business expert Archives - Training Unleashed

Leading with Encouragement: A Path to a Positive Workplace Culture With John Robertson

John Robertson is the Founder and President of FORTLOG Services. John built his services with a focus on an encouragement-based approach, resolving root causes as opposed to treating crisis and transition in the workplace symptomatically, as is often the practice. In this episode of Training Unleashed, host Evan Hackle and guest John Robertson discuss how wellness is more than not being sick.

Quit playing whack-a-mole

A common practice in most workplaces is to treat a crisis when it arises. This is all done symptomatically. John’s approach centers on analyzing and confronting the root causes of problems. He underscores the significance of leaders’ roles in not just reacting to issues but comprehending why they arise in the first place. Instead of jumping up and whacking the “mole”, you need to stop talk about what the cause is.

Instead of playing the game, unplug the machine.

The Power of Encouragement

The conversation takes an authentic turn as the significance of genuine encouragement is explored. John emphasizes that effective encouragement requires leaders to be authentic and transparent in their interactions. He also highlights the challenge of time in a fast-paced work environment, where patience and encouragement may be undervalued.

Encouragement creates a culture where individuals can learn from mistakes and grow, without fear of punitive reactions.

About Our Guest

John’s been a trusted thinking partner with 30+years of assisting individuals and organizations in managing all forms of crisis/change. He leverages a values-anchored ethos as a leadership development specialist, helping organizations and individuals to define the new norm and thrive.

Mikayla Takacs2023-11-17T15:48:19-05:00September 27, 2023|

Choice of software an expression of company values with Ian Robinson

Ian Robinson is founder of Enliven Design, a company he started in 2012 to create highly functional business software. In a recent Training Unleashed podcast, Ian and host Evan Hackel discussed the art of creating software that enhances all aspects of doing business, including training.

Taking the Pain Out of Software Development

Many people have come to accept the idea that developing new business software has to be difficult, frustrating . . . and painful. But Ian believes that software development should be a positive experience.

The best approach, he believes, is to start by creating a very specific work environment that is imbued with the company’s world view and culture. That environment will help companies create software that is just right for them.

Then when the worldview of the company is expressed in the software that a company uses, it becomes easier to onboard new employees and to train people to perform in ways that express the company’s deeper values.

Advantages of Using Custom, Not Off-the-Shelf, Solutions

If your company has only a small number of employees to train to perform a particular function, off-the-shelf software might be your best, cost-saving option. But you have to remember that off-the-shelf training software was designed to be used by as many companies as possible, and it typically bundles training on more functions than you need. “It wasn’t created for you,” Ian explains, “it was created for people like you.”

One Tip for Members of the Training Unleashed Audience

The most important underlying goal is to create software that is reassuring.

Ian explains, “An architect once said, `The one job in architecture is to make a space that’s reassuring on at least a subconscious level.’ So if a human is in a space, they should be subconsciously reassured. I think that’s a great way to look at software implementations and custom software builds. Put yourself in the place of your employee and create something that’s reassuring.”

Empathy is at the root of all these good practices.

About Our Guest

Throughout a successful career in software development, Ian Robinson has been sought out as a trainer and speaker for numerous engagements in the US and abroad and has interacted with a broad spectrum of clients and projects. These experiences have helped him cultivate his vision for Enliven Design, which he founded in 2012.

Enliven was founded with a mission to create highly functional business software that doesn’t compromise on creative design or user experience.

Janet Brideaux2023-09-27T13:47:57-04:00April 11, 2023|

New realities of post-Covid training with Hilmon Sorey

Hilmon Sorey is an author, keynote speaker and . . . incredibly . . . a man who has trained more than 15,000 people and 5,000 senior executives around the world. He is also Co-Founder of ClozeLoop, a consulting firm based in New York, Houston, Silicon Valley, and Johannesburg.

Hilmon has written eight top-selling books, including 46 Reasons Why Your Cold Calls Fail. . . and How to Fix Them Fast.

You will want to listen to this empowering discussion between Hilmon and Evan Hackel, the host of Training Unleashed. But before you do, please read these excerpts from their conversation . . .

Hilmon on What Is New in Training

In only five years, Hilmon’s training company ClozeLoop has gone from being a startup to one of the most watched training development companies in the world. So what is new in the world of training? Hilmon is in a position to know.

“There is so little being done right now in the area of advancing training,” Hilmon told Evan. One of the obstacles is that many people are still working remotely from home, which has made it difficult for companies to deliver uniformly high-level, high-quality training to large groups of employees.

“So the bottom-line thing here is technology,” he summarizes. “Technology has become the force that catalyzes training in the broad respect, because you need technology to train people who are distributed across the organization.”

Hire the Right People Before You Train Them

“A lot of folks begin to construct the training they need only after they have hired the person who needs to be trained,” Hilmon told Evan. “Instead, they need to step back ahead of time and use what we call a competency matrix to hire the right people. That might mean saying, `I understand I have three roles to fill that might be critical: for the distribution of my product; the sale of my product; and the ongoing development of my product going forward.’”

And then you hire the right people because you have defined the competencies you need them to have.

“Then I can actually imbue these people with information that results in significant performance gains,” Hilmon notes, “but a lot of people don’t take this step before they hire.”

Overcoming Resistance to Cold Calling

Hilmon pointed out many salespeople hate to make cold calls, for many reasons. Some of them feel that cold calling is “beneath them.” Others say they will do it but make it a very low priority and avoid it.

Remember, Hilton wrote the book 46 Reasons Why Your Cold Calls Fail. . . and How to Fix Them Fast, and you will want to hear what he has to say about cold calling in this Training Unleashed podcast.

A Special Offer

Hilmon is offering a free trial version of his coaching/training platform COACH/CRM to members of the Training Unleashed Podcast community. As part of your free trial, you will also receive a complimentary free session with a member of the COACH/CRM staff. Sign up here.

About Our Guest

Hilmon Sorey is Co-Founder of CoachCRM sales coaching software for managers. He has coached and consulted high performing teams in companies that range from early-stage startups to Salesforce, Box, SurveyMonkey, Bill.com, and some of the fastest-growing companies in the world totaling over $600B in valuation and market cap.

He is also Co-Founder of ClozeLoop, a management consulting firm based in New York, Houston, Silicon Valley, and Johannesburg. He is Partner in 2.12 Angels, a seed-stage venture capital firm.

Hilmon has written eight top-selling books on sales, sales management, and coaching.

Janet Brideaux2023-02-27T10:48:42-05:00February 27, 2023|

Celebrating every day moments with Joel Zeff

People use the expression “Ta-Da!” when they have done or discovered something wonderful.

Joel Zeff, a keynote speaker, improvisational actor, and humorist, believes that there is nothing trivial about “Ta-Da!” and celebrating every day moments. In a recent Training Unleashed podcast, Joel told our host Evan Hackel that its use is rooted in the time when kids are little, when everything they do is a celebration.

“They celebrate even the most routine events, like eating a cheese sandwich, in a big way,” Joel said. “They take a bite of that sandwich, they like it, and they exclaim, `Ta-Da!’ And then the parent joins in the celebration by saying `Ta-Da!’ back to them. And whatever activity they are doing, they are then going to do more of it.

“But as we grow older,” Joel added, “we don’t have enough of those moments of celebration.”

The Importance of Enjoying the Journey

Evan pointed out to Joel that too often, people fail to enjoy every moment of their life journey. Instead, they think, “When I get that promotion or make that sale, I will be happy.”

But both Evan and Joel agreed that it is more motivating to celebrate every day by having moments of joy and elation. The point is to be happy in the process.

Making Those Moments Part of Every Day

Joel also pointed out the importance of supporting other people at work. When you give everyone you encounter through the day – your colleagues, customers, clients – that extra level of positive excitement and support, you are much more effective, and you encourage them to join you on the journey to success.

Joel adds, “You can do this by telling people, `Thank you for listening to me . . . thank you for supporting me . . . thank you for being a customer.’ Those words are gifts, and they don’t cost you any money or take much time. Those words fuel other people, so they will bring positive support back to you . . . It’s all about creating a culture of positivity and support.”

Joel’s Tip for Members of the Training Unleashed Audience

“The best message that I learned from doing improv,” Joel says, “is stay in the game. And that is the message I tell my kids. Improv teaches us that we can’t quit. We have to stay in the game and find success.”

A Special Offer

Joel would like to send you an outline of his approach to bringing more celebration to every day. If you contact him through his website, he will be delighted to send you a copy.

About Our Guest

Joel Zeff is a dynamic speaker, improvisational humorist and author. His interactive performances invite members of the audience to participate in hilarious improvisational exercises that illustrate Joel’s central message: That organizations and individuals should CELEBRATE every day successes to increase collaboration, productivity, passion and innovation.

In 1973, Joel began to work in improv comedy, which led him to discover joy in everyday life.

Visit Joel at JoelZeff.com

Janet Brideaux2023-01-20T07:34:04-05:00January 19, 2023|

Future of AI in Training with DeMario and Dawn McIlwain

DeMario and Dawn Nicole McIlwain are the co-founders of Skilldora, the first all-A.I. online learning company that employs A.I. in every aspect of their business and platform. To see one of their amazing A.I.-instructors “live,” be sure to visit myskilldora.com. In a recent Training Unleashed podcast, DeMario and Dawn spoke with host Evan Hackel about the future of A.I. in training.

“A.I. is being currently used most extensively now in the medical space,” Dawn told Evan, “where it is being used mostly to train future doctors.” Yet both DeMario and Dawn foresee many more applications for A.I. in training.

At the moment, many of their efforts focus on creating digital humans that trainees can interact with in training courses. Skilldora is already using these digital humans, which are dramatically more realistic than the “talking heads” in other training courses. But still more big changes are about to happen.

DeMario and Dawn told Evan that in the future, their digital humans will become much more than merely realistic. They will become increasingly interactive, going beyond the simple ability to deliver information or demonstrate skills. This will make training programs increasingly interactive and engaging.

“And by the way,” Dawn adds, “this trend will not put training professionals out of work. If anything, it will create many more opportunities for programmers.”

Another trend to watch for is the application of A.I. to create and adapt culturally sensitive training programs for companies in other countries, where trainees speak languages other than English.

A Special Offer

DeMario and Dawn would like to offer our viewers a free Skilldora course, How to Use Emotional Intelligence to Gain More Success. To access your complimentary course, CLICK HERE, register as a member and claim your free course.

About Our Guests

DeMario and Dawn Nicole McIlwain are co-founders of Skilldora, developers of a training platform that combines powerful AI eLearning with tried-and-true tactics like peer-to-peer learning and networking. To learn more about their company and what it does, visit MySkilldora.com

Janet Brideaux2022-12-13T10:12:28-05:00December 13, 2022|

Coaching to achieve success with Lisa Baker

Lisa Baker is the Founder of Ascentim LLC, a coaching practice that guides its clients to live more meaningful and abundant lives, and she is the guest on this episode of the Training Unleashed podcast. Lisa spoke with our host Evan Hackel about her unique approach to achieving success.

Why Lisa Left the World of Fortune 500 Businesses to Start Her Own Firm

She chose to leave corporate life so she could pursue her calling to help others reach their peak levels of success. “Outside that corporate world,” she told Evan, “people have more freedom to say and do things.”

Lisa explains, “I’ve merged my executive leadership experience with my greatest passions – faith, family, and financial freedom – to create my coaching practice, Ascentim. At Ascentim, we guide our clients to live more meaningful and abundant lives through an awakening that uncovers who they really are, what they value, and their purpose – using it all to create the career and life of their dreams.”

Lisa Explains Her G.R.O.W. Approach to Coaching

G.R.O.W. is a process and a methodology Lisa created to help people move from where they are to where they want to be.

The four steps of G.R.O.W. are:

• Gain Insight – This means gathering the information that you need to move ahead toward success. “Many times a person in an organization is struggling to add a new skill or overcome some obstacle, but is blocked and doesn’t know what the blockage is,” Lisa told Evan. “So that person has to strive to understand what is really taking place. What skills do they need? What connections?”

• Realize New Possibilities – Once you have gained insight, you can start to consider what you can do with the information you have gathered. “Where do you want to go?” Lisa asks, “what is now possible for you?”

• Overcome Obstacles – This phase is all about planning. “Life always brings obstacles our way,” Lisa says. “We didn’t expect some of them, but there are other obstacles we can anticipate and plan for. “

• Win – This means winning at life. It’s bigger than just winning in your career. It has to do with your life and your legacy. “Winning is all about defining what success looks like to you,” Lisa says, “and for each of us, that is something different.”

Evan Hackel observed, “Part of the problem is that when people don’t define success, they never feel successful.” Lisa agreed.

Lisa on Helping Younger Employees Grow

“Younger people value the idea of having a pathway for their careers. However, many of them think that path should be very fast, and straight up. So part of managing those people is to expand their understanding of how careers grow.

“It’s not always linear. Sometimes you take some side steps. You might even see it as a step backward . . . and that’s all good.”

How Training Departments Can Support Individual Growth

Lisa says that training departments can incorporate the G.R.O.W. process in their training. “And they can also bring a more holistic approach to training that addresses a broader base of considerations than just their career,” she adds. “One of them is finance.”

A Special Offer

Lisa would like to offer listeners a copy of her new eBook Financial Therapy: Change Your Beliefs and Change Your Life. To get your copy, CLICK HERE and enter the promotional code FREE BOOK at checkout.

About Our Guest

Lisa Baker is the Founder of Ascentim LLC, a coaching practice that guides its clients to live more meaningful and abundant lives. Her greatest passions are faith, family and financial freedom.

Lisa L. Baker has more than two decades of financial experience in Fortune 500 companies and is a Ramsey Certified Master Financial Coach. No stranger to financial hardship, she bounced back from extreme debt and bankruptcy to retire at the age of 54 – DEBT FREE! She shares her wisdom with others who are ready to go from financial bondage to financial freedom.

Lisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Louis University. She is a certified Personal and Executive Coach (The CaPP Institute) and a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF). She also holds a certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business.

Janet Brideaux2022-11-28T11:37:51-05:00November 28, 2022|