Well the kitchen is moving along, of course not as fast as I would like (but frankly nothing does!). New floors are in and they look beautiful. Cabinets are in but lots of finish work needs to happen. Then about a two week gap before the counters can go in. But I have to say, even with just the minimal cabinets installed, it is going to look great in the end, I can already tell.
It seems like I am constantly being asked to complete a survey. And as a trainer, I ask all my participants to provide feedback via a survey. But I have noticed that often I do not get the complete, insightful answers I hoped to get. So, we need to teach people how to answer a survey effectively. This does not mean “lead the witness” or direct responders to give you the answer you are looking for. Instead, help the responder by giving him the tools to answer the question, so that meaningful information can be gleaned from the response.
Teaching your employees to answer thoughtfully and thoroughly when questions are asked, gives the organization the information they need. Getting the needed information ensures that the organization can make the intended change or improvements. Also, showing your employees how the survey responses can benefit them with improved processes or communication can gain buy-in from the employees. So set your employees up for success by teaching them how to be effective survey responders.
So often when the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, we are in a rush to throw out the old and move onto the new. But I think it is important to acknowledge where we have been and what we have accomplished. Frankly, it is an important employee communication piece and an important motivational piece.
Whenever you are in “build mode” it is taxing on those involved. There is a high degree of heavy lifting in the content development phase and an increased level of anxiousness from a change management perspective. Subject matter experts are tasked with extra work beyond their “day job” and fellow employees worry about their world changing including expectations and tasks.
In early 2016 I took a project identifying performance gaps in Fortis Construction Inc.’s employee development. After numerous surveys, interviews and content reviews the gaps became obvious. The areas of focus became:
With such robust focus areas determined, one can imagine the fast and furious pace to achieve some of these items for 2016, given the rapid-paced environment that Fortis works under. The accomplishments for the year were tremendous. An on boarding curriculum was created with 14 new classes developed. New hire paperwork became an electronic process instead of a time- consuming paper process on the new hire’s first day. Customizable learning plans were developed and rolled out.
There is much more to achieve including a 2017 training strategy, a LMS to figure out and branding to develop. But it is important to stop for a moment and acknowledge what has been accomplished and the work it took to achieve these audacious goals, so I developed a one- pager titled the 2016 Employee Development Snapshot.
The snapshot highlights development accomplishments, training attended (both required and optional; internal and external). I also highlighted number of SME hours and freelance hours. While putting together the snapshot, I learned a few things:
Record-keeping is key. I learned that as an organization, we haven’t been too good about keeping track of things. So for next year, I have already created tracking documents. This is important since I will be developing snapshots for each year going forward.
Short and sweet ensures it gets read. Given the fast-paced nature of our environment and the information overload that we all deal with, the snapshot is one page, with graphical representation where possible. It is also a color document so that it stands out visually. Wording is bulleted rather than full sentences for scanning readability.
Celebrate the wins and lay the ground work for future work. The snapshot is meant to remind all employees of how far we have come and how the organization values the employee and their development. It hopefully will inspire some employees to get involved in the next phase of work that needs to be completed, too.
A look back is as important as future planning. Employees need the “pat on the back” for goals met. The snapshot ensures employees stop for a moment and recognize what they have achieved before moving forward to conquer the future.
I love to cook but my delectable masterpieces originate from a cramped, dysfunctional kitchen. The cabinets are falling apart, the bamboo floor is a mess (and don’t match any other flooring in the house!) and the counter space is lacking. So lacking that my sink is actually a bar sink (so that I could preserve as much counter space as possible).
When we moved in the house six years ago we changed the concrete counter to quartz and bought new appliances. It was a quick way to live with the kitchen for the short term. Even though I hate that I spent money on a quartz counter top that we were not able to use for the remodel, it has been beneficial to really see how I use the kitchen. This history really helped me know what I wanted and needed in a new kitchen.
Right now, we are in week two of the remodel. We went down to the studs, electrical has been updated, a new french door was installed, drywall put up and currently new white oak floors are going in so that they match the main level flooring.
It will be exciting to see the final product. I hope to have cabinets installed next week, if all goes well. Half of my budget went to the cabinets. They are custom, all wood, soft close with all the organizational bells and whistles. Appliances are being delivered on February 25th, so that is my drop dead date (if only in my own mind).
Everyone has a story.
My eight-year-old daughter was happily splashing in the community pool last Friday in her weekly swim class when a fellow mom sat next to me. She was Korean and we started talking about nothing really. We touched on parenting challenges when she disclosed that she was adopted. Her adoptive parents were from Idaho; they had a birth son and then adopted her. Shortly after integrating into their family, her adoptive father died. For whatever reason, her adoptive mom and her did not get along. She ended up being sent to a boarding school. It was a painful time.
And it is still painful. As an adult, now with two kids of her own, she wondered why her relationship with her mom did not work. And why her birth mother might have given her away. To complicate matters, she had a friend who recently found her birth mother back in Korea and finally knew why she was given away. The woman I met desperately want that closure, too. Why was she left on the street corner as a baby? Where did she “really” come from? Did her personality resemble her birth mother at all?
How about the arborist that grinds tree stumps all day but really moved to Portland for the art?
Or the father dealing with his three-year old’s bout of cancer. Not quite understanding why a three year gets cancer but having a new appreciation for the health of his family.
Or the student saddled with student debt but excited about her new job that required her to leave her hometown for the first time and truly experience being an adult.
Or the Uber driver, James, I met recently. He’s lived in the Pacific Northwest for the last 47 years and recently became an Uber driver so that he had something to do while his wife hiked with her weekly Tuesday hike group of women-friends. He just wanted a little spending money and to meet interesting people and hear their stories.
Some stories are shocking. Some are interesting. Most are very personal.
Oh yes, everyone has a story. You just need to stop and listen.
New Year’s Eve often ends one of two ways: with a sigh of “good riddance” or the hope of what is to come. I am in the latter camp and have optimism for what 2017 will bring (irregardless of who sits in the White House!). I hope to learn new things and continue to travel and cook, as my Instagram account confirms).
Since I am not one for resolutions, my hope is just to get better in whatever I choose to do. 2016 has been a year of change for me: I took a job, my husband left a job, we got a dog. my youngest daughter learned how to sew and my oldest daughter started high school. I was able to visit my childhood home (after being away for 20 years) and challenged myself at the gym and the kitchen.
My hope is that the world becomes a kinder place and that health and happiness surround all my family and friends. Happy New Year!
Stories can be used quite effectively for training. Often, training consists of a PowerPoint deck, a presenter that talks a lot or tons of handouts. Engaging it is not. But stories can bring content to life and stories are everywhere; you just need to look!
So how do you effectively use stories in training? Start with throwing the learner into the action. Or focus on something the learners care about right away. Build opportunities for the learner to discover and give the learner the challenge of solving a problem.
Some tips:
Think about the last training you went to. Can you remember the discrete facts and figures shared? Probably not. But if you were lucky and the facilitator shared stories, I bet you can remember the story and possibly even have shared the story with someone else! Stories are powerful in so many ways, so the next time you are developing training, choose to center your content around stories and watch the magic happen.
I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in the U. S. Virgin Islands, which included St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and Virgin Gorda (in the British Virgin Islands). Part of the trip was a homecoming, while three of the islands were brand new to me. All four islands were new to my family. From Oregon, getting to the Virgin Islands is no easy affair and takes about 13 hours (similar to going to Europe for us).
We started our trip with a week in St. Croix. I lived in St. Croix until 1989 and had not been back for 27 years. I was excited to see what has changed, as well as, whether my memory served me well with the fond memories I carried with me for the last 27 years. We stayed in a glorious little hotel right on the beach. Literally, we rolled out of our cottage and right onto the beach. It also happens to be one of the best beaches on the island. Cottages by the Sea was the perfect place for us to be on the quieter side of the island for pure relaxation.
While on St. Croix we visited my old home, which sadly now is an AT&T data farm. Difficult to understand why 13 acres of pristine waterfront property should be used for a data farm, but such is life. The only remaining fixture from the original property was a sugar mill that I had spent hours playing in.
We also went to Buck Island and snorkeled the underwater trail in this incredibly beautiful national park. The sailing trip out there is easy and Turtle Beach is incredibly beautiful. And of course, the underwater trails hosts hundreds of fish and breathtaking coral.
After a week in St. Croix we flew to St. Thomas, a very easy 30 minute plane ride. St. Thomas is much more busy and touristy compared to St. Croix. Also, instead of the intimate, cozy hotel we stayed at in St. Croix, we were at a much larger, busier resort. It was perched on a breathtaking cliff overlooking the St. Thomas harbor with four pools, a nice beach, tennis courts and many restaurants. After the quaint place we stayed, it felt like Disneyland.
We took a ferry to St. John which has some of the most amazing beaches and a tiny downtown area. Only 4,000 residents inhabit this amazing island.
Our final day was spent on Virgin Gorda. We took a 1.5 hour ferry to this little gem of an island to visit The Baths and Devil’s Bay.
Our final night…
This is a trip to be remembered for a very long time.
seniyegroff 