10th April 2019 - Joe Hayman @ BT
Great session, special thanks to Joe for his insight into the British psyche. Topics discussed:
* Virtual Leadership Development
* Sales Centre of Excellence
* Brain physiology
Virtual Leadership Development
Looking for guidance on how to most effectively provide virtual formal leadership development for a cohort of talents who are located in multiple countries
Another company are also investigating this as they currently run a face to face (F2F) two-day programme (supported by webinars before and after)
* Limitation in size of population receiving learning in a F2F format
* Difficult to replace all aspects that are delivered through a F2F intervention
Move to virtual learning
* A virtual approach is positive, but picks up those who are more proactive about learning
* Need for real time learning
* Need cohorts to recognise negative/development areas to be able to pull on the resources
Feedback culture can impact on awareness of development areas and drive use of resources
Ensure that discussion on development areas are not linked to formal performance discussions
Implement continuous development discussions to enable better awareness
* Size and scale of available resources can be a barrier
Opportunity to leverage tech to make it easier to find content
Design to make content more accessible
* Content of virtual learning to focus on EI
* Social styles
* Communication
* Use of metrics to measure impact of learning
Possible long lead time to see impact
Use business metrics to see shifts in leaders. E.g. how quickly a team can turn business results around
For leaders look at decision making speed (use of control GPS)
* Leverage use of coaches and mentors for leaders as part of leadership development experiences
More formal coaching
Agree experiments or actions person will conduct
Report back to coach/mentor on outcome to drive learning
Opportunity to record conversations to build self awareness
Follow up on actions and experiences to form habits
* Talents to look at what they are doing to support others as part of a leadership development intervention
* In order for a leader to be successful they have to leverage others and develop great people to ensure that the business is successful
Summary Outputs: Sales Excellence Academy discussion
Purpose
(a)Grow Sales and Revenue
(b)Better Client experience
(c)Attract and retain talent
Scope
1.Sales Processes and Tools
2.Sales capability
3.Product knowledge
4.Career and development pathways
1.Get your leadership group onboard 1st
2.Make sure there is a powerful reason for change, explore why the last Sales Academy failed
3.Understand where the current pain points are for the sales community within you scope so you can identify some quick wins
4.Build a global sales competency framework so you have something to align the development and career and development paths to
•Start with your current strengths and then focus on future strength requirements
•Identify your experts and use them to help build the framework
5.Sales process - engage legal and procurement in the design as contracts are often a pain point
6.Sales skill development – bring in senior managers to role play each part of the process
Brain Physiology
Hindered by our brain physiology – link to preventing organisational change, and poor decision making
Thoughts/ observations
- Issue needs to be tackled at organisational level (as well as individual)
- Needs to be a burning platform to get traction in an organisation
- Leader sessions key
- Link to
o growth mindset
o social norms and influence
o bring your whole self to work - we have values but we don’t always live them
o Group Think
- Can something be delivered virtually as well as face to face – would open it up to international teams
Suggestions for further reading/ research
- Herrmann and Herrmann-Nehdi - Whole Brain Business Book
- Garvey Berger– Changing on the Job
- Kegan and Laskow Lahey - Immunity to Change
- Schwartz - The Way We're Working Isn't Working
- McKinsey diagnostic tools
- Literature on working with children; some relevant tools and techniques
- Vertical Adult Learning theory could be helpful for diagnostics