This Year, We’ll Make Time For Learning

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by Jeff DeSmet | January 2, 2018

This time every year, many of us – myself included – make a new year’s resolution. And in a few months, more than 90% of us – myself included –will have failed to keep it. I put a lot of the blame for our failures on poor design. We like the idea of achieving whatever goal we’ve set. But we don’t create any pathway to achieving it. Like I said: poor design! As a learning designer, I grapple with design challenges all the time, and realize that changing behaviors (the goal of those unkept resolutions) can be daunting. But it’s […]

What Makes Storytelling So Effective For Learning?

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by Vanessa Boris | December 20, 2017

This is the second of two posts co-written by Vanessa and Lani Peterson, Psy.D., a psychologist, professional storyteller and executive coach. Telling stories is one of the most powerful means that leaders have to influence, teach, and inspire. What makes storytelling so effective for learning? For starters, storytelling forges connections among people, and between people and ideas. Stories convey the culture, history, and values that unite people. When it comes to our countries, our communities, and our families, we understand intuitively that the stories we hold in common are an important part of the ties that bind. This understanding also […]

Beware Of Learner Proxies. There’s No Substitute For Studying Your Learners.

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by Jeff DeSmet | December 19, 2017

Last spring, in his annual letter to Amazon shareholders, CEO Jeff Bezos explained how he keeps Amazon from slipping into decline. One essential technique involves a skeptical view of using proxies – market research and surveys – to gain an understanding of his customers. While valuable, these inputs shouldn’t substitute for spending time with customers. “Good inventors and designers deeply understand their customer,” Bezos says. “They study and understand many anecdotes rather than only the averages you’ll find on surveys.” As a designer of learning environments, I appreciate the need to get close to the learners I serve – my […]

Enabling Transformation: Tips From Our New York Leadership Development Forum

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by Doug Beimler | December 13, 2017

Earlier this month, Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning convened a diverse group of learning leaders in New York for a day of world-class thought leadership, networking, and peer-to-peer learning. These leaders share one thing in common – they are on a journey to transform their business. They stepped away from their daily responsibilities to learn from experts and each other. Their goal: uncover best practices for unlocking their organization’s talent and enabling transformation. Expert Insights Today’s business problems require new ways of thinking about how to approach solutions. The tried and true Ready Aim Fire approach to problem solving doesn’t […]

Coaching Is A Business Imperative

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by Kate Bowers | December 8, 2017

Coaching has traditionally come into play when an employee is struggling, and that remains an important practice. But there’s no reason to relegate coaching to this single, narrow role. After all, we’ve borrowed the term from the world of sports, where coaches are used at every stage in an athlete’s career. It’s time to start looking at coaching as something more than an occasional, special-purpose role and start making it a part of every manager’s toolkit – a part that’s used regularly. Why coaching is increasingly important In fast-paced, complex environments, there’s no guarantee that knowledge and skills that have […]