Take a quick tour of our learning environment and features to get a glimpse of the Blue Ocean Brain Difference. In this 4 minute sneak peek video, you’ll see some of what sets us apart, including:

• Engaging and future-focused content that is renewed every day of the year.
• Flexible delivery model that allows for easy integration, whether you have several other learning techs or are starting from scratch.
• Scalable customization options that include micro-sizing your content, developing new content specific to your initiatives, and more.
• Social learning, on-demand learning, and usage/trend reporting that help learning leaders stay ahead in today’s competitive markets.

Enjoy the quick tour, and if you’re ready to see more, we’re just a quick click or call away to start your free consultation with one of our microlearning experts.

All organizations need strong leaders. While most people believe “leader” and “manager” are synonymous terms, the fact is companies need their managers to be good leaders—and they need to foster leadership skills in employees who aren’t in formal management positions. Colleagues need their peers to display initiative when confronting complex issues and moral fiber in the face of ethical dilemmas. And companies need to build their leadership pool for when their managers begin to retire or find new opportunities.

Unfortunately, many organizations are facing what business researchers are calling the “leadership gap”.

The Center for Creative Leadership surveyed leaders from 24 different organizations in 3 countries and found that the current leadership skills in those organizations are insufficient for their current and future needs. Furthermore, according to a 2015 study, a lack of leadership was identified as the number 3 challenge facing organizations. There are a lot of potential explanations for the leadership gap—retiring Baby Boomers, a work environment that is changing faster than organizations are adapting, or companies recruiting talented leaders away from each other.

This leadership gap is something that should concern all organizations. Without strong leaders who can provide vision for their teammates and colleagues, companies flounder. Employee satisfaction and retention decreases, productivity declines.

But regardless of what exactly is causing the gap, the important thing is that it’s fixable. Key qualities that make an effective leader are learnable, and every organization can foster leadership skills in employees by implementing well-structured training programs. But what makes a well-structured program?

Designing successful leadership development programs

A good place to start is to identify the skills that make a strong leader in your organization. There are universal aspects to leadership regardless of industry. For example, all strong leaders need to know how to give and receive feedback effectively, put the needs of the team ahead of the needs of the individual, address issues surrounding inclusiveness and diversity with sensitivity, communicate across generations and more.

But in addition to the basics, there are qualities that are needed to make a good leader in your business. Some companies have a large remote workforce and need leaders to organize and inspire folks virtually. Others have innately high turnover and need leaders to connect with and support new hires quickly. Your ideal leadership program will use a broad-based approach that touches on each of these attributes with consistent access to high-quality content.

And speaking of content, this is what makes or breaks a leadership development program. Choose content that directly maps to your identified skills gaps. As an example, maybe your team’s leaders are great at providing vision to employees, but they struggle making the distinction between “friend” and “supervisor.” A lesson designed to help them identify strategies to be collegial while maintaining professional boundaries might be just the ticket.

To inspire you as you build or refine your leadership development training, here are some examples popular Blue Ocean Brain microlearning lessons:

• Using Situational Leadership
• Spotting Strengths
• From Buddy to Boss
• Leadership Styles: When to Use them
• Developing Your Leadership Agility
• Understanding Your Feedback Style
• Making Deliberate Decisions
• How to Stop Demotivating Your Team
• Productive Virtual Meetings
• Growing the People Around You
• Feedback Strategy: Situation, Behavior, Impact
• The Grow Model: Coaching Success
• Coaching, Not Criticizing

Tip: Include knowledge checks to monitor learner progress and mastery so you can take stock of what’s working and design follow up lessons to help them refresh their recollection and gain confidence in their new skills.

The role of microlearning in successful leadership development programs

The next step is to consider deliverability. Bottom line: even the highest quality content isn’t effective if it isn’t accessible.

Microlearning is extremely effective learning method for leadership development because it provides accessible and continuous education to your people in a way other methods cannot. In under 10 minutes, from a phone or laptop, a new leader can receive a lesson on preventing employee burnout or promoting critical thinking skills. The employee can immediately implement the ideas offered in the microlearning lesson and then get fresh new ideas the very next day. As your organization begins measuring what is improving and what is not, you can easily adjust lessons. Topics needing deeper learning can be reinforced with lessons on the same subject but tackled in another way. As your organizational needs and initiatives evolve, so can your microlearning content journeys.

Self-directed learning – an important skill for today’s leaders – is also a cornerstone of microlearning. Employees can go back to previous lessons on their own or dive in to new learning based on their individual upskill needs. In this way, a microlearning strategy is as dynamic as the people utilizing it and the people learning from it.

If your organization is among the 71% of those that say their leaders are not ready to lead their group into the future, consider the impact that a microlearning strategy could have on your teams.

Only 18% of organizations say that their current leaders are “very effective.”

The ROI of effective leadership development

As you focus a learning strategy on developing leadership skills in your employees, you will begin to see a secondary benefit: employee retention. By 2020, Millennials—people born between 1981 and 1996—will make up half of the U.S. workforce. Despite that fact, a recent white paper by the Human Resources Professional Associations suggests that 63% of Millennials feel that their leadership skills are not being developed at their current position and 71% plan to leave their job within two years to find leadership development elsewhere. In fact, a 2017 study from the Fosway Group suggests that learning new skills is the number one reason why people choose to take a new job—or move on to the next one.

The leadership gap is a problem for the entire modern market, but it is particularly salient when we look at women. While women hold almost 52 percent of professional-level jobs in America, they make up just under 15% of executive officers, according to the Center for American Progress. The issue is even more pronounced among professional women of color.

If your company makes the smart choice to invest in emerging leaders now, particularly women and people of color, you won’t be one of the companies losing employees as they seek out better opportunities for leadership development.

Generally speaking, we all like shiny new things. When scrolling through our social media feeds or checking out what’s new on Netflix, our minds enjoy moving from one item to the next. Microlearning provides the equivalent to this in the L&D world. It meets us where we are and offers short bursts of information to reinforce material we’ve already learned or to teach us something new in a way that’s accessible and relatable for our digital-era brains.

Companies are embracing this fresh, energizing learning format in growing numbers and it’s easy to see why: microlearning allows for detailed analytics and easy-to-assess ROI, while reducing the strain on the organization. The flexibility of the microlearning platform breathes life into corporate training and continuing education that have, in many cases, become cumbersome and less effective in this fast-paced world. Imagine accessing your session on Cultureboarding on your phone as you commute (via public transportation–not while driving, of course) or whenever your schedule allows. That adaptability, along with the engaging way in which microlearning is presented, turns down the stress of “one more thing to do” and flips the “must-do” into an anticipated breather.

A perfect pair: microlearning and instructor-led training

For many, this independent learning is just the ticket to accommodate a busy schedule. However, there is some training that still benefits from face-to-face instruction and the human connection that comes with classroom learning. This is where instructor-led learning really shines. In these cases, microlearning can take a supportive role in providing helpful pre-learning prior to class or ongoing reinforcement and practice after it’s over. It can complement conference-style learning by bringing the information chunk approach to re-energize your workforce in a measurable way.

A white paper developed by Chief Learning Officer Magazine reports that 87.6% of the organizations polled use Instructor-led training (ILT) as a primary learning modality or a hybrid that included ILT. This allows the opportunity for learners to dialogue with the instructor and colleagues, as well as opportunities for immediate feedback. Instructor-led training is important for the sake of connection, but the cost and logistics can become burdensome. That’s where the microlearning part of the equation brings balance. It allows for affordable anywhere-any time learning that can be complemented with group interaction when possible.

This dual approach allows for variety that best suits many organizations. Perhaps it’s important for participants to read through a microlearning module before arriving at a meeting. Or maybe there are break-out groups that continue discussion and report back to the class with action plans.

A key ingredient: The learning environment

It’s important to think more in terms of learning environments rather than learning programs, says Josh Bersin of Bersin by Deloitte, an analyst and researcher. He shares that the most successful training organizations function as though their business is changing all the time whether it is or not. They are nimble and are constantly re-evaluating their practices. A dual approach to learning allows for this type of flexibility, for example, leaning in to one method more as content and audience needs evolve.

This is also demonstrated by the Five Moments of Learning Need as articulated by Conrad Gottfredson, PhD in psychology and technology.

The Five Moments of Learning Need:

• learn for the first time (New),
• learn more (More),
• apply what you’ve learned (Apply),
• when things go wrong (Problem Solving)
• and when things change (Change).

This concept reiterates that the learning process is a continuing flow and supports the reinforcement inherent in microlearning. Learning doesn’t start and stop with a class, so why not give people nuggets of pertinent information on a regularly scheduled basis, then enhance that with opportunities to engage with others who have shared experiences. This enlivens the process for all, allowing trainers to tailor instructor-led material to best serve each particular group, and providing learners with a variety of ways to enhance their knowledge in practical ways.

Did You Know: According to Deloitte Human Capital Trends re-inventing careers and learning is the #2 issue in business today (#1 is reorganizing the company for digital business). Employees want a company-backed approach to updating their skills and learning quickly and, if it’s not offered, they would rather change jobs than remain with that company. For more on this, check out: Digital Learning: Ten Things We’ve Learned by Josh Bersin, global industry analyst.

Have you experimented with a blended microlearning and instructor-led training approach at your organization? Were the results what you expected or did they surprise you? We’d love to hear about what’s working and what needs additional solutions in your corporate learning culture.

There’s a well-known bridge just north of New York City where the concrete pylons that separate the three lanes of traffic in both directions sometimes need adjustment in response to the flow of cars. A mechanical unit rides the pylons like a zipper and as the unit passes over, pylons are moved, one at a time, over several feet; by the time the unit crosses the bridge span, three lanes in both directions has become four lanes in one direction, two in the other. A shift in corporate culture through a microlearning initiative works in a similar way: small individual steps, repeated by all members of a team, can – as time goes on – manifest genuine, observable change.

Microlearning offers a unique and effective model that slowly but surely moves an organization in the direction it needs to go culturally. A great example of this is a shift toward a diverse and inclusive workplace, in particular.

From ideas to action

Microlearning solutions can be crafted and curated to meet the specific needs of an organization. Because content is generally brief and concise, microlearning is a good tool to address highly specific issues in actionable ways. For example, it’s one thing to set a goal and say the organization will become more inclusive. The challenge can be in making that actually happen. Microlearning functions as the mechanics: show people what needs to be changed through illustrative examples and give them tools to do so.

Meet people where they are

Microlearning works on an individual level. When used as part of a diversity and inclusion effort, this model provides people with a chance to learn something new – without distraction. It encourages deeper reflection and engagement, and gives folks time to recognize their own behaviors and actions that do and don’t model an inclusive culture. For example, a microlearning series on finding value in the contributions of all team members – from the person who dominates every conversation to the person who’s constantly reminding others of the budget – can foster collaboration and innovation. Employees can learn to see differences as strengths within the group instead of obstacles to overcome.

Foster ongoing conversation

Microlearning makes conversations about diversity and inclusion more productive. This kind of training, even when it happens individually and within the day’s ordinary workflow, isn’t completely separate from management involvement. Rather, it can contribute greatly to the effectiveness of management involvement. If individual training can be compared to studying the materials for taking a learner’s permit test for driving, talking about these issues with other staff can be compared to getting behind the wheel for hands-on practice.

When a department head meets with her team to discuss age discrimination, for example, everyone will already be familiar with the concept and have the vocabulary to ensure clear and effective communication. This makes it possible to identify problems and develop innovative solutions. It also provides an opportunity for employees to give feedback and discuss issues in meaningful ways, given what they’ve learned.

Microlearning’s big impact

None of this is to suggest that microlearning ensures a smooth evolution into a more diverse and inclusive organizational culture; there will certainly be bumps in the road and detours, too. However, it does shift the process from passive to active, generating greater employee participation and adaptability in fostering positive change. As part of an ongoing conversation about diversity and inclusivity, microlearning supports hands-on learning, respectful discussion, and responsive solutions toward a unified goal.

The idea of mobile learning continues to catch on and grow in popularity. But what does a company need to do to ensure that its mobile learning efforts pay off, both for the organization and the employees? A one-size learning solution doesn’t necessarily fit all; it’s important to keep best practices in mind as in-house or contracted mobile learning programs are developed, rolled out, and assessed.

Stay simple

Organizations that expect employees to utilize mobile learning opportunities will have the best results when content and design are easy to understand and follow. A clean and uncluttered look and concise content allow employees to find what they need, when they need it. This approach also has the benefit of making it easier for users to retain what they’ve learned: information is presented in easily retained and recalled “chunks”.

Be engaging

Levels of employee engagement with a mobile learning solution may predict the success of the overall initiative. Consider how to make the learning process fun for users. If you can foster a sense of friendly competition or even a way of recognizing personal bests or accomplishments, in-app or out, it can motivate users. Carefully curated content that’s responsive to user performance can guide employees’ learning pathways, too, keeping folks coming back for ongoing learning.

Learn on demand

Make needed information instantly accessible through mobile learning. Mobile learning means not having to wait for an organized, on-site program to get answers to questions. Put the learning out there and make it available anytime so that people can brush up before a big presentation, double-check a company standard, or even settle a question in their own mind about company policies or procedures.

The on-demand aspect of mobile learning also addresses needs of employees who are crunched for time. It simplifies access, whether that’s an urgent need or a way to fill a few minutes of downtime during a shift. This method can also better serve workers who fill second and third shifts beyond the traditional 9-5 when administrative offices are staffed.

Invite everyone into the pool

Be inclusive. Don’t risk alienating employees by assuming their usage and content preferences (especially by generation); this can decrease engagement and motivation. Some folks do learn best in text environments while others retain better when material is presented in a visual style. Mix it up with podcasts, videos, quizzes, stories, and more.

Think of mobile learning like a buffet; if several kinds of dishes are available, nearly everyone will find one they enjoy and return for seconds. By developing solutions that are not device-dependent, everyone can use their own, ensuring minimal friction with the technology used to access and complete learning modules.

Think smaller (bandwidth)

Nobody’s going to want to complete mobile learning on their own device if using it eats up all their data for the month. Sure, podcasts and videos and interactive games are fun but be aware that while these mobile learning make it possible for folks to use these materials at work or off site, you could be setting up your team for a surprise on their mobile bill. Being mindful of bandwidth will give employees confidence to participate without worrying about exorbitant fees.

Mobile learning is a great tool for employee training and development. Adhering to best practices can improve the success rate of the program, benefiting organizations and employees, too.

On-the-job learning is part of every industry. But it also has a tendency to be disruptive, although that’s never the intention. Managers reschedule staff to ensure attendance at training while still covering the floor or clients, for example; employees may lose momentum when stepping away from a project, especially for an extended, day-long training session. But microlearning offers another way: embed small learning opportunities into employees’ workday, providing education without interrupting their (and the organization’s) workflow.

Making learning part of the job

Industry analyst Josh Bersin calls this model Learning in the Flow of Work®. He suggests that this concept is a natural progression of the training and education methods that came before in conjunction with tech advancements. In essence, Bersin’s Learning in the Flow of Work® encourages folks to connect and disconnect with learning opportunities in an environment where content is strategic in nature. It’s different than many other online interfaces where the goal is to get someone to continue clicking, where eyeballs equal revenue – in this case, it’s important to limit the engagement in an appropriate way.

So what’s the advantage to developing or contracting for mobile learning that facilitates learning in this way? Efficiency and effectiveness.

Mobile learning: Why it works

People are already busy and crunched for time at home and at work, regardless of the sector. Bersin’s research shows that folks have less than half hour per week for training. Embedding learning opportunities into the work day provides staff with necessary tools for success and productivity at their fingertips. It makes learning part of everyday tasks and alleviates additional stresses (to the employee and the supervisor) that come with scheduling and shift coverage to accommodate training needs.

Mobile microlearning customizes employee-driven and typically independent learning. Employees get training content that’s targeted to their needs. And it empowers a workforce by trusting them to participate and do so at the time that best fits their schedule, whether that’s during a commute, a 15-minute break or an unexpected slow period in between tasks. That level of trust can drive employee motivation and engagement.

Improve accessibility

Microlearning provides useful learning opportunities seamlessly, when and where an employee has a question or there’s an organizational need for it. A just-in-time model makes learning available on-demand; perhaps a machine operator needs to verify a setting or a customer service rep wants to confirm the exceptions to a new policy in an effort to satisfy a customer’s demands.

Alternatively, mobile learning modules can be plugins to existing productivity systems (e.g., Slack). Education materials can be queued up for staff to complete at the beginning of a shift, in advance of a new product roll-out, or other prescribed times that are identified by management and leadership as appropriate. This makes training seamless for the employee and management; no worries that someone will miss it or can’t catch up.

Increase recall

On-demand learning in bite-sized chunks like this can improve cognitive understanding and retention. Studies show that folks can hold only a few pieces of information in short term memory. Mobile learning doesn’t overload folks with more than they can reasonably retain, avoiding frustration and disengagement. Customized microlearning content, like videos for example, can also be inclusive, allowing folks who learn better in ways other than text to benefit equally from workplace learning opportunities.

Putting learning opportunities in front of people during their natural workday is the most efficient and effective way to help them learn by providing immediately useful content in a manageable format.

Getting the most out of employee training and continuing education is a top priority for most organizations, and having steps in place that can help bolster that success is critically important. Many business professionals are familiar with the concept of the Kaizen method of management, but far fewer know how to align it with their organization’s needs. Kaizen means continuous improvement and is the brainchild of Masaaki Imai, a Japanese organizational theorist and management consultant, who first introduced this method to Japanese industries in the 1980s. Part of an evolution of business philosophies focused on improving processes and eliminating waste (see also the Deming Circle, Six Sigma and Lean), Kaizen involves everyone in the organization and embraces all ideas as good ideas. Employees at all levels of the organization are empowered to find ways to improve business practices in order to achieve measurable goals.

So, how can this way of thinking inform the way you approach training?

Kaizen: the secret sauce to your L&D

Here are a few guideposts to consider when implementing Kaizen principles into your educational efforts.

1. Start small. Are you adding Kaizen principles to learning for the first time? Then it may be wise to choose an area of focus and work to streamline it. Give it some time to see how the changes work for your organization and then expand when the time is right.
2. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Masaaki Imai wrote the book and there are considerable Kaizen research  and case studies to show you the way. Use available resources, including your own people. By utilizing the skills of the experts in each part of your business, you can maximize your in-house knowledge, energize your current employees and  educate the next generation.
3. Thinking caps. Be open to new ideas and suggestions from everyone.  Kaizen is an on-going process and by tweaking how you train employees and how continuing education is presented, you can strengthen your organization and increase everyone’s knowledge at the same time.
4. Align training with goals. As you are shaping the way you train employees you may see areas within the organization that need improvement or goals that need to be redefined. This process may open the door to better processes all around.
5. In for the long haul. Change rarely happens overnight and positive change may take time to set in. The organizational experts stress that consistency is critical to any process. Whether you are conducting an orientation for a new employee or leading a continuing education effort, establishing clear, measurable goals and tracking your progress is important to truly improving your process. Notice what works and take time to celebrate it.

Finally, keep an eye on goals and don’t be afraid to adjust them as needed. Many experts recommend embracing the clarity and precision of Kaizen, but also keeping an eye on the big picture. Find what works for your people and be a learner as well as a teacher.

For more: Check out Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success, by Masaaki Imai and this article from ResearchGate: Improving Teaching and Learning through Kaizen and 7^th Habit, by R.M. Sapungian and J. Cuerteras.

More and more companies are turning to microlearning, the methodology of delivering information in smaller, repeated sessions, to reach their learners. There’s good reason for this: science tells us that when learning sessions are too long, our brains become overloaded and the process of moving new information into our long-term memories is diminished. This is called cognitive load, or essentially, the longer the training session the less we can retain and use later.

In other words, if your training schedule includes a restroom break, it’s a prime candidate for a microlearning transformation.

Whether it’s in the classroom or online, long-form training can have poor engagement and retention rates and disrupts your learners’ natural workflow. Transforming this training into micro-sized, consumable bites – or supplementing necessary long-form learning with a microlearning component – can improve learning outcomes dramatically.

But fear not! The blood, sweat, tears (and precious budget) you invested into long-form training were not in vain: this is your source material. However, it’s not as simple as merely chopping this content into smaller bites. There are important keys to transforming your training into an engaging microlearning experience. Here are some of the tips and best practices we’ve curated over the years to make it truly effective:

Start with the old

Identify the intended outcome of the microlearning. What skills, activities, and knowledge is the learner meant to achieve through the completion of the training? Has this evolved since the original content was developed? With this fresh lens, review your existing material to weed out or redevelop what is no longer relevant. Also prime for the chopping block? Any content not in line with your current operational strategies or cultural ways of thinking.

Fill in the gaps

If the first step left you with some missing content, it’s time to build material to fill in the informational gaps. This can be rough and long-form – you’re not micro-sizing yet – but do ensure all content is helpful to the learner and relevant to the topic.

This is an opportunity to freshen up your messaging and graphics to align with your latest learning initiatives. We often help clients with newly launched diversity and inclusion programs whose other training materials are not reflective of this important initiative. Each new piece of content is an opportunity to reinforce other learning.

Establish your delivery methods

Determine the most appropriate media for the content and audience. Are you looking to reach on-the-go learners who find videos more accessible? Is your learner population multi-generational and responds more favorably to a brief written article? Using a combination of media formats can be helpful when a one-size-fits-all method won’t work. This approach is helpful to reach a diverse learning demographic, or when multiple micro-lessons will be needed to complete the training.

It’s time to micro-size

This step is more than just parsing up lengthy training into shorter segments. The goal is to create concise modules designed to be consumed in 10-15 minutes with a beginning, middle, and end. Consider how many micro-lessons you need to fully deliver the material and allow for reinforcement and practice. At Blue Ocean Brain, we believe in the drip-method of learning: engaging learners on a topic in multiple sessions over time. The first micro-lesson introduces the concept, the second provides an example, the third offers actionable ideas for practice, the fourth reinforces, and so on.

Keep in mind, if you’re starting with presentation decks, you’ll need to add in some narrative to allow for self-directed learning. (Remember, the learners won’t have an instructor at the front of the room reading from their bullets. Context is important.)

Inject interest and energy

You want your content to be “sticky”. It should be thought-provoking, relevant to your learners’ success in their role, and include real-world analogies that make sense in their work or personal lives. Add side bars with discussion-worthy facts.

Even compliance training or heavy legal topics can be sticky. This takes some finesse and is often best accomplished by skilled instructional designers. Use colorful games and brain exercises to reinforce learning and provide opportunities for practice. “Pull” tactics such as these will engage your learners and bring them back for more.

Bottom line: if your people are talking about the learning in meetings or at the proverbial water cooler, you have achieved peak stickiness.

Bells and whistles

To draw learners in and keep them engaged, build in eye-catching images and graphics. Infographics that can be downloaded and referred back to are great reinforcement tools. Include relevant quotes and thought-provoking questions that help them think about and apply the learning in the scope of their own job and life.

If your training includes a lot of technical terms, provide a short glossary of terms. Put it in easy reach and leave it there so the learner can fully benefit from the training. When learners feel they understand the information and jargon they’re taking in, they’re more likely to engage with and retain the entire learning.

Engagement tactics

Make the learning accessible. Deliver it to your learners in an environment that is easy to jump in to and out of – remember, your learners only have 10-15 minutes here – and encourage usage through push notifications via email or other internal messaging channels.

There is a lot to consider when transforming content for the microlearning experience; this article only scratches the surface. Partnering with an experienced microlearning provider can mean the difference between simply chopped up training and a truly engaging, impactful program. Blue Ocean Brain works with learning teams of all sizes to micro-size existing content, develop new content, and provide the accessible, dynamic digital learning environment your people will want to visit each day.

It’s often said that there is nothing new under the sun and yet, so often change catches us off guard and throws many of us into a tailspin. As a leader, how can you offer support to employees who avoid or strongly resist change and put them on a path toward being change-embracers? First, you and they can relax knowing that tackling change in its many forms is tough for most all of us. Sometimes simply relaxing into a situation can provide enough space to help you think more clearly. When a few more tools are needed to help you ride the wave of upheaval then consider these pointers from consultants who make it their job to see us through transitions.

Be upfront

Advice from several thought leaders on the subject recommends being open with any change that’s on the horizon. Share information with the group so that the new policy, move or procedure is understood and seen as a deliberate, thoughtful decision.

Hear all about it

Instead of bulldozing ahead, consider the opinions of the team and use their feedback to ease the transition. Brent Gleeson, a former Navy SEAL, now a speaker and author, shares the importance of hearing the needs of others and how that helps them to buy in to the new situation. He recommends checking in at the beginning, middle and end of a process and acknowledging the feedback. Let people know you value their opinions and that it’s not simply a placating move.

Call for back up

Vicky and Martin Webster offer up advice in How to Get Your Team to Embrace Change and recommend finding a stakeholder to champion the cause. This means working with a member of the team who is affected by the new developments and who is willing to cheerlead. This win-win provides a leadership role to someone who is likely to have a positive impact on her coworkers and helps to further the cause at the same time.

Get emotional

Piggybacking on his advice to listen is the recommendation to leaders to polish up their Emotional Intelligence, says Gleeson. When a Navy SEAL tells you to show compassion and connect on an emotional level, you listen. This may mean sharing how you feel and being an example for the group. Or it may help to bring team members together for a constructive support session. Demonstrating patience and concern may go a long way to helping others shift into a new mindset. Remember, change doesn’t happen in a day and riding the waves of emotion and challenge is part of the process.

Explain the why

Change is inevitable, but some things seem to keep coming back like our human desire to know why. Just like the five-year-old who wants to understand why the sky is blue and why bedtime comes so early, employees want to know the why of a new situation. Dispelling the mystery by explaining that the new project-management system will likely save the company millions of dollars may help to get folks over the hump of learning new procedures. Pro-tip: We are all self-motivated at heart. If the why can be tied back to something that positively impacts your people in a direct way, such as a work activity or process, all the better.

Clear and present

Along with explanations, consider sharing new guidelines and any new or changing job descriptions. Does the team know what to do now? Training may be one of the most critical parts of the plan, explains Gleeson, so make room for it now. As he explains, doing things right the first time saves time and resources in the long run and sidesteps the possibility of heaping additional frustration on team members.

High five

Everyone operates at a different speed and the rates of accepting change are no different. Add to the positive vibe by publicly recognizing the change-embracers. This keeps their enthusiasm high and may help to encourage others who are slower to hop on the train.

The experts reinforce what we know on a gut level and that is that change is uncomfortable at best, but with some guide posts to follow and a team that feels valued and heard, it’s possible to get through even the toughest transitions and emerge stronger than ever.

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” George Bernard Shaw

Did You Know:  Psychologist Alicia Clark offers up a few suggestions for tackling the fear of change. She recommends finding the novelty in a situation. Often, we are most ready for change when we are stretched thin, she explains. Something new—whether a job or life change—may be unsettling, but it’s also energizing. That energy can kick us into gear and propel us forward. So, the thing that scares us may be just the boost we need.

The mention of meetings can cause a visceral, gut-level reaction in even the toughest of managers. Who doesn’t have tales to tell of The Meeting that Wouldn’t End; The Pointless, Recurring Meeting; or The Who’s in Charge Meeting? For many professionals, the feeling of spending too much time around a table instead of in the trenches can cause anxiety and a lack of focus that makes those same meetings even less productive. But like it or not, meetings are a reality in the workplace, so the question we must ask ourselves is, How can we improve meetings and use them to our best advantage?

4 simple tactics for good meetings

Business Coach Bruce Eckfeldt recommends taking a few key steps in advance in order to keep your meeting on track.

1. Have an agenda. Clearly identify the goal or purpose the of the meeting so that everyone in attendance is on the same thought train, and issues can be addressed without discussion going off into tangents. Eckfeldt recommends creating an agenda first off if one is not already available. What should an agenda include? In addition to the goal of the meeting consider listing key discussion points, the names of the participants, the start and stop time and the location.
2. Facilitator. Put someone in charge who can shepherd the meeting, keep everyone on topic and make sure that everyone is heard. Eckfeldt recommends tapping a neutral party to oversee the discussion and keep the process moving forward.
3. Time Matters. Start on time and end on time. If people trust that your meeting will be useful and timely then their commitment levels are likely to soar upwards as well. Eckfeldt maintains that his meetings start on time whether all participants are there or not. If timeliness is a problem, then some tough love may be needed. He suggests not allowing entrée to anyone who’s late. On the back end, Eckfeldt likes to conclude meetings a few minutes early. This provides a welcome breather to execs who have back-to-back obligations and shows appreciation for the team’s professionalism.
4. Good Ground Rules. Being considerate of others’ time and opinions is important overall and especially within the confines of a targeted, brief meeting. By reviewing the rules at the start of each meeting you can reinforce the team’s buy-in and respectful approach to the discussion. When all participants feel involved in the meeting, then the opportunity for productivity and creative thinking is increased.

Finally, the coaching pros offer a reminder that the boss serves as an example. If you are the head honcho, then follow the rules and be timely. If a protocol is established and modeled, then there’s a much better chance of success company-wide. As Bruce Eckfeldt reminds us, “a fish stinks from the head,” so be the example. Meeting adjourned.   

Finding the balance

While some meetings are nothing more than weekly placeholders that seem to go nowhere, others try to be ultra-meetings and take on too much. Writing for Inc., Alison Davis recommends focusing on your desired outcomes and limiting them to one to three.

She gives a thumbs-up to the following reasons to hold a meeting:

• to inspire and energize people
• to create learning
• to solve a problem
• to brainstorm ideas

More: Davis recommends allotting one-third of the meeting time to interactive discussion. She distinguishes this from someone monopolizing the proceedings or who asks for questions without creating inroads for conversation. Do the legwork in advance so that meetings can be an exchange of ideas that spur action. That’s worth talking about.

Tip: Use the “parking lot” concept to indicate a space to put topics that need to be discussed but are not central to the focus of the current meeting. This allows for items to be set aside, with an agreed upon time to revisit them. But be aware: if the parking lot becomes more like purgatory, you’ll need to find a different option.

In the realm of important life maxims, “know thyself” can be followed quickly by “know thy audience”; and if your job involves communicating with a generationally diverse team, then the learning curve for reaching that audience may be a bit steeper than usual. Certainly, working with staffers of various ages is common to most of us, however studies show that for the first time in history we are entering an era where four to five generations will be working side by side. That incredible statistic speaks to our longer life expectancy and the fact that many senior workers are staying on the job longer than in the past. So, the mix of expectations and styles within your team may continue to diversify in the years ahead. This brings up the question of how do the different ages like to learn and what do they need from their company, their manager and from one another?By striving to understand the learning needs of your team today, you are paving the way to maximizing the skills of your people and creating an environment for success going forward.

It’s about you

Writing for the Wall Street Journal, experts recommend that managers step up and adjust their style to fit the differing needs of employees instead of expecting the employees to change. Also, it’s important to understand generational differences without falling into stereotypes that don’t do justice to the real folks sitting in the cubicles nearby. Knowing thy people takes some initiative, and probably on-going education, but the results will be well worth it.

For example, it may be helpful to note that many Veterans or Silent Generation (1939-1947) and Baby Boomers (1946-1964) are accustomed to a more formal, hierarchal corporate structure and value an appreciation for their loyalty and work ethic. Conversely, many Gen X (1965-1977), Milennials (1978-1992) and Gen Z (1995-2010) employees may be more focused on professional development and training opportunities, and may see jobs as more fluid. By understanding where people are coming from you can sidestep negative suppositions and implement methodologies that support staffers successfully across the board.

“Stereotypes of each generation aside, ultimately employees want the same thing — to be engaged at work and to have a good manager who acts as a coach and helps them achieve their specific career goals,” says Rajeev Behera, chief executive of real-time performance management platform Reflektive.

How to get there

Mentoring: Researchers encourage the use of mentoring to unite the team and to allow employees to use their strengths for the good of the group. Rebecca Knight, writing for Harvard Business Review, cites the success of the military in having soldiers partner up and the common practice of younger lieutenants overseeing seasoned sergeants. There may be some bumps along the way, but the system of new recruits coming in and the need to share skills is well established in the military environment. By building collaboration, you open the door to shared learning and teamwork.

Different Strokes: Knowing a bit about your employees and their needs allows you to tailor learning to fit different styles. Offering continuing education can help older employees keep current while, at the same time, spearheading special assignments like a task force, or a presence on social media, may bring out the best in younger workers. Also, consider offering continuing education in different ways; perhaps a learning module is available in PowerPoint format as well as online with a gaming component. Where it’s possible to offer options that fit the whole team, the results will be exponentially greater.

You get a prize! And you get a prize!

Employee needs may differ, but everyone likes to feel appreciated. Part of knowing your team means knowing what’s important to them with regards to benefits, recognition and communication. Human Resources Consultant Jeanne C. Meister recommends thinking like an anthropologist and assessing where people are on their life path and what their needs are right now. This may mean that younger employees respond best to incentives that include new experiences, while mid-life employees may place higher value on flexible schedules, and senior employees may prize telecommuting options.

What’s that you say?

Finally, “feeling heard” or giving voice to employees rates as an extremely important factor in overall career satisfaction. Communication is essential and knowing how to facilitate it is the mark of a strong leader. When thinking cross-generationally consider the more formal needs of senior workers who may prefer public recognition, structured evaluations and the opportunity to communicate by phone or in person. Meanwhile, the Gens (X,Y, and Z) often prefer open discussion and idea sharing, more frequent feedback and the chance to communicate via email, text or instant messaging. Open communication (in whatever forms that may take) and feedback allow the team to grow together and like the many branches of a tree, be stronger through the diversity of its parts.

MORE LEARNING: For real life examples of cross-generational mentoring, check out the case studies at the end of:  Managing People from 5 Generations, by Rebecca Knight at Harvard Business Review.