AchieveGlobal's blog

Rethinking Twitter

By Jack McDaniel When I Googled the words “Twitter” and “Iran” the other day, I received over 89 million hits. Within the News results I found stories that ran the gamut, from wild trumpet blasts of Twitter’s new-found influence, to cautious yet optimistic appraisals of Twitter’s impact, to attempted clarifications of just what Twitter means in connection with the Iranian elections. Put me in the camp that doesn’t know what this means, but is convinced it means something big. When television first came on the scene, producers and directors gave their on-air talent instructions that seem ridiculous to us now. Don’t move suddenly, as this may disorientate the viewer. Speak slowly and in a relative monotone so as not to startle the listener. Keep your eyes focused on the copy, don’t make eye contact with the camera, as this is an invasion of the viewer’s space. The “Thou shall not” list made for some boring programming. But the novelty was in the new medium. Wow, electronic images from miles away, beamed directly to your 1946 RCA 621TS with a whopping 7-inch magnetically deflected CRT! Yeah, baby! So let’s jump back in the time machine and return to Twitter. Just as we probably won’t know the true impact of this 140-character micro-blog social networking tool on the elections until the dust settles, we also won’t see its true value as a learning mechanism until someone breaks the “Thou shall not” rules in the learning arena. At least that’s what I think. As always, I’d love to hear what YOU think. Just don’t move suddenly, as I’m naturally disoriented as it is.

How Weak Are Your Cognitive Chains?

By Chris Blauth I was reminded of an interesting historical fact while visiting the West Point Military Academy recently: to control the Hudson River during the War of Independence, military commanders ordered a massive chain—some 1,500 feet in length, weighing 65 tons—to be strung across the river and affixed on both sides.  This “Great Chain” was so ominous, historians note, that it was never directly challenged by a single Royal Navy warship.   Viewing the Great Chain at Trophy Point reminded me of cognitive chains that impact creative thought.  Creative thought is based on the ability to make connections and combinations—particularly between seemingly unrelated things.  The capacity to mix and match data, bits and pieces of information, knowledge and experience in ways that are unusual and useful—to be able to see those connections when others don’t—underlies creative thought.  When we see an image or hear a word, our minds proceed along a chain of automatic associations, each one connecting to another.  It happens quickly, with no effort, the mind following the simplest path—a previous set of associations.  Chains of associations tend to be grouped around areas related to our own experience, and the more an association chain is used, the stronger it becomes.  Association chains help us move quickly from analysis to action.  They can also limit our ability to think expansively, to question assumptions and conventions and to see things in new and different ways.  The weaker the association chains, the easier it is to connect outside the norm—to make unexpected and creative combinations and connections. With a little practice you can invite your mind to travel a path it wouldn’t normally or routinely go.  Two practices will help you jump the association track:

1. Widen your world.  Singular, field-specific expertise, for all its strengths, can make it more difficult to break out of established patterns of thought.  So, widen your world.  Be on the look-out for ways to experience new points of view and to extend your frames of reference.
2. Ignite new insights.  You can prepare your mind to make more creative connections.  If you want to shake free of your typical associations, you’ll need a few sparks—ways to ignite new insights.  Practice making unusual and unexpected mental associations.  Or think how something that works in a dramatically different setting can work in yours.

How are you widening your world and igniting new insights?  Your insights and pragmatic examples are welcomed and encouraged.

Ethics in a Fuzzy Yellow Ball

By Craig Perrin Forgive another sports analogy. Hey, my blogmate made me do it! In a recent French Open tennis match, Serena Williams cracked a ball point blank at her opponent, Maria Jose Sanchez Martinez – a painful and totally legal part of tennis. Slo-mo revealed that the ball ricocheted off Martinez’ arm, then racquet, and dribbled, unplayable, into Williams’ court. Williams apologized, expecting the point to be hers (a player touched by the ball loses the point). To Williams’ surprise, the umpire gave the point and game to Martinez, who had to know she was hit – but said nothing. An ethical lapse in sports usually does little lasting harm (here, Williams won the match). An ethical lapse or cascade of lapses in business can do tremendous harm, as we’ve seen in the global recession. The recession in fact has raised global awareness of the need for ethical business practices:

• At the Harvard Business School, for example, many spring graduates are signing a new code of ethics. In their “MBA Oath,” students promise to “serve the common good” and refrain from advancing “their own narrow ambitions” at the expense of others.
• In a 2009 AchieveGlobal survey, respondents worldwide singled out at least two behaviors required for ethical leadership in the 21st century: “Openly admit your mistakes” and “Act not just to obey the law, but to promote the common good.”

Had Maria Jose Sanchez Martinez followed that advice, she’d have conceded the point. Had certain business and political leaders followed it – in one of the few positive effects of our economic crisis – we might not be reminded to reflect on these matters. Your thoughts are invited and welcome.

Prisoners, Vacationers, or Learners?

By Andrew Calvert In this economy, efficiency and ROI are critical – even in training. So you may want to ask, “When they go to training, are our associates prisoners, vacationers, or learners?” You know what I mean. Some associates go because they need a minimum number of classroom days, or they’re part of an implementation they neither understand nor care about; They are prisoners. Another group are – Woo Hoo! – out of the office, ready to kick back, chat, eat, drink, be merry, and relax for a few days. Ahhhhh vacation! And some are there to learn. They know why they’re there, what they need to learn, how to apply it, and how they’ll be measured and supported on the job. How do you make learners of prisoners and vacationers? Define Goals and Expectations. Ensure that managers with staff in training know its purpose and benefits, as well as their role after training. Ensure that managers discuss the goals of training with their direct reports, linking training outcomes to organizational goals. Clarify and Discuss. Managers also need to clarify behavioral expectations during training: on time, attentive, no texting or email, etc. Debrief and Evaluate. After training, managers need to meet with staff to debrief the session: what they liked, what could be better, and how they will use the skills on the job. Follow up. Managers must give recognition to staff who do the right things and give regular feedback for further development. Repeat as necessary. Do these things and associates will learn, ROI will increase, and those who rely on you for your services will notice the difference!

Learning When the Score is Nil-Nil

By Andrew Calvert Manchester United played Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup final a few weeks ago. The match was 0-0 at full time and remained scoreless after an overtime period. At that point, the match referee called the managers and team together to prepare a list – a detailed sequence in which all 11 players on each team would take a penalty kick. The team with the highest score would win (and get 12 months of bragging rights). During the eight minutes or so that it took to compile the list, the Manchester United goalkeeping coach took his goalkeeper aside and showed him a iPod video of Tottenham players taking penalties. A few minutes later, Ben saved one penalty and unsettled the Spurs’ other penalty kicks. Manchester went on to win 4-1. Click here to read an article about the event. What an excellent example of just-in-time, mission-critical, workflow learning mediated through technology! But if you think about it, the video and immediate coaching (valuable as they were) were only the tip of the process. This goalkeeper works out many times a week, conditioning his reflexes, and gets coaching in every aspect of his profession – penalty-saving just a part of it. So, a lot of thought, practice, and dedication – and then at the critical moment, the iPod video... Technology is good. It helps. But without practice and dedication, would this goalkeeper have saved the game? What are the lessons here for blended workflow learning in a corporate environment? I'd welcome your thoughts...