ATD Footer Logo

Hari Nair is a fellow of the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University, senior advisor at New Markets Advisors, an instructor on Duke Corporate Education’s Building Strategic Agility course, and a leading practitioner of innovation and corporate transformation. He has more than 25 years of operational experience applying innovation approaches across multiple sectors and markets.Hari served as chief strategy and innovation officer for Sime Darb, a publicly-traded Malaysian conglomerate with interests ranging from Caterpillar distributorships to palm oil plantations and property development. Hari also led Kimberly Clark’s Global Innovation Center in Seoul, where he worked with a team of 100+ researchers on customer-centric innovations.In addition to leading business lines for P&G in the United States and China, Hari was partner and vice president at Innosight, a growth strategy consulting firm founded by disruptive innovation expert Clayton Christensen. Hari teaches leaders around the world about disruptive innovation.

Hari Nair

The IDEO Design Thinking toolkit identifies three critical success factors of successful customer-centric innovation : desirability, feasibility, and viability.

3 Critical Success Factors for Customer-Centric Innovation

In leadership, there’s a belief that often goes unspoken—people can’t be trusted to solve their own problems. This mindset isn’t limited to people working in junior roles; it’s prevalent even at the highest levels of leadership. We tend to think that only through our intervention can others succeed. But what if that perspective is fundamentally flawed? What if, instead of positioning ourselves as problem-solvers, we understood our roles as coaches or trusted guides who enable others to unlock their potential?Breaking the “Fix-Them” HabitLeaders are conditioned to solve problems. It’s in our job descriptions, and we often receive praise when we consistently address issues and solve problems. But when it comes to coaching, this “fix-it” mentality can do more harm than good. The challenge is that people are not processes to be solved. We aren’t broken machines needing repair; we’re complex, capable individuals who can navigate our own challenges. Yet, the impulse to jump in with advice or solutions often overshadows our belief in other people’s abilities.This approach doesn’t just chip away at the confidence of the people we lead—it reinforces a false narrative that they’re incapable of resolving their own issues. It’s a subtle form of disempowerment that can stifle growth and innovation. When we’re always the ones solving problems, we unintentionally teach people to rely on us instead of building their capacity to think and act independently.Flipping the ScriptAn InsideOut Approach (TM) to coaching flips the script. Instead of considering ourselves to be the experts with all the answers, we show up as facilitators of self-discovery. This method involves asking the right questions—questions that encourage people to reflect, explore, and come up with their own solutions.When we coach this way, we’re affirming our belief in the person’s ability to handle their own challenges. It’s not just about what they know; it’s about helping them draw from their experiences, values, and insights to find the right path forward. This approach fosters confidence, ownership, and accountability—qualities essential for genuine growth.Tips to Remember People Are Capable1. Pause Before You Advise: When someone comes to you with an issue, a challenge, or a complaint, before jumping in with advice, take a moment to pause. Ask yourself, “What does this person already know about their situation?” This simple shift can help you move from fixing to guiding.2. Ask, Don’t Tell: Just at the point when you think someone needs your sage advice, try turning your advice into questions. Instead of saying, “You should do this,” try asking, “What do you think you should try?” This empowers the individual and encourages deeper thinking. Besides, you will be surprised how often the person says exactly what you are thinking.3. Trust the Process: Give this method a genuine try before dismissing the merits of it. Believe that the person has what it takes to figure things out. Their approach might differ from yours, and that’s okay. We are all different therefore doing it your way might not turn out exactly as it did when you tried it for a variety of reasons. Trust that the journey of discovery is just as important as the outcome.By challenging our own assumptions and adopting an InsideOut Approach (TM) to coaching, we create environments where people feel trusted, capable, and empowered to take control of their own success.

Trusting People to Solve Their Own Problems

Standard training evaluation is often taught and practiced without much critical engagement, historical context, or attention to other schools of thought. The result is that, while every aspect of learning and work is evolving and responding to complexity and change, evaluation of learning remains static and largely constrained by very narrow, outdated, and incomplete measurements and objectives. Those who accept current training evaluation models find it hard to see outside its key tenets, and those who attempt to modernize training evaluation often find themselves unwittingly accepting and leaving unquestioned many of its assumptions.
In this webcast, Cheryl Abram reveals the mental models that support the use of outdated evaluation methods and practice. To embrace a new logic of learning, value creation, and measurement, we must first unlearn the old one.
 

Unlearning Evaluation

 You seldom get a second chance to make a first impression. In the job market, your resume is often your first impression. You need to make it count.A clear, concise and compelling resume can set you apart from others and create a positive first impression. But, what can you do with your resume to rise above the competition? Here are five key tips to get your resume noticed in a crowded field of candidates.#1: Develop Your Resume With an Eye Toward MarketingMarketing is something we associate with a product or service. Similarly, a seller has a target population. They research that population to identify needs and desires. Then, they craft their unique selling proposition to distinguish themselves from the competition.What is your unique selling proposition? Start with identifying your target market, from both a career and industry perspective. Based on your research, what are those employers looking for in their ideal candidate for the career you seek? Use this information to connect what they need and desire to the unique qualifications you have to offer.#2: Visual Appeal Does Make a DifferenceLooks matter, at least when it comes to resumes. Your resume is scanned in seconds; a clear and crisp visual presentation will make it much easier for someone to scan.What makes a resume visually appealing? Start with your margins. Your resume should be like a picture in a frame, with the frame being white space around your content. Crowding content on your resume will discourage someone from looking at it. In addition, make sure there’s white space between categories to create a consistent flow.Don’t use fancy fonts that are hard to read; Arial is still widely accepted, but the traditional Times New Roman can make you look boring and dated. Fonts such as Garamond, Helvetica, Georgia, Tahoma, and Calibri are equally effective and can make your resume stand out in a positive way. Use an 11- or 12-point font size. Design elements such as bold, italics, and underlining can highlight important content, but overuse can be distracting. Finally, use concise bulleted statements rather than chunky paragraphs for your content. All of these will contribute to a document with maximum visual appeal.#3: Be Strategic and Customize Your ResumeBe sure to customize your resume for the type of positions for which you are applying. Begin with making a list of the categories you want on your resume. Next, prioritize those categories from most to least important based on your market research. For instance, if you have a one-page resume, what would you want someone to focus on if they could only view the top half?In addition, consider customizing your category headings. If you’re seeking a finance position, and you have held finance responsibilities, highlight that related experience by putting it in a category labeled “Finance Experience.” Why should you do this? Because category headings are like headlines in a newspaper; they’re meant to draw someone to the content. Customizing is part of your marketing strategy.#4: Transform Your Resume From a Job Description to a Performance DocumentEmployers believe they can predict future success through past performance. It’s essential to transform your resume from a passive job description to an active performance document. This requires you to develop results-based statements that provide evidence—namely accomplishments and achievements.In general, accomplishments and achievements can be classified into quantitative and qualitative terms. Quantitative includes numbers, dollars, and percentages. These not only demonstrate accomplishment and achievement, but breadth and scope of responsibility. Qualitative includes things as promotions, honors, awards, selections, recognitions, and commendations.Some job seekers are uncomfortable with doing this because it sounds like bragging to them. But, remember that your resume is akin to marketing. It’s about clearly communicating your unique selling proposition in concrete terms, providing the evidence for “why you.”#5: Incorporate Keywords for Electronic ScanningIn this digital age, more employers are using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen resumes. When flooded with resumes for job openings an ATS helps narrow the field to a manageable number.How does an ATS work? It’s a software application that filters resumes automatically based on given criteria and keywords. The more relevant keywords you have on your resume, the greater your chances the ATS will screen in your resume for a closer look. However, Applicant Tracking Systems have become more sophisticated and now take the context of keywords into account. As a result, it's important to include the keywords within your accomplishment statements and throughout your resume as opposed to merely providing a list.How do you identify these keywords? Take advantage of multiple sources, including job postings, company and professional association websites, resume and keyword books, and career profile websites like O\*NET OnLine. Once you identify them, find legitimate ways to incorporate them into your resume. For more details on how to format your resume for online applications, check out the ATD blog post, “How to Avoid the Online Application Black Hole.”Although there are times when we just want to blend in, this is not one of them. Using these five key resume tips will help you stand out from the crowd and get you closer to the career you’re pursuing.Check out the TD at Work Career Management Collection, for more advice on such questions as:  how to identify your career brand and what tools you can use to market that brand, how to assess what you have to offer employers, and how to manage life and work.

5 Resume Tips to Help You Stand Out From the Crowd

Martin Luther King Jr. was many things, but few would see him as a great model for business leaders.King exemplifies two types of organizational leadership vital to today’s business environment, according to Christopher Neck, associate professor of management at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business, and his colleague Jeffrey Godwin of Saint Vincent College. They argue that King was a transformational and servant leader, and enterprises today would benefit greatly from adopting his techniques.When Neck and Godwin started using King as an example of leadership in class, their categorizations differed—Neck saw him as a servant leader, and Godwin saw him as a transformational leader.Transformational leaders articulate a vision, while servant leaders believe in empowering and developing people on an individual level. Both types of leaders aim to empower employees and improve performance, but the transformational leader focuses more on the organization as a whole, while the servant leader focuses more on individuals. Both paths lead to the same goal, and in the end, the two types have more commonalities than differences, Neck says. “If you care about employees first, they will work harder, and their performance will improve. At the end of the day, it’s all about the organization.”In his research on King, Neck found examples of both types of leadership. King had a vision and set a model for followers to emulate. His expectations were high, and he challenged people about their assumptions. But he was also patient, advocating nonviolence and cooperation. He promoted equality and fairness and helped individuals believe in themselves, realizing that personal motivation was the key to social change.In research published in the Journal of Leadership and Management, Neck and Godwin examined a particular phase of King’s career: the “Chicago Campaign” of 1966. To end housing discrimination in the area, King moved into an apartment in the city’s west-side slums and began working with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO).In August 1966, King led about 700 people in a protest march through all-white neighborhoods in Chicago. Angry residents gathered, but King was not deterred. Working with the SCLC and the CCCO, he planned another march, this time in the white, middle-class suburb of Cicero. Worried town leaders met with King and other civil rights leaders to discuss the march. The civil rights groups agreed to cancel the march, and in exchange, the city promised to guarantee accessible housing to African Americans.City leaders, for the most part, failed to follow through on the pact. King, though bitterly disappointed and angry, was not a short-term thinker.“It was one cog in his strategy to bring attention to his vision,” Neck says. “Even if the organizational outcome failed, he didn’t fail from a servant leader perspective. He helped people believe in themselves. He brought people together and brought attention to achieving equal education and facilities.”Though the business world has changed tremendously since King’s day, his leadership style is more relevant than ever.In the past, workers often stayed with a company for 20 or 30 years, and authoritarian leadership was the norm. In today’s fast-paced business environment, “it would be hard for an autocratic, top-down leader to survive,” Neck says. The pension carrot is gone. Frequent job change is the norm, and employers have a tough time finding and retaining skilled workers. Routine tasks are automated, and high-performance expectations are the norm. Employees accept the pressure, but only if they feel their work is valued and has meaning.A transformational leader provides a vision that inspires workers to come together and rise to challenges. A servant leader empowers them to use their best skills and make independent decisions that ultimately benefit the entire company.

Martin Luther King Jr.: A Leader to Inspire Businesses

As 2024 unfolds, the HR and L&D landscape has transformed significantly, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). Earlier in the year, CYPHER Learning made key predictions for 2024 about AI’s role in shaping the future of work and learning. Now, many of those predictions have become a reality. The AI trends that have emerged are not just speculative but practical shifts in how we work and learn.Here are eight AI predictions for 2024 that have stood the test of time and are shaping the HR and L&D market today.1. Proactive AIOne major prediction was that AI would become more proactive, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing. AI now anticipates user needs rather than waiting for input. Tools like Microsoft’s Copilot and Google’s Gemini have taken proactive AI mainstream, streamlining workflows across industries by predicting actions and suggesting content.In HR, this has translated into AI tools that automatically recommend training courses based on employee roles and skills gaps, making it easier for L&D teams to stay ahead of workforce needs and ensuring more tailored learning experiences.2. Refined vs. Raw AI2024 saw a shift from experimental AI models to more polished and reliable tools. The refinement of AI systems, driven by improved oversight and cross-checking mechanisms, ensures accuracy and reduces the risk of errors or biases. OpenAI and Google, for example, have refined their models to deliver more dependable results.In L&D, this refinement is critical. AI Crosscheck from CYPHER plays a key role in ensuring the accuracy of AI-generated content, particularly for training programs, making sure employees receive high-quality, validated learning experiences.3. Remote Training for ManagersThe prediction that AI would help managers lead distributed teams has also proven true. With remote and hybrid work becoming the norm, AI tools are being used to support managers in training and managing teams from a distance.Platforms like Zoom and Salesforce now integrate AI to enhance communication, track employee progress, and provide real-time feedback, ensuring that remote teams stay productive and engaged. This has helped bridge the gap between remote workers and in-office teams, offering personalized training and support.4. Workforce VersatilityAI has become a key driver in creating a versatile workforce. Platforms like Udemy and CYPHER Learning use AI to help employees build both hard and soft skills, offering personalized learning paths based on individual goals and performance.This shift is essential in today’s rapidly evolving work environment. AI-driven tools ensure that employees remain adaptable and versatile, ready to meet the challenges of a changing job market.5. Upskilling and ReskillingAs industries rapidly change, the need for upskilling and reskilling has become more urgent. AI has played a crucial role in helping organizations address these challenges by identifying skills gaps and recommending tailored training solutions. For example, the CYPHER Learning platform automates the mapping of course content to skills and assessments, enabling employees to quickly develop and master the competencies required to keep pace with technological advancements.This automation makes L&D efforts more scalable and efficient, allowing companies to better align employee development with their business objectives.6. Improving Daily LifeAI is now embedded in both personal and professional settings, streamlining tasks and improving daily workflows. From virtual assistants like Alexa to AI-powered learning platforms, technology is making everyday processes more manageable.In the HR and L&D space, AI is being used to personalize learning experiences, ensuring that employees receive content that is relevant to their needs. AI-driven tools are making it easier for workers to acquire new skills, contributing to more dynamic and adaptable learning environments.7. Job Market ShiftsAI is transforming the job market, just as predicted. New roles focusing on AI management, data analysis, and oversight have emerged, while traditional roles are being redefined to include AI-based skills. This shift is being felt globally; for example, a survey reveals that 78 percent of workers believe AI will affect their roles within the next two years.In HR, AI tools are being used to assess workforce readiness and match candidates to roles more precisely. Meanwhile, L&D teams are leveraging AI to guide employees toward the skills they need to stay competitive in an ever-changing job market.8. Addressing AI BiasThe increased focus on addressing AI bias in 2024 has proven essential. Companies like Google and Microsoft are investing in reducing bias in AI systems, ensuring that AI models are more inclusive and representative of diverse perspectives.In the L&D space, AI-generated content and recommendations must be equitable to ensure that all employees, regardless of background, have access to learning opportunities. This focus on fairness is critical as AI continues to evolve, ensuring that AI systems benefit everyone and promote inclusive growth across organizations.2024 and BeyondWhether it’s refining AI tools, supporting remote work, or addressing bias, the industry has moved in the direction that was forecasted. At CYPHER Learning, we’re proud to have contributed to these advancements, particularly with innovations like AI Crosscheck and AI-enabled skills development, which are helping organizations create smarter, more efficient learning environments.Stay tuned for our 2025 predictions—they’ll provide insight into the next phase of AI’s impact on HR and L&D, helping you stay ahead of the curve.

8 AI Predictions for 2024 That Stood the Test of Time

When you’re looking to maintain, protect, or grow the budget that powers your corporate LMS (not to mention the rest of your L&D ecosystem!), you need to be able to make your case to business-minded stakeholders. These C-suite executives want hard data that points to tangible business impact—and, when you know where to look, that’s exactly what you can give them.You’ve got a wealth of areas across your organization that benefit from L&D, and they all have a data-backed story to tell. When you know what kind of results you can expect your L&D investments to deliver, you can start planning ways to measure those results and couch them in terms your C-suite will appreciate. That means looking beyond the course usage and completion metrics that, while an essential part of your learning analytics, need to be combined with business impact data to make the most compelling case to the people holding the purse strings.Read on to discover the quantifiable outcomes your C-suite wants to see, including:Increased levels of engagementA strong reputation for learningPowerful internal mobility practicesEmployee Retention and AcquisitionYou’ll likely be aware, in broad terms, that good L&D can have a positive impact on employee retention and acquisition. These are fantastic factors to consider when you’re looking to demonstrate quantifiable returns on your L&D investments, provided you can guide stakeholders through the chain of linkages that connect learning to cost savings. So, what’s the evidence that L&D reduces turnover and increases an employer’s appeal for prospective applicants? And how can you leverage that information to impress your internal stakeholders? Read on.Articulating the Value of a Strong Reputation for LearningAccording to 2023 research, organizations that don’t offer development opportunities risk losing talent—in fact, that lack of development was respondents’ most commonly cited reason for quitting. The conclusion here is simple enough: when you’ve got a robust, tech-backed culture of learning, your organization is going to be more appealing to all those prospective hires looking for development-rich career opportunities. We’ve established that L&D can, in theory, have an impact on your reputation and on the talent acquisition that follows. But how might you turn this observation into a solid case for the business impact of your L&D investments?If you just wanted to show that your L&D efforts have left you with a good reputation for employee development, that’s fairly straightforward to achieve. You might, for example, incorporate a survey question into your application process, asking applicants why they’re interested in your organization. If applicants are citing your learning culture, you’ll know your reputation is growing in the right direction. But on its own, that information just isn’t enough. It might get across some positive sentiment directed toward your L&D function, but it doesn’t tell upper management how your learning-first reputation leads to business impact.Instead, you’ll want to identify some of the measurable benefits associated with your talent acquisition. If you’ve got a reputation for those sought-after employee development offerings, you can expect a wider pool of candidates—which means you’ll have more high-caliber hires to choose from. Demonstrate that high caliber to your CFO by taking note of factors like reduced time to competency or increased productivity in departments that receive new hires. You’re then just a step away from a set of highly tangible data that business leaders will find much more persuasive.Communicating the Links Between Engagement and Your Bottom LineGiven the popularity of employee development among workers, it’s no wonder that L&D is often linked to higher levels of employee engagement. According to research sponsored by Bridge, learning opportunities were the most commonly cited factor among respondents looking to nurture engagement. Gaining employee engagement data is straightforward enough with the right tools. In fact, Bridge itself offers employee engagement software that allows you to send out regular pulse surveys to check in on engagement levels. So, if you’re looking to establish how your L&D program leads to better business outcomes, you’d be wise to prove that your learning investments are affecting engagement. You might achieve this by conducting before-and-after snapshot surveys to see if your engagement levels improve following a new learning initiative.However, once again, engagement statistics alone aren’t necessarily enough to sell your learning investments internally. To the people holding the purse strings, the question’s going to be “so what?”, and—with the right preparation—that’s a question you can answer with hard figures.According to Bridge’s report, the area most commonly affected by employee engagement is retention. So, once you’ve established that your learning investments are engaging your people, you can start to examine your turnover figures. If your more engaged employees are sticking around for longer periods of time, you’ll be able to point to the substantial, dollars-and-cents cost savings that’ll likely justify any initial L&D expenditure.Connecting Mobility Metrics to Clear Cost ReductionsPromotions and other kinds of internal movement are made possible in part by learning—and, handily, this is something that your HR function will have plenty of data on. If your people are using your learning ecosystem to qualify for internal vacancies, you’ll be able to link the course usage data in your LMS to the talent mobility data held by your HR team. The result? A compelling business case for your learning function: one in which L&D is the lynchpin of talent mobility.That said, higher rates of internal movement aren’t necessarily going to impress your CFO without a little extra context. If you want buy-in for mobility-enabling software, you’ll have to contend with a key question: what’s the business impact of better internal mobility?Once again, turnover numbers are your friend here. Research shows that turnover is less likely when employees are able to move internally. And that’s especially true of workers born after 1996, who—according to LinkedIn—are much more likely than older generations to agree with the statement that “through learning, I can explore potential career paths at my company”.So, your challenge isn’t just to show that your learning ecosystem has led to a rise in internal mobility. It’s to show that these upward or lateral movers are sticking around for longer rather than seeking opportunities elsewhere, reducing the various costs associated with hiring new talent.Reskilling and UpskillingAccording to a survey from GP Strategies and Watershed, less than half of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their organization uses data to understand skills gaps. That’s a lot of room for improvement, especially when 69 percent of organizations reported having a skills gap in 2023—compared to 55 percent in 2021. This is an alarmingly large number that’s growing at an equally alarming rate, and there’s no question that when employees don’t have the skills they need to do their jobs effectively, you’re going to see lower productivity and decreased employee performance.Clearly, the ability to close those gaps through learning and skills development practices has huge implications for any business’ bottom line: It’s no wonder that Watershed names new skills qualifications as one of the more valuable L&D targets to measure. Regulatory ComplianceIn general terms, your discussions about L&D investments will center around how your learning resources make an impact. But there’s one exception. In the world of compliance, there’s a strong case to be made for the avoidance of impact—especially when it comes to the serious penalties that noncompliance can bring.If your learning technology can keep your people compliant—whether that’s by consistently training employees on the same standards, keeping everyone up to date, or providing that all-important compliance documentation—you’ll protect your organization from outcomes as serious as major fines or even being shut down. This is especially true of organizations in high-consequence industries, which often face additional compliance challenges around multilingual needs and data security.A little digging into the penalties your organization is exposed to can go some way toward justifying any L&D expenditure that puts compliance first. According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, 2023 saw fines for financial noncompliance alone totaling around $5 billion. Against even a small slice of a figure like that, you’ll have no problem making the case that the cost of a compliance-first LMS (for example) is more than justified.And good compliance training doesn’t just help you avoid fines. It can also offer savings like lower insurance costs—a tangible figure that will go some way toward mitigating your initial learning tech expenditure.

How to Prove the ROI of Learning & Development: Unlocking the Metrics That Matter 

Today’s economy is … challenging. On top of that, some organizations are still adapting to the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, like distributed teams, remote meetings, and hybrid offices. The need for strong leaders is more significant than ever in light of those obstacles.Strong leadership skills are essential for managers to build and lead engaged, innovative teams prepared to handle today’s challenges. And the key to being a strong leader might be different from what you think. In an ELB Learning webinar, Kristie DeLoreto, SVP, Client Solutions, and Laura Doerr, VP, Operations at ELB Learning, demonstrated why empathy matters in leadership.Empathy in leadership is the ability to relate to and connect with people to inspire and empower their lives. However, it’s important for leaders to understand the difference between empathy and sympathy. “It’s a very gray line,” said DeLoreto. “I think you either kind of understand it, or you need to practice to get better at being more empathetic or knowing the difference between those two.”Lack of Empathy vs. EmpathyYou may have worked in environments where the first second somebody has performance problems at work, the automatic response is to say, “You’re out.”That is an example of a lack of empathy. Unfortunately, this can be fairly standard in our business world. Someone walks into your office and says, “Your numbers have been down for the third quarter in a row. You have to pick up your numbers. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee what the future will look like.”How inspired is that person going to be at work the next day? On the flip side, here’s the empathetic approach.Someone walks into your office and says, “Your numbers are down for the third quarter in a row. Are you okay? I’m worried about you. What’s going on?”We all have performance issues. Maybe someone’s kid is sick. Maybe they’re having problems in their marriage. We don’t know what’s going on in their lives, which will affect their performance at work. Empathy means being concerned about the human being, not just their output. Most people don’t want to be bad performers; they want to do a good job. Leaders must remember this.Exercising empathy can help leaders build teams, hire employees, and work with clients.Building teams. According to a 2022 Gallup report, employee engagement has dropped over the last several years to 32 percent, and 17 percent of employees are actively disengaged. Recognizing and respecting your employees’ emotions—even the negative ones—is a powerful way to connect with them. Empathy lays the groundwork for mature leadership and connecting with your workers as people.Hiring employees. Empathy is also important in the hiring process. It gives insight into another person’s motivations and helps you judge whether a candidate is right for a position. “If you look at your candidate with empathy, you can see the person and the human they are. And if they’re going to bring that to the table and bring those right skills and the right fit culturally, and all those other pieces just by thinking about that,” said DeLoreto. Working with clients. By employing empathy in your conversations with clients or subject matter experts, you can better understand their pain points and get on the same page. Having an open, thoughtful, empathetic conversation—especially with difficult clients—where you align and get on the same page will improve your relationship. In addition, empathy allows you to understand how another person is likely to behave, which can be powerful in negotiations.Why Leadership Training Can HelpDuring the webinar, DeLoreto polled the audience, asking who had worked for a leader who lacked empathy at any point in their career. The response was a resounding 95 percent “YES.”Effective leadership training needs to include soft skills training such as empathy. While there will always be a demand for training on hard skills, at ELB Learning, we’re seeing more and more clients come to us for manager and leadership development.

Most Important Skill for Leaders Is Empathy—Here’s Why

In today’s increasingly diverse and geographically dispersed federal workforce, creating culturally relevant training videos is more important than ever. According to Gallup, only about two in 10 employees feel culturally connected to their organization.By creating culturally relevant training videos, you can improve engagement and learning outcomes.Understanding Culturally Relevant TrainingCreating training that connects on a cultural level means ensuring that the content is relatable and respectful of the diverse cultural backgrounds of the employees.Cultural differences can be influenced by race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, language, and socioeconomic status, as well as age, religion, family, geographical location, and social networks. When learners and students engage with content that reflects their cultural experiences and values, they feel more included and engaged and have improved learning outcomes.Here are five suggestions to help your training videos successfully connect with your audience in appropriate and meaningful ways.1. Conduct a Cultural AssessmentBefore creating training content, understand the cultural composition of your workforce. Surveys, focus groups, and demographic data offer insights into employee cultures and values, so you understand which practices you can build to make your training more culturally accessible.For example, an organization creating a cybersecurity training video series may send out a survey that finds:Employee core values emphasize ethical behavior and compliance.The workforce consists of a mix of experienced professionals and recent graduates.Some employees indicate limited familiarity with cybersecurity practices.To make cybersecurity videos relevant to this workplace culture, the training team may: Focus on how cybersecurity practices create a more ethical and compliant work environment.Use real-life examples and case studies from employee experiences.Segment the training. Create a basic version for beginners and advanced versions for more experienced learners.Tailoring characters, scenarios, and language to your organization’s data ensures your videos remain relevant, engaging, and inclusive.2. Use Inclusive VisualsUse diverse characters in your training videos to represent different cultural backgrounds that are reflective of your workforce.In addition to including characters with a variety of skin tones, include characters with different ages, religious backgrounds, gender expressions, and body types.Even hair and clothing choices can make visuals more inclusive. For example, afro-textured hair continues to be stigmatized in the workplace. Featuring characters in training videos wearing natural and protective hairstyles could help include Black employees while increasing awareness and mitigating bias.3. Use Inclusive LanguageUse simple and direct language. It may be tempting to include slang or jargon you think might appeal to one of your audiences, but this can cause confusion for those who don’t share the same cultural or linguistic background. You may also find yourself relying on stereotypes. Focus on making the content relevant to your learners’ needs and values.Whenever possible, make copies of your videos available in different languages. All-in-one video creation tools like Vyond offer quick translation features that even account for regional dialect. This will allow you to make your videos more relevant to those with a variety of linguistic backgrounds.4. Consider the Roles of Your CharactersBe cognizant of not only whether you include characters from diverse backgrounds in your video, but what roles those characters play.Watch for any trends or biases in the kinds of roles you give your characters. Are you placing your blind character in the role of a supervisor or a junior employee? Are your characters of color primarily teachers or students?Ensuring diverse representation in leadership roles promotes inclusivity and equality.5. Involve ReviewersTo ensure your videos are relevant and appropriate, involve trusted reviewers from the backgrounds you aim to reach. This can mean:Sharing script and storyboards with your team before you start creating the videoBeta testing your video with small groups of your learnersGathering feedback from subject matter experts who represent the cultural backgrounds you’re targetingIncorporate feedback on language, visuals, content, format, and script, and iterate. Regularly update and refine the training content to ensure it remains relevant and effective.Culture evolves over time. As trainers and colleagues, it’s our ongoing responsibility to make sure learners are represented and their needs are met through our training programs.

Search results for 'Hari Nair'

Categories

Refine By

Search results for 'Hari Nair'

Categories

Refine By

Role

Topic

Industry