The real question should be, can you afford to NOT invest in digital learning tools?
Who am I? I’m a country manager in a multinational corporation, and I’m responsible for thousands of employees.
Shareholders, customers, and our people are all counting on me. The marketplace, data, consultants guide me, and my own experiences to set strategy. I so type A my blood type is type A. I set particular direction. I create absolute certainty. The roadmap is there, ready. However, I wait. I wait for everyone to take it. To carry it forward and implement. But that’s just it. It doesn’t happen.
I ask how it’s going, and I get back, “it’s not.” It was the perfect strategy, created by the greatest minds. Where did it go wrong? Why didn’t anything happen? Why wasn’t it adopted? Why are my people so resistant to change? It’s clearly time for a different approach.
Who am I? I am a business manager in your company.
This organization saw my talent, but I was promoted to a role in dealing with a team. With implementing the strategy. With creating consensus. With motivating. These are not necessarily my areas of comfort.
Despite my MBA, I don’t have the DNA for this. I don’t want to just direct. I want to engage, inspire, build and empower. I need to be working ON the business, not just IN the business. If I had the proper tools, I wouldn’t simply make our people more productive.
Don’t give me a link to a management article. Give me the time and attention I need to be a great leader. I would make our organization unstoppable.
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Who am I? I’m one of your customers. The good kind. And the loud kind. The kind that reviews you on Yelp, Google, Facebook, and anywhere else I can find. The one that can be your biggest marketing opportunity… or your worst nightmare.
I love your brand. I am loyal. I rave about it. But today, I’m about to go to a different location. A new store. And you know what? I’m about to have an experience with an employee and a manager that will change my entire opinion of your company. Me… your former biggest fan… is about to become a problem.
Have I just been lucky? How can my previous experiences be so good, but this one so bad? Excuse me while I go on your social media pages to ask that very question.
Who am I? I’m one employee in your organization.
You’ve spent millions on a new strategy, a new initiative, or a new direction. You’ve had consultants here for months. So now, when it’s time to execute, I’m here. Waiting. I’ve been through the PowerPoint, I’ve heard the change. However, all of your hard work was given to me in an hour’s time. I’ll get some of it. Most of it, I’ll ignore.
Why? Not because I’m not loyal, or hardworking. Not because I have bad intentions. Just the opposite. I’m one of your best. However, I wasn’t involved. I wasn’t taken through it in a way that was meaningful or memorable. I didn’t get introduced to the bigger picture of why we’re changing. If you were to engage with me, I'd lead the change.
But right now, I’m more confused than motivated. Moreover, I’m just one of the thousands.
Who am I? I’m an HR manager at a major manufacturing company.
Our customers want quality, innovation, and low costs. We’re pressuring our people to simultaneously bring more value and cut costs, making them unhappy, stressed, and looking for a way out. We’ve brought in consultants to help find opportunities.
We’ve held retreats. I can’t count the number of barbeques, incentive programs, and perks we’ve handed out. Our benefits are ridiculously good. Heck, we even got the t-shirt! However, morale is low. Turnover is high. Also, client relationships are starting to feel strained.
On paper, it looks like we’re doing everything right, but in reality, our exit interviews tell us our culture is all wrong. We have to stop the bleeding, and we have to do it fast. That’s going to take more than a t-shirt.
Who am I? I’m that skeptical guy in your organization.
You know, the one that says things like ‘Oh great. Another wonderful idea from corporate.’ Sarcasm is my weapon of choice. Eye rolls are my defining characteristic. I can take an entire team down in minutes flat. But honestly, can you blame me? I’ve been here for decades and endured the strategy of the moment – the one that will change everything. But I’ve never seen one stick. In fact, there’s all of this excitement about it for a day, and then everyone forgets and moves on.
Beyond an initial rah-rah, it doesn’t connect. We don’t remember. We count on others to implement. No one has ever involved me, asked my opinion, or shown me the map. I am just one in your organization. But give me a few minutes, and I have the power to help – or derail – everything.
Who am I? I’m a leader in a multinational corporation; I’m responsible for thousands of employees.
Shareholders, customers, and our people are all counting on me. The marketplace, data, consultants and my own experiences guide me to set strategy. I so type A my blood type is type A. I set concrete direction. I create absolute certainty. The roadmap is there, ready. And then, I wait. I wait for everyone to take it. To carry it forward and implement. However, that’s just it. It doesn’t happen.
I ask how it’s going, and I get back, “it’s not.” It was the perfect strategy, created by the greatest minds. Where did it go wrong? Why didn’t anything happen? Why wasn’t it adopted? Why are my people so resistant to change? It’s time for a different approach.
