We're Only Human

Episode 27: Learning Measurement and Business Impact

One of the hard things for HR leaders to do is understand if the work they are doing actually has an impact on the business. What's the ROI, if any, of the investments and effort you're putting into your work?

That's an question we're going to discuss today with Kevin M. Yates, a brilliant L&D leader and a self-described data detective, who recently joined the learning team at McDonald's. In the conversation, Kevin makes it really clear how to think through using data, evidence and facts to support what HR and learning leaders are doing in the business. 

Additionally, Kevin and Ben discuss some of their overlapping research about the new roles and opportunities in HR and learning where more and more companies are looking for those with statistics or data-friendly backgrounds, an exciting development for those HR leaders that are focused on understanding and driving value for their firms. 

In the conversation, Kevin shares about the technology he thinks is going to radically change how L&D teams look at their work, and he also walks us through how to approach a business problem like a "data detective" with both curiosity and candor. 

Learn more about Kevin: https://kevinmyates.com

We have so many great shows coming up so I have to take a second and remind you to subscribe if you haven't already. You can get we're only Human on iTunes, Stitcher, or podbean. learn more and get the insights you need at http://upstarthr.com/podcast

On March 29th I'll be doing a webinar with my good friend George LaRocque about the employee experience. specfically, how to get it on the CEO's agenda. The content is based on a new ebook we put together that focuses on how to make the conversation about the employee experience, this fluffy, amorphous thing we keep hearing about, more tangible for your executive team. Our research shows that the employee experience matters, and in this webinar (and the free ebook you can get for registering) we walk you through some concrete ways to have those conversations with your own leadership team. More info: http://lhra.io/ceo

Think about the last conference you attended. What did you learn?

No, specifically, what did you learn?

Research tells us that within a few days we forget most of what we hear in a single training session, much less a whole conference with a wide range of topics. I think we can change that with a more strategic focus and an intentional mindset. That's why today's episode is focused on how to get the most out of the HR conferences you attend. Over the course of my ten-year career I have attended dozens of conferences, seminars, and events, and I would imagine you also attend a good number of events as well.

For this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with my friend and fellow Huntsville resident, Donna Quinney, about how she plans in advance for the content to consume and the best way to make it applicable when she returns to work. The specific example we discuss is how to get the most out of a user conference, because you're often there for double reasons: not only to learn, but usually also to bring some of those learning points back to teach the rest of the team.

All in all, a highly practical episode with ideas that any of us could put into practice starting today. Fun stuff!

In addition, we talk about a workshop I'm running at the upcoming SilkRoad Connections Conference. I hope you enjoy my discussion with Donna and if you're going to be at SilkRoad Connections this year, I hope you plan on setting aside some time for the workshop I'm running. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Donna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-q-6563a439/ 

Join Ben April 29th to May 2nd for SilkRoad Connections 2018 in San Antonio.

Think about the last conference you attended. What did you learn?

No, specifically, what did you learn?

Research tells us that within a few days we forget most of what we hear in a single training session, much less a whole conference with a wide range of topics. I think we can change that with a more strategic focus and an intentional mindset. That's why today's episode is focused on how to get the most out of the HR conferences you attend. Over the course of my ten-year career I have attended dozens of conferences, seminars, and events, and I would imagine you also attend a good number of events as well.

For this episode, I had the opportunity to catch up with my friend and fellow Huntsville resident, Donna Quinney, about how she plans in advance for the content to consume and the best way to make it applicable when she returns to work. The specific example we discuss is how to get the most out of a user conference, because you're often there for double reasons: not only to learn, but usually also to bring some of those learning points back to teach the rest of the team.

All in all, a highly practical episode with ideas that any of us could put into practice starting today. Fun stuff!

In addition, we talk about a workshop I'm running at the upcoming SilkRoad Connections Conference. I hope you enjoy my discussion with Donna and if you're going to be at SilkRoad Connections this year, I hope you plan on setting aside some time for the workshop I'm running. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Donna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-q-6563a439/ 

Join Ben April 29th to May 2nd for SilkRoad Connections 2018 in San Antonio.

How do you forecast hiring needs before you need to start recruiting? What's the difference between working as a recruit and leading a team of recruiters? 

In today's episode of We're Only Human, Ben speaks with Kristi Jones, a sharp talent acquisition leader at H&R Block to learn the answers to these and other questions, such as how to build high-quality relationships between hiring managers and recruiters (hint: show them your data, don't hide it). Additionally, we discuss how to create strong talent pools when you don't have the luxury of "just in time" recruiting methods. 

While H&R Block is commonly known as a "stuffy tax company," Kristi and her team are doing some incredibly innovative work around forecasting, hiring, and more. For instance, does your business hire seasonally? Well, in the US nothing is more seasonal than taxes, and H&R Block is one of the biggest dogs on the porch (to use a Southern phrase). They are able to use hiring funnel data to back into their sourcing, screening, and pipeline needs to meet incredibly tight timelines for hiring. 

If you enjoy this episode, be sure to reach out to Kristi and connect! She loves to network with other passionate HR leaders: 

https://twitter.com/kjoneskc

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristijoneskc3/ 

This episode is sponsored by WorkHuman, an amazing HR event with a brilliant line up of speakers and content guaranteed to help us all to shift work to be a little more human. Learn more at WorkHuman.com

How do you forecast hiring needs before you need to start recruiting? What's the difference between working as a recruit and leading a team of recruiters? 

In today's episode of We're Only Human, Ben speaks with Kristi Jones, a sharp talent acquisition leader at H&R Block to learn the answers to these and other questions, such as how to build high-quality relationships between hiring managers and recruiters (hint: show them your data, don't hide it). Additionally, we discuss how to create strong talent pools when you don't have the luxury of "just in time" recruiting methods. 

While H&R Block is commonly known as a "stuffy tax company," Kristi and her team are doing some incredibly innovative work around forecasting, hiring, and more. For instance, does your business hire seasonally? Well, in the US nothing is more seasonal than taxes, and H&R Block is one of the biggest dogs on the porch (to use a Southern phrase). They are able to use hiring funnel data to back into their sourcing, screening, and pipeline needs to meet incredibly tight timelines for hiring. 

If you enjoy this episode, be sure to reach out to Kristi and connect! She loves to network with other passionate HR leaders: 

https://twitter.com/kjoneskc

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristijoneskc3/ 

This episode is sponsored by WorkHuman, an amazing HR event with a brilliant line up of speakers and content guaranteed to help us all to shift work to be a little more human. Learn more at WorkHuman.com

Want to win a free book? Share this episode on your LinkedIn feed, tag me and 2 or more of the BEST people you've ever worked with, and you'll be entered to win a copy of the book!

What does it take to win as a team? How do we encourage each of our people to deliver the best performance without taking a bland "peanut butter spread" approach to management? Is there a secret to what high-performing teams do differently from the rest? 

In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben speaks with authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton about their new book The Best Team Wins. Gostick and Elton have authored numerous books on team performance, motivation, and culture, and they are globally recognized experts in the field. 

The discussion focuses on everything from collaboration technologies (hint: they don't solve for team performance issues) to how to manage individuals in a way that drives engagement. In fact, the discussion even delves into micromanagement and the times that employees actually crave the attention of a micromanaging leader in their careers even if not in their daily work tasks. 

Finally, the conversation wraps up by exploring concepts such as rapid onboarding of new hires to get them to full productivity, how one company pays new employees to NOT work in their jobs for the first 90 days, and the secret to how a NASA mission commander was able to lead a highly motivated and engaged team for months in close quarters without suffering a single dispute or issue among the team. 

You can learn more about Adrian and Chester here: http://thecultureworks.com

Their book may be found here: http://amzn.to/2FVIsQ7

Want to win a free book? Share this episode on your LinkedIn feed, tag me and 2 or more of the BEST people you've ever worked with, and you'll be entered to win a copy of the book. 

Want to win a free book? Share this episode on your LinkedIn feed, tag me and 2 or more of the BEST people you've ever worked with, and you'll be entered to win a copy of the book!

What does it take to win as a team? How do we encourage each of our people to deliver the best performance without taking a bland "peanut butter spread" approach to management? Is there a secret to what high-performing teams do differently from the rest? 

In this episode of We're Only Human, Ben speaks with authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton about their new book The Best Team Wins. Gostick and Elton have authored numerous books on team performance, motivation, and culture, and they are globally recognized experts in the field. 

The discussion focuses on everything from collaboration technologies (hint: they don't solve for team performance issues) to how to manage individuals in a way that drives engagement. In fact, the discussion even delves into micromanagement and the times that employees actually crave the attention of a micromanaging leader in their careers even if not in their daily work tasks. 

Finally, the conversation wraps up by exploring concepts such as rapid onboarding of new hires to get them to full productivity, how one company pays new employees to NOT work in their jobs for the first 90 days, and the secret to how a NASA mission commander was able to lead a highly motivated and engaged team for months in close quarters without suffering a single dispute or issue among the team. 

You can learn more about Adrian and Chester here: http://thecultureworks.com

Their book may be found here: http://amzn.to/2FVIsQ7

Want to win a free book? Share this episode on your LinkedIn feed, tag me and 2 or more of the BEST people you've ever worked with, and you'll be entered to win a copy of the book. 

The skills gap is a challenge for many organizations, but how do we address it? Read any news article and it seems as if the United States has a looming crisis on its hands around critical skills areas that we simply don't have enough qualified workers to fill, and new research shows this is actually a global phenomenon affecting firms worldwide. For instance, 98% of workers in Brazil agree there is a skills gap, and two-thirds of them felt like it affects them personally!

In today's interview, host Ben Eubanks speaks with Shelley Osborne, Head of Learning & Development at Udemy, about this research and how we can use it to attack the skills gap within our own company through learning and development opportunities. While the research shows that individuals are generally confident about the level of skills they possess, they also know that the pace of change and business today requires them to be constantly learning. It's no longer good enough to get a degree or vocational training and be "good enough" to compete for jobs, promotions, and other roles. 

To see the research, check out this link: https://research.udemy.com/research_report/2017-skills-gap-report/

This episode is sponsored by WorkHuman. Join me and hundreds of highly engaged HR leaders in Austin this April for WorkHuman, an event dedicated to helping HR make the workplace a better place. 

The skills gap is a challenge for many organizations, but how do we address it? Read any news article and it seems as if the United States has a looming crisis on its hands around critical skills areas that we simply don't have enough qualified workers to fill, and new research shows this is actually a global phenomenon affecting firms worldwide. For instance, 98% of workers in Brazil agree there is a skills gap, and two-thirds of them felt like it affects them personally!

In today's interview, host Ben Eubanks speaks with Shelley Osborne, Head of Learning & Development at Udemy, about this research and how we can use it to attack the skills gap within our own company through learning and development opportunities. While the research shows that individuals are generally confident about the level of skills they possess, they also know that the pace of change and business today requires them to be constantly learning. It's no longer good enough to get a degree or vocational training and be "good enough" to compete for jobs, promotions, and other roles. 

To see the research, check out this link: https://research.udemy.com/research_report/2017-skills-gap-report/

This episode is sponsored by WorkHuman. Join me and hundreds of highly engaged HR leaders in Austin this April for WorkHuman, an event dedicated to helping HR make the workplace a better place. 

How does something as seemingly simple as purpose fit into a company's hiring plans, especially when those plans involve hiring more than 90,000 people a year? That's a core part of the conversation when Ben recently connected with Catherine King, VP of Talent Acquisition and Staffing at AlliedUniversal. The company is an impressive security services firm with 150,000 employees spanning the United States and serving in a variety of industries.

The company also uses some interesting referral bonuses to help drive new hires, but not the way you might expect. Instead of relying just on an internal referral program like most firms, AlliedUniversal actually pays community organizations such as AARP for every single referral that is ultimately hired, drastically increasing the reach and talent pool. The company makes a special effort to hire senior, or experienced, workers as they bring a wealth of experience to the communities in which they serve. 

In the discussion, Ben and Catherine delve into these talent strategies along with other aspects of how AlliedUniversal fills critical roles by giving employees a sense of a greater purpose. It's a great conversation and one that you don't want to miss!

To learn more about AlliedUniversal's referral program, visit http://www.aus.com/pie