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Robert Todd Joins ASTD Board of Directors

As ?What If! technology director, Robert is passionate about applying the latest innovations in information technology to enable the fundamentally human enterprise of innovation capability—whether in the business, nonprofit, or academic sectors. Robert comes to ?What If! with more than 15 years of experience in e-learning content and technology development—from building McKinsey & Company’s e-learning capabilities as director of technology-enabled learning, to building and defining the go-to-market strategy of Convergys Corporation’s learning outsourcing business as practice lead, to developing e-learning solutions at DigitalThink as director of technology product management and director of course development.

Robert Todd

November 2014 - TD Magazine

The Innovator Chief Learning Officer

Robert Tanner is the founder and principal consultant of Business Consulting Solutions based in Bellevue, Washington. He is a recognized thought leader in the areas of high performance management and effective leadership, and the founder of the popular business blog, "Management is a Journey." Robert’s professional work and his leadership voice reflect his own early struggles in management—as a young man, he was promoted into management for his technical skills with no regard for his then underdeveloped people skills. As a result of his early struggles to become a better leader and manager, Robert is passionate about helping leaders with the people side of business. Today, Robert is an accomplished consultant and a top-rated national leadership seminar facilitator and course developer for a global top 20 training firm. He is a certified change management consultant, a certified administrator of psychological type assessments, and a leadership professional with management experience in the private and public sectors. He’s been an adjunct professor of management at several universities including California State University and Keller Graduate School, where he taught human resources and management courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Nationally, Robert has helped business professionals at all levels in the public and private sectors to enhance their leadership and management effectiveness. Robert holds an MBA in strategic management and a BS in organizational behavior. He was awarded lifetime membership to the International Honor Society Beta Gamma Sigma based on his graduate academic course work. His professional associations include the American Society for Training & Development and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Robert Tanner

Todays Gurus Rethinking the Obsolete

 These are tough times for government. Heated budget battles and rhetoric about the size, function, scope, and effectiveness of government have generated criticism not just of government itself, but also of the people who deliver public services to our citizens. Across the country—in Congress, state legislatures, city councils, political speeches and ads, the media, and elsewhere—government agencies and their employees are being denigrated. The recent battle over the budget for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, for example, is just one example of how public servants have become pawns in larger political battles. Despite the drumbeat of criticism (or maybe because of it), I believe that the biggest challenge facing government today is attracting, developing, and retaining talent. A key to meeting this challenge is creating the kinds of workplaces that will maximize employee engagement. But government leaders striving to improve engagement face a different set of challenges than private sector leaders, including dealing with the constant barrage of criticism. There is a strong business case for why government jurisdictions and agencies should focus on improving engagement. Study after study has shown that organizations with highly-engaged workforces outperform low-engagement organizations—in strategic goal achievement, productivity, customer service, retention, attendance, and so forth. This is true for both the public and private sectors. However, maintaining a high level of engagement in the public sector is a tough challenge. For example, the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey revealed that engagement among the nation’s largest employer has declined. Similarly, the 2014 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings by the Partnership for Public Service showed a decline in federal employee job satisfaction for the fourth year in a row. And, while we don’t have comparable data for state and local government, it is likely that the needle of engagement is moving in the wrong direction in these sectors as well. After all, criticism of government compounded by the ever-present calls for smaller government, can’t help but affect the morale of public servants. But I try not to focus on problems without offering solutions. The flip side of challenge is opportunity, and I believe that the relatively low level of engagement in government (even the most optimistic results from engagement surveys peg the percentage of engaged employees in government at less than 65 percent), creates the opportunity to improve performance by improving engagement.However, I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution to improving engagement. Instead, each government jurisdiction and agency needs to:assess its own level of engagement (ideally through a valid employee engagement survey)analyze the results to determine what areas to focus ontake actionperiodically re-survey to see if engagement is improving. In other words, agencies shouldn’t administer the medicine before diagnosing the condition.There are instructive examples of what government organizations have done to improve engagement. These include: providing senior-level strategic leadership on improving engagementdeveloping leadership and management competencies around employee engagementimproving communication across the organizationmanaging employee performance more effectivelyensuring that employees believe that their opinions countcreating a positive work environment, such as adopting more flexible work arrangementsimproving the onboarding of new employeesclarifying the line of sight between employees’ work and the organization’s missionspan>enhancing employee prospects for career growthrecognizing employee contributions. While it’s helpful to understand actions public-sector organizations have taken to build engagement, there is no magic bullet. Instead, what’s needed is a systematic assessment of engagement and then a carefully constructed approach to dealing with the issues the data reveal. Creating a culture of engagement—and improving performance—is a marathon, not a sprint. To learn more, join more for the webcast, “Building a Culture of Employee Engagement,” March 10, 2015, at 2:00 p.m.

Improving Employee Engagement in Government—Now More Than Ever

Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Dr. Clifford Rossi is an Executive-in-Residence and Professor of the Practice at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. Dr. Rossi has nearly 25 years of experience in banking and government, having held senior executive roles in risk management at several of the largest financial services companies. Dr. Rossi held senior risk management positions at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. His research interests include GSE reform, housing finance reform, bank capital issues and implications of Dodd-Frank on banking.

Clifford Rossi

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A modern intranet is a vital component of any effective culture strategy in today's distributed work landscape. It’s often how new employees first experience a company’s culture (during onboarding), and it remains a key connection point for a growing virtual workforce.When built thoughtfully, your intranet helps communicate core values, encourages open dialogue, and fosters a sense of belonging, all of which are key elements in driving mindsets and behavior. Here’s how to establish your digital ecosystem as a powerful tool for shaping and reinforcing your organization’s culture.Embed Core Values Into the IntranetYour intranet should reflect your organization’s identity and values. It’s more than a functional platform; it should visually and practically integrate the behaviors and principles you want to encourage.Consider dedicating sections of your homepage to highlighting your organization’s values. For example, visually appealing banners or callout boxes can remind employees of the values the organization celebrates, recognizes, and strives to live by. Go a step further by featuring stories of “values in action”—real-life examples of employees who demonstrate these values in meaningful ways. Not only does this make your values tangible, but it also shows your team that living the values is recognized and appreciated.Provide a Leadership Communication HubLeaders play a critical role in shaping and communicating an organization’s cultural vision. An intranet that’s designed to promote leadership visibility and transparency can help drive culture transformation.Creating a dedicated leadership communication hub offers employees direct access to leaders’ thoughts, plans, and visions. This could include regular blog posts, video or podcast updates, or live Q&A sessions that support sharing ideas and asking questions.It’s important to provide spaces for leaders across business units and departments to deliver messaging that reinforces strategic perspective and makes it tangible for their teams. When employees feel they have a direct line to leadership, it builds trust and helps align the entire organization around a shared vision. These communications should be authentic, relatable, and align with the organization’s values. Whether it’s a heartfelt video about the company’s future or a blog post reflecting on recent successes, these touchpoints help reinforce the cultural direction in an approachable way.Foster Community and CollaborationA thriving organizational culture is one where employees feel connected—not just to leadership but to each other. The intranet can be a powerful tool for fostering that sense of community and collaboration.Interactive features, such as discussion forums, virtual team spaces, or recognition walls, allow employees to engage with one another beyond their immediate teams. These features encourage cross-departmental collaboration and provide a space for employees to share their thoughts, challenges, and successes in real time. Doing so creates moments where culture can flourish organically.Recognition walls, for example, can act as a social center where employees highlight peers for outstanding contributions or living the company’s values. This not only boosts morale, but it also reinforces a sense of belonging—critical components of a strong organizational culture.At TiER1, we strive to ensure that our culture is clear throughout our Microsoft365 digital ecosystem in the following ways:Our main intranet home on SharePoint has highlighted pages that articulate our core values and aspirations.Our TiER1 Matters Weekly newsletter includes insights from our president and is published via SharePoint News, so it’s automatically archived and searchable.We use Forms to capture peer-to-peer nominations for our Values in Action Awards, which trigger automated posts to our Viva Engage community.Our Pulsecast Power App provides a mechanism for leaders to publish podcasts around quarterly priorities, personal growth reflections, and “whole-self stories” to create an inclusive environment.We regularly publish key metrics around our business and employee experience leveraging Power BI to reinforce transparency and accountability.Embrace Human-Centered Design and Continuous ImprovementTo truly be a driver of culture transformation, your intranet must be designed with employees at the center. The best intranets are built through a process that considers the needs, behaviors, and pain points of the people who will use it every day. A human-centered design approach ensures that the intranet is intuitive, easy to use, and genuinely helpful.The design process starts with understanding user needs. By collecting feedback from employees, conducting usability tests, and refining features based on real-world use, the intranet becomes more than a static tool—it evolves into a living platform that adapts to users’ needs.Continuous improvement is key. As your organization grows and changes, so will your employees’ needs. Regular updates based on user feedback help ensure that your intranet remains relevant and engaging. Focusing on ongoing refinement creates a dynamic space that reflects the pulse of the organization, evolving alongside your company’s culture.Intranets can be powerful drivers of transformation when they are intentionally designed and continuously improved. After all, culture lives in the interactions between employees, their leaders, and the tools they use to connect with one another. When your digital ecosystem becomes a space where values, communication, and community thrive, you’re not just building a platform—you’re building a culture.

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