sheridan@keystonedevelopment.co.uk
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Teach a man to fish (or a woman to do a website)…

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So, this is it. My new website designed by me, with just a little bit of guidance and hand holding from my friend Becs McNeill. I’m pretty impressed with what I’ve managed to achieve in a relatively short amount of time (probably 2-3 days in total). Of course, Becs (who is far more experienced than me) could have done it less time and possibly made it look just a teensy bit more professional. But she wanted me to learn so that I could be the one in control in the future. In essence, rather than bringing me fish, she taught me how to fish for myself so I could feed myself in the future. Much in the same way that I want to help busy L&D managers: I want to work alongside them, not use a load of smoke and mirrors to make things seem more complex than they are. I want to share my expertise, not keep it a secret. Yes, some things need expert knowledge or experience (just like building a website) but a lot of it is reasonably straightforward…if only you have the time. So by working together, we have achieved a win-win: She has earned some…

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Want learning to deliver? Join the dots

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Yesterday I attended my third ‘Unconference’ with fellow L&D professionals from a wide range of backgrounds. It was (as always) a very thought provoking day where many issues were discussed and some solutions identified! One of the sessions focused on empowering learners and engaging managers in learning. It was a very insightful discussion that considered how much training is VALUED in organisations, whether we are defining the right objectives (and whether the right people are involved in that process) to the metrics that we use to measure training (we decided that most metrics favoured by senior management were largely irrelevant to the measuring the effectiveness of a solution). Perhaps unsurprisingly, line managers were identified as one the biggest obstacles to effective transfer of learning. L&D teams may offer great opportunities and solutions, individuals may be motivated to learn, but when managers won’t ‘release’ them from their day job (proof if ever it was needed that learning is something extra, not related to the real work for which they get paid), when no-one takes an interest in what has been learned and how it has been applied, when no-one is helping them to see the link between learning and job performance,…

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Skin and Bone: Soft and Hard Management Skills

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Last weekend I went on a day’s family bushcraft course (thanks to Komaru Outdoors for such a great day!). Our day was more about having fun than serious learning, but the owners do run more corporate and social sessions with more emphasis on learning and development. Often, their clients are used to living in a black and white world: right and wrong, love and hate, my way or the high way. They learn about collaboration, team work and problem-solving and can then take these new inclusive skills into their workplaces and communities. The course leader and I were chatting. He assumed that (in my role as a training consultant) I was dealing with similar issues. The fact is, we are dealing with total opposites: He works with people who have all the ‘hard’ skills they’ll ever need – in fact, in many cases, these hard skills are over-done and over-relied on. They need to be balanced with what’s traditionally be termed ‘soft’ skills, but really it’s about people skills. They know WHAT to do, but they only have one way of doing it, which may not always be the best way. In my small part of the corporate training universe, most…

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The Customer waits for the Fish

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On Friday, by some fluke of nature, both hubby and I were working at home. We decided to treat ourselves to fish and chips from the local chippy at lunchtime. I went in and placed the order “One large fish, chips and peas please” (It’s plenty for 2 – especially at lunchtime). Despite it being 12.30 and with no-one else in the shop, I was surprised when the cook started to batter up a fish to fry. “Haven’t you got any ready?” I asked. “No. I only cook them when they are ordered. The customer must wait for the fish. The fish doesn’t wait for a customer. That way they are fresh and crisp.” I was told. And I realised that I apply the same principles to my business. Recently I’ve been sent lots of training requests. All great opportunities, but none of which I can take advantage of. Each opportunity is like a shopping list: The vendor must have role/industry-specific experience The provider must have a course ready The ‘syllabus’ must meet XYZ standards The course must be accredited with this body or that body The course must cost X and be able to be delivered in Y town…

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Balancing Expertise with Active Learning

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Last week, I got involved with social learning on Twitter via #LDInsight – a rare treat as the school run takes place at the same time! The question was ‘How do you balance the need to be an expert with facilitating access to learning?’. My immediate (and typically blunt) response was “I don’t”. I don’t set myself up as an expert. When delivering training I make it clear that everyone in the room has knowledge, experience and good practice to share: I’ve noticed that this immediately reduces any resistance to learning that may be present. Those experienced, competent people in the room inwardly give a sigh of relief that they aren’t going to be ‘told what to do’. When designing training, I add value around the learning process and in particular by harnessing accelerated learning techniques. The nitty gritty of the content is often added by an internal expert. In fact, my last three big projects followed this model. I’m not an expert in finance or HR, but I have been able to create great workshops on these topics by working with internal experts. The key is not being precious about ownership. It’s about using people to their strengths. With…

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For Performance, Conditions Matter!

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I’m writing this on my ski holiday. Today I have finished early because the conditions aren’t great. Light snow is falling and visibility is poor. Even doing ‘blue’ runs has been a challenge. Yesterday I skied from one end of the skiable area in Andorra and back again. Mostly on the harder ‘red’ runs which I found relatively easy. Yesterday the sun was shining, the air was clear and the runs were in good condition. My ability on skis hasn’t changed in one day, but my performance certainly has! It’s all down to conditions…the environment in which I can use my skills. It really brought home to me how vital conditions are for people going back to work after training. If the conditions are good, i.e. Supportive and in line with what’s been trained, performance will surely follow. Skiing in good conditions is easy…and I’m willing to push myself. Skiing in poor conditions is hard, and I have to concentrate to do the basics. As a training provider, I can help to create great training programmes, as indeed can internal L&D teams. That on its own isn’t enough. Managers, HR departments and organisations in general need to make it easy…

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Capital Training?

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Last week I went to central London to deliver some training. It’s a rare trip for me – usually southern-based workshops are run by our southern-based trainers, but on this occasion, it was me. I get quite a buzz out of going to London: the sheer size, pace and diversity fills me with awe. I love to be a part of it…for a little while anyway. London is so unlike anywhere else in the UK. Yes, Manchester, Birmingham and even my home city of Liverpool can feel busy, metropolitan and multi-cultural but they don’t feel like London, or work the way it does. The underground system is simply amazing in it’s efficiency. ‘Boris’ bikes – brilliant. The sheer diversity of restaurants and eateries is mind boggling. Even the clothes that people wear are somehow different (I’ve never seen a man in his mid-thirties wearing skinny jeans in Liverpool and it looking normal, yet in London this somehow worked!). And this is why I love to visit: It’s so different to my home town. The difference is striking. What works in London would seem bonkers up here. What works here wouldn’t work in London for a whole host of reasons. A small village…

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It’s elementary my dear Watson

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Last night we were treated to 90 minutes of TV perfection: Perfect script writing, perfect casting, perfect acting, perfect shooting, perfect editing. I am of course, talking about ‘Sherlock’. Delighted to be given such a treat, but also devastated that it will be at least a year before we are treated to any more. Back to the brain-dead ‘choice’ of TV programmes involving so-called celebrities doing pointless things, or ‘talent’ shows that don’t seem to encourage talent that can’t be immediately exploited for a fast buck. For me, Sherlock is the best thing on TV by far: Intelligent, entertaining, and just a little different to everything else. It’s also proved to be a ratings winner for the BBC. But why does it tick so many boxes? Well, for a start, it’s based on some timeless classics written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; stories that have stood the test of time, and appealed to generation after generation. Secondly, it has been adapted and re-written by two amazing people, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, who have respected the original stories but made them fit today’s society. Thirdly, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are great actors who play their roles of Sherlock and…

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Training and Development: Walk before you Run

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I’m reasonably active on Twitter and for quite a while now, the view of the more progressive thinkers is that as L&D professionals we should stop ‘providing’ training for people. We should instead help people learn how to learn and encourage them to curate their own learning from wherever they feel it is appropriate. Whilst I agree with this in principle, I’ve always had a nagging feeling that it’s not quite right. I think that’s because I spend a lot of time working in financial services, manufacturing and retail where much of what people need to do is still relatively process-led. Of course, to execute processes well you need a wide range of (what’s traditionally termed) soft skills at your disposal: communication, problem solving, personal organisation etc… and each of us have different strengths and development needs here. Each of us operates in a different context so we need to apply our skills differently. So there’s clearly a need for self-driven development. But this development needs to be built on a solid foundation of doing the basics right, consistently and to the required standard. Even professionals need to be trained in using the in-house HR system, how to present their reports…

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I’m with Richard Hammond

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I was listening to Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2 earlier this week, and Richard Hammond was interviewed. I have no strong views of Richard Hammond. I can pretty much take him or leave him. Douglas Adams may describe him as ‘mostly harmless’. But he did say something that resonated with me. He said that now, at age 44, he has realised that he isn’t a leader of men, but he is a bloomin’ good foot-soldier. He likes to be told what to do, and then he does it to the best of his ability. That’s two things that Richard and I have in common then… well, as of next week 😉 Clients don’t use Keystone Development and Training Ltd to challenge the status quo. They don’t use us to be provocative, introduce something radical or to be told what to do. They use us as a resource boost. Our clients typically know what they want to do: they have confidence in internal leadership. Often they simply don’t have the resource to make it happen in a timely manner. That’s where we come in. Because we don’t have a set training or development programme to sell or a leadership model…

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