Learning: The Magic of Making Training FUN

Can we get people to be happy and enjoy their work? Can we move them from TGIF ( Thank God, it is Friday to Thank God, it is Monday.) Yes, we can if we apply the principles of happiness. So, what is happiness? “Happiness is a way of life – an overriding outlook composed of qualities such as optimism, courage, love and fulfillment.” The goal is to enjoy every day irrespective of what the challenges are. What is the enemy of being happy? It is the fear system, a biologically based response derived from our lower brain. This is often known as the reptilian brain as we share this with the reptiles. The fear system initially developed as a survival mechanism to respond to threats is triggered faster than rational thoughts such as feelings of love. Anger, pessimism, anxiety, depression and feelings of isolation are some forms of fear among us. The goal is to focus on positives in a negative world and in negative times like these to build greater motivation and employee engagement. This morni...

I had the opportunity to travel with six airlines during my three week trip to six countries. I have often wondered why is it that some airlines are consistently tops on the service provided. They are just outstanding while some are brilliant in flashes. Some are just forgettable. On one of the sectors, I was served beef as that was the only option available. Chicken and fish were over. As I do not take any beef, I was left starving for the entire flight. I asked to see the Manager but she just did not show up. I had to go and see her to register my complaint but the seven hour flight was over. I took a flight from London to Chicago and often wondered how these airlines can preach about service to others. They did everything right to the basics, showed us how to get out of the aircraft in the event of an emergency and served us food as a mandatory task. They did not care how customers were treated or felt. No smiles, no eye contact, no thank you, no feeling that they wanted customers...

The critical importance of Talent We may have the stage, the orchestra, the props, the script and the actors but do we have a hit. Not necessarily. Unless the actors are talented and play the right roles and they are directed appropriately, we do not have a hit film. To relate this to organisations, just because we have systems, processes and employees, we are far away from running a successful organisation. Only when we appropriately hire, develop, evaluate, reward, mobilize employees and align the Talent with the business goals, can we have the organisation live up to its potential. Talent Management is driven by competencies. Talent today may be the buzz word but in reality – superior performers or talented people have always been in demand. How do we go about attracting them to our organisations? How do we develop them? How do we evaluate their performance? How do we integrate talent management with workforce and succession planning? How do we compensate them? These are questions t...

Vietnam is a country gripped by fierce patriotism. The goal on the top of each Vietnamese mind is to recover from the war that destroyed generations. I had the opportunity to speak at The Talent Management Conference organized by SMR Group and our local partners AITC at the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce. Simultaneous translation was provided and the focus of the event was unique – make Vietnamese talent a premier one in the region. The 250 participants were exposed to a variety of speakers. The number of government enterprises is going down substantially and free enterprise is blossoming in Vietnam. Our local partner bought a book to understand Vietnamese history and I had the chance to take a photograph with the legendary President Ho Chi Minh. Organisations that have focused on their people and on their future people needs are likely to be the winners in the next expansion cycle.

Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones identify several things we need to know about leading clever people. It is essential to know the characteristics most clever people share, these collectively make them a difficult crew to manage. 1. They know their worth. 2. They are organisationally savvy. 3. They ignore corporate hierarchy. 4. They expect instant access. 5. They have good networks and are well connected. 6. They are bored easily. 7. They won't thank you and thye assume they know most of the things. 8. They are results oriented.

Is Talent Management the exclusion of many as a large number of consulting professionals seem to preach? Is the view that Talent will always be restricted to a few while the majority of the workforce will remain average appropriate? These questions dominated the agenda of the recent HR Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia. The event organised by Yayasan PPM, Indonesia, this week was a lively one. As the key note speaker, I had to bring the subject to the ground level in Asia. Firstly, anyone with the right learning opportunity can perform to the required standards. Secondly, any one who is able to connect his/her passion with his/her practice(work) is able to exceed expectations. Thirdly, we have to be careful to with the understanding of the word talent. It is not meant to be exclusive but Talent Management is a HR response intended to address the business strategy by focussing on a selected number of profesisonals who are adding value to the organisation. Fourthly, it is about attracting, ...