IT Training

Becoming More Intelligent and Happier with Metacognition

After reading the title of this post, I’m sure the first thing some of you are thinking is, “What in the world is metacognition?” The definition of metacognition is, simply put, thinking about thinking. That is, metacognition is the practice of consciously thinking about your values, judgments, and decision-making processes to evolve and increase the variety of ways you can address a situation. The majority of people don’t do this consciously, if at all.

 

Try this exercise at work: When you’re in a meeting in which a decision needs to be made, do the mental exercise of taking on the thought process of someone who holds an opposing view to your own. What you’re doing in that case is using metacognition. You are thinking about how you think. You’re exercising your ability to use different criteria and value systems, thus growing the variety of ways you can make judgments.

 

Trying to see things from other people’s perspectives will, over time, inevitably increase the total amount of varying perspectives that you’re comfortable with.

In summary, learning this skill doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years to grow your metacognitive skills. But over time you will find that your ability to understand other viewpoints and employ them as necessary increases. The goal is to grow your ability to use multiple decision-making processes.

 

In a future post we’ll talk about how metacognition leads to something called fluid intelligence. Fluid intelligence can transform you from being a one-dimensional practitioner to a multi-dimensional expert. After that, we’ll talk about how metacognition can make you happier.

MindLeaders, Inc. Blog

Tune Up Your Organization with Goal Alignment

There’s something wrong here.  Something seems to be out of alignment.”

 

When something is out of alignment- like your car, your back or a door jam- you can feel it.  And in most cases you probably seek immediate treatment because the wear and tear on things that remain out of alignment can be physically, emotionally and or financially painful.

 

The same is true for goal alignment in a company.  When goals are not aligned between employees and managers you can be sure the wear and tear on strategic organizational initiatives will be damaging. 

 

But there’s an added challenge of getting all employees to work toward those same desired goals and tying those goals into the objectives for individual employees’ performance.  If you want employees to be focused and motivated, they need to have a clear understanding of how their efforts serve the company’s short- and long-term goals.  Employees want to love their jobs.  If they feel as if they are contributing to a goal that is meaningful to them, the chances of them loving their job are far higher. They work hardest when they believe in what they’re working toward.  If only a cadre of top managers is fully versed in and believes in the company’s goals, the rest of the staff may have little motivation to meet those aims.  The staff may even resent what seem like edicts from the top.

               

In setting goals, an organization benefits from gaining the perspective of its employees; not just hearing their ideas, but giving those ideas respectful consideration.  A company that solicits ideas, wherever they arise, is a company where creative achievers want to work.  Why not trust the employee who’s answering a customer’s call, that he or she may know an effective way of improving customer loyalty.  To be sure, not all ideas are worth putting into place.  Some are unrealistic or too expensive, but some could prove to be useful.

 

Whatever goals an organization sets, they need to arise from the company’s core values, and those values should be well defined and promoted throughout the organization.  So if a company values integrity, ambition, or respect, the goals they establish need to be in sync with those ideals.  The core values in a company aren’t simply the promises written on the company website or posted on employee cork boards, they’re the qualities modeled day to day in interactions between managers and employees and between employees and customers.  An organization’s leaders can have a lot of influence in creating a workplace culture that motivates, and that in turn, leads the company to realizing its goals.

MindLeaders, Inc. Blog

Three Keys to Launching a Successful Talent Management Program

I was recently working with a customer who asked me to quickly identify the top three keys to a successful launch of a newly-implemented talent management system. I brought this question back to my professional services counterparts. After compiling our thoughts and experiences on the topic, we came up with what we think is a pretty good answer. So read on and discover the keys to a successful talent management launch!

  1. Buy-in from the top down is essential
    The implementation of any new system requires change management. At the heart of this is a management team fully committed to embracing and driving the change, from the executive to the frontline manager. Renegade departments and/or managers will erode your foundation and can eventually derail the program if left unchecked.
    • An actively engaged executive communicating the expected change goes a long way in establishing and reinforcing commitment from the top down.
      • How are you rolling it out?
      • What modules are you using
      • What is the timeline and roadmap?
      • What are the company’s goals for the upcoming fiscal year?
    • Knowing what the business wants to accomplish with your talent management program will help managers communicate effectively. A few things to ask yourself:
      • How are you rolling it out?
      • What modules are you using?
      • What is the timeline and roadmap?
      • What are the company’s goals for the upcoming fiscal year?
    • Frontline management’s commitment to the talent process is crucial. Frontline managers are where the rubber meets the road. Great strategies can quickly get on track at this particular junction. It’s important for frontline managers to:
      • Understand the executive team’s mission
      • Commit to executing the vision and communicate these objectives down to their employees
      • Confirm results through reports
  2. Communicate early and often
    Rick Moran states in his article “Talking Talent” that employees only really want three questions answered regarding their work:
    • What’s my job?
    • How am I doing?
    • How does my effort contribute to the big picture?

    Moran believes that by allowing people to answer these questions, you will attract and keep talent. I couldn’t agree more. You would be surprised at how many people I’ve heard comment that they did not know the answer to such basic questions as these and how disconnected that made them feel at the time. Most wound up leaving that position.
    An automated talent management system gives employees a voice and a platform so they can be heard and feel that connection. Communicating with employees early and often helps to establish the WIIFM (“What’s In It for Me?”) and instantly earns the employees’ trust and commitment to the process.

  3. Employees need a level of comfort with the system
    I was told many years ago by a former colleague that motivation equaled value times confidence (M=V x C). If your employees are not comfortable with the system or are intimidated by it, there will be little motivation to use it. Like a good pair of comfortable shoes, they’ll need this knowledge to carry them the distance! Here are a few recommendations for helping to establish the necessary comfort level:
    • Identify and establish champions and/or subject matter experts (SMEs) and strategically place them throughout the organization.
    • Communicate in a variety of ways, not just in email. Think of the different audiences in your organization. Are there employees that are more technically inclined? Others that aren’t comfortable using technology in general?
    • Communicate in a variety of ways, not just in email. Think of the different audiences in your organization. Are there employees that are more technically inclined? Others that aren’t comfortable using technology in general?
    • Make sure your frontline managers are holding their employees accountable for creating and maintaining their plans on a regular basis.

I’ve seen firsthand the difference in overall impact a great strategy can have when well executed. By following these points you can pave the way for a successful launch of your talent management system. I hope this article will help enable you to take your program not only to the next step, but all the way!

MindLeaders, Inc. Blog

10 Ways Managers Can Drive Your Elearning Program

The success of elearning programs often hinges on how engaged your managers are. Here are 10 ways managers can help show employees the elearning light and make your program a real success story.


  1. Show your own personal enthusiasm for learning! If your employees know that you’re truly behind the program and take it seriously, they are much more likely to participate.
  2. Schedule time to help your employees select courses to be included as part of their performance goals or professional development plans. Encourage them to provide their own ideas as well.
  3. Set specific goals and time frames for course completion so your expectations for this program are realistic and clearly communicated.
  4. Set aside a few minutes in your regular department meetings to discuss training, to keep training visible on an ongoing basis, to get student feedback, and to discuss ways that new knowledge can be applied to daily work.
  5. Encourage your employees to schedule specific time for training on their calendars. An hour a week will translate into a few courses per month.
  6. Take training time seriously and ask other employees not to interrupt one another when training is in progress. Would you interrupt someone who went off-site to take a class?
  7. Help your employees find a quiet place to take their courses if they can’t do so at their desktops. Consider offering to let them take the courses from home, coming in late or leaving early.
  8. Monitor employees’ progress regularly by running system reports and acknowledge their individual progress toward course completion. If there’s no activity, follow-up to find out why.
  9. Publicly recognize employees for completing courses and reward them for making the investment in their own development.
  10. Consider a contest, between individuals or teams, to reward completion of their learning goals.

MindLeaders, Inc. Blog