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ATD Session intro - Ria Van Dinteren and Evert Pruis

Evert Pruis worked as change manager and learning and development professional in the process and oil industry, IT, finance, professional services, and government. After leaving Shell-Royal Dutch Oil, he co-founded the Forzes network of organizational change professionals. As a leadership, integrated talent management, and team coaching specialist, he's driven to ignite organizational transformation in leaders', talents', and teams' hearts, minds, and capabilities.Evert was the chief architect of the ProRail IT Young Talent Program, which started its first season in 2020. Five years and seasons later, the rolling retention rate is over 90 percent.

Evert Pruis

Discover what truly keeps young talent thriving and why it matters for your organization.

Beyond Traineeships: The Power of Purpose, Challenge, and Care in Young Talent Programs

Bias is a complex issue that can be difficult to detect because it often operates unconsciously. Reverse mentoring is a process in which junior employees mentor senior employees.

Use Reverse Mentoring to Reduce Bias and Promote D&I

Keep Them Aligned! Neurological Insights for Talent Development

February 2013 - TD Magazine

Human Capital Realities Pose Challenges Across the Globe

Acknowledged as one of the most engaging and crowd-pleasing speakers in the world of neuroscience, John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist, a researcher, a professor, and the author of 10 books. His New York Times bestseller, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving at Work, Home and School has been celebrated as the standard handbook on understanding the brain and optimizing its performance. Brain Rules has been translated into more than 20 languages and selected as a textbook at numerous universities. John’s focus is on the genes behind brain development and psychiatric conditions. He has spent most of his professional life as an analytical research consultant, working primarily in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries on research related to mental health. He also consults with hospitals and healthcare facilities on designing brain-healthy environments that reduce staff stress and improve patient outcomes. John is an affiliate professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is also the founding director of the Talaris Research Institute, which studies how infants encode and process information at the cognitive, cellular, and molecular level. His extensive study of the developing brain resulted in his most recent book, Brain Rules for Baby. John’s upcoming books, The Teenaged Brain and Your Aging Brain, further explore the brain’s life stages.John and his team work collaboratively with clients to understand his audiences and tailor his presentations to fit specific interests and challenges. His high-energy keynotes consistently receive high ratings and resounding applause. As one corporate event committee chair praised, “He was the talk of the conference—a rare combination of brilliance and engaging presentation style.”

John Medina

Most new managers dread the idea of having to give feedback…and so they don’t. When it comes to giving feedback, it doesn’t matter how skilled you are or how polished your words are if there is one thing missing: trust. If your employee doesn’t trust your intent, believing you have their interests at heart, they won’t listen—period. This is the essence of psychological safety. To provide feedback that improves results, you will need to do so in a way that invites them to willingly reveal how they’ve missed the mark and sincerely reflect on ways that lead to improvement. Without safety, they’re more likely to distort and defend than reveal and reflect. But there’s a problem you’ll need to address: The brain doesn’t need a stark display of hostility to feel threatened. In moments of vulnerability, it only needs subtle, seemingly neutral cues—the slight raising of an eyebrow, a simple crinkle of your nose, or a break in eye contact can send a strong signal to the brain that it’s unsafe. Your job when delivering feedback is to generate evidence to the other person that they are safe. And you don’t accomplish that by beating around the bush or watering down the truth. Safety and truth are two independent variables. Don’t try to accomplish one by shorting the other. While your truth—the feedback you want to give—might still cause hurt, the pain from that feedback can become growth when others feel safe with you. People rarely get defensive about what you’re saying. People get defensive because of why they think you’re saying it. It’s their perception of your intent that provokes defensiveness, not the sensitivity of the content. If they believe your intent is to embarrass, critique, or shame, they will feel—and act—unsafe. They’re unlikely to reveal all relevant information and reflect sincerely on what they need to do to improve. If, on the other hand, they think that your intent is to find the truth, improve results, and even strengthen a relationship, then there’s a reasonable chance you can lay out the truth as you see it and be fully heard. Once you’ve done the hard yet worthy work of creating a trusting and safe relationship, here are some practical skills that will help you deliver feedback effectively. Share Your Good Intent Expressing good intent does not mean flattering or trying to appease the other person with irrelevant compliments. Expressing good intent means making it clear to the other person that you care about them and their interests. Sharing your good intent sounds like this: “First, I want you to know that I think you are doing a nice job in your role. I also want you to see you grow in this agency and have the success you want to have. I want to share some ideas I think will help you do that.” Share the Facts When it’s time to give the specifics of the feedback, start with facts. Share what you have observed before you share your interpretation of what you’ve observed. You want to stay external by describing what’s happening outside your head (“You cut the person off mid-sentence”) as opposed to what’s happening inside your head (“You’re rude”). Facts are less controversial than opinions and feelings. Facts are more persuasive. Be Brief and Direct Be careful not to let your desire for improvement become a desire to lecture. Even if you use the first two skills, you can destroy safety by turning a simple statement into a drawn-out diatribe. We often use ten words when three would do, deliver long meandering openings, and share random and disconnected compliments. If you’ve created safety, be clear, succinct, and direct. In the end, don’t isolate feedback to rare occasions that have some formal tradition surrounding them. Instead give short, honest, and helpful feedback on a regular basis. If you combine this feedback with consistent praise of excellent performance, you’ll not only help people improve, but you’ll quickly become one of the best bosses people have ever had in their career. 

How to Deliver Feedback Effectively

As the world continues to navigate the uncertain landscape created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccination process, a leader’s emotional intelligence matters more than ever. Some of the traits of great leaders include their abilities to correctly gauge people’s emotions and high social awareness. It’s no coincidence these form the foundation of emotional intelligence.What Is Emotional Intelligence? Why Is It Important at Work? And How Can Leaders Get Better?In The EQ Difference: A Powerful Plan for Putting Emotional Intelligence to Work, Adele Lynn defines emotional intelligence as the ability to manage yourself and your relationships with others so that you truly live your intentions. While the term emotional intelligence was coined around 2005, the World Economic Forum ranked emotional intelligence as one of the top 10 most important workplace skills for success in 2020, and emotional intelligence has also been listed as a crucial ingredient of great leadership.What Does Emotional Intelligence Look Like in Leadership?One example of a well-known senior leader who shows emotional intelligence in leadership is Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Bezos is known for his leadership style, which uses self-deprecating humor to make others feel comfortable with him. Next is Elon Musk. Musk thanked Tesla owners on Twitter for taking a chance on his cars when experts said his company wouldn’t work. And then there’s Ford’s former CEO Alan Mulally. He wrote handwritten notes to employees, praising their work. The bottom line? Whatever your business or industry, making human connections with everyone is crucial. People want to associate with those they can trust.The Skills That Comprise Emotional IntelligenceFrom the definition of emotional intelligence by American psychologists John Mayer and Peter Salovey, we can learn what emotional intelligence skills are all about: “The emotionally intelligent person is skilled in four areas: identifying emotions, using emotions, understanding emotions, and regulating emotions.” Successful leaders are proficient in all four areas. But how do people show emotional intelligence in leadership? Leaders show emotional intelligence when they are open-minded. They also consider other ideas and perspectives. They’re nonjudgmental in their responses and emotional reaction. An emotionally intelligent leader is fully present and able to read others well. But emotionally intelligent leaders can also adjust their thinking or approach in response to the emotion or behavior of others, which often results in better outcomes.Why Is Emotional Intelligence Important in Difficult Situations?One reason emotional intelligence is so important when dealing with difficult situations is that an emotionally intelligent leader will respond to adversity in a calm, considered way. The emotionally intelligent leader is better at managing emotions—both their own and those of others—during times of stress or pressure. But a worrying trend today’s leader must consider is the increased risk of burnout. DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2021 reports that 86 percent of high-potential leaders are at risk of burnout_._ The forecast shows that the primary factor that influences burnout is a leader’s ability to demonstrate empathy. The root of empathy is the ability to connect with people on a more human level. This is just one example of what leaders today must deal with. But there are many more situations where emotional intelligence in leadership is important, if not essential. And today, crisis is part of every leader’s new normal. So, during a time of crisis, how should leaders use emotional intelligence? And how can leaders with limited emotional intelligence develop? Find out more in DDI’s blog.

Constant Crisis: Why Leaders’ Emotional Intelligence Matters

The worldwide talent development community is diverse. Our members bring a wealth of experience and insight to their work. We're spotlighting their stories.Les Cowie has been a member of ATD since 2017. Here's his story in his own words.Tell us a little bit about yourself.We emmigrated legally to the United States more than 20 years ago after a successful career of building two companies focused on video-based teaching of technical skills to people with limited education as a result of the harsh apartheid policies in South Africa. We also had a company that produced content for broadcast television networks. In the process, we learned about the use of the Pareto 20/80 principle as applied to jobs. Twenty percent of a job's activities get repeated 80 percent of the time, and 20 percent of job faults typically occur 80 percent of the time. We developed the 7 Step TM occupation analysis and content capture process and applied it with such success that companies we worked for that had been achieving less than 50 percent throughput per shift yielded almost 90 percent throughput per shift along with dramatic reductions in stoppages, damages, and costs. There were significant improvements in profitability. Since arriving in the United States I have applied these principles to developing learning programs in multiple industrial, commercial, government and nonprofit organizations while consulting for venture capital companies that have bought, built, and sold businesses.My family enjoyed great high school and college educations in Atlanta, Georgia. Our eldest son, at age 24, was the producer of the original horror movie The Blair Witch Project. My daughter graduated as a mechanical engineer and now heads a large international team developing software applications for day-trading in international currencies and stock exchanges. My youngest son manages the software support team for that software. They've each had their turn at the American dream! Sadly, my wife, who helped me discover this technology, build the businesses, and raise our family, lost to the ravages of cancer more than a year ago.We love this country. Now it’s time to give back. I've authored three books to pass on my knowledge and experience and provide consulting insight for companies that wish to innovate and growWhat are your personal and professional goals?I wish to build and leave behind a legacy that will touch millions. My goal is to complete the development of a low-cost solution for filling the current 6.2 million technical job vacancies in the United States. We want to positively affect middle and high school populations, unemployed populations, and the 650,000 prison inmates we release each year in this country.What’s the most valuable insight you’ve gained or experienced during your membership with ATD?The opportunity to interact with individuals who truly have the interests of learners at heart and who are open to learning fresh approaches to solving occupational challenges.Can you share any professional tips specific to talent development that you have picked up along the way?Listen to the people performing the jobs. Ask the right questions. Understand the importance of what it takes for people to perform correctly and initiate changes for improvement. Recognize their personal goals and challenges.Listen to young people. Millennials and younger generations are growing up encountering change so fast that they are developing coping and adjustment mechanisms we need to understand. We must build paths for change into all occupation learning programs.Learn how best to use the Pareto 20/80 principle. Use it to take one bite of the elephant at a time. Job content can be delivered in phases. Teach how 80 percent happens only 20 percent of the time. In the meantime the 80 percent can be tackled by people with experience on the job so long as those in the 20 percent category know when to call for help from the “oldie.” After all, experience is only waiting around long enough for the low-frequency events to happen enough times for us to learn how to deal with them.What common misconception do you see about talent development?"It's been good enough until now, so why change things?" This saying is still prevalent today. You hear it from people who sweated and worked hard through their early years and feel they have “paid their dues.” They no longer have the passion and drive to quickly build the right solutions. It is the death knell for a learning development department.Do you have any advice for people looking to further their careers?Find mentors. Find a mentor who has an awesome success record in building innovative learning solutions. Older, experienced people have enormous value in shaping your thinking. At the same time, find a young, innovative mentor who can open your eyes to the changes happening in learning systems. Especially, if you are not fluent in building websites and using social media, find a mentor who can show you the way. Find a balance and you will find innovation and success.How do you stay motivated?The desire to build a worthwhile legacy drives me to start the day at four in the morning and strive to fill every hour with productive achievement.How do you find meaning in your work?Each "Thank you for what you did for me" is a blessing beyond belief.Have your own story to tell? Share it with us.

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