HR Archives - Keystone Development and Training Ltd

Business as Usual in a MOST Unusual World

April 9, 2020Uncategorizedbusiness, coaching, design, HR, OD, training, training design

I’m not going to be pretend that the situation we find ourselves in is a massive opportunity. I know it’s important to focus on the positive, and I do, but let’s not pretend that the current situation bought on by the covid-19 pandemic isn’t pretty dire, because it is. And so many people are doing so many good things – selflessly volunteering to serve communities and support the NHS. So I felt pretty bad that I wasn’t closing my business, leaving my kids to fend for themselves (they are in high school) and getting out there too. I COULD have furloughed myself – the vast majority of my work has temporarily disappeared. Large corporates have (quite rightly) suspended all non-essential training. BUT the thing about working for myself for 14 years means that I’ve been through tough times before. And those tough times taught me to adapt. The last time corporate work was thin of the ground, I started the Training Designer’s Club. The time before that I created some online courses about how to design training. The time before THAT I created ready-written Power Hour training materials to sell to other trainers. So although my earnings may be very…

What we can learn about Management Development from Snowboarding

February 24, 2020Uncategorizedbusiness, coaching, design, development, HR, L&D, learning, management, management development, managers, OD, training, training design

Last week I attempted to learn to snowboard. If there had been learning objectives for the week, I’m sure I would have met them: I can now side slide, do a J turn, traverse across a hill, zig zag down it, make left and right turns and link turns together. But I can’t snowboard! It was very useful learning something completely new – as it reminded me that learning is HARD, and so many things have to come together to achieve success. Our instructors would explain, then demonstrate the next skill. Then they would guide us through it, step by step. So far, so good. Then, after a few (quite literally) hand-holding practices, we tried on our own… and generally failed. This is to expected, so they were very clear that we had to PRACTICE between sessions. This also makes total sense. I practised and didn’t improve – for two reasons: 1) I still needed actual physical support, and 2) although my head knew what to do, my body kind of did its own thing. Plus, there were many many small movements that had to be done in the right order, at the right time and in the right way…

Is it ever OK to do Sheep-dip Training?

January 28, 2020Uncategorizedbehaviour, business, HR, OD, training

I think yes. Sometimes. In very specific cases. I can almost hear the sound of dozens of people disconnecting from me!! I think it IS appropriate when the training supports a fundamental business change and is part of wider process change and internal communication. Everyone has to learn about the new way of doing things all together. If the training is given to some and not others, or over a long period of time, the change is less likely to happen. There’s a lot to be said for peer pressure. I should know, I’ve just pretty much done Dry January, without ever having made it my intention! My husband decided to do it, and as he wasn’t drinking I barely did either. Three glasses of wine over the whole month is a significant reduction. I was clearly influenced by his behaviour, and this happens at work too. The need to fit in should never be under-estimated. When we see those around us behaving in certain way, we are more likely to behave similarly. That’s why it can be hard to make changes after training if you are the only person who completed it. Your environment is still encouraging the established…

Being “Better” in 2020

January 2, 2020Uncategorizedbespoke, business, design, development, HR, L&D, learning, OD, training, training design, variety

Here we are, the start of another new year. Many people are making resolutions – joining the gym, doing Dry January, setting ambitious business goals. I have not. That’s NOT to say that I don’t need to make improvements. I definitely need to lose weight (I’m currently a stone heavier than I’d like) and cutting down on the booze can only be a good thing. But you won’t find me reaching for the slimfast, joining Slimming World, hitting the gym 5 days a week, or cutting out the booze entirely. Because if I do that, I’m setting myself up to fail. It’s too BIG a change and it’s actually a bigger change than I need to make, so why make life hard for myself? I DO eat healthily most of the time (just need to watch those portion sizes and evening snacks). I DO exercises regularly – 3 Zumba classes a week most weeks. I DO generally have 4 alcohol free days a week In short, I get it mostly right most of the time. However, I need to be more consistent. I need to me more aware and notice more quickly if I’m straying from good habits. I need…

You can’t Escape the Stages of Team Development!

December 15, 2019Uncategorizedbehaviour, development, HR, learning, OD, pace, training

Last week I ran a strategy/team-building day for a newly merged department of around 30 people. Part of the day was about the goals of the department, the reporting lines and key deliverables. The other part of the day was about getting to know each other and how to work together as a team. We decided to keep it theory light, but (in reference to the fact that they were a NEW team) we did cover Tuckman – just to reassure them that it would get harder before it got easier, and that was normal and actually could be quite a good thing. To illustrate this, we went to an Escape Room. With 30 people we had 6 groups, so during the activity, my associate and I observed 3 groups each – approximately 15 minutes each. It was very illuminating! The group I was with first were a bit shell-shocked by the whole situation. They didn’t know what to do, everyone was reluctant to take control, no-one said much, it was all quite polite and although some people did start to fiddle with some of the props and puzzles, they did so alone. There was very little communication. As an…

Social and Collaborative Learning

October 13, 2019Uncategorizedcoaching, design, HR, learning, managers, OD, performance, training, training design

Last week I attended a webinar run my Andy Lancaster from the CIPD called “Social and Collaborative Learning: What really makes it work?” It was a very good webinar. I found it useful, informative and interesting. I learned new things and I had some of my own ideas validated. It was also run very well (as you would perhaps expect!). But I do have issues – and I realise it’s probably just me being pedantic. My grumpy old woman is starting to emerge perhaps… A list of the top 200 collaborative learning methods was bought up. However, not one of the top 200 was coaching, feedback, on the job training, action learning, stretch projects, workshops, even having a good conversation i.e. face-to-face, in person interaction…. It’s like we are being hoodwinked into thinking that we can’t be “social” unless we are using some app or technical interface!! Well, as far as I can tell humans have been learning socially since time began, and we will continue to do so with or without apps to help us. Personally, I’m 100% on board with learning via social technology – I learn through it myself – particularly my two favourite Facebook communities: The…

11 Reasons to use Case Studies in Training

July 28, 2019UncategorizedHR, learning, OD, training

Firstly, let’s clarify what I mean by a case study. I’m not talking about a retrospective account of something you (or someone else) did not demonstrate good practice. Leave those for the marketing people. I’m talking about a fictitious scenario that people analyse, discuss and make decisions about. Out of all the tools in my trainers kit bag, this is definitely one of my favourite – even for bite-sized sessions. Here are 10 reasons why: They appeal to everyone – no-one ever said they hate case studies, and everyone engages with them at some level. Whether you have more reflective learners or those who want to get stuck in, case studies allow everyone to contribute. They require very little introduction – with no complex instructions to explain, people instinctively know what do, so can get stuck in straight way. They are flexible – you can spend as little as 10 minutes on a case study or half a day, depending on complexity and number of issues being explored. They allow exploration of different perspectives – You can revisit them at different points and look at them through a different lens each time. They are versatile – you can use to…

Why L&D needs to be more like HR

July 10, 2019Uncategorizedcoaching, development, HR, L&D, management, managers, OD, performance, training

I’ve done a lot of work over the last couple of years developing the performance management skills of managers. This is because HR don’t have time to handle every minor performance issue – and some managers in some organisations were dodging responsibility for managing their own teams. It is widely accepted that HR is there to advise managers (not manage for them), and of course to step in when a situation escalates or is complex/unusual and a more expert hand is required. Makes sense doesn’t it? So why is L&D still expected to do ALL the development? Shouldn’t we be stepping in exactly the same way as HR people do – when informal methods aren’t enough, or a development need requires specialist input? There’s a LOT of talk out there about reducing formal training, and in particular, courses. I understand where this is coming from, but when L&D are expected to develop people, from different roles, different departments, in different locations, and they get a set time to do it, no wonder formal training won’t go away. Not that I think it should. I’m a fan of the workshop and a formal development programme. But just like HR only stepping…

When Creativity Strikes

June 17, 2019Uncategorizeddesign, HR, learning, managers, OD, pace, training, training design

Designing training is quite a creative thing. Yes – there are some things that you can do to progress the creation of a course when your brain isn’t in it, but when creativity strikes BOOM!! You work so much more quickly and what you create is so much better. I’ve just experienced this in a non-work capacity. In my lunch break, I decided to go and pick the raspberries (we have so many growing!!), and whilst I was outside, allowing my mind to wander, I suddenly knew how I wanted to re-design the garden. It’s been something we’ve been talking about for about a year, but despite looking in magazines, searching on-line, going round garden centres and so on, we didn’t move our thinking on much. But little ideas have been stored here and there. Last week, we found ourselves watching an episode Springwatch. We weren’t even giving it our full attention, but there was a small item on creating a nature garden in a small, urban space. What a nice idea I thought, but that was it. However, today, as I finished picking the raspberries, I turned and looked at my rectangular lawn and dilapidated shed and tatty patio,…

Pace… Fast and Direct or Slow and Meandering?

June 1, 2019Uncategorizedbehaviour, HR, learning, OD, pace, training

A number of things have prompted this blog: Various articles I’m seeing (particularly on LinkedIn) and my recent visit to Rome. Let’s talk about Rome. We had three full days at our disposal so had to choose how best to spend our time. My husband and I have been before, around 20 years ago, so we knew what was worth revisiting with young teenagers in tow, and what wasn’t. As such we had 2 full days all sorted, and a final day to decide what to do with at the time. On day 1 we saw the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, St Peter’s Basilica and went around the Vatican Museums. We’d allowed ourselves 3 hours for this (based on past experience) and it proved to be ideal. We saw all the bits we wanted to see and had time to listen to the detailed information about the rooms that caught our attention and took all the photos we wanted, as well as sitting in the sun for a 15 minute (much needed) break. Clearly, some people had a lot less time… many tourists practically running past us to get to the Sistene Chapel in the shortest time possible (and no…

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