724 - Colin Powell's 13 Leadership Tips; Midtown Men to Perform

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - May 24, 2012.
#724 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,718 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host of LeadershipDev Design Studio - Las Vegas, June 2012.

1. General Colin Powell’s 13 Tips for Leadership.
2. Midtown Men: Original Jersey Boys Cast at Learning 2012.
3. Discretion on the Train Response Overwhelming.

1. General Colin Powell’s 13 Tips for Leadership: General Colin Powell, our featured keynoter at Learning 2012, has just published a book that focuses on leadership. My blog for Learning 2012 contains a list of 13 Tips from Colin Powell that I find intriguing, including:

* It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
* Get mad, then get over it.
* Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

There are 10 more, plus comments from General Powell at http://www.learning2012.com .

2. Midtown Men - Original Jersey Boys Cast at Learning 2012: While on the topic of our Learning 2012 event, we have just signed four of the original “Jersey Boys” (The Midtown Men) to perform an incredible concert for participants and their families. Stars of the Broadway musical “Jersey Boys” - Michael Longoria, Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer - will bring their harmonies and music to the thousands of Learning 2012 colleagues. Come join us for the music of the Four Seasons, Beatles, Mama’s & Papa’s and hits from Motown. Details at http://www.learning2012.com/midtown, including a video sampler of their talent.

3. Discretion on the Train Response Overwhelming: Every now and then, one of these Learning TRENDS notes seems to strike a chord in our field. On Tuesday, I shared a story about listening to 3 hours of employee interviews done by a passenger on my Amtrak train, who disclosed a great deal on his cell phone. I have received over 900 notes from colleagues around the world who resonate with the need for our organizations to be more specific and behavioral about sharing corporate communications from a digital device in public. Look 360 before conducting a high energy discussion from your phone! The original article is at http://tinyurl.com/borm9yo

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning Directions - Dallas or New York City
* Learning 2012 - Oct 21 - 24, 2012 - Orlando, Florida.
* LeadershipDev Design Studio - June 5 & 6 - Las Vegas, NV.
* New: Video for Learning LAB - July in Saratoga Springs
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

723 - Digital Neighbors and Discretion: A Lesson on the Train

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - May 22, 2012.
#723 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,714 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host of Leadership Design Studio - Las Vegas, June.

Special: Digital Neighbors - Ears & Discretion, Please!

Last week, I spent 3 hours on an Amtrak train listening to a series of senior level job interviews in which corporate and personal information was shared by the passenger in the seat ahead of me, who was talking on his cell phone - oblivious to the setting. 

He was a great interviewer, asking good questions and probing the backgrounds of each candidate for this $140K job while detailing not-yet-released corporate information concerning a takeover. He shared his name, his corporate identity and identified the other various high level candidates.

In between each interview, he called his manager, highlighting core problems and opportunities with these candidates and sharing details about the previous role holder.

He also was using the new online wireless on the train to access the resume of each candidate while checking LinkedIn and conducting a broad web search on each applicant.  And, if I shifted my seat a little, I could have seen the details on the screen.

I almost tapped him on the shoulder and told him he was being indiscreet.  But, as an analyst of the intersection of technology and corporate behavior, it became a fascinating teachable moment for me.

It turned out that I know one of the “C” level officers in his Fortune 100 Company.  She would have been shocked to hear that an employee was so indiscreetly behaving on a public train. It might have even led to disciplinary action or even dismissal.

But, I didn’t “turn him in” since this was about more than his behavior: it is a lack of understanding about discretion and privacy as we operate in a global, wirelessly connected environment.

Instead, I am writing this note to our Learning TRENDS readers with a few of my own learnings from this and other similar incidents. Consider adding a few elements of “Digital Discretion” to your employee orientation and corporate culture:

* A Video or Skit about Digital Discretion! Show employees how easy it is to forget that the person behind or ahead of you on a plane, train or walking down the street can hear your conversation or even read your screen. Build awareness of this challenge.
* Look Left - Look Right - Look Ahead - Look Behind! Just as we train our children to stop at the curb and look in both directions before crossing a street, consider offering the same training for our digital employees. When doing work by mobile phone, do a quick 360 scan of your area. Be discreet and considerate.
* Reminder Prompts: Consider adding a digital reminder or a piece of masking tape on a phone or laptop to prompt people to be discreet.
* Every Comment can be Drilled Down Digitally: It took me just 120 seconds to find out a great deal about the noisy neighbor in front of me and to locate online 2 of the candidates he was interviewing.
* Be Discreet: If you are conducting an interview in that situation, you might even preface it by saying that the conversation is occurring in a public setting so there are issues or content items that are not appropriate for this interaction.

As Learning & Training professionals, this is a perfect moment for us to raise awareness around this important behavioral and corporate challenge. Clearly, we will be using mobile devices for work more and more! Clearly, we will see video conferencing, social collaboration and other forms of social connections migrate to our phones and tablets. And, clearly, many of our colleagues will be collaborating in public settings, including 3 hour rides on Amtrak trains. So, how do we work openly with our colleagues but discreetly in public? It’s not hard, but it will not happen without an intervention from the learning and IT worlds.

Did I tell the interviewer (who really did a great job of interviewing, just in the wrong setting) of my observations at the end of the trip? No. I have “erased” his name, company and applicants’ identities from my memory. But I have not erased the lesson I learned:

“Working Digitally in Public Requires Discretion! - Look Left, Look Right, Look Ahead & Look Behind!”

I’d be curious to hear your comments and reactions. Send a note to emasie@masie.com

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie
email: emasie@masie.com

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning Directions - Dallas or New York City
* Learning 2012 - Oct 21 - 24, 2012 - Orlando, Florida.
* LeadershipDev Design Studio - June 5 & 6 - Las Vegas, NV.
* New: Video for Learning LAB - July in Saratoga Springs
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie

722 - Results of Learning Directions Survey, Video Adds Multi-Voice Context

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - May 9, 2012.
#722 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
55,699 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host of Leadership Design Studio - Las Vegas, June.

1. Results of Learning Directions Pulse Survey.
2. Short Videos Add Multi-Voice Context.
3. Leadership Development Needs a Fresh Design!

1. Results of Learning Directions Pulse Survey: Over 520 organizations around the world responded to our Learning Directions “Pulse” Survey. The results are quite intriguing and I invite you to look at the detailed replies: http://www.masie.com/pulse1

Here are a few of the elements that caught our eye and will be part of our design for both Learning 2012 and the Learning CONSORTIUM:

* 33% of organizations reported they are SHRINKING the use of face-to-face classrooms.
* Greatest planned growth in learning activity mode is in the use of Webinars.
* Strongest interest in change and updates was in Leadership Development.
* While 40% show a strong interest in Social Learning, only 20.1% plan a growing utilization with a strong piloting base.
* Mobile and Tablet Device use for Learning is being piloted by 30.1%

Once again, look at the results at http://www.masie.com/pulse1 We will do these Pulse Surveys several times a year to help track shifts in our field.

2. Short Videos Add Multi-Voice Context: The MASIE Center is tracking a rise in the use of short videos as a supplement to the learning design process in major organizations. I was recently interviewed about the push towards shorter video segments that feature fellow workers. We believe that one of the key drivers is the desire of the learner to hear CONTEXT from multiple voices. The Standard Operating Procedures can be detailed well by headquarters, but learners, especially ones that are learning asynchronously, seem to desire multiple voices for providing context and work examples of the new content. The more the video segments focus on targeted bursts of context, including the “back story” or “field truth”, the more learner consumption and appreciation grows.

3. Leadership Development Needs a Fresh Design! As you can tell from the Learning Directions Pulse Survey, Leadership Development is a major challenge for organizations with changing demographics and expectations around career paths. Much of what we now do with Leadership Development is often rich with “TRIBAL INDUCTION RITUALS”, which are powerful elements like time with the CEO or sessions with Management Gurus, but is the design of Leadership Development ready for the changing world? We invite you and your colleagues to join a select group of learning professionals at an action session:

LeadershipDev Design Studio!
June 5 and 6 - Las Vegas, NV.
http://www.masie.com .

We will provide a “white board” design experience as colleagues from varied organizations will meet and shape up some very different approaches to Leadership Development, facilitated by myself, Michael Wright from Starbucks and our CLO, Bob Baker. Space is limited and we will roll up our sleeves to look at fresh, global and refocused Leadership Development Designs. 

Yours in learning,

Elliott Masie

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:
* Learning Directions - Dallas or New York City.
* Learning 2012 - Oct 21 - 24, 2012 - Orlando, Florida.
* LeadershipDev Design Studio - June 5 & 6 - Las Vegas, NV.
* New: Video for Learning LAB - July in Saratoga Springs.
* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com - twitter: emasie