A New Day- New Challenges

With the acquisition complete today, I now move onto another role in my career.  I am staying with the new company, not sure what all the new role will entail.  I am excited at the new possibilities.  Great thing is they are considering my proposal to utilize the learning management system I just introduced this year.  They new organization also wants to push virtual instructor led training and a blended learning approach.

Next steps are determining what webinar tool will fit best and work for the organization.

If you have experience with tools such as WebEx, Adobe Connect, Zoom, etc....share your thoughts. 

Change, Change, Change

I found out today that the company I work for is being acquired (potentially).  This will be the 7 merger/acquisition that I will be a part of.  I know this may not be a high number for some of you out there, for me that is being part of something like this every 2-3 years.

Luckily I have been heavily involved in most of these transactions and in most cases I have been on the acquiring side.  This side usually has all the power or at least perceived power.

What I am seeing is your typical response.  Shock, Denial, Anger, Fear.  A few people are taking the positive route, not many.

Personally I do not know where my fate lies in a new organization, I have been through this a number of times and the message to my peers is "don't worry about things that you don't have info on yet".  

Learning as a retention strategy for an organization

How can learning and development be used as a retention strategy in your organization? 

With the job market becoming tighter each day, organizations are having a difficult time finding people for their open positions.  In an increasingly competitive market pay, benefits and working conditions are always a factor, many companies find themselves having similar pay and benefits.  Just as each company wants to differentiate themselves to their customers, how does a company differentiate themselves to potential employees?

Learning and  Development is one way to differentiate.  Informed and educated employees can help exceed your customers expectations.  I know we have heard that robots will take be taking over everyone's jobs (and I for one welcome our robot overlords....just want to make sure I say a kind word in case they do take over), people will always be needed in some capacity in the workforce.  These people need and want to be developed.  In an increasingly changing word, learning and development is critical for your employees.  A company culture of learning will lead to a competitive advantage.

Most companies talk about a learning culture, many don't walk the talk.  Also many companies are still delivering learning based on past notions of what "training" should be.  The new generation of employees want something better.  The risk is we train them up and then they move onto another job, I have had countless mangers tell me that they don't want to invest in someone that will leave the company next year.  My answer is they are leaving because we are not investing in them, not because we do invest in them.  

Downturn in Oil and Gas

The oil and gas industry has been in a downward spiral for the last year and it doesn't show much sign of stopping anytime soon.  Barring some event in the middle east or a rapidly changing weather pattern, oil and natural gas should remain at relatively low prices.

Working in the industry myself I find it interesting how companies are reacting to these market forces.  Production continues at a fairly high level keeping prices depressed.  In turn companies profit are evaporating and the primary solution is to cut costs.  What costs the most?  The employees!

The easy solution is to stop hiring, reducing the workforce but asking those that remain behind to continue to produce at the current levels. The leaders of these companies who are protected with golden parachutes, high salaries and massive stock options and from my experience usually come out unscathed from the down cycle.  The common worker is put into limbo.

The leaders discuss how many people can be released and then talk about how many of these employees will be sitting around waiting to be rehired when the cycle returns to normal oil prices.  The reality is the newer worker won't be there waiting for you in 6 or 12 months.  The inevitable consolidation in the industry will also destroy a number of jobs.  It is no longer the 1980's or 1990's where a workforce with very few skills have the ability to sit around and wait to be rehired.

The industry talked about the "big shift change" for the last several years and how the lack of talent hampered growth, now they discard talent in order to make sure they meet quarterly estimates so that some fund managers and a few executives can continue to profit.

What is needed is more investment in the people, it is a cyclical market.  The same employees you lay off today are the ones you will be begging to hire tomorrow. 

Loudest one in the room, is the weakest in the room

Denzel Washington once said in the movie American Gangster "the loudest one in the room, is the weakest one in the room".  Why did I pick this quote?  I think that in many situations people who really don't understand how to lead others exhibit this behavior.  They try to overpower, intimidate, speak in jargon or speak in technical terms in order to get what they want.  In reality they use these tactics because they don't really understand to lead or influence so they become "the loudest one in the room" because they really have weak leadership skills.

They have learned through previous behavior how to bulldoze people and get their way.  This works because they understand the social norm is to avoid conflict and people will allow the behavior to continue because they don't want conflict.  Sometimes you get compliance, most of the time all you get are people rolling their eyes.  It is a downward spiral that usually ends in distrust, missed deadlines and stress for everyone involved.

What is more difficult is getting "loud" people to understand their weakness.  They typically wallow in denial or argue this is "how you get things done".  When I hear these excuses I am reminded of some of the points Marshall Goldsmith's book What Got You Here Won't Get You There. If I only had a copy to hand to these people when I encounter them.  These people claim to embrace feedback, but normally don't take feedback well.  They agree and shake their head when they receive feedback or they turn it around on those giving them the feedback.  Remember feedback is a gift, embrace it and recognize everyone else perceives your loudness as weakness.

Revitalizing this old blog

I have been away for far to long, I used this blog primarily as a place to post things when I was pursueing my masters degree.  In the last few months as I would drive home from work I would think about some outlet for my thoughts and then tonight I had a revelation.  I have an old blogger account.

Whether not anyone will read any of this is not the point, to some degree this is a release and a way to commit to writing something at least on a weekly basis.  I remember calling this blog my "Intellectual Pawn Shop".  The name still has validity and maybe someone out there will hear my voice and be motivated, or inspired by something I write....wouldn't that be cool.

I am not going to put my ranting and raving into any kind of category.  I know that to really be successful at stuff like this you should focus on one thing and do it well, as is always the case it is hard for my brain to focus on any one thing.  In the end maybe someone will disagree with something I put on here and a dialog will ensue, knowing the internet the way I know it; it will end in name calling and tears.

I'm here, let the games begin.  

Week 4 web conference

Unfortunately I was unable to view the web conference this week as I am traveling for business in Columbia. The hotel I am staying at does not have the bandwidth to view the video and audio easily.