Arnold Leder

July 2010 - The Public Manager

The Bureaucrat as Democracys Safety Valve

As a talent development leader, you might be looking for a more curated experience at ATD’s largest annual conference. You are now in a role where instead of designing, training, and facilitating, you are leading a team of L&D professionals. When you plan your ATD25 experience in a few weeks, the sessions that will be best for you are the ones that incorporate the expectations of your leadership role.~Look no further than the Talent Development Leader (TDL) track~The TDL experience is now in its third year of helping TD leaders stay ahead of the curve with curated content, meaningful networking, and solutions tailored to your role. The comprehensive track includes interactive Forum programming, a dedicated networking room, and 10 exclusive concurrent sessions built for leaders just like you. Whether you’re looking to connect with peers, exchange ideas, or explore emerging trends and tools, this is the place to be! For a quick glance at the schedule and offerings, check out the official TDL programming page. Otherwise, here is a breakdown of what to expect at this year’s conference in Washington, DC.Forum Sessions: A Hot TicketATD25 features five exclusive Forum sessions hosted by the ATD Forum, a membership community for senior TD professionals. These interactive sessions use practical tools to ensure attendees can apply insights directly in their organizations. This is where peer insight meets innovation, as you will hear directly from established TD leaders who will provide immediate feedback, tools, and resources to elevate your own leadership and organizational learning function. Insider tip: Because of their hands-on format, demand for these sessions is high (one of the sessions is even being offered twice!). Although we wish everyone could sit in on these sessions, seating is limited. Make sure to arrive early!Sessions:Fueling Growth and Success Through Talent Investments Monday, May 19, at 11:30 a.m.Want Solutions That Work? Do a Deep Dive Monday, May 19, at 1 p.m. & Tuesday, May 20, at 1 p.m.Connect, Collaborate, Share: Unleash Innovative Performance Opportunities With Peer Benchmarking Tuesday, May 20, at 2 p.m.Unlock Your Organization’s Potential Using the Wow Factor Wednesday, May 21, at 9:30 a.m.In the Room Where It Happens (Room 102)The Talent Development Leader Networking Room is your conference home base. Open from Monday to Wednesday, Room 102 offers refreshments, a quiet space to reflect or recharge, and opportunities to engage in both facilitated networking sessions and casual conversations. Personally, the TDL networking room changed my life. It’s where I connected with another professional who held the key to solving a problem in one of my projects. You can read all about that story here, or you can take my word for it: The TDL networking room is the place to be. Room Hours:Monday–Tuesday: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.Wednesday: 8–11 a.m.Facilitated Sessions You Don’t Want to MissThese sessions spotlight real-world case studies, hot topics, and tools for today’s TD challenges. (Again, seating is limited, so make sure you plan accordingly.) Session Schedule:The Power of Compassion-Driven Leadership: Insights From Japan with Tadahiro Wakasugi from GLOBIS Corporation, sponsored by GLOBIS Monday, May 19, at 1 p.m.Crafting a Dynamic Onboarding Journey for Executive Leaders with Alissa Weiher and Mackenzie Friday, UCHealth Monday, May 19, at 4:30 p.m.The Science of Great Teams: How to Create a Culture of Psychological Safety with Britt Andreatta Tuesday, May 20, at 11:30 a.m.AI in Action: Real-World Insights From TD Leaders with Markus Bernhardt Tuesday, May 20, at 2 p.m.Improve Your Storytelling – and L&D Results – With “Garlic Press” Questions with Deb Arnold Tuesday, May 20, at 4 p.m.What’s Your Organization’s Conflict Cocktail? A Guided Conversation for L&D Leaders with Karin B. Hurt and David M. Dye Wednesday, May 21, at 8 a.m.*All sessions will occur in Room 102 on Level 1 of the conference center*Invite-Only Experiences for Senior LeadersThe remainder of the TDL programming sessions are invite-only for those participating in ATD’s senior leader communities: ATD Forum, CTDO, and the ATD-Penn GSE Talent Development Executive Certificate. Learn more about ATD’s TD leader communities here.Stay Engaged All Year With ATD Talent Development Leader While the conference is only a few days long, Talent Development Leader is more than just a conference track! As ATD’s professional development brand for people leading learning in their organization, TDL provides you with cutting-edge industry insight, advice from leaders doing the work, budding research, and more. Subscribe to the Talent Development Leader newsletter and get the tools you need to lead the future of learning. Don’t miss out on monthly articles, podcasts, webinars, and special events—such as our current collaboration with Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2025!See You at ATD25!Personally, I am counting the days until the conference starts on May 18. Make the most of your time at ATD25 by fully immersing yourself in the Talent Development Leader Experience. From exclusive sessions to invaluable connections, it’s your launchpad to greater impact and innovation in talent development.

Your Ultimate Guide to the Talent Development Leader Experience at ATD25

Talent development professionals help others. Ben Nemtin, star of The Buried Life, called attention to that in his keynote address closing out the Association for Talent Development’s Virtual Conference: Unleash Potential. And he noted that attendees could likely relate to his bucket list pursuits that entailed not only going after the big things he wanted to do before he died but also involved helping others.The Roots of The Buried LifeAs he began his session “Impossible to Possible,” Nemtin spoke about falling into depression after seemingly being on top of the world as he graduated high school in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He had a spot on the national under-19s rugby team and a college scholarship.But that joy soon turned to anxiety, trouble sleeping, and then depression. He became a shut-in in his family’s home, not understanding why he was feeling the way he was. A summer in a new town, securing a job that brought him confidence, and talking with others about his feelings led Nemtin to start turning the corner. From there, he decided to only surround himself with people who inspired him. He found three individuals who fit that definition: Jonnie, Duncan, and Dave.Sketchnotes provided by See In ColorsWhat followed was their decision to make a film. The quartet were inspired by the Matthew Arnold poem The Buried Life, in which the poet described how we all too often leave our dreams and aspirations buried with day-to-day life getting in the way.To avoid dying without living their dreams, the young men created a bucket list—the stipulations being that they would act as if they had $10 million in the bank and that the goals had to be crazy big. They also knew they wouldn’t be able to accomplish their goals by themselves. They decided that every time they crossed off an item on their list, they would help a stranger do the same.The list that Ben and his friends crafted included such things as helping deliver a baby, having a beer with Prince Harry, and playing basketball with President Barack Obama. That last one required all the grit and persistence they could muster, including dealing with a number of rejections before it finally happened.“Doing what you love actually inspires others to do what they love,” said Nemtin. There’s a ripple effect. The same ripple effect occurs when you help others: They, in turn, have a propensity to help those around them.Your Resiliency Tool KitTo be able to help others, you need to take care of yourself, emphasized Nemtin. Here are some tips to do so, and these comprise what he calls his resiliency tool kit.Gratitude. Think of one thing each night before you go to bed and one thing in the morning when you get up that you are grateful for. They can be as minor as a meal with a loved one, a walk, or the sun being out.Exercise. You don’t have to go for 60 minutes, Nemtin pointed out. Five minutes of push-ups or a 15-minute walk will help you release negative emotions.Mindfulness. This can take the form of the Headspace or other app, a walk, meditation, or being cognizant to breathe deeply from your abdomen.Detox. This may mean staying off social media for 24 hours or avoiding the news for the same period. When you return, only use the tools that bring you joy—come back in control of how you spend your time.Connect. To ease anxiety and stress, talk with friends or a therapist, continued Nemtin.Purpose. This is what the bucket list is all about: doing the things that are most important to you and that bring you joy.Help others. You can’t feel bad when you’re helping others.Nature. If you’re unable to actually go outside for 15 minutes right now because of the pandemic, bring nature inside by getting a plant or two.Fulfilling Personal GoalsThough this belief is hopefully shifting, it’s long been the pervasive mindset that pursuing our personal dreams is selfish. Nemtin refuted that, noting that pursing our dreams is actually a service. Prioritizing your goals, he says, is beneficial to you, your friends and family, your career, and your organization. And if organizations and leaders create an environment that encourages people to go after what they want, those individuals are far more likely to stick around.Psychologist Tom Gilovich reported in his research “The Ideal Road Not Taken” that 76 percent of people identified on their death beds that their greatest regret was not fulfilling their ideal self. What leads people to stop short of that goal? Nemtin identified two reasons. One is that—unlike work goals and duties—our personal goals have no deadlines. The second is that we often lack the inspiration to move forward. To that, Nemtin suggested that we create our own inspiration through small steps and think of “dreams as projects.”Here are five steps he outlined to accomplish your personal goals:Write them down. Putting them down on paper makes them real.Share them. As Nemtim showed with his bucket list, you need others’ help. All too often, we don’t share our goals due to fear—either because we’re afraid of what others may think or because we fear falling short of accomplishing them.Persist. Sometimes we fail because we give up too quickly. Nemtin showcased his persistence in his and his friends’ efforts to play basketball with President Obama.Go for moonshots. Nemtin, smiling, noted that the level of competition for reachable goals is much higher than the competition for ambitious moonshot goals, which few people strive for.Give. Nemtin briefly recalled speaking at ATD TechKnowledge 2019, where he shared the stage with Tiago, a brain stem tumor sufferer who, through the Make a Wish Foundation, expressed his desire to go bobsledding. As a result of Nemtin and the conference attendees, Tiago realized his dream.Ripple effects happen not only from big things—for example, a smile causes a ripple, as does a compliment—Nemtin pointed out. And we don’t necessarily see those reactions happening, and that includes training and development results. But know that as talent development professionals, said Nemtin, you create a positive difference in others.Share your ATD Virtual Conference experience on social media. #ATDVirtualConference

Arnold Leder

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