When you traditionally talk about communication in the learning & development space, thoughts of the fundamentals skills of learning delivery are brought to the front of the mind. Interpersonal concepts such as voice tone, body language NLP meta models, influencing and questioning skills. Or you may think of the way we communicate through delivery tools…
Challenges Delivering Training In The Region
80 years ago, if you had said that you were going to do business in the Middle East, you would have been advised to stay alert for the cultural differences. Middle Easterns have different views for time, they are conservative when it comes to females, and personal bonds are a prerequisite for professional relations. If…
Achieving The Best Training Outcome
At the end of a training session the ultimate question is ‘What is the outcome?’ In fact, prior to the post training assessment and evaluations tests many other factors before and within the training sessions can help define the targeted outcome and can clearly guide the trainer to ensure the best impactful outcome possible. It…
Case Study: Doing Business In The Middle East
Having worked in the Middle East for a short while now, I am very aware that in a number of the GCC countries there are nationality “quotas” to be met by organizations in order for them to continue to operate in said countries. Terms (or initiatives) such as Saudisation, Emiratisation or Omanisation are commonplace when…
Coaching Leaders of the Future
What are the problems that keep CEOs awake at night? According to the World Economic Forum: poverty, climate change, water scarcity, food scarcity, energy volatility, and cyber attacks top the list. These issues are not company centric, but externally focused and global in scale. They are complex, global problems, with no right answer, requiring collaboration,…
How To Innovate Using Design Thinking
Organizations are constantly on the look out for ways to grow and stay ahead of the competition. The ones that succeed will have fostered a culture of innovation where creativity and disruptive thinking can thrive. A recent poll by Bayt.com of over 6,000 professionals in the MENA region revealed that 89% believe creative thinking is…
How To Train Tomorrow’s Leaders
I couldn’t believe my eyes when my 2-year old daughter grabbed the iPad from my hands, flicked through it until she found her favorite game, started playing and when she was done, she switched off the iPad and handed it back to me! The question is, “What is the relation between this and leadership?” I…
Training The Next Generation
The generational diversity that currently exists across today’s active work groups is indeed exceptional. With an increase in life expectancy coupled with economic necessity, our oldest working generations, the ‘Silent Generation’ (1923 to 1944) and the ‘Baby Boomer’ Generation (1945 to 1964) are uniquely positioned to be sharing co-worker relationships with no less than four…
Less Talk, More Action: Straightforward Strategies to Attract and Retain Women in Cyber Security
Just how exactly do you attract and retain women in cyber security? Studies showing the importance of diverse teams, specifically gender diverse teams, have been exhausted. Just in case you missed those proven statistics, having gender diverse teams increases team productivity, team performance, and overall team satisfaction. Now, the focus has finally shifted to how…
Attitude is the Core of Development
“Our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world as being able to remake ourselves.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi A number of years ago, I came across a study carried out by the CIPD in 2009 that concluded, “Companies which do not train are 2.5 times more likely to go bankrupt, and…