Beyond The Number Game. Beyond Productivity.

I maintain a blog for alternate lifestyles. I wanted to write a piece about how we spend our days because that actually determines if we are living a fulfilling and rewarding life.

The thought crossed my mind when I read this recently:

How We Spend Our Days Is How We Spend Our Lives: Annie Dillard on Choosing Presence Over Productivity. 

“The life of sensation is the life of greed; it requires more and more. The life of the spirit requires less and less.”

Interesting notes!

So, what you do daily matters, to impact your life as a whole.

Isn’t it obvious then, what you do daily impacts your business as well?

I decided to use this theme for this blog on alternate learning and earning models instead of alternate lifestyles because there is significant learning involved in adapting, adopting and accepting a life of spirit. 

If you are influenced by the current wave or model of being grandiose, number oriented and consider that to be the new reality of living a good life, doing good business - most of us are doomed already who begins to prepare or invest their efforts for that kind of productivity from life and business.

How you want to live your life is a derivative of how you think and what your aspirations are – Do you prefer the life of sensation or the life of spirit?

How different would the business economy be if organizations aim to be more purpose driven? Profits follow automatically 

How will it change lives with one’s presence - someone we are fond of is present on a special occasion – just for us? Presents are poor replacements.

In a world dominated by top ten charts, high scores, good grades, major population takes care of the to-do list on a daily basis, with horizontal strikethroughs or those small ticks that give a quick high as tasks are completed, critical calls are made, mails are sent, goals are achieved and results are produced. Evernote calendar is beaming green – the chosen color to indicate completion.

Where does all this take you?

It just takes you to the next pay check or the next enterprise or next order or just another routine day.

There is a little more to life and business than being productive.

If there is anything that can stand against the power of productivity, then it is the power of purpose. Purpose is something that is gradually gaining value and the generation that overvalued productivity is slowly beginning to realize:

a) How going fast nowhere is as good as standing still and

b) Doing a lot without any impact is just activity, unless you are driven by a purpose.

A few examples for better understanding:

• Production is great however sale is poor, how does productivity help?
• Sales turnover is good and profit margins are poor, does it make sense?
• Profit margin is good however there is no growth or expansion for years, is that progress?
• Company scales well and yet lose talent everyday as poor employers, will that not tarnish their market reputation?

The success of each and every pursuit cannot really be determined just by productivity. The success of each and every effort can definitely be assessed by the purpose it was expected to fulfill in the first place.

Relevance Today

There are training programs to assist people acquire skills. How can training programs assist people to have a strong will, when they already have the skill? One of the key components to work successfully in the will economy is to have a purpose and commitment towards that purpose.

Case Study:

This is just to establish the point further:

1. An experienced sales representative sells 15 units in a month
2. A new hire sells 8 units
3. A counter sales assistant just sells 2 units however both  are  breakthrough sales for new clients
4. An average sales guy who had a recent death in his family manages to sell 4 units in his territory based through telephonic conversations with his prospects

How fair is it to qualify the one who sold 15 units as the best performer of the month without considering the different the circumstances in which the sales people were during the month?

If 1 was in 4's situation, he would probably not be able to sell anything.

If 3 was out in the field, he would probably acquire more new clients for the company

If 2 had 1's experience and time to develop leads, he would probably be selling 30 units by now in a month.

The number game has its impact on:

Burn rate at call centers

State of mind of employees that work under tremendous pressure

Struggle of first time entrepreneurs

Depression due to number game

Challenging Status Quo

The common buzz words today are “Employee well-being”, “team engagement” “Employee happiness” “Work life balance” and how exactly can we achieve any of these, if we are keeping numbers as our only deciding factor?

The reality bite is if large corporations hope to achieve any of these by reiterating the importance of high productivity again and again, rewarding people only with that particular work behavior rather than celebrate purposeful activity, our decisions are predictable and soon can be replaced by machines. If the human element is missing in our decisions, number is the god of all - big and small

If only financial perks motivate people to act and financial profits trigger entrepreneurs to perform, then there is a cost to pay which will be evident in the long run.

The surest way to drive purposeful learning or act with a purpose is to work towards outcomes, not a checklist that is not remotely connected to outcomes.

Moving Higher: From Outcomes To Returns

The first time I participated in a national level contest to validate our startup idea I think I took close to two months to answer just six questions. I felt a sense of accomplishment after that though, because I finally got the key elements right:

What problem we are addressing?

What is the magnitude of the problem?

What is the scope of impact across the globe?

What features the App must have?

What is our marketing strategy?

What numbers do we currently have?

What is proof of concept to support the idea?

How we will monetize?

What is the financial projection?

What kind of client traction do we have?

It is strange how a simple training program became an idea for an App. All I wanted to have a few years back - a training module that is outcome driven and can lead to measurable outcomes.

In the last organization I worked - I have facilitated training to front level managers when L&D team sent me invites for those. This was in addition to my primary role to migrate new business.  I was also part of an Action Learning Program that worked on a framework to measure returns for training intervention. 

Measuring outcomes is one thing

     Measure returns on investment is a lot more complicated.

A facilitator will find the function futile if there is no measurable outcome. The only thing that I pondered on for a very long time was to build a training program that will guarantee outcomes. I wanted a learning program or mechanism in place where outcomes can be measured. That can be the program differentiator too.

The general practice was to highlight how many people attended the program and automatically assume that many people were impacted – That was something that I could not quite accept. I wanted level 4 outcomes based on Kirk Patrick’s measurement model for the training program I wanted to design

That is how BECKON Methodology was conceptualized.

Till this point, I must have shared in many of my blogs before. What comes after this was how BECKON App came into being as an apt solution

The surest way to ensure return on investment is to deliver outcomes for which you are trained and then quantify based on cost incurred and financial returns received.

Who measures outcomes?Who measures return on investments?

Even if we identify stakeholders with ownership, what methodology should we follow?

None of this is easy. When large corporations invest crores in training - L&D Team, content designers, fees for online courses, external trainers, mentors, revenue loss due to learning time, calculating the financial component to measure returns post training is a Herculean task. 

Who is qualified to tell you if the approach to measure is perfect or has scope for improvement?

The challenge:

A recent fellowship application asked me this question – How did we adapt when someone challenged our approach to our work

The fact is no one really challenged our startup solution. We did a reality check ourselves and challenged our own belief system. We believed there are many qualified coaches, mentors, experts, companies ready to recommend solutions for measurable results.

When we approached experienced professionals who made lofty claims about past achievements and asked if they were ready to offer their services and own outcomes – they were more than ready. 

Our key differentiator is if the BECKON Coach cannot support a project till outcomes are achieved or if their association/ recommendation/ consultation/ coaching did not bring the desired results - they have to refund the fees. We did not find anyone ready for this. 

That is when we worked on 500 Model for a pilot run to have only 500 BECKON coaches on board first whose case studies will be approved by a panel. When anyone works with a BECKON coach they can be sure of outcomes. 

When we conducted a quick survey with a small sample size how many are willing to invest in learning, if they know they have a chance to recover the money back by working live projects, almost everyone were ready.

Out of 15000 applications, our idea was selected for the next round which is a powerful validation of the work we are doing. 

Who is a BECKON Coach - X or Y?

X has a skill who taught Y. Y is using that skill for a living and is getting paid for that skill or is teaching someone else. 

X is the BECKON Coach here because he has Y as his case study

         

Any coach that can provide a case study with measurable outcomes due to their recommendations/ consulting intervention is a BECKON Coach.

Do you have a case study to share?

Make Your Own Lane: Being Average or Exceptional

You know this.

When you receive email from a life coach trying to sell you a program or an e-book, don’t they all look the same?

When you are planning a trip for yourself and your family, as you surf through the travel sites, do you notice 99% of these websites are same with hardly any difference?

When you apply for a job / role, even the job description or eligibility criteria look mundane and repetitive

Image Credit: Canva Design

You don’t know this

They look same because it is easy, quick and tested.

It worked once probably, the first time. It is likely to work again is the general belief.

Creating something new or something different requires “Thinking” and "Research" - that, in turn requires time, focus, vision and a drive to be exceptional

You know this

Differentiating yourself is beneficial.

There is a huge market out there willing to explore something that is new and different – You, your skills, your competence and your expertise, presented to suit a growing market

However what you know and the skills you have need not necessarily have to come to the market as you know but package it well as the client needs it – to suit your prospect’s purpose

You don’t know this

If you are exactly like a thousand others, you are non-existent.

Use real people’s language to connect. That seems simple and easy. The faster you forget the standard jargon, the better your chances are to make it happen.

It is easy to sell, try being a strategic partner or advisor

It is easy to apply, try being a long term solution

Do one thing differently and you immediately stand out.

If that one thing is client centric, you have a thousand times better chance to survive long term.

The only difference between being average and being exceptional is what you do to stand out.

The world is full of trainers, coaches, facilitators, mentors, who own the function. 

Are you ready to stand out, by owning outcomes?

Make Your Own Lane: Find Your Reasons To Learn and Use Your Skills

Today I have an interesting point to make.

I got to get this wrapped really soon as I have another blog to write, a place to visit in the next half an hour, an evening walk that I can never miss and a quick family gathering at the end of the day.

Someone from our tribe – engaged in alternate learning model – who had a tough time deciding which skills to offer as services just a couple of months back – to whom I dedicated one full blog (Read here)

How does it make you feel, when as a coach you receive this on your birthday from the learner who had no clue about the existence of any such site even two months back, without a LinkedIn profile and inactive on face book –In short, digitally dead

Image Credit: Canva Design

We are not done yet. She writes her first blog for her upcoming project Indriyaah, a home based salon here

Am I making a big deal about micro learning?

That is your first step to alternate learning model.

Learn something new each day, at your own pace, from a reliable source

In BECKON Learning Community we have 

Educators who design clothes or plan to conduct tours

Corporate professionals who support word press initiatives

Non MBAs who support startup Eco system with business plans and strategy

Academically average students support in research

The problem with factory model education is – We stop learning or acquiring new skills if there are no exams or scores. 

When you self teach something new or through peer support, get to apply new learning and you see the impact – That is your certification.

To know more or join the tribe and be engaged in outcome driven initiatives, connect here

Learning For Results - The BECKON Approach

Image Background Credit: Canva

How Do You Measure Your Sales Force After Training?

It is this exercise – to measure the sales force appropriately – that has the potential to break or make an organization. There are a few aspects of business that is standard regardless of size and revenue of the company and the industry it belongs – one of them is the measurement system for sales team. The sales lead has a huge pressure to explain and justify costs involved in sales if the revenue is not generated as expected, deals not won as assured.

Image Credit: LinkedIn Web

Measuring Outcomes

This huge dependency on the sales team to actually bring in the revenue makes this measurement exercise all the more crucial – This in turn brings the eternal question regarding what should be truly measured – Is it their efforts or results? There are unforeseen factors in sales, unpredictable situations depending upon client’s eco system and their priorities that can lead to orders slipping to the next quarter or getting cancelled or lost to competition. Is it fair to question a sales person’s efficiency in such cases where the effort was more than hundred percent and track record of the sales person only substantiates this was one off case.

To avoid attrition, it is important to measure efforts along with outcomes.  However, having said that, check credibility of the sales resource first – how often is it the same reason for an order loss? He either needs to have a plan B for revenue or another job every quarter. Did the sales training module address that?

Measuring Efforts

The flip side of measuring only efforts – how many leads created, how many proposals sent, how many client relationships built, how many conversions to next level – None of this brings in the real cash home – just a lengthy pipeline and a future of prospects with nothing concrete in hand at the moment. 

Measuring results counts. Again, if a sales resource picks three orders from different accounts worth a million dollar and another closes just one deal for approximately two million dollars – is it fair to measure just revenue (outcome) and not efforts? Stakeholder and expectation management in case of the former order must have been ten times more difficult. Did  you sales training take into account how to precisely measure efforts?

Key Result Area

Ideally sales people’s key result areas should be a combination of several factors. Target revenue every quarter, new client acquisition, efforts put in to create new opportunities and leads. Most sales people do not have a plan B pipeline for every month. The old saying POP: Perform or Perish still holds true. A sales professional’s daily activities are categorized – efforts for today’s order, tomorrow’s order and day after tomorrow’s order – In this manner an order can slip to next week, not next quarter. Yes, I am aware of the rationale and logic behind orders that take months to convert, get the drive – the shift can be from this week to next week, not next year. Expecting last minute changes should be accommodated in sales training

Measuring Achievements

If the sales team is gauged based on short term and long-term achievements – keeping a balance of efforts and outcomes, it will be fair to both the sales professional and the sales lead – to justify cost on sales and the flow of revenue without rigorous vigilance. As the sales resource cannot be singing the past glory always – his action plan automatically gets aligned to the measurement criteria – to address both outcomes achieved and efforts put in. A robust reporting system should capture all of this for MIS and measurement.

Reports carrying time spent with client, writing mails to build client relationship or introducing company, making those important sales calls, wait time before the meeting, traveling to client’s location, preparing reports etc should be discouraged, as if there is no revenue after all this, all of this is child’s play- a very expensive child’s play.

Sales training based on BECKON Model is a thorough assessment of your resources first, before we sign up to change their future in sales. 

This is an edited version of what was originally published by Triond

Module is fine, How is the Mentor? 10 Mandatory Topics In A Train The Trainer Session

In TTT (Train The Trainer) sessions, do you cover only module (content) or also address individual capability of mentor (facilitator)?

A training program is designed by a professional based on training need analysis. Learning and Development team can run past the content through key stakeholders who had requested specific learning outcomes, they may or may not get the content and methodology signed off by business unit leads before rolling out communication training calendar and facilitation dates. 

The whole ideas is to ensure training is effective, the fundamental question is - was enough focus given to capability of resources who will actually deliver the session to targeted audience?

In most Train The Trainer  (TTT) sessions based on a manual, the facilitator runs you through the key themes of the module – talking points against each slide, questions for the participants, re iterate key message after each exercise, role play, gallery walk, audio or video and how to apply the learning.

1. Assess the Trainer

This whole workshop is conducted based on a fundamental assumption that every participant of the TTT session is already a trainer and just needs to be acquainted with the module. However to ensure training effectiveness, both the module and the mentor (Facilitator) should be equally capable to stir interest. If enough time was invested in designing the module to address business and personal training needs, it is important before the content is rolled out, adequate time is spent on the facilitators as well to ensure the impact of the training is not defeated due to facilitation faults and failures.

2. Presentation Skills

You really do not have to be a rock star or Tony Robbins kind – as far as presentation skills are concerned. However to meet the objective of any training, the right amount of confidence, the right control on body language has to be acquired otherwise it is huge distractor for the participants and affects learning.

3. Handling Conflicts

There could be questions from the audience related to module or other aspects of training, which has to be taken care in the TTT session. The horizon should not be limited to module alone as the overall successes of future trainers who are attending your TTT depend on how they can handle an audience. If there are questions that get parked, and that is perfectly fine as long as the facilitator gets back to the one who raised the question after checking his resources.

4. Command on Language and pace

A facilitator who has language issues in terms of vocabulary or fluency first needs to work on that and bring that to presentable standards. There are trainers whose people connect abilities and great sense of humor actually outweighs little issues with language and accent, however you have to be exceptionally talented to have that kind of impact. So it is better to play safe and get the language bit right first for aspiring trainers. In the TTT session, you can share relevant links or self- learning mechanism or a few pointers and tips to assist the participant in that zone.

5. Expertise on Subject and beyond

It is very mechanical, if the facilitator knows only about the module and nothing beyond. There has to be relevant sections that the facilitator needs to be aware of beyond just the training portion. For example, if a training is pertaining to sales skills, and a few examples are mentioned from the auto industry including a few influential names, if an additional question comes from the audience pertaining to one of those names, and you look tongue tied as you have the faintest idea, it is a very embarrassing situation. Always suggest facilitators during TTT, to be aware of the background of whatever real time examples they are sharing.

6. Credibility

It is the way you handle the whole session and a facilitator’s ability to create a long lasting impression by ensuring the key takeaway of the training is well accepted by the audience  - that actually builds his credibility. It is very important that these subtle and yet critical aspects of training which cannot be identified in individual parts is emphasised during TTT workshops

7. Audience Connect

Facilitators should be made aware that each trainer has their own style, which should not be compromised, however if there are certain behavioral changes required to build the right audience connect, they need to assess those gaps and bridge them. If you are a very serious type, intellectual minded, serious social connect issues, always in lecture mode and that is making you unapproachable, before you train, you probably need to work on those aspects of your personality. This is a key topic in any TTT as if you can connect; the learning is half way through already.

8. Outcome Focused

Educate the facilitators to be focused on the learning outcomes. The method and methodology is only to facilitate that smooth and seamless transition of learning from one source to another or from one situation to another. So instead of focusing only on talking points, methods etc, the facilitator can use his discretion to modify patterns slightly without affecting the substance of the module, to ensure the outcomes are achieved effectively.

9. Feedback Mechanism

The essence of any TTT session is to educate aspiring trainers that every feedback - verbal and those written on feedback forms are taken into consideration seriously to rectify individual traits or change the module content. For example if the participants believer there were too many exercises included in the module, time was not well managed, participation was less etc. The reason those came from the audience is because those were hindering their learning process.

10. Dress Code

If you have business leaders attending your TTT session and you enter in your jeans, jacket and junk accessories. Enough said. Do we need to complete this paragraph or better left to imagination? A huge learning distractor. How you carry yourself from minute one is something that give you control on the entire session - and that includes what you are inside and what you wear outside.

This is an edited version of what was originally published by Triond