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L Vaughan Spencer

By L Vaughan Spencer (May 2008 Issue)
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You know the saying “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give him a rod and he eats for life”? This makes my blood boil! It reveals a woeful misunderstanding of the man’s learning and development needs!

Before even contemplating such a change programme, it is necessary to undertake a full training audit, asking such fundamental questions as:
What is the state of pre-rod technology?
What would be the bereavement felt by its loss?
What is best practice in rod-use?
The rod: how can we create a fully integrated sustainable approach going forward?

Once a full Emotional Risk Assessment Inventory has been completed, Love Your Rod Training can be rolled out, with such modules as:
Working with Your Rod: Not Against it
Bait: Sourcing and Keeping up its Morale
Influencing Skills: Persuading the Fish to be Caught
Problem-Solving: What to do if the Fish aren’t Biting
Stress Management: Hitting the Fish over the Head in a Nice Way
Diversity Awareness: What to do if you Meet a Fisherwoman.

This is even before we’ve discussed how best
to cook the fish…

Many of these wouldn’t have to be delivered in the normal ‘Chalk ‘n’ Talk’ way. This is the era of self-coaching. Nowadays, there is plenty of training accessible through the medium of video. No longer is it a question of gathering everyone in the canteen and projecting a film onto the wall. We can all download video to our phones or laptops. Self-coaching can be done anywhere. All of the above could be turned into short, easily downloadable vignettes. So instead we should be saying: “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give him a mobile electronic device with full 3G capacity and he can coach himself for life.”

I have recently starred in some training videos – 20 short sketches focusing on business skills (like preparation, listening, and keeping up to date). They are called Succeed-e-Vision. You can see the videos (created in association with Sales Interaction and Tinopolis Interactive for Learndirect-Business/UFI) at www.Succeed-e-Vision.com

Nowadays, business is highly featured on broadcast television in shows like The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den, but the wily trainer knows that there is plenty to learn about business from other TV shows. For example:

Blue Peter: That it’s always good to prepare one earlier, even if it’s the name of a cat that you then ask people to vote on.

Match of the Day: How important it is to celebrate success. Jumping on top of each other, kissing each other, taking off our shirt, then running around twirling it. Why can’t this be done in any office, call-centre or operating theatre?

Britain’s Got Talent: Finding the right people means trawling through rubbish.

Robin Hood: That sometimes it’s best to live in the forest. And men can be merry.

Deal or No Deal: How important guesswork is in business.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: That it’s okay to phone a friend for advice sometimes. Or ask a group of strangers.

I’d Do Anything: Sometimes we have to do things we may not want to.

Many of us in the change industry are always looking to attack the status quo. Fair enough, but don’t attack Status Quo! Far from it! Their songs can be of enormous help to us in the L&D world. The lyrics have profound meaning. Was it not The Quo (as anyone in the know calls them) who encouraged us to move into international markets in Rockin’ all over the World? They didn’t just like it, they Li-Li-Liked it! What better articulation for organising an away day could be offered than Livin’ on an Island, which provides chance for some Thinking ‘bout the things I’ve done?

Often in negotiations I remember the thoughtful words of What You’re Proposin’ (Just once or twice, and not disclosin’). If anyone from marketing is having problems understanding that the consumer has a choice, I refer them to Whatever You Want (‘You pay your money, you take your choice’). Where teamwork is an issue, I ask people to focus on the fact that they are all fighting together (You’re in the Army Now). These lessons are well worth learning Again Again Again Again Again Again Again Again.

Agree? Disagree? Contact L-Vo with your personal or workrelated query via www.Succeedy.com

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