HR is once again reminding me about the leadership course I “absolutely must attend.”
I have always had a lot of respect for these dedicated HR folks who consistently try to engage employees in development programs, training sessions, and team-building events. For many years, I was one of those employees, and I remember how conflicted I felt. Taking part in a course often meant that ongoing projects would suffer, and so I flip-flopped between paying attention to the material and being on my BlackBerry (yes, the one that wasn’t a fruit), replying to emails. I genuinely enjoy learning, but even so, I often asked myself: was it really worth my time?
It’s not just the challenge of attending while remaining available for work matters. It’s what happens after the course: NOTHING.
Oh, some of you got something out of some of those courses? Pray tell 👐🏻
And yet, can we agree that the knowledge retention and practical application rates for most executive education programs remain disappointingly low?
Neuroscience reveals how learning works in the brain, what makes it possible for it to encode information and later recall it.
We need emotion. That’s it.
We need to feel the information is relevant. In fact, personally-resonant.
Courses inform but they don’t transform. There is no journey; just you having to figure out how to apply and then having to force yourself into a new habit. There is no guide; just you without support, without accountability. Just pages on your desk or slides in a folder. All gently gathering (virtual) dust.
While your life stays exactly the same.
To make the most of your CPD, make the course content personally meaningful.
If that feels a bit tricky, come and have a Transformative Conversation!
Transformative Conversations enable you to learn then transform. Whether it’s finally overcoming that frustrating work-related challenge or indeed harnessing that training’s takeaways and actually reaping its benefits, after that initial flash of insight, the journey truly begins. Together, we explore new ways of being: you practice new behaviours in the safety of our conversation. Then you step out into the wild chaos of the office to put them to the test. We regroup, reflect, and fine-tune, turning insight into lasting change. We make it right for you. Sincere. Possible. No dust gathering.
Does the prospect of transforming something in your work life sound tempting? If so, do reach out 👋🏻
Do you know someone whose work life needs some transformation? Reach out too and tell me about your colleague or friend or client 🙏🏻
You’ve nailed something many people think but rarely say out loud. So many courses feel disconnected from real change, informative, but not transformative.
The idea of a Transformative Conversation as the missing link between learning and action really resonates.
It’s not the content we’re lacking, it’s the space to reflect, apply, and adapt it meaningfully.