The PMA Blog

It was 1984 when Kolb developed this model, and 1994 when I learned about it.  Like many humans, I use tools or practices for a while and even when I'm getting great value from them, I simply stop doing what works at some point.  What IS that??  No idea what causes this, but it's insidious in its ability to undo all the good stuff we develop as habits.  The only thing I have found to combat this effect is going back to journals I have written for over 30 years. 

In my latest perusing, I found the several-year practice of using this learning cycle to speed up my learning during the early days of starting a business.  It was an overwhelming time and I needed a process to assimilate all the new experiences I was having. 

If you’ve ever heard the phrase, "I just don’t have time for training" you are not alone. It’s a common objection from busy professionals who are juggling countless responsibilities along with an endless stream of shifting priorities. But here’s the thing—when training is done right, people will not only find the time for it, they will actually look forward to it.

Let’s explore why this objection comes up and how you can help your colleagues overcome it.

So, you’ve been tasked with the not-so-simple job of proving the ROI of your training programs to the C-suite. You've seen the eye rolls when you mention "soft skills" and felt the pressure to justify every dollar spent on development. But fear not! With a structured approach and some savvy data collection, you can make a compelling case for the value of your training initiatives. Let’s dive into the steps you need to showcase your program’s success.

Hello, training leaders! Recently, I bumped into a nursing leader who remembered me from programs I conducted for her client many years ago. It was heartwarming to hear that she insisted her front-line managers experience the program because she's a "super fan"! Knowing that she still uses the tools and techniques we taught her as a new manager made my day. It's moments like these that remind me why we're so passionate about this career—making a real impact in people’s lives.

We all know that delivering effective training is just half the battle. The real challenge lies in making sure that the knowledge sticks with your learners long after the training session ends. If you worry that your programs don't have that stickability factor, don't worry—we've got you covered!

It's no secret that leadership is like walking a tightrope. It requires balance, focus, resilience — and let’s be real here — a whole lot of courage. You’re leaders are constantly caught between mapping out strategies and managing the emotions that come with them.  

Allow me to introduce a coaching client whose name has been changed to protect the . . .ok maybe not innocent, exactly.  Alex is a leader who could give a computer a run for its money with his analytical thinking. His decision-making process? Always rational, always precise. Emotional considerations? Not so much. Over time, his team started to feel as though they were just cogs in a machine, not valued contributors with ideas, feelings, and ambitions of their own. As a result, his "think-first, feel-later" approach led to mounting frustration and disengaged employees, so his director asked him to get some help from a coach.

We’reat the beginning of rolling out a global leadership development curriculum for a Financial Services client and the senior leaders astutely asked how I thought they could best support their leaders as they go through this process in the coming months.  It occurred to me that capturing the list of recommendations might be helpful for some of our partners in organizational development and learning.  In response, I compiled this list and I hope you’ll add your thoughts in the comments if you feel I missed something. Feel free to share this with your leaders at the beginning of your next training rollout. 

Today we're diving headfirst into a competency that can be a game-changer in the work life of a leader, Emotional Agility. he skills required to be emotionally agile are very similar to those we prescribe for teams that want to be more agile:   discover, recognize and take action.  Rinse, repeat.  To build stronger teams and thrive in our roles as leaders and managers, we need to bring these skills into our daily consciousness.  How does your mindset impact how you show up?  And how do you recognize when you should shift your mindset and when you should not?  And even when you know you should, how do you fight your instincts?

Well, we just finished teaching a bunch of Working Sm@rt + Teams classes over the last four months, and while I'm a little tired of explaining the difference between Teams, a team, a chat, and a channel (really Microsoft???), I'm more jazzed than ever about this tool and the potential productivity gains when people use it well!

As more and more of us are working from home or a hybrid model, keeping in touch and working together as a team has become a top priority. Enter Microsoft Teams - a tool that makes it super easy to stay connected, organized, and on top of your game. Let's dive into some of the amazing benefits MS Teams has to offer for all your project work needs.

Have you experienced any recent changes in your life? Perhaps you've taken on a new position at work, welcomed a new team member, or updated your software.  And if you're a parent, you understand how children are constantly growing and changing.

In a world that is constantly changing, one thing remains certain: every individual responds to change in their own unique way. Whether you embrace change with open arms or feel a sense of panic at the mere mention of it, there is a valuable tool that can help you understand the different behaviors that emerge during these transitions.

I recently moved into a new house and found myself evaluating a room that's needs painting.  "Is the color close enough to avoid a primer?  It would save time to jump right to a coat of the new stuff.  But would it really if I had to add a second coat because the old color showed through?  Ok, time for a base coat of primer!"

That same day I found myself teaching our Influencing class to a group of front line managers and it occurred to me that the same conversation applied.  You cannot skip the base coat!  All the fancy influencing approaches fall flat if you haven't checked the boxes on these top five fundamentals of influencing: