. Especially, wherever I see I can contribute and make a difference. I grew up reading super hero comic books---Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Hulk, Spiderman---you name it! Maybe this is where it all started. I collected them all. I believe this is my way of living into what they represented to me in my childhood---good, doing what's right and helping others. Now, I am not claiming to be perfect or better---to the contrary. I have learned to respect there is always someone I can learn from and look up to. I am who I am and I am realizing why because of my experiences. I also have learned that volunteering has allowed me to exercise my leadership muscles---grow my skills. … [Read more...]