What are custom training programs?

Custom training programs, also known as bespoke or tailored training programs, are learning initiatives designed specifically for a particular organization or group of employees. Unlike off-the-shelf or standardized training programs, custom training is customized to address the unique needs, goals, and challenges of the organization. These programs are created to align closely with the organization’s culture, industry, and strategic objectives. Custom training programs can cover a wide range of topics and formats, including workshops, seminars, online courses, simulations, and on-the-job training.

Why do companies use custom training?

Companies use custom training programs to address specific learning needs and objectives that cannot be met by off-the-shelf solutions. Custom training allows organizations to tailor learning experiences to their unique business requirements, industry regulations, and workforce demographics. By designing training programs that are aligned with the company’s goals and values, organizations can foster employee engagement, improve performance, and drive business results. Custom training also enables companies to stay competitive by developing the skills and knowledge needed to adapt to changing market dynamics and technological advancements.

What kinds of skills can be taught in custom training

The skills taught in custom training programs vary depending on the organization’s goals and the needs of its employees. Common areas of focus include:

What are the benefits of custom training for employees?

Custom training programs offer several benefits for employees, including:

How long do custom training programs usually last?

The duration of custom training programs can vary widely depending on factors such as the complexity of the subject matter, the learning objectives, and the delivery format. Some custom training programs may be delivered in a single session lasting a few hours, while others may span several days, weeks, or even months. The length of the training program is typically determined during the needs assessment and planning phase, taking into account factors such as the availability of participants, logistical considerations, and the desired depth of learning. Ultimately, the goal is to strike a balance between providing comprehensive training and minimizing disruption to employees’ regular work responsibilities.

How are custom training programs delivered?

Custom training programs can be delivered through various methods to accommodate different learning preferences and organizational needs. Common delivery methods include:

Are custom training programs interactive?

Yes, custom training programs can be highly interactive to engage participants and promote active learning. Interactivity can be incorporated through various means, including:

How are custom training programs evaluated for effectiveness?

Custom training programs are evaluated using a variety of methods to assess their impact and effectiveness. Evaluation strategies may include:

What are some examples of successful custom training programs?

Successful custom training programs can vary widely depending on the organization’s goals and industry. Some examples include:

What is the cost of creating custom training programs?

The cost of creating custom training programs can vary depending on several factors.

To learn more about our customized corporate education programs, please contact us at info@LeadersExcellence.com.

This month, we’re excited to present an exclusive recorded webinar, Transformative Marketing: Combining New Age Technologies and Human Insights, featuring renowned marketing experts Philip Kotler and V. Kumar.

In this insightful session, they shared cutting-edge strategies for navigating shifts in customer behavior and leveraging innovative technologies to accelerate business growth. You’ll discover how to integrate diverse data sources, apply Marketing 5.0 principles, and deploy advanced techniques to gain deeper customer insights.

The speakers, Philip Kotler, Professor Emeritus of International Marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School, and V. Kumar, a marketing professor at Brock University, are both recognized as legends in the field of marketing. Kotler, who holds a PhD from MIT, is a prolific author of over 90 books and 170 articles, including Marketing Management. Kumar, who earned his PhD from the University of Texas, has authored 35 books and over 300 papers.

 

Q&A from the Webinar: Expert Insights from Philip Kotler and V. Kumar

During the live webinar, we received many thought-provoking questions. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to address them all during the event, but we’ve compiled those unanswered questions below, now answered by Philip Kotler and V. Kumar.

Please scroll down to explore these expert responses and deepen your understanding of transformative marketing strategies.

 

How are the core principles of marketing evolving conceptually, beyond the implementation of new technologies? Are we witnessing a fundamental shift in the essence of marketing, or is it more about the application of modern tools to traditional concepts?

There has been and is continuing to see some fundamental shifts in the essence of Marketing. For example, if you take the 4 P’s, Pricing has evolved to consumers choosing the price, willing to pay a set price or bidding for a certain price. Advertising and Promotions have evolved to personalization and customization. Selling and Distribution has changed to selling and delivering the product as per the social media influence, intelligent recommender systems and convenience of the customer. Product and innovation have gone to relying on customer feedback and customer co-creation and more of continuous innovations than any radical innovation.

 

In what ways can Artificial Intelligence (AI) introduce new dimensions and variables to the marketing mix, beyond automation, by enhancing personalization, targeting, and customer engagement strategies?

AI has given the flexibility to suggest in real time the right product recommendation to the right customer at the right price, and the convenience of having the product delivered through drones when possible. The precision achieved by the AI tools is unmatched. However, the recommendations are also limited to the products sold. The recent developments in Gen AI capabilities can go beyond the existing products and suggest something novel. For example, if someone wants to go on a vacation, Gen AI can customize a package within the stated budget and the stated number of days. This, the reliance on Gen AI will help to deliver better experience.

 

What are the most impactful transformative marketing tools specifically tailored to service-based industries (e.g., consulting, financial management, investment banking)? How do these tools differentiate themselves in such high-touch sectors?

FinTech world has evolved rapidly and there are AI tools and Gen AI applications (not naming them here to avoid any biases) to provide financial advice, generate consulting reports, and provide guidance on options trading and investment portfolio. Based on customer feedback, the AI tools are recalibrated and constantly being refined to improve the matching of the customer needs and recommendation accuracy.

 

Which AI-powered tools and platforms can effectively transform existing educational science videos into more interactive, immersive, and visually engaging audiovisual experiences for learners?

Education Industry can gain a lot by using AI (e.g., Chatbots), Gen AI (e.g., ChatGPT 4.0), Metaverse (e.g., for immersive experiences in the world of planets, universe). Beyond classroom education, one can experience visiting places, playing sports, and conversing with an expert). The curriculum has to evolve to integrate the new age technologies, and this needs investments in technology, teacher training, and most importantly overcoming resistance to adoption of immersive technologies by the key stakeholders (e.g., students, teachers, and the parents).

 

As personalization and customer experience become paramount in marketing, how can businesses strike a balance between using advanced technologies for efficiency and preserving authentic human connections with consumers?

The combination of AI and human insights results in Augmented Intelligence. Most importantly, in areas where data privacy is violated or biases introduced by the AI, human interventions can intervene and resolve problem areas. If a resume screened by an AI tool only chooses men (based on past hiring practices) for job interviews, then human intervention can detect that and include more women in the interview process.

 

How can businesses ensure that transformative marketing strategies powered by AI and advanced technologies are trustworthy, transparent, and free from bias, ensuring customer confidence and ethical integrity?

Based on our forthcoming paper (V. Kumar, Phil Kotler, Shaphali Gupta and Bharath Rajan) titled: “Gen AI in Marketing: Prospects, Perils and Policy Implications”, in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, we showcase the following examples for designing marketing-mix strategies:

Bases on the type of Gen AI tools used (GPT models; Transformer models such as Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT); XLNet; Conditional transformer language model; Text-to-text transfer; DALL-E) and human intervention, any concerns or biases can be addressed.

Product: Toyota’s GAI text-to-image feature generates prototype images of their electric vehicle models (Dreibelbis 2023).

Price: Uber Freight’s GAI tool helps shippers access on-demand insights using natural language and ask questions about their journey and transit queries (Uber Freight 2023).

Place: Wendy’s GAI tool improves drive-thru ordering by quickly handling customer questions and accurately processing food orders, even if the items are described differently than on the menu (Spessard 2023).

Promotion: The Fashion Innovation Agency uses AI to transform fashion shows and catwalks using tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion. This technology allows them to create captivating looks for a model (Zwieglinska 2023).

We find that the promises of Gen AI to society include wealth creation, expanded access to information to a wider audience, instilling a process of continuous learning, ensuring smarter living, and presenting a way to improve personal wellness. All these are made possible by businesses that harness GAI for innovation, efficiency, and promoting creativity.

 

In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, how do you foresee the core principles of marketing transforming over the next decade? What strategic shifts should marketers focus on to maintain relevance in this dynamic environment?

Marketing must move from customer obsession to stakeholder obsession. A company has to present strong rewards to its employees, distributors and suppliers for the customer to be truly satisfied. 

 

What are the ethical implications of autonomous marketing systems as they increasingly take over decision-making processes? How should marketers approach issues of transparency, responsibility, and consumer privacy in this context?

Any autonomous marketing system must designate at least one human partner who watches its performance. If the performance is disappointing or violates ethical concerns, the human partner can terminate its operation and replace it with human operation.

 

As marketing undergoes a transformative phase with advanced technologies, what challenges do industry leaders like Professors Kotler and Kumar foresee? How can companies prevent the erosion of human-to-human (H2H) connections in the era of automation and AI-driven marketing?

We capture this in our book on Transformative Marketing. So please read the book…

 

What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics that businesses should track to effectively measure the success of their transformative marketing efforts, especially in a data-driven landscape?

The KPIs do not differ from matching to a company’s goals. Now the focus is on value creation and value appropriation. These two tasks can be done efficiently by the new age technologies.

 

If a client has suffered financial losses due to failed AI-based marketing or online strategies, how can businesses rebuild trust and ensure that future marketing approaches deliver reliable, measurable results, regardless of the market or country?

The recommendations are always only advisory.

 

What emerging consumer behavior trends should marketers focus on when developing transformative marketing strategies to ensure they stay ahead of the curve?

More consumers are factoring into their brand choice behavior two concerns: the healthfulness of the product and the environmental impact of the company’s product and production process. For example, the company can use GenAI to assess whether these two concerns are properly handled in the marketing plan and desired outcomes. 

 

What specific challenges and risks are marketers likely to face with the rise of new-age technologies such as Natural Language Processing (NLP) and AI-driven decision-making?

Natural Language Processing must especially be reviewed for several types of unintended biases or untruthful “facts” that could undermine NLP’s usefulness.

 

What might Marketing 7.0 look like in the future? Can we anticipate the next evolutionary step in marketing, and how will it reshape the relationship between brands and consumers?

Human vs Machines will become Human and Machines in Marketing 7.0. With AI and 3D printing capabilities, customers will make their own products, and service robots will become a companion for all.

 

Buy the book “Transformative Marketing: Combining New Age Technologies and Human Insights” on Amazon now! Stay ahead by clicking here »

Body language relies on body movements as gestures. It accounts for over 90% of the language we use. It can provide cues and hints about how the other person is feeling and thinking. Learning to read body language is important, since people may not always say what is on their mind.

 

Be Aware of Your Movements

Unless the room is covered in mirrors, we may not always be aware of the body language we are displaying. Since the majority of body language is nonverbal, we cannot always control what we are ‘saying’, so we must learn to be aware of our movements and gestures to prevent miscommunication. Look at yourself in a reflective surface, such as a mirror or a piece of glass, and practice saying things from a recent conversation you’ve had. Do you show any signs of body language – and what are they? Listen to what other people are saying when they talk to you. Look at the way they act or behave when they are around you or when they speak directly to you. Their body language can often let you know how you are coming across and let you know what message you may be sending out into the room, even if you are not aware of it.

 

It’s Not What You Say – It’s How You Say It

When we rely on words alone, we can accidentally let all sorts of meanings and phrases that were never meant to, come out. Linguistic tools such as tone, emphasis, and even pitch can make the simplest or nicest phrase come out wrong. The emphasis we place on certain words comes naturally, but might seem off-putting to others and lead to a confused message.

 

Open vs. Closed Body Language

Our body language is like a traffic light to the those around us. Open body language can signal a green light for people to approach and engage in conversations. Closed body language can signal a red light and make people want to keep their distance. Open body language includes gestures such as having open hands and palms, making eye contact, and reaching out to greet someone. Closed body language such as crossing the arms, turning the head away and constantly fidgeting, is much less inviting. This kind of body language can make you seem defensive and withholding from those around you. If you wish to communicate well with others, it is important to realize how to use (and not use) your body to speak out.

 

Communicate with Power

When you communicate with others, you want your message to be powerful. Before you begin, think about what you want to say, and how you want your message to come across. When you finish speaking, listen to what the other person has to say, nod your head and ask follow up questions. Turn your body to the other person and give them your full attention during the session. As always, remove any distractions.

 

This post is from July’s topic on Social intelligence, which is also a course on our Executive Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

By being aware of our actions and behaviors we change not only ourselves but our surroundings. We must be aware of what we are communicating and how our behaviors can affect others.

 

Remove or Limit Self-Deception

Self-deception is commonly used to hide something from ourselves or prevent ourselves from accepting something. We try to make ourselves believe whatever we want and alter the facts in our mind. For instance, we can deceive ourselves by thinking that our presentation was the best in the group or deceive ourselves by believing that people are talking about us when we walk away. It can affect our relationships with others and give people the wrong impression. One of the simplest ways to prevent this type of deception is to be direct.

 

Ask For Feedback

We often forget that one of the tools we can use to increase self-awareness is to ask for feedback from those around us. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy or complicated process and can be done very professionally or casually. The people around us see our routine actions and behaviors and can offer an honest opinion. The thought of asking someone to share their opinions and thoughts about us may seem unnerving and even downright scary, but their advice and thoughts can prove invaluable. If possible, let the person know in advance that you want feedback so they have time to form an impression and gather any tips or hints. A random request for feedback (such as right after a meeting) can be acceptable too, but keep in mind the person may be caught off guard and unable to offer a good answer right away.

 

Be Open to Change

We are creatures of habit, and when things don’t go our way, we tend to internalize and take things personally. Being open to change allows us to adapt to new surroundings and situations and helps us grow. Changing our attitude can help determine how we build our connections. Sometimes after we receive feedback from our peers, we may need to change how we do things or behave in a group. Perhaps after a meeting we decide we need to change how we plan our presentations. Whatever the reason, it is important to not disregard the importance of change and turn a blind eye to its prospects. Changing how we see ourselves and the people that surround us can have a positive impact on our attitudes and can help build better relationships with our peers.

 

Reflect On Your Actions

While feedback from other people can be a great tool, personal feedback can be just as valuable. Being reflective gives us a chance to learn from our experiences (even our mistakes) and recognize the chance for learning opportunities. By reflecting on our actions, we can see firsthand what actions we took, how they played out, and what kind of effect they had on people. Use all of your senses to recreate an experience in your mind and the actions that you took. What behaviors did you exhibit? What did you feel at the time? What type of reactions did you receive from other people?

Reflect on any body language cues you may have used and make note of any cues you may have seen in others. What intuitions or gut feelings do you feel from the experience? Do you feel as though you have learned anything new from the experience? These steps can help you reflect on your actions and increase your self-awareness, and your awareness of others.

 

This post is from July’s topic on Social intelligence, which is also a course on our Executive Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

Negotiating on behalf of someone else presents some special challenges. When you begin such a negotiation, you need to have a clear idea of your Walk Away Price (WAP) and the concessions you have permission to make. You also need to be sure you understand the issues well enough to respond to tough questions that may come up in the negotiation.

If you are assembling a team to assist in the negotiation, you need to select people who have the expertise and the temperament to move the negotiation forward. It is not unlike selecting an army unit, in some ways. When going into battle, you want to have people nearby who will ensure that your interests are protected. It is said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and this is a good principle to take with you into negotiations.

 

Choosing the Negotiating Team

An essential part of leading a team of any kind is sharing information. Teams need information to thrive. Before the negotiation, hold a meeting with the team to make sure everyone has the information they need to make an effective contribution.

You do not want to approach negotiations with a team containing someone who is unaware of their role or of the overall goal. If there is uncertainty in the team, it will spread quickly and it will certainly be picked up on by your counterparts. This can lead to you being hamstrung in terms of your bargaining power, because a team with a clearly defined brief and all its members fully apprised of the plan will be able to pull concessions from one with chaos in its ranks.

Having a team with clearly defined roles and a clearly defined goal will be an asset in any negotiations. The more people you have (as long as they are professional and aware of their position), the more talents at your disposal and the more room for maneuver you will have when it comes to intensive negotiations. What you want is a situation where “two heads are better than one”, rather than one where “too many chefs spoil the broth”.

 

Covering All the Bases

Some negotiations are so complex that it is difficult for one person to master all the issues. In these situations it is worthwhile to assemble a team of experts to make sure all the bases are covered. As with any team, it is important that each person knows exactly what they are responsible for. What is gained through having a dedicated team designed to achieve the best negotiating muscle can be lost through having people who are unaware of their roles, or unclear on what they can and cannot deliver.

It is beneficial to have a team who feel that they can make decisions with an element of autonomy. This will allow them to operate naturally in a negotiation with little fear that they might overstep the mark. However, it is important to have some limitations to their autonomy, as they are not negotiating for themselves. There is a need for balance in these situations. If they feel their hands are tied and they cannot make a decision without referring back to you, they will be powerless in negotiations. If they feel that they have free rein and can do whatever they want, they may make a decision which you would not have made yourself and which damages your position. Finding the point in between where you can be confident that their decisions will benefit you, is essential.

As with so many issues, it is important to get the balance right, as complex negotiations have a tendency to break down or end in an unpopular agreement if they are not handled correctly and with a sense of common purpose. If you get your team right, you can ensure at least that you are not the negotiator who ends up with an unpopular deal on your hands.

 

Dealing with Tough Questions

Here are some possible ways to respond to questions that you decline to answer:

Each of these approaches is a way that you can take the question in your stride and be seen to be giving it the consideration it deserves, without giving an answer that will put you on the back foot in terms of negotiations. People may ask you difficult questions in order to trap you, or because their own position is uncertain and they want to find a way to clarify it. How you handle such questions will be important, but as long as you show certainty and a desire to be straight with them, you need not lose confidence.

 

This post is from July’s topic on Negotiation Skills, which is also a course on our Executive Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

Maintaining personal motivation is something essential as an important member of a company, particularly when you are responsible for the motivation of others. As a team leader or manager you will be looked to for reassurance and guidance in a job, and if you give the impression that you are merely going through the motions, your lack of motivation can become contagious. Even if you are responsible solely for yourself, personal motivation remains vitally important. Motivation is what keeps us from giving up and refusing to get out of bed in the morning. Any way we can improve on our level of personal motivation is valuable.

 

Identifying Personal Motivators

What constitutes motivation for one person may not be the same for others. Personal motivators are different between people; the very definition of personal means that you see things differently from the next person. The importance of identifying your own personal motivators is clear. Without a clear, identifiable set of personal motivating factors, it can be easy to fall into either an unmotivated condition or to rely on other people’s motivations to keep you going forward. There are times when we cannot rely on other people to give us the motivation we feel we need, and when we are on our own we need to motivate ourself.

Identifying personal motivators is something that takes some self-knowledge and some thinking time. What is it that you want to take from your job? Are you happy to keep cashing the pay checks, or do you wish to advance further in the company? Why did you apply for the job in the first place – and are you close to satisfying that goal? Ask many questions of yourself, and the more answers you can offer, the better your own personal motivation will be.

One motivation that works well for a number of people is surpassing themselves. Keeping a record of personal achievements attained while in your current job and attempting to do better every month is a challenge that is never completed. If this fails to motivate you, then look at other things which reward performance. Often, people are most motivated by the recognition of their achievements by others, and by setting an example to other members of staff. Whatever works for you is a valid means of self-motivation. Make sure that you have as many motivating factors as you can think of, because the more things you want to achieve, the more you will achieve.

 

Maximizing Your Motivators

As far as motivation in a job is concerned, it is a matter which requires regular evaluation and frequent updating. There are countless potential motivators for individuals, and as long as they work for you they are valid. What some people struggle with is ensuring that the same motivators continue to work. If you have been in the same position for a long time, it can be easy to lose the urgency and motivation that drove you to your best results when you started. Think of yourself ten years ago and the principles you held then. Do you still feel the same way now, or has life given you a different outlook?

Constantly giving some thought to what motivates you, and why, will enable you to get the best out of your motivators. When you started your job, you may have been motivated by the money; maybe you have enough money now. If that is the case, it might be helpful to think of something that you want to do which will require more money – taking a break to travel, building a new house, or whatever suits your means. This could be a way to reenergize an old motivator. Maybe one of your motivations has been recognition. In this case, perhaps seeking to mentor a newer member of staff could be beneficial. While you may have achieved almost all there is to achieve in your position, someone else could benefit from your experience.

Considering the factors that have motivated you in the past and updating them for the future is one way to maximize your motivational factors. In addition, it helps to look at your home life as it relates to your work life. If there is something you really need or really want in your home life, that your job could help you achieve?This may be all the motivation you need. Pushing yourself to achieve as much as possible will eventually pay off, especially if other people have ceased to push you only because they know how good you are.

 

Evaluating and Adapting

We all have things which motivate us – when we are kids, when we are young adults and when we are mature adults – and all that changes is the nature of our motivations. Even once we have retired, we will often find that there are things that we need to do and need to achieve before we can truly rest. In fact, one thing that motivates a lot of people is the need to keep their minds active. Research has proven that people who remain active through their middle and early old age keep syndromes such as dementia at bay for longer than those who do not. This makes it all the more important to remain motivated.

It is sometimes too easy to just let things pass you by through complacency, especially when you have already achieved enough to make you more or less immune to being fired. While it may be nice to remain in a job even when on auto-pilot, there is no denying that it is disadvantageous toseeing the challenge in a job, and for motivation. Should you want to make a move into another part of the company or another job, it is always useful to have a results sheet which shows continuous improvement and achievement. To this end, it always helps to have a record of achievement by which to test yourself against.

In the end, the best person to judge how well you are doing is you. Any manager to whom you answer will probably have other people to manage as well, and they may require more careful handling than you. The only way you can ensure you remain motivated is to motivate yourself – so, if you find that your motivation is beginning to wane, look at other reasons to stay in the job and work harder. There are always reasons to push yourself, and it is a matter of finding the one which does it for you, no matter how often that changes.

 

This post is from June’s topic on Employee Motivation, which is also a course on our Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

In any organization, there needs to be a mix of personality types. The importance of personality types is decried by some as a kind of fad science, but it is difficult to run an office or any other workplace when everyone has the same “soft skills”. The reason for this is perhaps best explained by the old saying “too many cooks spoil the broth”. When everyone has the same personality type and a problem arises, there is likely to be conflict as everyone tries to take the same role in solving it. The different personality types are not explicitly defined, and therefore there is no hard-and-fast list, but there is a set of soft skills which all workplaces require, and these are best met by different types of people.

 

Identifying Your Personality Type

You probably have an idea of your own personality type. A personality type is defined by the aspects of your character that emerge when around others or when doing important work. These character aspects are, as often as not, described as “soft skills”. You may have been described as “maternal”, “skeptical”, “humorous”, or any number of other things. These are issues which do not relate directly to your work but can aid or restrict your ability to do it, and can aid or restrict others. It is considered beneficial to have as many different types of personality in a workplace as possible.

There are countless tests that can be done to detect a personality type, and many different ways the results can be expressed, but there are certain things which hold true in all personality tests. Perhaps the best way in the workplace to detect a personality type is to judge your reaction to a problem which affects a whole team, or a group within it. Are you immediately looking for a way of overcoming the problem? Are you instinctively worried by what happens, and do you look to other people to help out? Do you comfort people who are stressed out by the problem? Or do you perhaps sit on the fringes, making comments and playing for laughs? Strange as it may sound, all of these elements are worthwhile in a team. The person who immediately looks for the solution is a “problem solver”; the second type is a “consensus seeker”. The third is considered a “nurturer” while the last listed is a “humorist”. All of these are classic personality types.

 

Identifying Others’ Personality Type

Most people know, or have an idea of, what personality type they conform to most. When meeting new people – and the workplace is one arena where this happens perhaps more than any other – it can be difficult to get a handle on what other people’s personality types are. The only way to really get a firm sight of what kind of personality you are dealing with is to speak to people and to monitor how they conduct themselves. One way of doing the latter is to hold “ice-breaking” or “getting to know you” games and sessions. By playing certain games and by monitoring people, you can find out a lot about what kind of person they are.

There are countless games designed to find out about people, one of which is the “stranded on a desert island” game. This basically takes the shape of a hypothetical shipwreck where the team is stranded on a desert island after their ship has run aground. There is a list of things which have been left on the ship, and limited time before the tide comes in and takes it away, so you have to prioritize what you will rescue, from the small, seemingly insignificant things, to the larger items which may seem to have more practical use. Different people will wish to rescue different things, and will make their reasoning known. This game is beneficial because it defines what people’s priorities are, and shows a lot about their personality when you step “outside the game”.

There will initially be a team of people with lists that differ hugely. The whole team willneed to decide what they, as a team, rescue from the ship. In doing this, team members will make their points and some ground will be given to certain items. From this you will be able to work out who is a dominant character, who is pragmatic, who is light-hearted, and so on. Some people will concede points quickly whereas others will try to make their point – whether they do so in a bullish way, a more structured way, or however else. You will also find that in many situations two or more people will vie for the “Alpha” role, while others will value their less confrontational part. From games such as this you can learn a lot about someone else’s personality type.

 

Motivators by Personality Type

The different personality types have different ways of motivating the people around them, as well as themselves. Someone who emerges as a conciliatory person is likely to motivate others by speaking to them one-on-one and allowing them to see where they excel, as well as where they can improve. Being able to put bad news in a good way, as well as being able to share good news discreetly, can be very valuable.

Other people, who may have a more dominant personality, will have a different way of motivating positively or negatively. They will generally tend to prefer delivering criticism one-on-one, as doing it in the open will de-motivate others, but good news will be delivered loudly and shared throughout the team, as a way of spreading the joy and motivating other people to try to achieve the same, and gain the same kind of acclaim.

Depending on someone’s personality type, they will have vastly different ways in which they can contribute to the team’s motivation. Indeed, it is becoming common practice in many workplaces to have what are known as “champions” to take control of certain aspects of the team. This empowers people in non-management roles to play a significant part without pressuring them with the responsibility of the concrete performance of the team. By assigning people the correct champion’s role, you can enable them to get the best out of themselves and others, and not let a talent go to waste.

 

This post is from June’s topic on Employee Motivation, which is also a course on our Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

Every employee is entitled to a work environment that is safe and welcoming. The key to creating a successful and productive workplace is to embrace one another’s differences through active steps. When employees are given the opportunities to succeed, they will be happier and more prosperous. Diversity, equity, and inclusion will change the entire atmosphere of an organization. In essence, implementing inclusive practices will help to deconstruct barriers of participation and team cohesion. It’s important to carefully strategize DEI practices, in order to create effective long-term changes. Prioritizing DEI in the workplace is not only beneficial for the well-being of employees, but also for the success of the organization.

 

Inclusive Recruiting and Hiring

An inclusive work culture requires inclusive hiring. During the recruitment process, it is common for unconscious biases to affect hiring decisions. A recruiter may gravitate towards a particular candidate because of their appearance, background, or connection on a personal level. Inclusive recruiting and hiring involves connecting, recruiting, and offering equal job opportunities to candidates who have the expertise needed for the position from diverse backgrounds. It creates an equitable selection process that eliminates biases.

 

Providing Resources and Accessibility

A work environment should be functional and welcoming for everyone. The consideration of accessibility and proper resources are crucial for creating a culture of inclusivity. When employees arrive to work, they want to feel comfortable and safe. Accommodations can be put in place to meet the needs of employees, and to support any limitations in a proactive way. Reasonable accommodations can be made to equipment/software, job tasks, schedules, products, or services. Accessibility and resources must be constantly evaluated to ensure that everyone is able to perform the essential functions of their job. Employers should provide their team with communication, structural, and environmental support. When a work space is designed to be accessible to everyone, opportunities are created.

 

Practice Allyship

An important part of the equity, inclusion, and diversity conversation is allyship. Allyship is a powerful tool for attaining DEI related change. Being an ally involves learning and listening. It includes supportive behaviors, actions, and practices, as well as advocating with others from underrepresented groups, such as POC (people of color), LGBTQIA+, women, or people with disabilities. Allyship represents a long-lasting commitment to overcome the systemic barriers that exist. When we support others through allyship, we can work towards creating a safer workplace. Although an ally may not be a part of the marginalized group that they are supporting, they still make the continuous effort of their energy and time.No matter who we are, we all have the potential to become better allies.

 

Supporting Gender Identity

Embracing the fact that people identify with diverse gender pronouns will help to incorporate equity and inclusion into the organization. Gender identity is an individual’s experience of gender, behavior, and expression. The public presentation of how an individual expresses their gender is known as gender expression. By supporting gender identity in the workplace, it will create a more accepting place for everyone, especially for people who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. There are many ways to support diverse gender identities, in which most of it comes down to respect and awareness.

 

Regular Check-Ins

To establish inclusivity, it’s important to check-in with employees regularly. Checking-in will help to understand what needs to be changed or improved, as well as the current state of the workplace culture. Inclusivity and equity cannot exist in an environment where they are not encouraged to thrive. Regular check-ins support a continuous feedback culture that will help to gauge how employees are feeling. It sends the message that everyone is being recognized and heard, through honest conversations. This creates an opportunity to build trust amongst the team. While it is important to check in with team members, it is also important to encourage them to do the same.

 

This post is from May’s topic on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which is also a course on our Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

Every human is different; we all have different backgrounds, personalities, and aspirations. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) embraces people from every walk of life. It recognizes the value of diverse voices and inclusivity as key factors of success. Each component of DEI is aimed to create a more welcoming, fair, and respectful environment to everyone. To successfully create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace culture, it’s critical that leaders invest in resources, time, and courage. The positive encouragement of participation and representation of diverse groups will significantly impact an organization. Ultimately, DEI is vital in creating a successful workplace where everyone is able to grow and thrive, both personally and professionally.

 

Defining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) represent an important movement within society and growing organizations. Collectively, DEI will create an environment where individuals feel supported and welcomed, and are given the resources needed to succeed, regardless of their background, identity, or differences.

Since diversity, equity, and inclusion all represent a different type of change, it’s valuable to look at each term individually:

Diversity: The ways in which individuals are different, both visibly and invisibly. This includes characteristics, experiences, opinions, and personalities. Diversity in the workplace is the practice of valuing differences of social and ethnic backgrounds, gender, sexual orientation, age, language, education, religion and more.

Equity: Creating fair access and respectful treatment. Equity does not mean that everyone is treated the same, but rather treated according to individual needs. It is the process, whereas equality is the result.

Inclusion: Ensuring a safe space of belonging, support, and respect. In an inclusive environment, every individual feels valued and all voices are heard.

 

Classifications of Diversity

Humans are diverse in a variety of ways. There will always be differences that exist between individuals, whether they are visible, or not. Some factors that play into diversity are those that we are born with, whereas others are built throughout our life experiences. While there are many dimensions of diversity, these dimensions can be divided into four classifications, including internal diversity, external diversity, organizational diversity, and worldview diversity. It’s important to acknowledge these differences, in order to build a positive and encouraging workplace.

 

Components of Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion depend on each other; inclusion introduces ways to integrate everyone and make diversity work. The biggest challenge in building an inclusive company culture is to ensure that everyone feels included. After all, no one likes to be judged, or feel left behind. People experience inclusion in a variety of ways. There are many ways to make an organizational setting more inclusive, and allow the differences of individuals to coexist in a way that is beneficial for the whole company.

 

Role of DEI in Organizations

The changes related to embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion will significantly improve an organization. DEI creates an environment where people from various backgrounds are able to share different ideas, skills, and insights. This environment ensures that every team member feels involved and supported. It is not simply an environment where diverse individuals are present, but rather where diverse individuals are involved, empowered, and developed. A diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization requires respectful efforts from every team member to work towards success. It’s important that employees feel safe working together in a space without fear or discomfort. When everyone is involved, potential grows and professionalism thrives.

 

Equity vs. Equality

Equity and equality are terms that are often used interchangeably. Although similar, equity and equality carry different meanings, especially in the context of social systems. Equality is providing the same resources and levels of opportunity to everyone. It holds the assumption that every individual should be treated the same and given the same value and rights, regardless of their needs or circumstances. Equality displays a ‘one size fits all’ system, which is only effective if everyone has the same needs, and are starting at the same point.

 

This post is from May’s topic on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which is also a course on our Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

The responsibility for mitigating these biases and creating a healthy and productive work culture, lies strictly with the organization’s management teams. A positive work culture starts at the top and is taught to the employees that follow this leadership. And although unconscious biases will never disappear, their affects can be lessened with the correct approach.

An owner or employer cannot just state that any type of bias will not be tolerated. This statement must be followed up with processes and policies that echo these sentiments. The workplace must supply training and education for the employees to combat unconscious biases. There must be a safe place to report suspected unconscious biases in the decision making department of the company. All these things must be utilized to mitigate unconscious bias in any workplace.

 

Set Expectations

The first step to mitigating unconscious biases in the work culture of a company, is to firmly and clearly state that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, outline what training will be offered to employees, and that violations will have consequences. A quick, brief statement to the employees and shareholders of the company is the first step of the process. This position must be stated firmly, without any waiver.

This statement should also state the training program and policies that will be included. The mandatory requirements should also be included in the expectations for this program. Encourage participation through marketing the program as pro-diversity, rather than anti-bias. Highlight the positive effects of this training in the opening statements for the program.

 

Get Feedback

The next step to implementing the anti-bias training program is to gather feedback from the employees. After the statement is released to the company and shareholders, the management can then begin to collect data based on the feelings of the employees. This information can be used in the planning of the training and the presentation of the information later in time.

The easiest way to get a genuine reaction to the anti-bias policies and programs from the employees is via a survey. This survey can be on paper ballots, via the email, or any other company wide communication that the organization uses. Every employee must be given the opportunity to participate in the data collection. These surveys not only gather information, they also increase the employee interest and participation. The survey that is easiest to use is the sliding scale from one extreme to another.

 

Encourage Participation

Let’s be honest, ever since childhood, we have hated to be told what to do and when to do it. It sets off a little rebellion in our minds that causes some people to put up walls and fences in defiance. Mandatory meetings and training are everyone’s least favorite thing to do during the workday. Anti-bias training needs to be mandatory for all employees, but how can an employer encourage participation, without causing employees to feel forced to attend.

Invitations should state that all management will be present for the event. Maybe provide a lunch and snacks for meeting. Speak to the employees’ desires and what would make it worth their time to attend. Include the question in a survey to the employees. An important step to a successful unconscious bias training seminar for the employees is encouraging participation, not only in the meeting itself, but also in creating updated workplace policies.

 

Train Employees

Training employees is so much more than reading and presenting a slide presentation at a day-long meeting. Employees have to not only accept the information presented, but use this information. The first tip is to know the audience and which training materials will work best for this particular group. This training needs to be interactive and informative.  It should have clear goals.

One way to begin this session is to administer one of the many implicit biases tests that are available to all the employees. The Harvard Implicit Awareness Test assists in identifying fourteen unconscious biases that the employees possess and inadvertently allow to affect their daily decisions. Even though it is not comfortable, this test highlights the biases that each employee can then move forward and change.

 

This post is from April’s topic on Unconscious Bias, which is also a course on our Executive Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.

What is it and how does it affect our day to day lives? To be able to discuss the unconscious bias that everyone possesses, the basic idea must first be defined. From there, the causes, the effects, and the possible necessary changes can be better addressed.

There are different types of biases, and most importantly, it must be remembered that biases are not limited to just race or gender biases. The subject of unconscious bias is detailed and needs to be fully understood. Unconscious biases are collected over a lifetime, and often affect decision making, especially in the moment that a snap decision needs to be made.

 

Definition

There are two categories of bias in studies today: conscious or explicit biases and unconscious or implicit biases. Unconscious bias is usually thought of as social stereotypes, and is more common than conscious bias.

 

How Does it Work?

Unconscious biases are deeply rooted in the human brain. The brain is constantly collecting data and categorizes it. One of the categories that is automatically made is between good and bad.  Think about caveman, who had to judge between a good situation and a bad situation, in a moment’s notice. As humans have evolved, this type of decision making has been engrained in us.

Today, these assumptions, or biases are often the result of social conditioning; life experiences. Some researchers believe that these biases often began in early childhood. These judgements or biases can affect both our personal and work lives. They can hinder decision making, which can greatly affect our lives. In the business world, unconscious biases can affect an organization from the top executive to the last hired employee.

 

Triggers

What triggers the type of decisions we make so often every day? In a word: history. Here is a partial list of experiences that may play into the development of our unconscious biases:

This list does not include all the ways data and information have been absorbed throughout our lives. This information and the biases we have developed, affect most of the decisions we make in our lives.

 

Impact

Unconscious bias impacts how we engage with others. A recruiter or hiring manager may look at hundreds of resumes for one open position; they must decide simply by looking at the information provided who to interview. Often, based on an applicant’s skill set, work ethics, their name, their degree, or affiliation, unconscious bias will have an effect on the interview/hiring process. Hiring practices based on unconscious bias may result in a workplace that is narrow minded, lacking diversity, and likely lacking creative and innovative new ideas. The work culture in organizations that allows bias to influence business can be negative and toxic. The work force is aware of the lack of diversity and forward movement and may soon move on to healthier companies.

 

This post is from April’s topic on Unconscious Bias, which is also a course on our Executive Mini-MBA program online from Harvard Square.