Everyone is a Manager - March - The Big Question

What Would You Do to Support New Managers?

I was just reminded of the big question while cruising reader.google.com...my RSS reader of choice these days.

Our fearless uber-learning-blogger Tony Karrer points out Dave Lee's concern that there hasn't been much discussion about this month's question. So, I'll add some fuel for thought!

I'm not sure I totally understand the question. It looks like some of us are answering the question by discussing how much training we give to management/leadership programs and, as a trainig department, how we support the middle manager layer.

For the sake of discussion, and to follow Governor Schwarzenegger's sentiment, I'll state the following:

MANAGERS ARE IRRELAVANT!

Something I have sensed in the past few years and confirmed via the likes of Tom Peters and others is that it's all about ME inc. and YOU inc. and US inc. We are ALL managers! The most success I've ever had in my business life has come when my manager and I worked and acted like peers...basically elliminating the manager/subordinate relationship.

Leo Laporte Tweeted this:

"Flash of inspiration: we are witnessing the end of the corporate era. The future is digitally empowered individuals in loose confederation."

Slowly, but surely, we are all discovering the power of YOU.

YOU are not insignificant.
YOU have an online identity.
YOU have access to the connected world.
YOU have a network.
YOU have access to others just like you...no matter how YOUnique YOU think YOU are.

In the YOUniverse managers are history.

Learning and SUCCESS - Made to Stick

While the workweek is for surfing the Learning feeds, I enjoy catching up on my DESIGN and MARKETING folders on the weekends. This is sad because MOST of what I do IS design and marketing. (Remember, much of marketing is getting people to "know" about a product and service...i.e. Learning) I think its mostly because I just can't handle another 100 feeds during the weekdays.

From LOGIC+EMOTION comes this quick post about a book signing with the authors of the book Made to Stick.

The key traits of sticky ideas are listed like this:

Simple
Unexpected
Concrete
Credible
Emotional
Stories

Wow! Sounds a lot like the ingredients for effect transfer of knowledge to me.

On a different topic...yet related. I've recieved a lot of feedback possitive and negative regarding my response to the February BIG QUESTION. BTW - I love the feedback...good and bad...it helps me clarify my thinking. But to my point...I think Marketing suffers from the same problem as Instructional Design. Marketing combines many of the different -ologies for their work as well: anthropology, psychology, technology, etc.

What can we learn from the field of Marketing might make for a great next BIG QUESTION.

The February BIG QUESTION!

What Questions Should We Be Asking?

Well...here we go again! Everybody says all of the really great things before I get a chance to, so all I'm left with is "yeah, go look at what these cool people said".

Check out Mr. Oehlert's unique perspective and you'll also get links to the other smart people.

Me? Well, I think the biggest question is STILL, "Why US?". Why do we ("learning professionals") continue to think we have the answers that are special to learning...how it should be done...who should create it...and how should others consume it? Maybe the question is "Do we still add value to the new learning equation?"

Technology IS driving the changes in learning these days: Search (rip), create (mix), connect (feed). These tiny little words RULE the new world. Here it is put another way..."Do people really need us (ISDers) any more?" Or, "Does your company really need you (me, us) any more?"

This main theme continues to smack me in the head over and over and over again...ouch! Stop that! EVERYTHING we need...let me say that again...E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, we need to know about creating effective media for learning is being done by OTHER professions. That's what keeps hitting me in the head...where's the added value from ISD?

Here's what specifically smacked me in the head over the weekend:
It comes from comic books and the contiguity principle.
First, the contiguity principle: placing text near graphics improves learning. Holy crap! Is THAT the best we can do? There isn't a bigger NO DUH that I can possibly think of.
If you want to understand how graphics and words relate and how to best apply them in your elearning...look no further than Understanding Comics. Scott McCloud has it nailed. Oh, and by the way he nails Storytelling as well which is, by far, the most time tested form of knowledge transfer known to man. Do we EVER talk about storytelling in ISD? No. Why? Because its about them and it's not about us. People tell stories intuitively with each other...without the meddling of an ISDer. People learn just find without us. And not only that, the web is making it possible for people to...GASP...learn from each other...WITHOUT us! Holy career crashers, Batman!

What is it that we actually bring to the party? That's the question I want answers too.

(My apologies to Ruth Clark for this. I am a big fan and highly respect her work. Its obvious that this principle had to be defined because so many people just didn't get it and needed to "see the research".)

Also, see the technical writers community for learning how to write...and see your local programmers community for how to program in your app of choice...and see the neuroscientists for brain-based learning...and the anthropologists for social behavior...and see your local high schooler for text messaging tips...and see professional photographers to understand pictures...and see your local graphics designer to understand colors impact on viewers...and see game developers to understand simulation...and on...and on...and on.

January BIG QUESTION...a little late

The January Big Question is Quality vs. Speed.

Sometimes its best to come to the party late because then I can simply take the easy road and say check out what so and so said...I believe THAT!

Well...okay...go to the link above and scroll down to the bottom where you can see all of the GREAT responses. Truly, in our current world of elearning everyone is right. Or at least right about the part of the question that is part of their reality.

The part that truly concerns me is that it's all I, I, I, I, I, and me, me, me, me, me, and we, we, we, we, we...you get the idea. What about THEM! What about the learners that are out there creating AWESOME learning content and making us ALL look as old as the theories we cling too.

When I have a learning need (aka. have a question) and I IM a friend who IMs an answer that solves my problem, or satifies my need, then I have had a RAPID, HIGH QUALITY learning moment. No instructional designers required. So that's the small stuff.

What about the big stuff like, "I want to be a fireman." I don't want to sit in 136 required hours of training with my butt in a seat watching some "trainer" read the slides created by some Instructional Designer. NO! I want to BE A FIREMAN! NOW!

I can tell you are all either clicking delete, or firing up the comments to flame me. "Oh, Brent! Get real! You can't just BE a fireman just like that". Go ahead...say it...I know you want too! (The answer is that you can...TODAY. You may not be a good one at first but you LEARN as you go.)

My basic point: It's an old question trying to answer old problems applying new tools to old systems. Nobody cares how long it took someone to make it...so speed simply doesn't matter any more: I, me, we, care...THEY don't. Quality doesn't matter because...well...YouTube, Podcasting, Wikipedia, etc...need I say more?