Training and Development Category

 

Increasing Leadership Confidence at Ted’s Montana Grill

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 in Leadership, Success Stories, Training and Development

We love our Blanchard Certified clients. We also love when our clients share with us feedback on how using Blanchard Certified works. The clip above was sent to us from Ted’s Montana Grill‘s newsletter.

Increasing Awareness and Excitement Around Achieved Goals:

It was good to see the results at the restaurant when we implemented the one-on-ones and the goal sheets for the Team Members. While all the goals were not achieved, the awareness level was increased, and the excitement level from the Team Members when they achieved the goals was great. ~ John

Improving Confidence Levels in Leadership Styles:

I definitely feel this reinforced a lot of my ideas revolving around Team Building. By being able to amplify what people are good at, and isolate challenges and give those challenges the attention and development they deserve, I’ve been a more effective leader. My confidence levels in my own leadership styles have improved, and I feel more comfortable than I did previously. ~ Tyler

We are proud to be their partner and proud to have played a role in bringing together teams as they grow together and achieve their goals together. Making people and organizations great is what we love to do.

Leadership Development 5.0 Takes it up a Level

So what’s the big deal about a leadership development solution moving from version 4.0 to 5.0? A lot actually. We have officially announced our release of Blanchard Certified 5.0 and as much as we all love a good press release, it’s important to us to communicate the “why”.

The Why:

From day one we have received great feedback from our clients on the value they receive from our leadership development solution, from content, to ease of use, to the direct application and subsequent change to their jobs and life. However, as we looked at business results and client feedback, we knew we could raise the bar once again. We’re a company that keeps pushing until we reach A-quality that makes a difference both in the operational outcomes for our clients and in the personal lives of those who invest their time with us.

The Focus:

We don’t just have great content, we’re also a technology company. As a technology company, we wanted to hide the technology. We know it sounds crazy. See, we believe that technology is a powerful tool that allows our clients flexibility in how they roll out their leadership development program. Technology allows learners to be engaged and motivated by what they are learning. Technology gives people tools to see direct link between what they are learning and how to apply that to their role in the organization and in life.

If the technology is really good and useable – you don’t see it.

The Results:

Technology and content have come together to offer what wasn’t previously possible. Full leadership development for any size organization with a dispersed workforce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World-class Ken Blanchard Leadership training is available with a better short and long term value as organizations are able to invest in teams they have not been able to previously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Approaching how individuals learn in a unique way allows people to learn over time, providing deeper impact.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building your bench strength of current and future leaders and a focus on your team’s personal and professional growth creates engagement and retention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there’s the skinny. There is of course more, a lot more. We’d love to show you Blanchard Certified 5.0 if you’re interested. As always, Ken says it best.

Cultivate “The Zone”

Friday, April 5th, 2013 in Training and Development

Is there anything better than getting absorbed in a task and looking up only to be shocked at how much time has passed?  It gives us so much pleasure, and the very good news is that it is really good for your brain.  So you get something done and it is good for you! This is the fourth post in a series based on work by Dr. Dan Siegel and David Rock about how to take the best possible care of your brain called the Healthy Mind Platter.

When we engage in focused work time which is defined by Rock and Siegel as“the application of a singular attentional focus on a task that permits a sense of mastery and completion” we are creating new connections in our brains and deepening existing ones.  It is the perfect antidote to the exhaustion caused by the constant multi-tasking we engage in, not to mention to pesky interruptions.

 In his book Flow : The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi  (pronounced mee-high  chick-sent-mee-high) says that in his studies, when people reflected on their most positive experiences they seemed to share one if not all of these characteristics:

  1. The experience usually occurs when we confront tasks we have a chance of completing
  2. We must be able to concentrate on what we are doing
  3. The task has “clear goals and
  4. Provide immediate feedback
  5. There is deep but effortless involvement that shuts out the noise of everyday life
  6. We are able to exercise a sense of control over our actions
  7. Self consciousness disappears, but sense of self emerges more strongly after the experience is over
  8. The sense of time passing is altered; minutes can seem like hours, or hours can feel like minutes (Harper, 1991, pg. 49).

Csikszentmihalyi’s theory was that to achieve flow we needed to maintain the balance between the level of challenge of the activity, and our skill level – if the challenge is too low, we become bored, if it is too high we become overly anxious.  Each individual needs to monitor their own challenge level to keep it optimal to stay engaged. 

Getting absorbed in a useful task and accomplishing something challenging is essential to our quality of life and critical to optimal brain function.  So shut the door.  Turn off the phone.  Get to it.

Get Connected, Stay Connected

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013 in Leadership, Self Leadership, Training and Development

This is the third post in a series based on work by Dr. Dan Siegel and David Rock about how to take the best possible care of your brain called the Healthy Mind Platter.  Get the full article here.

Social Connections aren’t just a “nice to have.” Our lives literally depend on our social connectivity. A couple of fun facts to consider: when we are shunned or rejected our brain experiences almost exactly like actual physical pain!  So the whole notion of sticks and stones is false.  And, who has not experienced that emotional pain takes longer to heal than an occurrence of acute physical pain, like an ankle sprain (as opposed to chronic pain which is different.)  And honestly, what woman would have more than one child if we weren’t wired to forget physical pain?  Whereas the memory of social pain lingers and can easily resurface as fresh as ever even years after the event. 

Study after study shows that being able to exchange help and support with others is critical to health. Coincidentally a new study hot off the press shows clearly that elders (defined as over those over 52, I have to say, I take exception) who are socially isolated are much more likely to die than those who are not.

Sartre said that “hell is other people” but it turns out that we need each other. The key is cultivating the right people, the ones we get along with and who support us.  When we have the support of a “best friend” the brain releases fewer stress hormones and more hormones that makes us feel good.  This may all be stunningly obvious to those  who make it their business to connect at work and with friends outside of work, but for others it might feel like a weakness to need others. It isn’t.  It is as essential as eating right and exercising.  So make the effort.  Pick up the phone.  Invest in those real relationships (no, social media doesn’t count.)  Your brain will thank you and you will live way longer.

Achieve Your Dreams Despite “What If”

Monday, March 4th, 2013 in Self Leadership, Training and Development

A client who is writing a book hit a wall today and called me up.  Part of her research for the book involves getting people to fill out a comprehensive survey that requires a fair amount of thought. Her goal is to have 100 completed surveys. She is running into trouble asking people to fill out the survey.  Every time she wants to ask she finds herself swept away by a rock slide of “What If’s”.

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Being Wrong Isn’t So Bad

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 in Leadership, Self Leadership, Training and Development

Innovation is the flavor of the moment. We have organizations that ask their employees to track every activity by the hour and punish errors calling and asking us how we can help their employees be more innovative.  It is a hard sell when we tell them that innovation only happens in a culture where people are allowed to make mistakes.

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Forget Resolutions

Thursday, January 3rd, 2013 in Training and Development

Forget Resolutions.  Most of us fail to achieve our goals because we have too many of them. Every year we make a big list of all the stuff we want to change or do and we are instantly overwhelmed with all of our good intentions. The result is that we end up doing nothing.  So let’s stop the charade and do something different this year.

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Understanding Yourself and Others Through Temperament

Wednesday, October 31st, 2012 in Training and Development

Please be our guest for a free webinar on Friday, November 9. That’s when best-selling business authors Scott Blanchard   and Madeleine Homan-Blanchard  will be conducting a complimentary, online seminar for leaders  looking to explore the impact of personality and temperament on workplace collaboration.

Understanding Yourself and Others Through Temperament

Friday, November 9, 2012

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time,     2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time

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