Learning & Development Websites

and finally … the New Year is well under way and I”m just getting around to putting up another posting.  I’m feeling like a bit of a lone voice here though – so if you’d like to share with us please do submit a posting – we’d love to hear from you. 

For today, however, here is my offering.

Learning & Development Websites:

Recently I’ve been looking at a number of websites which I think might be useful to share.  Finding good resources and facilitators can make or break the delivery of effective learning and development.   So here are a few from me and I’d be delighted to see other links to resources that you think are worthwhile too.

Facilitators – library experience

www.theprofessionalismgroup.co.uk

www.buckleyowen.com

www.leadingedgetraining.org.uk

www.bridgfordconsultancy.co.uk

I’ve only shared providers I know with previous library experience but do let me know if you’d like us to share other training providers that we come across outside of the library world.

Resources

http://businessballs.com

http://www.trainingzone.co.uk

http://www.leadingedgetraining.org.uk

http://www.microsoft.com/business/en-us/resources/management/small-business-leadership-training.aspx

Disclaimer:  the resources from the web links in this blog need to be investigated against your own criteria of need and we take no responsibility for the content or delivery from them.

Happy Christmas and New Year Tips for Managers

 

As we break for Christmas, the PTEG committee would like to wish you a warm and happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. 

Rather than a Christmas message (and as I’m so late posting) I thought I’d add in a few tips for the New Year.   Here’s to a successful and stress controlled 2012. 

Ring in the New…. 

New Year Resolutions for Managers

 As we start work again after the New Year here are a few tips to help with managing more effectively and keeping our own stress levels at bay!

• Delegate properly – give the authority along with the activity – explain everything thoroughly, check out understanding by asking them to paraphrase what they understand you to be asking them to achieve and then let them go and do it their own way!   Have reviews but avoid interfering.  The more they take responsibility the more they will achieve.
• Put aside planning time!  You know the adage – ‘He who fails to plan, plans to fail’.  We all know in our hearts that we need to plan but finding the time to do so is often a real headache.  Try to diary planning time including planning the week ahead – in your last or first slot of the week – but diary it – and stick to it!  Being clear about what is most important as opposed to what is most urgent helps you to avoid leaping from one crisis to another and instead helps you to be proactive instead of just being reactive.
• Work out the best time-management strategy for you.   There are so many different ways to manage your time and work more efficiently and you need to find the one which will suit you best.   As part of this decide what is on your to do list which is never going to get done and ditch it!  If it’s been hanging about that long it can’t be too important!
• Make sure you do an annual review (at minimum) with each of your team to ensure they are achieving and not sinking!  All the skills you need in managing time, planning and delegating probably apply to them too so share best practice and don’t be afraid to take on their strategies if they feel more appropriate than your own – we can learn from everyone.
• And finally … Build in time for learning something new.  Well you would expect that from PTEG wouldn’t you!   There are so many ways to improve both your own and your colleague’s development but sometimes we’re so busy managing the development of other’s that we forget to manage our own.  So look at the many free resources and consider what you could learn that would really help you to move forward this year.

 

The Nine Principles of Coaching

 As part of developing our coaching skills we need to understand and develop our abilities to facilitate the nine principles of coaching:

Awareness: everything the coach says and does is focused on raising the coachee’s own awareness and self-knowledge.

Responsibility: self-responsibility – or taking ownership of our decision – we learn better when we discover things for ourselves than when others tell us.

Self-belief: there are two components to building people’s confidence – allowing them the space to practise, stretch themselves and make mistakes and giving them recognition for their achievements.

Blame free: mistakes are viewed as learning experiences – not reasons to look for a scapegoat. 

Solution focus: when we dwell on a problem it gets bigger. When we focus on the solution, the problem becomes manageable and we find more energy to deal with it. 

Challenge: Most of us like to be challenged and stretched within a supportive and encouraging environment.

Action: Coaching uncovers new perspectives and awareness.  In this way, coachees gain new insight, which leads to more options, which in turn lead to a desire to take action and change.

Trust: without trust between the coach and coachee, it is not possible for coaching to take place.  Trust is fundamental to the coaching relationship. 

 Self directed learning: This is the core principle of coaching: a coach or a leader who is managing in a coaching style focuses on empowering their people to identify and develop their own resources so that they may achieve their potential in a fulfilling and stimulating way. 

 The big question is how do you develop the skills to really ensure these principles are embedded in your work.    If you have any ideas of ways to develop coachees or mentees in any of these areas why not post them and we’ll compile a list of good ideas for development.

 The next ‘Coaching as a Leadership Tool’ course will be held in the New Year.  Please e-mail carol.brooks@derbyshire.gov.uk if you would like to be advised of forthcoming courses.

The Purpose of Coaching & Mentoring

 I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the purpose of coaching and mentoring.  I attended a meeting at LSIS where we looked at a list of purposes.  I’ve out some of them below and I’d be interested to hear what you think of them and whether you have any others you’d like to add into the pot.

 The key purpose of coaching and mentoring is …..

  …to help an individual to develop personally and/or professionally in a given context

  …to provide support for the development of an individual in a given context

  …to enable an individual to develop through the transfer of knowledge, understanding and skills based on the experience of another

  …the acquisition of skills, knowledge and understanding through which people renew their abilities and maximise their impact

   …to facilitate the performance, learning and development of an individual (in a given context)

  …to help an individual to learn through the knowledge and experiences of others

  …to help individuals to develop competencies to manage their learning to fulfil their potential

 And finally – the one suggested by LSIS in the new National Occupational Standards for Coaching and Mentoring:

 “To facilitate, in a given context, learning, development and performance, to help others to develop the skills, competences and attitudes to achieve the desired outcomes.”

 If you’d like to take part in the survey about the draft NOS for Coaching and Mentoring then go to this link (closing date for submissions 11/11/11) 

http://www.snapsurveys.com/swh/surveylogin.asp?k=131582521094

And to see the draft NOS go to http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=320143

Carol Brooks