During The Holidays

As we approach the exciting, busy holiday season and get to spend time with our family and friends, we likely find ourselves not having time to invest in our own learning and development. Here are some good tips to continue your quest in learning that don't take a lot of time:

1. Conduct some research on the new best practices using your ASTD and SHRM accounts.
2. Pick up a new leadership book and enjoy reading it by the fire. I suggest, "You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader" by Mark Sanborn.
3. Host lunch and learns at your office by bringing in topic experts in your company for a short hour over the next few months.
4. Take your family or department to a volunteer event where you can serve and learn about others in your community.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Batter Up!

Befitting the time of year, I’m reading a book about baseball.

I don’t actually like baseball. I find it boring, and the few times I allowed myself to be talked into going to a game I spent most of my time reading.

However, I'm utterly taken with Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Published in 2003, Moneyball is about the Oakland Athletics and general manager Billy Beane. Despite a financial disadvantage compared to other major league teams, Beane built a competitive edge by using an objective statistical analysis called sabermetrics to scoop up cheaper ballplayers whose talents were undervalued or completely overlooked by traditional scouts.

Although I understand only one sentence in four and I still have no desire to actually watch a baseball game, Moneyball is compelling to me. Why? Because Michael Lewis is an excellent nonfiction writer, and that means he’s a good teacher.

You can’t overestimate the power of a good teacher or trainer. A learning and development course may have a lot to offer in terms of material, but if the subject matter experts who present it don’t have the skills to engage their audience, what's the point?

We’ve all been to seminars where it was a struggle to stay awake, much less to stay completely engaged. How can we expect our coworkers and employees to embrace the theory and practicality behind training courses if we don’t also provide them with well-trained trainers? A good leader makes sure the right person is stepping up to bat.

What does your batting lineup look like?