Sometimes Simple Really is Better

JoAnn Corley-Schwarzkopf -

It's been, quite a journey these past 24 years since I started my business...and man have I seen and experienced a lot!

In particular, the training and development industry has gone through many a transformation - from corporate training (as we now know it) that did not exist - to fully formed multiple disciplinary industries supporting it.

Believe it or not, there was a time when the only professional development you'd encounter was reading books, buying audio cassette programs or going to large public seminars sponsored by such names as Steven Covey, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, and Fred Pryor. Yes...I've been around that long!

I myself spent a decent part of my professional speaking career delivering workshops for a revival of Fred Pryor, National Seminars Group. What an opportunity to travel all over North America conducting thousands of workshop, helping thousands of people...what a ride it was. I've spoken in every major city every state and multiple provinces in Canada!

Ultimately, it gave me a birds eye and ground floor view of what professionals need from a variety of places and positions. I learned what bugs them the most, what's happening in their organizations, their pleasures, struggles...what made them leave a job and what caused them to stay. I consider that particular experience serious, thorough market research.

And...here's what I discovered. A bible verse I've know for some years from Proverbs still holds true - "there is nothing new under the sun". From all the years I spent in my early professional career as an individual contributor to having my own business, the core needs of those in the workplace - over 2 generations - had not changed.

And the shocking news flash!...it's not that complicated! (Now think of this statement in light of all the billions of dollars spent in the training and development industry each year). In fact the needs are quite simple and can be summed up this way:

I'd like to work with folks who are decent human beings. To be treated with dignity and respect ...and to feel appreciated and compensated appropriately for what I contribute and given the best opportunities to grow professionally. And please, have managers and leaders who are willing and able to facilitate that. The end.

In reading and considering these heart-felt expressions, it's clear something resoundingly simple is all that is needed. Now consider where the money if any is spent on HR, leadership and management issues.

Here's another interesting observation, during my time working with my seminar partner...no matter the topic related to leadership, management, communication, team building the core needs were the same, just packaged different. They made millions of dollars selling the same content. They were excellent at selling titles with repackaged content.

And soooo, after a bazillion workshops on a variety of themes,  as well as working with clients in real time, I noticed simple, recurring themes and needs.  Related to leadership and management, no matter what a client asked for, it seemed to fall within a fixed set of categories.

So, I decided to take those common, recurring needs and create a foundational framework essential for every leader/manager to be the most successful.  It's in the form of a 9 building block blueprint - which we've identified as "the complete leader".

Consider... who builds a house without a foundation, or attempts a journey to a new destination without a map?  Each serve as a step-by-step guide to the desired outcome or destination.

And yet, this happens in businesses everyday. Folks are promoted to managers with no foundation, blueprint, roadmap or clear sense of where they are going and how they are going to get there..they get nadda.

Some even hear, "I just want you to hit the ground running." What the heck does that mean?

It was clear that management training was so ad hoc, buffet style it was not meeting core, essential needs...that is was broken and needed some fixin.  And yet, most - even to this day - buy into this thinking - sporadic, buffet style "training" is  training. Massive information dumps is not training...it's just a bunch of learning creating brain overload.

Isn't it amazing how we settle for something that perpetually hasn't served us well....or years...because it just traditional or common...it's what everyone else does?

Consider this crazy truth > Companies will spend thousands of dollars on recruiting and them hand over an "expensive" recruit to an untrained, minimally skilled at best manager leading a dysfunctional team. This just doesn't make sense!

Would you buy a mercedes and turn the keys over to your teenager who just received a license? I'm just gonna let that questions sit, and let your imagination run with it.

I'd like to have a Cher - Moonstruck moment for our industry - when she slaps Nicolas Cage and says, "Snap out of it!" I'd like for the HR, training and development to do exactly that!!! SNAP OUT IT!

It's Way Past Time for Something Different

So here's my challenge: Consider what we have to offer (a distinct alternative):

  1. Learn about our blueprint and how we deliver it (via development cycles).
  2. Learn about our 3 simple leadership competences...yes not 10 or 16 that you can't really adequately measure or keep track of...only 3.
  3. Instead of short information dump, buffet style approaches, consider starting with building an essential, solid foundation first via a development cycle.
  1. Connect at the free basic level and go through the introduction - Leadership Learning Track #1 - to learn in more detail everything about what we do, how we do it, why and what great value (and measurably roi) you'll experience when working with us - click here.
  2. Take the 1 Minute Challenge => Take 1 minute to consider and write down 3-5 areas that you see are common issues with leaders/managers. Then, as you view the overview of the blueprint, determine where they fall. I guarantee 1 if not all of those 5 are addressed within the 9 building blocks.
  3. View this brief video blueprint overview which reveals the 9 essential building blocks to be an effective leader/manager and 3 core competencies (the complete leader framework).
  4. Assess where you stand => Download The Complete Leader Assessment here. Let me know your score and what you discovered. This is also the source of your action plan (even if you never decide to formally work with us).