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Carole Bower is head of learning at Saba and is responsible for shaping and transforming its digital learning proposition and learning design capabilities, as well as the effectiveness of the digital solutions delivered.Bower has worked in the digital learning/e-learning industry for more than 20 years and has a broad experience in directing and designing digital learning, including learning consultancy, the design and management of learning solutions at CBT Solutions as an owner/partner, and at Knowledgepool. She was also elected as a board director of the e-Learning Network and carried out this role from 2009–2012.

Carole Bower

June 2020 - TD Magazine

Tap Into Emotion to Meet Learning Objectives

10 Simple and Powerful Body Language Tips

Winsor Jenkins explains how the highly competitive global business world has become more and more like soccer.

Leveraging the “Beautiful Game” in the Age of Collaboration

Most organizations track learner satisfaction and completion rates, but does that really move the business forward? Our joint research with ATD shows that only 43 percent of organizations report strong alignment between learning and business goals. That means more than half risk investing in training that fails to translate into performance gains and measurable outcomes.What Alignment Really Means and Why It MattersAlignment isn’t a buzzword; it’s the operating system for strategic L&D. True alignment exists when L&D leaders, HR, and the C‑suite share a common definition of success and design learning experiences to advance it. In practice, this means mapping every learning objective to one or more business KPIs, whether that’s revenue growth, customer retention, safety incidents, cycle time, or quality metrics. Hence, the connection between training and value is explicit, visible, and testable.This clarity does three things: Focuses limited resources on the highest‑impact skillsIncreases executive confidence in L&D investmentEquips teams to iterate quickly because outcomes are tracked with the same rigor as any other initiativeDiagnosing MisalignmentMisalignment rarely announces itself; it shows up as familiar symptoms. There’s overreliance on activity metrics (enrollments, completions, smile sheets) without behavioral or business indicators. L&D gets kept out of strategic conversations about growth plans or capability gaps. Demonstrating ROI becomes a struggle, which slows funding decisions. Programs stagnate as content falls out of step with shifting priorities. Each symptom erodes trust and makes it harder for learning to influence performance at scale.The Four‑Step Alignment FrameworkUse this simple, repeatable framework to tighten the connection between learning and results:Discover. Start with the business problem, not the course idea. Clarify the desired outcome (for instance, increase win rate from 28 percent to 34 percent in H2) and the behaviors that would move that needle. Interview leaders and exemplary performers; mine performance dashboards to identify capability gaps.Design. Translate outcomes into skills and practice. Build learning objectives that mirror the KPI and embed practice activities that simulate real work (role‑plays, system sandboxes, decision games). Co‑create content with stakeholders to maintain relevance and ownership.Deliver. Meet learners in the flow of work. Blend short, applied learning assets with manager‑led coaching. Managers influence a large share of engagement, so equip them with conversation guides, observation checklists, and micro‑challenges to reinforce transfer on the job.Measure. Track leading and lagging indicators. Pair learning analytics (progress, proficiency, practice quality) with behavioral and business signals (pipeline hygiene, NPS shifts, first‑call resolution, defect rates, time‑to‑productivity). Review results monthly with stakeholders and adjust.What High‑Performing Organizations Do DifferentlyIn our findings, high performers consistently co‑create training with senior leaders, focus on a small set of KPIs that matter to both HR and the business, and use performance data to continuously refine programs. The key difference is philosophical: They don’t just measure activity, they measure contribution to business success. This orientation turns L&D from a service provider into a strategic partner.Manager Enablement Is NonnegotiableEven the best course fails without manager reinforcement. Provide managers with “day‑one” toolkits like talk tracks, observation rubrics, and simple dashboards so they can coach to the targeted behaviors. Recognize and reward managers who model desired behaviors and create time for practice. When managers champion the effort, adoption accelerates and results stick. Managers account for more than 70 percent of team engagement, so their role is critical.Technology as an Enabler (Not the Strategy)Modern platforms can make alignment easier to execute. AI‑powered solutions such as Learn365, embedded in Microsoft Teams, bring learning into daily workflows and surface real‑time insights through Power BI dashboards. That matters when only a minority of organizations feel confident evaluating impact; technology helps consolidate data, automate evidence collection, and free L&D to focus on coaching and design. The tools don’t create strategy; they make good strategy scalable.Start Small, Prove Value, Then ScalePick one business outcome and run a 90‑day pilot. Example: reduce customer churn by two points. Map the chain of impact: skills (active listening, needs discovery) → behaviors (probing, summarizing) → metrics (repeat contact rate, NPS, renewal). Instrument your pilot with a pre/post skills check, manager observations, and a simple dashboard that pairs learner progress with operational KPIs. Share results with leaders monthly and capture quick wins and lessons learned.This approach builds a repeatable playbook: define outcomes, design for practice, enable managers, and measure what matters. Do it once, then standardize templates, data definitions, and governance so future programs start aligned rather than retrofitting alignment after launch.Where to Go NextAlignment doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen by design. Begin with a single program and ask, “Which business outcome does this serve, and how will we know?”For deeper benchmarks and practical checklists, explore the full research report and see how peers are operationalizing alignment in the flow of work.

Driving Business Impact: Aligning Training With Strategic Goals

A majority (71 percent) of CEOs face imposter syndrome during their leadership, according to Korn Ferry. While we might not all be CEOs, most of us experience imposter syndrome at some point. The Label and the Human ConditionIt’s perfectly natural to feel like a fraud—whether it’s when facing a new job, environment, or large challenge.But there’s an interesting thing about the human mind. If we label it, in this case, imposter syndrome, it often becomes that very label we want to avoid.Moreover, labels make it seem like we are the problem.It’s worth remembering where the term came from. Doctors Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes originally referred to the “Imposter Phenomenon” in their 1978 paper: “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention.”Interestingly, their paper was specifically about high-achieving women, and it never used the term “syndrome.” That was later added when psychologist Carol Tavris used both phenomenon and syndrome in her 1982 Vogue article, “Your Life, Your Health—Who’s in Control?”Why do all these details matter?In short, feeling like a fraud is a perfectly normal experience of the human condition. If we don’t doubt ourselves at times, we plow on making mistakes and missing details blinded by overconfidence.Instead, self-doubt allows us to reflect, check, and improve on ourselves.Of course, some cases can and do turn into a pathological syndrome, but it’s vital to understand and face the cause rather than jump onto symptoms.To manage imposter feelings, understand the root cause:How does your environment or work culture support or hinder your confidence? What is within your control to change? We can all do our part to nurture belonging as part of our work culture, including promoting book clubs, for example. Who or where are your allies such that you both support and promote each other? Feeling like you’re the only one in the trenches can turn into an imposter phenomenon.What biases or stereotypes operate around you? Sometimes we are hired into a leadership role because we are different, and this can quickly lead to feelings of not belonging and of being a fraud.Embrace the Whole of YouWhen facing imposter feelings, many try logic and reframing or mind over matter. “While these are valid techniques, the cognitive approach can only take you so far because imposter feelings are driven by emotions that want to be heard.”Instead, the art is to embrace all our emotions, an approach that can be built on the foundations of emotional intelligence at work. In the language of Internal Family Systems, we welcome all our internal parts.Essentially, we all have a family of inner parts, and it is within our power to embrace them. As such, we mediate harmony by leveraging our inner compassionate and confident core self.Everyone can connect to that inner core and become more grounded and at peace with their parts, including the imposter ones. The power of the approach is that it targets both our logical and emotional minds.Collaborate with your imposter part:Imagine your imposter part as a separate entity with shape and color, and try to get to know it. While this might sound strange, it naturally creates a space so that the emotions become less overwhelming.Practice self-compassion both toward yourself and your imposter part. It has been trying to protect you, even if over-enthusiastically. By highlighting self-doubt, it might be telling you to change your approach, for instance.Note when the imposter feelings come up and how they influence you. Sit with the emotions to deepen your understanding, and with time, they will gradually dissipate.Embrace Your Imposter Part for Future SuccessWorking with the mind means blending both logic and emotions. Most importantly, we need to deal with the root cause of imposter feelings. So, reflect on your inner imposter voice and collaborate with it. Furthermore, review how your environment and those around you perhaps feed the imposter part within you. As you connect with your imposter part and gradually shift what is within your control to change, you’ll find yourself feeling more grounded and self-assured. 

How to Embrace Imposter Syndrome for Better Results

 The Association for Talent Development, formerly ASTD, and The Public Manager announce that leaders from four federal agencies will give keynote addresses at the 2015 Government Workforce: Learning Innovations conference. Carol Colvin, Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, John Koskinen, IRS Commissioner, Carol Pope, Chair of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and Beth Cobert, Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will anchor the event. The conference will be held on September 10, 2015, in Washington, D.C.The keynote speakers will each share relevant stories about engagement, culture building, and the power of collaboration in each of their agencies.•    Commissioner Colvin will talk about workplace challenges like staying agile, planning for attrition, and increasing engagement.•    Commissioner Koskinen will address the reality of life at the intersection of increasing workloads and decreasing funding.•    Chairman Pope will be interviewed live about the “zero to hero” turnaround in employee engagement at the Federal Labor Relations Authority.•    Acting Director Cobert will speak about her plans for OPM and broader workforce challenges faced by government agencies today.The Government Workforce: Learning Innovations conference is designed to share human capital and workforce learning ‘best practices,’ with an emphasis on real-world application and implementation across government agencies. The innovative “un-conference” model will showcase the power collaboration and innovation have in the learning environment to help agencies meet their strategic mission outcomes.Program tracks for the conference are:•    Data Analytics - using data analytics to deliver agency missions•    Performance Management - managing performance of programs and people•    Everything Learning – best practices for informal learning and nontraditional training•    Getting Results - managing volatility and change to get resultsFor more information about the 2015 Government Workforce: Learning Innovations conference, visit www.governmentworkforce.org and watch this video. Follow the conference on Twitter with #GovWorkforce. Members of the media can request press credentials on www.td.org.

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