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.

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

Driving Business Value through DEI with Frank Clark

 

In this episode of Training Unleashed, Evan talks to Frank Clark, a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) expert and CEO of Via Group Partners about the importance of having a DEI strategy for your business.

When asked, Frank defined DEI as, “Diversity is diversity of thought. Diversity of experiences. Diversity of, of course, ethnicity. And diversity of professional pedigree. It comes in all shapes and sizes… So, today, it’s very prevalent today because diversity, equity and inclusion drives business value.”

According to Frank, DEI isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s good business. “It drives business performance. It drives value. It drives innovation. It drives creativity.”

Frank shared a great case study of a company where his team is currently working on a DEI strategy. He noted that most companies see the benefit of DEI when they are compared to similar companies that are focused on DEI. “A homogeneous company underperforms one that is diverse. Always.” Explained Frank.

The company in the case study was doing well, but not exceptionally well. Of the other companies they looked at in their analysis, Frank noted, “9 out of 10 had diverse leadership. And, 9 out of 10 had a diverse board. They had diversity in experiences, diversity in professional pedigree, diversity in ethnicity, diversity in approach and strategic thinking, in philosophy.” And they were all outperforming the company in the case study.

During the interview, Frank shared some tips that can help companies that want to have DEI as part of their business strategy get started. And remember to listen to the end to get Frank’s BIG tip.

Frank’s Giveaway

Frank is offering a 30-minute consultant to Training Unleashed listeners to look at DEI as part of your business strategy. You can connect with Frank through their website at: https://viagrouppartners.com/

About Our Guest

Frank Clark is an experienced business builder and CEO of Via Group Partners. He brings deep expertise in the areas of operational, business development, strategy and M&A leadership. Over his 25-year executive career, Frank has led and mobilized teams in hyper-competitive corporate and entrepreneurial cultures. He has also built businesses organically from zero to $500M per year in large matrixed corporate environments, such as RR Donnelley where he held the position of Business Unit President. Frank previously served as Senior Vice President and Corporate Strategy head for Hoshizaki America. In addition to Via Group Partners, Frank is also the CEO and Managing Partner of CEG, LLC a middle market private equity firm with a focus on business services, manufacturing, technology and industrial services.

Frank serves on numerous for-profit and nonprofit boards including University of Chicago Medicine, American Red Cross of Chicago and Northern Illinois, Illinois Institute of Technology, One Hope United, Earthwise Global, Liberty Advisor Group, SG360, and Diversys Software. He has an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Illinois Institute of Technology and a Bachelors in Economics from Northern Illinois University.

2021-05-13T07:59:15-04:00May 13, 2021|

Making Training that Sticks with Meredith Bell

 

In this episode of Training Unleashed, Evan’s guest is Meredith Bell, Author, Speaker, Publisher of Assessment & Development Tools, and president of Performance Support Systems is the guest in this episode of Training Unleashed. Evan and Meredith have a great conversation about how to make training that sticks.

Meredith explains their theory for the reason training doesn’t stick is because there usually isn’t any follow up after the training is done. Lots of people are sent to training and it’s an event. According to Meredith, when they get back to their job they’re playing catch up. So, when they encounter a situation where they can use the new skill they automatically revert back to doing it the way they did it before training. And that’s because the brain hasn’t had a chance to rewire itself for the new behaviour.

To help the brain rewire itself, a process needs to be put in place where people are meeting regularly ideally with an accountability coach—whether it’s by phone, by a platform, or in person. “We want to have the connection to real people where there’s a structured process for talking about follow up,” explains Meredith. What commitment did I make? Did I do it? If I didn’t do it what did I do instead? If I did it, how did it go? And the learner can also support and encouragement from the coach, in addition to accountability.

Meredith and Evan discuss the process that Performance Support System follows to help make training stick: Focus, Action, Reflection. But you’ll need to listen to the episode to get more details on how to add this follow up process to your training to make it stick.

Remember to listen to the end to get Meredith’s BIG tip. Details about Meredith’s giveaway are below.

Meredith’s Giveaway

Meredith has three offers for Training Unleashed listeners.

A free ebook that will help you discover how to improve the way you listen so you really “get” what someone is trying to tell you and create a stronger relationship at the same time.

A free quiz to rate how well you and the people you work with interact with each other.

And lastly, a call with Meredith.

All are available by visiting: https://growstrongleaders.com/trainingunleashed/

About Our Guest

Meredith Bell is co-founder and President of Performance Support Systems, a global software company providing assessment and development tools for the workplace. Their award-winning tools and books guide leaders and team members to make the shift from KNOWING to DOING. The result is permanent improvements in the way people interact with each other.

Meredith is an expert in leader and team communications, the author of two books, and the host of the Strong for Performance podcast. She’s worked with thousands of business leaders, Human Resources professionals, and Learning & Development executives to successfully implement their tools. Meredith co-authored her latest book, Connect with Your Team: Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills, with her business partner, Dr. Dennis Coates. In it, Meredith and Dennis provide an unprecedented, practical step-by-step how-to guide for improving communication.

2021-05-08T20:28:36-04:00May 8, 2021|
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