Leadership and Development Trends

Trends Magazine 2020

Key Leadership Skill - Flexibility:

• Leaders need to embrace flexibility and openness to change.

• Success depends on the ability to challenge perspectives and encourage diverse ideas.

• Effective leaders exercise active listening, validate new ideas, and encourage others.

• Flexibility involves reacting positively to adversity for overall success.

The Science of Learning:

• Design learning to embrace the unconscious; address biases with tools like the Implicit Association Test.

• Engage employees actively in learning and development for increased retention.

• Interactive learning is ten times more effective; leverage collaboration apps.

• Limit technology encroachment; promote sensitivity in communication frequency.

Cliché or Clarity - Three Expressions:

1. "Less is more": Revamp training for quality over quantity.

2. "It's not what you know, it's who you know": Emphasize relationships; implement cohort-based learning.

3. "What's old is new again": Refresh and rearrange classic skills without constant reinvention.

Leadership Trends for L&D:

1. Hire cultural fits; use non-traditional interviews.

2. Manage waves of change: Survive, surf, or move on.

3. Leadership as leadership: Shift between doing and delegating.

4. New managers need training in providing direction, guidance, listening, and collaboration.

Building a Workplace for the Future:

• AI and technology changes job landscape; certain jobs will be eliminated, while new ones will be created.

• Strategies include continuous personalized learning, transparent skill-based people strategy, and open technology architecture.

The Engagement Continuum:

• Challenges of virtual training for facilitators include technology obstacles, unprepared participants, and lack of stakeholder buy-in.

• Modern learning system has four quadrants, indicating the usefulness and frequency of use.

Design Thinking:

• Design thinking involves empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing.

• The process ensures learner-centric solutions and effective learning experiences.

Trends 2020 - Broadening Role of L&D:

• Gig economy growth; soft skills and data literacy are crucial.

• High capital investment in learning experience platforms (LXPs).

• L&D's role in building a learning culture is vital.

The Future of Learning is Experiential:

• Experiential learning involves active participation for improved results.

• Digital transformation is crucial for meeting modern learners' expectations.

Choosing Talent Over Tech:

• Talent is prioritized over technology for improved performance.

• Building a talent stack is more beneficial than relying solely on technology.

• Assessing the talent stack of the team is crucial for success.

Crowdsourcing for Employee Development:

• Crowdsourcing involves using technology and social networking for resource sharing.

• Generating development ideas, increasing application and retention, and providing more opportunities are essential.

Adaptation of Cross-Cultural Competence:

• Cross-cultural competence involves understanding cultural differences and effective communication.

• Hindrances can be overcome through awareness, research, avoiding stereotypes, and active listening.

Technology Shaping Workplace Learning:

• Future workplace learning is personalized, data-driven, and requires digital fluency.

• Embrace new tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, and WhatsApp for learning and collaboration.