DDI’s Talent Management Intelligence

Shoes and Passion: My ASTD Experience

By Annamarie Lang

My maiden voyage to ASTD brought realization about the event and the people who attend it.  There are two main things I want to share about my first ASTD experience – they include shoes and passion – an odd but clearly related couple.

The shoe part is simple:  Wear the MOST comfortable shoes you own to cover the miles of rooms of educational sessions and the Expo floor experiencing the second thing I saw plenty of at this year’s ASTD conference—and that is PASSION.

While I have attended other conferences during my professional life, this was my first ASTD experience and I was struck by the zeal that each person had for their job as well as the company they represented.  This passion resonated in their insightful questions, sharing of organizational challenges, and their genuine desire to discuss ideas and solutions that would resolve those challenges.  It speaks so highly of the profession and I could feel their energy ‘rub-off’ on me.

I found myself asking a lot of questions about their organizations and their initiatives to develop their people.  What I found were tireless professionals wanting to help their organizations develop their most trusted resource:  people. It’s very clear to me that the enthusiasm and sincere love of what they do went beyond a job; these are people on a mission. 

As I headed back to the hotel after day two, I heard a woman talking with a colleague about what she planned to implement after hearing a presentation. What was interesting was how she described her ideas and how those plans would help leaders to be better leaders and how it would impact the business of her company.  That passion is what ASTD is all about. As I was reflecting on my experience, another woman overheard me mention that this was my first ASTD conference.  She emphatically said: “just make sure you have a really comfortable pair of shoes!”

There is no doubt passion is the word that I will always equate with ASTD (aside from the right shoes, of course). There is no doubt that I will walk away from ASTD with tired feet; but through it all, I am energized and excited about the business of people – those will be at the heart of my maiden ASTD conference.

Annamarie Lang is a Senior Consultant with the Leadership Solutions Group at Development Dimensions International (DDI).

The Multigenerational Workforce: Why work?

This is the second in a series of blogs done on how the generations differ in the worklace based on a survey conducted by the author. Read more about the survey.

By Verity Bissett-Powell

In 1992, Tang and Tzeng found that as age increased, reported work ethic decreased, suggesting that younger workers projected higher work ethics than older workers. Younger workers’ passion for work does not come from a practical need but a personal desire for fulfilment: “If I never had to earn money ever again, I'd still work. It's important to me to engage with others, explore the world, and develop myself… which I do through work.” Across the X and Y generations a startling 86% disagreed with the statement that - Work is required to pay bills, nothing more. Ironic considering that these generations have also been labelled the “slacker” generation. These high percentages contrast with the slightly lower 65% of boomers and 50% of Traditionals who also disagreed with the statement.

Now you cannot automatically link the attitude towards employment with the work ethics, but these statistics hint at some of the generational differences of opinion towards work / life balance.

The comments from the question, what does work / life balance mean to you in theory, and in reality?, are interesting in light of the above data. The Traditionals and Baby Boomers seem to have a greater grasp on the 9-5 concept: “I am not a surgeon, nor do I save people's lives.  I need to leave work and have a life outside.  If I didn't want that, I would've been a doctor.” There is a more regimented approach to work which involves arriving, working hard during your assigned hours, and then leaving for time at home.

The younger employees however seek “an environment with fluid boundaries” where they can remove the conflict between work and life in a more organic working approach: “Being able to go to office when I want to. I will always deliver, regardless of whether I am in office or not.” When looking at the fervour for satisfying work and high working ethic, it is fair to evaluate that younger workers will get the job done, it’s just that they might prefer to do a 10-7 working day or  complete some tasks using a PDA while on the move. Some organisations are adapting their job requirements to appeal to the younger generation as part of recruiting campaigns. For example, instead of simply stressing higher salaries, the international company Procter and Gamble is highlighting the opportunity for flexible hours, the chance to work from home, the offer of up to a year of 'family leave' to look after children or elderly parents, and the promise of regular three-month sabbaticals. With global corporations needing 24/7 responses, this flexible approach to work can actually help meet the needs of colleagues and customers – with younger generations working as and when is needed.

Follow the entire series throughout May and June, and read more about the research that was conducted.

Verity Bissett-Powell is a Business Development Executive with DDI UK.

The Multigenerational Workforce: Career direction - step or stabilise?

This is the first of a series of blogs done on how the generations differ in the worklace based on a survey conducted by the author. Read more about the survey.

By Verity Bissett-Powell

My friend, a fellow Y-Gen was recently critiqued for being “aggressively ambitious” by a senior leader within his organisation. He retold the events leading up to this bold statement and genuinely could not understand what he had said that was wrong. He had simply asked the leader what he needed to do to take the next step up the career ladder, and received what was clearly meant as a rebuttal.

This is a common story and one that is affecting leaders of X and Y generations. The research clearly backs up such anecdotes, as when asked the question “I know/knew the direction I want/ed my career to go” there was a distinctive variety among the results. The leader in question was from the baby boomer generation, 42% of whom agreed with this survey statement. One individual commented: “I didn't set specific goals about what level I want to reach by what age unlike many young people today.” Meanwhile, 59% of the millennials or Y generation said that yes, they know where they want their career to go. “I've always had a clear image in my mind of what I wanted to be in the next 5-10 years” as one respondent summarises.

So you can see why the career progression enquiry would evoke such a response and cause frustration on the part of both conversationalists. Does this mean that all X and Y generation employees will be constantly banging on their manager’s doors asking for promotions? No. What it means is that the younger generations want to feel like they are progressing in their careers: through formal or informal development, feedback on their performance, and some sort of mapping for the next steps.

It means that analysing the talent pipeline could become a more transparent process than previously, as the players involved are given permission to confidently and comfortably voice their motivations and goals.

Follow the entire series throughout May and June, and read more about the research that was conducted.

Verity Bissett-Powell is a Business Development Executive with DDI UK.

Wishin’ and Hopin’: ASTD International Conference & Expo 2011

By Aviel Selkovits

All my bags are packed and I’m ready to go…yes, I’ve somehow fit two separate song lyrics into this blog, and I’m not even past the first sentence. What can I say, it’s a gift.

Well I’m heading off to Orlando, Florida this weekend to attend the #ASTD2011 International Conference & Expo and I couldn’t be more excited. Our industry and our profession as trainers has been going through incredible change. I’m excited to see the sessions, and walk the Expo Hall to learn what others in our industry are touting this year. So given what I’ve read in the conference program, and what I’ve been following on Twitter and the super-cool ASTD ICE app, here are the 3 things that I’m wishing and hoping I will experience, learn, or take-away from the conference:

1. The latest and greatest in the world of social media and informal learning. Every RSS feed, blog, magazine (or e-zine), and newsletter I subscribe to seems to have an article about how organizations are using (or should use) social media to extend learning beyond the classroom, and create a continuous learning environment. (I’ve even written one for ASTD’s Learning Circuits e-zine). So I’m hoping to hear some intriguing case studies of practitioners making use of all the great social networking / web 2.0 tools that are available to us as training and development professionals.

I see so much promise in this area, and I know there are some great case studies out there. I’ve “fav’d” those sessions on my ASTD app.  And don’t forget to tune into the #ASTD2011 TweetUp Monday evening where you can read all about what’s been happening at the conference in 140 characters or less.

2. Measurement and ROI. It’s not surprising that there is a track devoted to this critical subject matter. Not only are we going to be treated to the final public presentation by the legendary Don Kirkpatrick, but there are number of other sessions to attend on the importance of measuring training initiatives. More and more, I hear from our clients and others in our profession about how important it is to measure, but how difficult it can be to implement.

I have a couple sessions bookmarked to attend and will look forward to hearing some case studies for how organizations are measuring the impact of their learning and development.

3.  Last but certainly not least – networking!  Not all social networking has to be conducted online. Once upon a time live interpersonal communications were deemed ‘highly effective.’ I’m excited to return to yesteryear and spend time talking to other trainers, learning and development, HR, OD and Talent Management professionals. I want to know what others are focusing on, where they are struggling, and where they’ve made great strides.

I also love the ability to meet so many of DDI-certified facilitators – my favorite moments are when attendees walk up to the booth just to say hi and “I was certified back in 1983…” But I invite everyone at the show to stop by DDI’s booth (#1602) to say hi, let us know what you are up to, what you are up against, and what you’re most excited about at the conference.

Are you headed to the conference? What are you most excited about seeing, learning or experiencing? Leave your comments here, or hit me up on twitter @DDIworld #ASTD2011.  

Aviel Selkovits is a senior consultant with Development Dimensions International.

The Important Leadership Conversation That Often Doesn’t Happen…

By Mike Hoban

There’s an old saw in politics you likely have heard which can be paraphrased as “If nominated, I will not run; if elected I will not serve.”  It’s called the Sherman Pledge (named after the Civil War general) and it’s about publicly declaring one’s intent to not pursue a particular office. Unfortunately, in business there are sometimes talent management decisions made without first testing assumptions about someone’s aspirations and intentions to see if there is a personal Sherman Pledge that needs to be revealed. That can make for an awkward situation, a poor talent decision and some egg on a few faces. 

Yet, there is an easy solution – you have a conversation. But I get ahead of myself…

I’ve personally experienced situations like the following: Rebecca, a results oriented supervisor, is seen as having the potential of being a mid-level leader and perhaps higher and is designated to be on the high potential list by a talent review committee. Or Ben, the supervisor of a software team, is seen as ready for promotion to middle management and there is an upcoming opening because of a retirement. Their respective managers then sit down with them and describe the good news opportunities and expectations and oops…        

Oops, as in “I’m happy that I’m highly regarded, but, um, that’s not really what I want to do, at least right now.” For someone like Rebecca, she’s knows that the hi-po track almost always means a relocation and different assignments in order to learn other aspects of the business. It’s a good principal for development, but Rebecca is active in her community, has an aging parent in town who is having health problems and has a husband who has recently started a Ph.D. program at the state university. Oops…

In Ben’s situation, the issue isn’t anything about a possible relocation, it’s about his passion for the work he is currently doing – he loves his job. The job he has. Ben has been writing software since he was in junior high and is a gifted coder. He was promoted to supervisor after three years as a software engineer for the company and he likes very much not only leading his team and providing technical guidance and coaching, he also carries several projects which allow him to do hands-on work. He sees the next level up role as more managing and less “doing,” and moving him further away from the kind of work that he gets jazzed about. Oops… 

The Rebecca and Ben situations are not purely about the classic performance vs. potential issue nor are they purely about the individual contributor track vs. management track. They are hybrid situations and suggest that peoples’ aspirations and values - perhaps today more than ever - are nuanced and don’t necessarily conform to the conventional wisdom guidelines that have served us well in the past. Work-life balances and values have shifted and upward mobility does not always have the allure it might have had traditionally.   

What’s the solution? On some regular basis, managers need to ask their direct reports about their aspirations and about what drives them so they, the managers, can accurately represent those goals and values in talent discussions so that the right opportunities can be identified and person/role mismatches can be avoided.  It seems simple but I’ve been in talent reviews where managers articulated just general impressions about what they think a well-regarded individual wants in his/her career. And someone at the table will ask, “Have you asked her about her specific career goals?” You can guess what the response often is. “Well, not directly…” Due diligence is part of the process, so managers need to have a safe but probing adult conversation about aspirations and career interests. It aids not only in development but in retention as well.     

Of course, some employees will give the safe answers or party line in a career conversation (“Yes, I’d like to be considered for other opportunities to contribute to the company…”) so they don’t get labeled as unambitious and get black-balled for opportunities down the road. The employee needs to trust the boss and the company.  Still, the time for that conversation is before one gets put onto the hi-pot list or before one’s name gets put into the hopper for a promotion, not after.      

It’s common sense but for various reasons it’s not common practice.

Mike Hoban is a Senior Consultant for Development Dimensions International (DDI).