Blog & News

Tag: Learning

The Outside Does Not Work

We are born from the light within to make a difference Given birth and life to add to our world Curiosity, creativity, all natural in seeking new ways Maturity in life, to be better at all things We meet the light only to be captured by the dark We leave the dark only to enter back into the light Seeing for a short time both sides in a balance of life The darkness grows stronger, by greed, corruption and failing minds Mankind forever changing the balance The light struggles to stay light and show a better way We have choice, we think, yet pressured to surrender to the dark We have free will to make a difference in our balance Go within and find your light For the outside does not work  

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Building an in-house MBA Programme – Part 6

Let me address the fifth question from my Part 1 post on the topic of your organisation creating and implementing an in-house MBA Programme for employees. Question How does an organisation go about building an MBA and getting the commitment? Let’s keep this answer simple The question of commitment can only be led by the CEO of a business.  If they want well educated employees in their business that will clearly understand and support the company then Training & Development must be visibly on their agenda. The CEO must communicate the concept and the vision of the programme. To build your MBA programme the CEO must find a champion within the company, provide them with the resources and support them through having all the key managers drive the programme across the Company by:- Actively monitoring and participating towards the programmes’ success Removing all of the blockages to the programmes’ success Reward those that participate, contribute, implement and succeed on the programme Celebrating and communicating successes What are you waiting for?

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Building an in-house MBA Programme – Part 5

Let me address the fourth question from my Part 1 post on the topic of your organisation creating and implementing an in-house MBA Programme for employees. Question Does your organisation have the appropriate commitment and skills to manage and deliver such a programme? In life we receive our learning through experiences. This learning can be experiences gathered by undergoing informal or formal training. What is often not recognised within organisations is the value of providing a structured learning path. And how often do I hear that Training & Development budgets are the first to be cut when times are difficult. Creating your in-house MBA can provide the structured learning that suits your business and does not carry excessive costs. Do your top management say that they support training and behave differently? Getting the buy-in from the top management is critical. If Training & Development is way down their list of priorities then you will have limited success, if any. Organisations where senior management are interested in their own learning and lead by example will provide the commitment to support an in -house MBA programme. Active participation of the CEO will demonstrate the commitment of the business to the programme.  Anything less is not acceptable.

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Building an in-house MBA Programme – Part 4

Let me address the third question from my Part 1 post on the topic of your organisation creating and implementing an in-house MBA Programme for employees. Question What about a recognised accreditation? The question is who are you trying to get your MBA programme recognised and accredited by? It must be the students, who are your employees. If they see value in the programme and gain learning that leads to better development opportunities within the Company and if your employees are eager to join the programme this will demonstrate the value of your programme. Using your programme to form part of your ability to attract good employees to your Company will support its accreditation. Marketing your MBA as part of the Company’s overall offering as a good employer will also support its accreditation. Don’t forget it’s your employees that will give it the accreditation it needs. Having the employees better educated and more marketable to other employers will provide recognition. You might think why should our Company train our people for others to poach? Once my Managing Director asked me had I been ever approached by external head hunters, I replied “yes lots of the times – if nobody else wants me what are you doing with me here”  Your internal training and staff development must be recognised as a valuable retention tool. It will be your own employees that will provide the accreditation for your programme through their participation and implementation of their learning within their roles.  Building your programme into a sort after course will add value to your employees, business and clients.  I am positive if for example the Google’s, Microsoft’s, Shell Oil and other companies had such an offering in -house it would quickly received  recognition.

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Building your in-house MBA Programme – Part 2

Let me address the first question from my Part 1 post on the topic of your organisation creating and implementing an in-house MBA Programme for employees. Question What about the interactions with other students from different backgrounds or organisations which is important to a students’ overall learning? Moving employees across functions will create a working interaction with other colleagues who specialise within those functions. Interaction will provide different perspectives on business operations with other departments. Allowing for improved understanding of the function and encourage team work. It may also break down perceived barriers that may exist within the workplace. It will encourage employees to mix with other sections within the Company. Organisations with international elements could provide their employees with learning experiences in other countries, so that employees can experience different operations and cultures. Holding international residential workshops and in-company conferences will support interactions and learning experiences. Opening up the opportunity for business clients or suppliers to participate on inputs to your MBA programme will open up discussions which, in turn may created better understanding of business relationships and may lead to the possibilities of improving bottom line results for all parties. What about the added value of the inputs of academic institutes? – This Question will be addressed in Part 3

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Could your Company provide an in-house MBA Programme? – Part 1

Organisations have the capabilities to create and develop their own in-house Master of Business Administration (MBA) Programme.  Core elements of any MBA are to provide students with a broad range of business experiences.  Organisations with some or all of the functions like Marketing, Financial, Communications, Operations, Procurement, Human Resources etc. have the ability to utilise these resources much better by adding structured learning.  In addition using other business links where an organisation may lack experiences in house, like specialised topics for example, technology or legal services.  The required learning elements can be provided for by mutual cooperation with other companies. Organisations can provide deeper elements of a particular topic or function in house depending on the individual’s employee preference or business requirements. Some suggest advantages to a business Improving employee’s knowledge across their own business Applying relevant teaching and learning to actual live work projects as against case studies. Supports retention of staff and can provide improved development opportunities Increase management commitment and focus on development of its employees Employees feel that their studies and learning is important and recognised by the Company Improved decisions making as employees have better overall understanding of their own Company’s operations. Student’s learning is focused on the Company rather than non related activities Better return on the Company’s training spend Some questions to be addressed What about the interactions with other students from different backgrounds or organisations which is important to a students’ overall learning? What about the added value of the inputs of academic institutes? What about a recognised accreditation? Does your organisation have the appropriate commitment, skills to manage and deliver such a programme? How does an organisation go about building an MBA and getting the commitment?  These five questions will be addressed in the follow up post.  

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Getting Things Done

When you think it is all sorted think again.  Did you achieve what you set out to achieve?  Could it have been achieved better or earlier?  Did the task need to be done at all?  Did you need to be involved? Could you have planned it better? Questions that are often asked after the fact. It is often better to be very clear on what will not be done so that you and others will have a clear understanding of what will be done.  This way expectations can be clarified. Ask and address all the questions before you start.

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Learning in Life

We have experiences some forgotten and some not. Most to teach us and for us to learn, some to forget as we hang our head in shame.  Some to be proud of and hold our head high. But most experiences are to help us live and learn, to make mistakes and to learn, to try and to learn, to take risks and to learn.  The longer we live the more we know we have to learn. I wrote this poem just 8 years ago but its origin rests in the late year of  1990 while on a train from East Berlin to Poland. “Plays On My Mind” Once long ago I met a man on a train Travelling home after working so much in vain Not much to show for his working day He left his family so as to feed them by this only way There were many of us from afar Acting like kids full of jar This man can’t careless that we are here To pay for his family so dear We gave him drink and did not cheat Never a wild bunch did he meet When from his bag he did offer us a sweet They were for his love ones that he was to meet At that moment I knew where I was He had offered us more then he knows he does We never took one to be so kind Till this day this man plays on my mind Thanks to Jan for the permission to display  her beautiful Photograph of the Wild Gentin – Burren, County Clare, Ireland

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