In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell writes, “the closer psychologists look at the careers of the gifted, the smaller the role innate talent seems to play and the bigger the role preparation seems to play.” This observation is part of Gladwell’s larger assertion, drawing on research subjects as varied as world chess masters to classical […]
Going back further than I might care to admit, my very first foray into the world of learning design was by teaching future commercial airline pilots how to fly by employing flight simulators. I gained a bit of notoriety in flight training circles by speaking at conferences on a topic that challenged a core notion […]
Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher said, “Change is the only constant in life.” He may have lived long before Plato or Aristotle, but his words feel like they belong to the present. As much energy as we devote to trying to predict the future in order to place our businesses in front of the pack, we […]
Every once in a while, the universe conspires to give business leaders reminders that they need employees who are fast on their feet when encountering new challenges and new problems. We’ve all had plenty of those reminders during the Coronavirus pandemic. Along the way, we’ve all been tasked with learning myriad new communication platforms, new […]
When the doors open on a London Underground train, a computerized voice reminds you to “Mind the gap.” This polite British reminder is actually telling you, “Watch out! Danger!” as you cross the gap between train and platform. There’s a less obvious but important danger in the gap between how we use the words “training” […]
In a previous article, I discussed how the coronavirus crisis is forcing organizations to rethink their approaches to training. In particular, moving to a virtual learning model. But you can’t simply convert existing classrooms into virtual instructor-led training (vILT). Instead, organizations need to transform their programs. Transformation means not only duplicating but improving the learning […]
If there is one thing the coronavirus has taught us all, it is that training, as we know it, is neither resilient nor flexible. Classroom training that requires facilitators and participants to fly to various locations and pack shoulder-to-shoulder in a classroom is no longer an option. But as organizations consider replacing their current programs […]
Think of a time when you came home from work feeling proud and accomplished. I’d be willing to wager that most of those feelings came because you’d solved a problem that day. From the frontline to the C-Suite, the great majority of the work that actually pushes a company forward is rooted in problem-solving. Solving […]
Much of today’s traditional classroom training is focused on boring lectures and PowerPoint presentations containing as much text as the slide will permit. “Mastery” of materials is tested by multiple-choice questions that only support the ability to memorize. Think about the likely results of such training this way: Can you imagine getting on an airliner […]
I once gave a speech I titled “Old Wine in New Skins.” The concept: If you were a winemaker with a batch of bad-tasting wine and you were trying to change consumers’ impressions, introducing a new label or fancy bottle wouldn’t change the taste. Learning is no different. Yet most training is like bad wine. […]