TenStrategiesforBuilding SuccessfulLearningPartnerships

TERRENCE GARGIULO
terrence@makingstories.net phone: 415-948-8087

 Inthisthoughtleadershippiecewewillexploretenstrategiesforstrongpartnershipswithin yourorganization.

1. Seektobeanintegralpartofeveryfunctionalarea. 2. Beproactive. 3. Reduceadministration. 4. Streamlinestandardofferings. 5. Gettotheexecutivetable. 6. Supportpartneractivities. 7. Establishliaisonroles. 8. AlignTrainingandDevelopment(T&D)withcorporatecommunications. 9. Celebratesuccesses. 10. Reinventthepartnership.
1. Seek to Be an Integral Part of Every Functional Area EveryfunctionalareaT&Dsupportshasitsownsetofbusinessprocesses.Wewantourpartners toviewusasanessentialresourcesothatweareinvitedtobeaprincipalcontributorduring strategicandtacticaldiscussions.Inotherwordswewanttobeseenasanintegralpartofour partners success.Twofunctionalareabusinessprocessesthatstandoutasprimecandidatesfor ourinvolvementarestrategicplanningandprojectdevelopment.Strategicplanningvaries greatlyfromoneorganizationtothenext;however,everyfunctionalareaneedstosetgoals,lay outprojects,anddeterminepriorities. Wecancontributetostrategicplanningdiscussionsintwomainways.First,whenwehave strongrelationshipswithourpartners,wecanactasatrusted,unbiasedfacilitator wholeads theprocessandensuresthatinput fromallthestakeholdersisheardandtakenintoaccount. Second,wecanarticulatelearning,performance,andcommunicationactivitiestosupportthe functionalareas strategicplan.Whywaituntilafunctionalareacomestousforhelp?Bythat timeitisfrequentlytoolate,andwemayhavelosttheopportunitytounderstandthecontext ofthechallengestheareaisfacing.Ourinterventionswillinevitablebemoreeffectivewhenwe havemoretime,moreinformation,andmoreinfluence. 2

ProjectplanningisanotheropportunityforT&D.Everyprojectinafunctionalareacanbe analyzedintermsofwhatrolelearningcanplay.Ifyourorganizationhassomesortofproject managementoffice anditsprojectplanningdocumenttemplatehasasectiondedicatedto learning,dont makethemistakeofassumingthatsectionwillactasacatalystforfunctional areasandT&Dtodevelopstrongpartnerships.Its astartanditcertainlyhelps,butits not enough.ThegoalistohavefunctionalareasturntoT&Dduringtheinitialphasesoftheir projectstoaskforassistancewitharticulatingastrategyforweavinglearningintoallareasof theprojectplan. OurT&Dmissionofprovidinglearningandperformancesolutionscanbebestaccomplished whenweareactivelyengagedbyeveryfunctionalareawesupport.Weneedtheirconfidence. Whenweareperceivedasanintegralpartofafunctionalareaweceasetobeanice tohave resource andbecomeamust haveresource. Whenweareembracedasfullfledged partnersourcontributionsareanindispensablepartofhowworkisdone.Wemustdo everythingwepossiblycantogettothisposition. 2.BeProactive Oneofthefastestwaystoeventuallybecominganintegralpartofeveryfunctionalareaistobe proactive.Whywaitforarequest?Givenyourorganization,howcanyougooutofyourwayto discoverwhatpeopleneed?Simplegesturesgoalongway.Forexample,asktobeinvitedto somefunctionalareameetings.Thengoandlisten.Absorbeverythingyoucan.Thisisusually notthetimetoofferideas,butyouwillgainawealthofinsights.Usetheseinsightstogobackto keystakeholdersinthefunctionalareatoaskfurtherquestions.Thegoalistojumpstarta dialogueandnottospoutoffreadymadesolutionsevenifyouhavethem.Anothergoodway totacticallyexecutethebe proactive strategyistospendmoretimeconversingwithpeople fromthefunctionalarea.Thisseemssuchcommonsense,butaskyourself,whenwasthelast timeyouplannedandbudgetedtimeinyourschedulejusttominglewithyourcustomerswith noothergoalinmindthantoinvestinrelationships? Beingproactivetakesimagination.Stop,think,and thenact.Reflectonthecurrentstateofaffairsof eachcustomer.Asyougatherinformationstay abreastofdevelopmentsineachfunctionalareaso thatyoucananticipatewhatwillbeneeded.As T&Dprofessionalswearelikewaitersinafirstclass restaurantwhereeveryneedismetbefore customersevenrealizetheyhadit.Asata restaurant,whenthisisdonewellourcustomers willbeunawareofourpresenceandthepositiveimpactwearehavingontheirwork.Lateron Illdiscusshowtobesureoursuccessesarerecognizedinordertowinongoingsupportforour work,butaswedoourworkitisbesttobeasunobtrusiveaspossible.Thereisnoneedto drawundueattentiontoourselves.Ourgoalistohelpourcustomerssucceedandnotseek 3

accolades.Besureyourmotivationisdrivenbyaninternalpassionforexcellenceand supportedbyastrong,dedicatedcultureofservicewithintheT&Ddepartment. 3. Reduce Administration Noonelikesbureaucracy,butadministrationisnecessary.Therearecertainthingsweneedto doinordertomanageandtrackourwork;therereally isnogettingaroundit.However,how muchdowereallyneed?Canwestreamlinethewaysourcustomersinterfacewithus?And whatcanwedotoreducetheamountoftimeandeffortwespendonkeepingourT&D shop running? Learning management systems and other selfservice systems have helped us automate some of the more routine but essential aspects of T&D. Although these are a step in the right direction, they are not enough. We need to do everything in our power to spend as little time on these things as we can. Administration shelters us from doing the real work of getting our hands messy in the unpredictable, unstable work of supporting our partners. When given the choice between uncertainty and predictability, theres no shame in admitting you favor work youve done before and know how to do. Its just not the principalwayT&Daddsvalue. Acertainpercentageofourtimeisalreadyoccupiedbyorganizationwidebusinessprocesses thatwecannotcontrol.Thereforeweshouldscrutinizeeveryprocedure,meeting,form, process,report,tool,andthelike...thatweinstitutionalizeinT&D.Performregularauditsof thesethings,andaskeachdepartmentmembertoofferfeedbackonwhichonesmightbe eliminatedorsimplified.Recognizethattheneedforthesethingschangesovertime.Weall candoamuchbetterjobofpurgingtheclutterofadministrativetasksbygettingridoftheones thathaveoutlastedtheirusefulness.Outsourcingcertainadministrativenecessitiesmightbe anotherwayofreducingadministrationtasksforT&Dpersonnel.Askyourselfthisguiding questionabouteachtask:Isthereanycompetitivebusinessadvantagetothisadministrative businessprocess?Ifitdoesntofferanysuchadvantage,itmaybeagoodcandidatefor outsourcing.Inmyopinionthereareveryfew,ifany,businessprocessesinT&Dthatgivethe organizationacompetitiveadvantage.Competitiveadvantageforaforprofitorganization meansaddingtothebottomline,andforanonprofitorganizationitmeansfurtheringthe organizationsmission.T&Dsability topartnerandtodevelopnewlearningandperformance interventionsisitscompetitiveadvantage. 4

4. Streamline Standard Offerings InmanyorganizationsT&Dprovidesacoreofstandardofferings.Althoughthesecoursesmay benecessarytheyareonlyasmallpartofthevaluewecanbringtotheorganization.Weneed toevaluatewhatpercentageofourtimeisspentintheseroutineactivities.Becauseevery organizationisdifferentIcannotpindowntheidealpercentageoftimeweshouldbespending ondesigning,delivering,andmanagingthesestandardcourses.EachT&Ddepartmentwill needtotakeintoaccountthesizeofitsorganization,numberofitsemployees,industryitisin, cultureofitsorganization,andahostofotherfactors.Sufficeittosay,whateverpercentageof timewespendontheseactivities,itshouldnotgetinthewayofourbeingproactive,integral partnersofferingjustintimelearningandperformancesolutionstoourcustomers. Startbyworkingwithyourpartnerstoassesshowmany ofthesestandardofferingsarereallynecessary.How muchdoeseachonecost?Howdoyourpartners prioritizetheseofferings?Arethereanytrendsor seasonaldemandsforthesecourses?Arethereany otherwaysofdeliveringthelearningandinformation containedinthem(andImnottalkingjustabout turningthemintoelearningcourses)?Canyouuse outsidevendors?Answerthesetypesofquestionswith inputfromyourpartners.Ourtimeisbestusedcreating learning,performance,andcommunicationsolutionstiedtoourpartnersorganizational objectivesandrealtimeneeds.Minimizebroadstroke,cookiecuttercourseofferingswherever possible.Beaggressiveaboutit.Asageneralruleourprofessionhasbeenlargelyfocusedon thesestandardofferings.Timesaredifferentnow.Thefuturerelevanceofourprofessionis ridingonourabilitytotransformourselvesintostrategicpartners. 5.GettotheExecutiveTable ExecutivelevelsupportofT&Dfacilitatesourabilitytoeffectivelypartnerwithourcustomers.I havehighlightedtheimportanceofbuildingrelationshipsatalllevels,buttheendorsement andcommitmentofexecutivelevelmanagementinparticularmakesourjobeasier.Although executivelevelsupportisnotenoughinitselftobuildpartnerships,itwillopendoors.New partnersarefarmorelikelytotryworkingwithusifwehavestrong,vocalalliesinhighplaces. Ourchallengeliesingettingonthe bandwidthandwinningtherespectofexecutivelevelfolks. Ifwedonotalreadyhavetheirsupport,wewillneedacombinationoftenacity,patience,and entrepreneurialspirittoacquireit.Startbyidentifyinghighlyvisible,largescaleprojects wheretraininganddevelopmentdoesnotalreadyhavearole.Doyourhomework.Use whateverlinesofcommunicationareappropriateinyourorganizationtoofferconcreteideas aboutthewaysT&Dwillhelptheprojectsucceed.Workoutyourplanaheadoftime,andget keypeopleinvolvedintheprojecttobeyoursponsors. 5

Anotherpathtotheexecutivetableisthroughothers.Lotsoflittlesuccesseswithourstrong partnerswillgenerate goodwillandpositivewordofmouththroughouttheorganization. Wheninfluencingexecutivelevelpeopleyoudonotneedtobeyourownspokesperson. Oftentimesitsmoreeffectivetohaveothersbeyouradvocate.Remember,nomatterhow earnestandwellintentionedyoureffortsmaybeandnomatterhowbrilliantyourplan,there arenoguaranteesthatyouwillgetexecutivesattention.Staythecourse.Eventually,with somepersistenceandluck,youwillearnyourrightfulplaceattheexecutivetable. 6.SupportPartnerActivities Ourpartnersareinvolvedinamultitudeoforganizationalactivities.Wewillnotbedirectly involvedinalltheseactivities;however,manyofthemwillprovideuswithopportunitiesto showourinterestandsupport.Itsasimpletruth:peoplearemorelikelytosupportpeoplewho supportthem.Supportingothersisagoodwaytostrengthenourrelationshipsandencourage aspiritofcommunity.Weneedtobeawareofourpartnersactivitiesand,withoutdiverting toomuchtimeandenergyfromourmajorinitiatives,findwaystodemonstrateloyalty.Ifitis notalwaysclearhowtosupportyourpartnersotheractivities,askthem.Itslikelythattheywill havesomegoodideas.Maybeyoucanactasasoundingboard,beaguineapig,beanearly adopter,oractasanadvocateforwhattheyaredoingthroughouttherestoftheorganization. Dontforget,however,thattheremaybepolitical dimensionstosupportingapartnersactivities. Sohoweverweshowsupportitneedstotake suchdynamicsintoaccount.Wewouldntwant toalienateanotherpartnerordifferentpartof theorganization.Therearetimestotakeastrong stance,butweneedtobeshrewdabout avoidingturfwarsorgettingunnecessarily involvedinotherpeoplespoliticalmachinations. Besides,rememberthatourgoalinsupportingpartneractivitiesistonurtureour relationships.Heresageneralruleofthumb:ifoursupportcreatesmorenegativeenergy thanpositiveenergy,thanweshouldfindadifferentactivitytosupport. 7. Establish Liaison Roles Stayinginsyncwithourpartnersrequiresagoodcommunicationstrategy.Diplomacyoffersusa goodmetaphor.ThinkofT&Dasadiplomaticcoreandeachfunctionalareaitsupportsasan embassy.Weneedtopostanambassadorin eachfunctionalarea.Theseambassadorsare peoplefromourT&Dteamwhoactastrustedconfidantsandwhoareinstrumentalinbuilding strongties.TheyplayaliaisonrolebyshuttlinginformationbackandforthbetweenT&Dandits partners.Theseliaisonscanalsobeinfluentialinnegotiatingcriticalaspectsofthepartner relationship,suchaspriorities,strategicplanningprocesses,projectdeliverables,and communicationinterfaces.ItistheirresponsibilitytoknowthepulseofT&Dspartners.Treat 6

thispostasarotatingone.Selectatermlengththatmakessenseforyourorganization.Inmy experienceayearisagoodlength.Movepeopleinandoutoftherole.Youwantasmanyof yourpeopleaspossibletobuildrelationshipswithyourcustomers.Althoughintheshortrunthis mayappeartoweakenorcompromisethepotentialstrengthoftheserelationships,inthelong runyouarecultivatingagreaternumberofrelationships.Thiswillservetodiversifythesupport youreceivefromyourpartners,increasethedepthanddiversityofyourknowledgeofthem, andcreatemoresharedhistorywiththem.Youalsogainmoreperspectives,andyoudonot havetobeconcernedthatapartnershipwilldiminishifakeyambassadorleavesthecompany. Youwanttoavoidhavingtostartagainfromsquareone. 8. Align T&D with Corporate Communications Corporatecommunicationsneedstobeoneofourclosestallies.Thisfunctionalareaisan essentialpartner.Fromaphilosophicalpointofviewcommunicationandlearningare inextricablyconnected.Withoutcommunicationthereisnolearning. Manylearningandperformanceinterventionslookverymuchlikecommunicationstrategies. Thetoolsandprocessesofcorporatecommunicationsarevital assetstousinT&D.Whyreinventthewheelwhenwecanleverage theassetsofcorporatecommunications,particularlyitsreadyto goinfrastructure,forreachingouttotheorganization?Wehavea wonderfulopportunitytomakesurecommunicationsare saturatedwithlearning.Inthiswaycorporatecommunications benefitsbyhavingapartnerwhounderstandshowtotransform communicationintolearning. Ifyoudonothaveastrongrelationshipwithcorporatecommunicationsmakeitoneofyourfirst priorities.Aswithanypartnershipweneedtolearnthepartners culturallandscape.The individualsincorporatecommunicationshaveadifferentwayofviewingtheworld.Wewill benefitfromahealthydoseoftheirperspective.Theyknowhowtograbpeoples attention andsuccinctlytransmitinformation.Peoplehaveevenlesstimefordigestingcorporate communicationsthantheydofortraditionallearningsowehavealottolearnfromthisarea. Startyoureffortstomakecorporatecommunicationsapartnerbymakingitacentralpartof T&D.Inviteindividualsinthisareatobecontributors.Seektheiradviceandtheywillbeginto dothesame.Naturalsynergieswillemerge.Aseachgroupbecomesmoreawareoftheother therewillbemoreandmoreopportunitiesforcollaboration. 9. Celebrate Successes Oursuccessisourpartners success.Whenwecelebrateoursuccessesweelevateourpartners andgenerateapositivefocalpointfortheentireorganization.Becausetheworkwedois 7

achievedthroughcollaboration,itiscriticaltoexhibitpublicsignsofappreciationand recognitionofeveryones efforts.Peopleareenergizedbycelebratingachievements.Our partnershipswillbestrengthenedbyfocusingonthepositive.Italsobecomeseasiertolearn fromexperienceandidentifyopportunitiesforimprovement.Ourpartnersarelesslikelyto pointfingersatusforaspectsofaprojectthatmaynothavegoneassmoothlyaseveryone hadhoped.Instead,webecomebetterequippedtoenterintoadepersonalizeddialoguewhere accountability isnotanissuebecauseitissharedjointly.Thesedialoguesareawonderfulway forustogrowinknowledge,increaseeffectiveness,andcreateopportunitiestosharelessons learned. Celebratingsuccessesallowsustobringvisibilityto T&Dandreinforceourimportancetotheorganization. Ifactionsspeaklouderthanwords,thenresultsspeak volumes.ThebestwaytosellT&Dandencourage otherstoseekusasapartneristosharestoriesthat celebrateoursuccesses.Letthesestoriesbeauthentic ones.Wearenotinthebusinessofadvertising,andwe donotneedtohawkthegetourpartnerstotelltheir storiesofworkingwithus,wewillsecureourroleinthe organization.Lookforcreativewaystobuildcelebration intoprojectmethodologies.Thisisanothergoodplaceforcorporatecommunicationstohelp us.GobeyondtheobviousmethodsofstickingendorsementsofcoursesonT&Ds intranetsite orinprintedcollaterals.Asgenuineastheseendorsementsmaybetheyfallintocategoryof advertisingorspinning. Everyoneissaturatedwithsuchmessages.Bythemselvestheydo notgofarenoughinpromotingourvaluetotheorganization,andtheydonotenableour partnerstocelebratesuccess. 10. Reinvent the Partnership Thesurvivalandcontinuedrelevancyofapartnershipiscontingentonourresolvetoreinvent it.Partnershipsarerelationships.Theyareliving,breathingentitiesthatneedtobecontinually nurturedandrenewed.Ifwearenotconstantlyinvestingtime,energy,andcreativityintoour partnershipsandthinkingaboutwaystoimprovethemtheywillbecomestaleandirrelevant. Byitself,noamountofprocesses,procedures,orevensuccessesisgoingtopermanently sustainapartnership.Staffchanges,shifting priorities,andmodificationsofexistingtools andprocessesorintroductionsofnewonesarejustafewofthesortsofthingsthatcan influencethecharacteristicsandlongevityofapartnership.Thinkofapartnershipaspossessing analmostinfinitenumberofvariationsandconfigurations.Beguidedbywhatisnecessaryand notbywhatisfamiliar.Bytreatingpartnershipsasatwowaystreetrichindialogue,wecan discovernewwaystooptimizehowweworkwithourpartners.Inthiswaythepartnership willneverexistasanenditself.Itwillalwaysremainfocusedonbringingvaluetothe organization.

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AUTHORBIO
TerrenceL.Gargiulo,MMHSisaneighttimesauthor, internationalspeaker,organizationaldevelopmentconsultant andgroupprocessfacilitatorspecializingintheuseofstories. HeholdsaMasterofManagementinHumanServicesfromthe FlorenceHellerSchool,atBrandeisUniversity,andisa recipientofInc.Magazine'sMarketingMasterAward,the2008 HRLeadershipAwardfromtheAsiaPacificHRMCongress,and isamemberofBrandeisUniversitysathleticHallofFame.He hasappearedonFoxTV,CN8,andonCNNradioamongothers. Highlightsofsomeofhispastandpresentclientsinclude,GM, HP,DTEEnergy,MicroStrategy,Citrix,Fidelity,FederalReserve Bank,Ceridian,CountrywideFinancial,WashingtonMutual, DreyersIceCream,UNUM,USCoastGuard,BostonUniversity, Raytheon,CityofLowell,ArthurD.Little,KANA Communications,MerckMedco,CocaCola,HarvardBusiness School,andCambridgeSavingsBank. Web:http://www.makingstories.net Video:http://www.vimeo.com/user2343092/videos Email:terrence@makingstories.net phone4159488087 INTERVENTIONSCONSULTINGRETREATSWORKSHOPS COACHINGSPEAKING

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