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John Beck

ATD Links Archive - ATD Links

Simple online games encourage the Gamer Generation to stay engaged with e-learning. On the verge of a large scale invasion of corporate America are about 90 million people born in the early 1980s who are labeled "gamers" by John Beck. Beck is the co-author of the book Got Game - How the Gamer Generation is Reshaping Business Forever....

Teaching Facts with Fun, Online Games

Discusses unconventional wisdom on teamwork which disproves common myths about what makes a team successful. Common myths about teamwork; Stages of team development which must be understood by group leaders; Model for effective teams.

Moving beyond team myths

Elad Levinson contends that using the term “soft skills” perpetuates the assumption, bias, and habit of thinking that soft equals expendable. Instead, let’s communicate with words like “human skills” that connote valuable and intrinsic abilities.

Stop Calling It Soft Skills!

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”—Albert Schweitzer The insightful author, Ken Blanchard, states the key to successful leadership is influence, not authority. This certainly is wisdom. It is our actions and attitudes that influence those around us. If we see others as valued teammates, if we work with our people and not above them, then our example can inspire others to greatness. Unfortunately, this kind of positive influence is not the norm. Surveys show that more than 70 percent of people working today do not feel fully engaged, and more than 50 percent do not feel they have a productive working relationship with their manager. In fact, 33 percent do not get along with their manager, and the same percentage is actively looking for a new job. Clearly, morale in business is low. This is bad news for productivity and retention. Research finds that happy workers do great work; unhappy workers, less so! Unfortunately, too many managers do not take time to develop relationships with the people they work with. How Leaders Build Influence Often using a command and control style, many leaders fail to seek advice, ideas, input, and feedback. In short, they do not encourage or empower their people. Too many senior managers believe, “People will follow me because of my authority here in my corner office or my title.” That is just not so, at least not for long. People who are led by self-absorbed and insecure managers will not last long in that environment, as statistics have shown. And they certainly will not sustain any enthusiasm and passion for their work and the company. The best leaders turn their focus away from themselves, and make the growth and success of their team members a top priority. These leaders derive satisfaction and sustain success from the satisfaction and success of their team members. Let’s remember the adage that to be a truly great leader, we must stand with our people, not above them. Indeed, the goal is to win the hearts and minds of our people. That does not mean befriending them, it means taking even a few minutes for conversations with them, listening and being encouraging and helpful. Note the words with them. It is very important to our people that their managers genuinely care about them and their ideas. People who feel appreciated and actively supported in their career will reward their company with their very best work. And the very best leaders will earn the respect of their people by thinking about them, treating them as teammates—not staff. The best leaders embody positive energy and visibly recognize and celebrate the good work and success of others. That is what excites our people. That is the kind of leader who has the strongest influence. Kind words motivate people! Influencers in my Career There are numerous leaders who have greatly influenced me. Three I’d like to mention are: Lewis Perry, my high school professorBill Dunn, to whom I reported early in my Johnson & Higgins careerChristine LaSala, my partner at J&H. Each had the humility and a quiet confidence to focus on others. Each was a compelling example for others. Each was encouraging and very helpful—I knew they were rooting for me. Consequently, I worked very hard and wanted to succeed. Each of these leaders helped to bring out the best in me, and I have overflowing respect for them. This is influence, and this is leadership. Cathy Becker, director of human resources for AISC and formerly with J&H, says that leadership is how we help people feel about themselves. That certainly captures the essence of effective leadership, and illustrates how important it is for us to connect with and positively influence our people. And this cannot be done effectively with a “tell” style, nor can it be done with emails. We have to make the time to be with our people and mentor and coach them. Spending that focused time with them lets them know we are genuine about helping them, and that we care. This is an investment in the quality of your culture—the quality of the work and service of your company. Ultimately, it’s an investment in your financial results! Moving Forward Let’s all take a closer look at articles and books that describe servant leadership, emotional intelligence, empathy, and the golden rules of relationships. We can all gain helpful knowledge, principles, and tips about connecting with our people and earning their trust and respect. I also encourage leaders to regularly seek advice and feedback. Remember, the higher up we are, the less honest feedback we receive. We must assure those with whom we work that we want their honest feedback, and that we will be receptive, not defensive. We want to assure them that one of our top priorities is to continue to learn and grow. This is how to inspire winning culture. And all of us can be leaders, whatever our position. We can be a flame of optimism and inspiration, influencing our company, our division, our team, and even a team member to do great work. In fact, “the more we give of ourselves to help our team and team members, the more we give them our trust, the greater our influence!”

Using Our Influence to Lead

The May 2014 issue of The Atlantic offers the insightful article, “Closing the Confidence Gap,” by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, which aptly describes the difference in the natural confidence levels of women and men. The authors maintain that men’s generally high level of confidence is an advantage, and women’s generally lower level of confidence is limiting for them.In my experience in business and leadership consulting and coaching, I have seen this dynamic very clearly. I have often said that I wish I had a confidence pill I could offer many of the women (and some men) with whom I work, as I know how much they have to offer their companies.I know that a little confidence boost would make their contributions more visible, and that their advancement would definitely improve the results of their companies.Take actionBecause I am well aware that this lesser confidence is holding back many talented women and men, some months ago I wrote a short article, How To Increase Our Inner-Confidence. I received a great deal of appreciative feedback.There is no magic confidence pill. But like with so many goals and aspirations, we can begin to move ahead with small actions and mindsets. We can definitely feel better about ourselves with these simple actions:being well groomeddressing neatlybeing preparedcontributing ideasalways being 15 minutes earlycalling people by their namestaking a genuine interest in othersgetting others to talk about themselvessmilingstanding tallwalking purposefullyexercisingeating wellassuring that our spirituality is a priority gettingadequate reststaying in touch with family and friends, including old friendscontributing to our communitiesencouraging and helping others, anddefinitely being in a positive frame of mind and a source of positive, and only positive, energy.Thinking positivelyI know, these may seem like the basics, and they are. Yet, often progress towards what we what to achieve begins with the basics, even what might be considered baby steps. Even baby steps change our mind set as we are positively moving forward.How can leadership help? If we acknowledge that women generally have a lower level of self-confidence, and accept the premise that a problem discussed is a problem half solved, we can certainly be part of the solution. We can get together for conversations, ask how can we help one another, and be supportive and encouraging.It is amazing how “Hey, you are good at that, nice work.” is a boost to one’s confidence.Cathy Becker, a former colleague, an HR professional, and a great friend recently said to me, “Leadership is how we make others feel about themselves.” That is a good description—with lots of insight.Will these actions and principles guarantee confidence to succeed in business? They will sure help, a lot! And the more we can help one another, women and men, to gain the self-confidence we deserve, the stronger our cultures and the better the financial results of our companies.

Boosting Our Inner-Confidence

There has been a dramatic shift in the country related to lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. As an example, as of this writing, a total of 17 states have declared the ban on gay marriage to be unconstitutional. Additionally, public sentiment is now reversed from a decade ago: 58 percent of Americans believe gay marriage should be legal, compared with 55 percent opposed in 2003, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News Poll.In a current headline from the news, Arizona’s legislators vetoed a proposed law that would have allowed florists, photographers, and other businesses to decline their services to single-sex marriages; demands to overturn the bill came from the National Football League, airlines, hotels, and other big businesses. Senator John McCain issued a statement that said, “I hope that we can now move from this controversy and assure the American people that everyone is welcome to live, work, and enjoy our beautiful state of Arizona.”Just today, Disney announced that it is ending its funding to the Boy Scouts over its anti-gay policies, another sign of the shifting landscape of attitudes.Adaptive organizations are changing their healthcare benefits, recruiting efforts, and awareness of LGBT rights. As skills shortages—along with the need to develop the best talent and reflect public attitudes—becomes a priority, many are updating their policies, offering LGBT Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and delivering training to help employees understand their biases and promote a workplace environment in which people do not feel the need to hide their sexual identities, unless they wish to do so.Reaching out to the LGBT community is also a business driver, as a highly attractive consumer segment: The average LGBT household earns $61,500 annually, which surpasses the average national household income by more than $10,000, according to The Huffington Post.Despite promising advances, significant barriers and stigmas remain, as reflected in these statistics from the website Bullyingstatistics.org: “... \[A\]bout 9 out of 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied at school within the past year because of their sexual orientation.... About 30 percent of all completed suicides have been related to sexual identity crisis.”Gays are in particularly grave danger in Africa: 38 of 54 African countries ban homosexuality, according to Amnesty International. Gays in Nigeria face 14-year prison terms as a result of recent legislation; Uganda’s laws now specify seven years in prison.Prejudice and bias is particularly acute in the case of transgendered individuals formally banned in the U.S. military, which defines this as a psychological disorder. In contrast, 12 countries now officially allow transgender people to serve openly in their military forces, including Britain and Australia.A recent TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design Conferences and Videos) talk featured Ash Beckham, an LGBT speaker and advocate, discussing how we all have metaphorical “closets,” ways in which we are fearful of revealing deep identity. She makes the point that "a closet is no place for any person to live.” Watch this moving video here.What does your organization do to create a workplace environment that is inclusive and welcoming to LGBT employees?To learn more about how to inspire learning, diversity, and inclusion in a changing world, register for the March 5 webcast or watch the archived version.To read more D&I blog posts, go to http://www.astd.org/Communities-of-Practice/Human-Capital/Best-Practices-in-Diversity-and-Inclusion.

LGBT Rights: A Shifting Landscape

Recommends books on employee training and development. \`The ASTD Training and Performance Yearbook,' by James W. Cortada and John A. Woods, \`The New Bottom Line,' edited by John Renesh and Bill Defoore, \`Jamming,' by John Kao and \`The Organization of the Future,' edited by Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith and Richard Beckhard.

Additional reading March 1997

Conflict Prevention Week Offers Ways to Create More Success and Satisfaction in Your Relationships.Carlsbad, CA — January 26, 2012 – Just in time for Valentine's Day, Conflict Prevention Week will feature webinars and activities focused on preventing and managing conflict in your relationships. The event is sponsored by the new book Have a Nice Conflict, and will feature a number of special book offers during the week of February 6th, 2012.Among the prominent speakers taking part in Conflict Prevention Week are globally recognized leadership expert, Michael Maccoby, internationally recognized authority on employee engagement, Beverly Kaye, and best-selling email etiquette author Mike Song. Each day will also feature a 30-minute exploration of each of the 5 Keys to Having a Nice Conflict – skills discovered by the characters in the book.The Five Keys to Having a Nice ConflictPoorly managed conflict takes a toll on our time, money, health, and happiness. However, we can learn to have a nice conflict—the type of conflict that consistently leads to greater productivity, stronger relationships, and leaves everyone involved feeling good about themselves.1. Anticipate: Anticipating conflict starts with having a better understanding of the people you're dealing with and how their view of a situation might differ from your own. When you respect a person's unique vantage point, you're better equipped to steer clear of their conflict triggers.2. Prevent: Preventing conflict is about the deliberate, appropriate use of behaviors in your relationships. If you know a person who highly values trust and fairness, you can prevent conflict with him/her by not using words or actions that threaten those values.3. Identify: There are three basic approaches in conflict: rising to the challenge (assert), cautiously withdrawing (analyze), or wanting to keep the peace (accommodate). When you are able to spot these approaches in yourself and others, you are empowered to handle conflict situations more productively.4. Manage: Managing conflict involves creating conditions that enable others to manage themselves out of the emotional state of conflict. But it's also important to manage yourself out. Managing yourself in conflict can be as easy as taking some time to see things differently.5. Resolve: To create movement toward resolution, we need to show the other person a path back to feeling good and valued. When people feel good about themselves, they are less likely to feel threatened and are free to move toward resolution.Written in the form of a novel, Have a Nice Conflict follows one man's fight to save his relationships and rescue his sinking career. Sales manager John Doyle would consider his career a success—he's his company's top salesman, and his take-charge attitude gets the job done. But when he is passed over for promotion—again—after losing two employees, who cite his abrasive style as their reason for leaving, John is forced to reassess how he approaches his relationships. With the help of Mac, an expert in the art of Relationship Awareness Theory, John learns the three stages of conflict, and how he reacts in each. Once he recognizes his own values and conflict trigger points, as well those of other people, John becomes able to better navigate terse situations, express his points in a way that resonates for other people, and even prevent conflict altogether.Have a Nice Conflict can be found at all major bookstores and online booksellers with special offers and events available February 6 – 10, 2012 as part of Conflict Prevention Week. Visit www.haveaniceconflict.com/preventionweek for more details.

HAVE A NICE CONFLICT BEFORE VALENTINE'S DAY

John Zorbini has spent his career helping organizations understand the strategic link between effectively managed human capital and successful business results. John’s unique background and experiences as a senior executive, professional speaker, and certified leadership coach, combined with his collaborative and results-focused approach, makes him ideal to consult, coach and facilitate all levels of leadership. For Stewart Leadership, John specializes in working with clients in such areas as succession planning, full-cycle strategy planning (business & talent review, succession review, leadership development review), human resources consulting, and executive leadership coaching.For 30 years, John held various leadership roles for three of Wisconsin’s largest employers, spending 25 of those years in the chief human resources officer position. Having an intimate understanding of the complexities and daily challenges of boards, executives, and other leaders, has enhanced his ability to quickly relate to and assist those with whom he works.As a professional speaker, John has delivered hundreds of workshops and presentations and continues to be a much-in-demand facilitator and speaker. Additionally, John has over 20 years of university-level teaching experience (undergraduate and MBA) as an assistant and adjunct professor at Marquette, Concordia, Cardinal Stritch, and Mount Mary Universities.John received his bachelor’s degree from West Liberty University in West Virginia and his master’s degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee. He completed his fellowship for executives at the Advisory Board in Washington, D.C.He has served as a board president or board member for governmental agencies, civic groups, and not-for-profit organizations, including former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s Council for College & Workforce Readiness (where he represented all businesses in Wisconsin); current Governor Tony Evers’ Career Development Committee; the Wisconsin Hospital Association’s Workforce Development Council; the Mount Mary University Board of Trustees; and others. He currently serves as Chairman of the Washington County Ethics Board.John has always been an active member of his community. He has been the recipient of his community’s Citizen of the Year Award, and two school district’s Friend of Education Award. He and his wife, Pam, reside in Erin, Wisconsin.

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