This week the Paradigm team was fortunate enough to be one of hundreds of exhibitors at ATD 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. The conversations were great, the attendees were excited to see the new innovations to L&D, and after three days, these are the biggest takeaways that we have learned:
- The future of leadership development is in our hands
It’s been said before, but the millennial generation continues to transition into more leadership roles, often times unprepared and underdeveloped. It’s a pressing need that becomes more critical with each passing year as the multi-generational workforce continues to take shape and evolve. It’s why it’s a conversation we are still having time and again. Leadership roles need to be filled for organizations to have a solid future. Therefore it’s imperative that leadership development is made engaging and impactful to fully prepare them for the position they take.
- Learning is all about the outcome
The great debate of L&D usually revolves around the idea of classroom training versus online training. And while it’s still important to know the distinction between the two, a larger growing need is the learning outcomes that training provides. What will the learners gain from this training? What can they take back to the job with them? How will it impact both them individually and the organization as a whole? These are all questions that training needs to be able to answer for organizations.
- Onboarding needs to be fun to be effective
First impressions still matter most. A big worry we continually heard in our conversations at ATD was that Onboarding programs tend to not be as engaging or impactful as they should be; that they may acclimate their new hire to the organization’s culture or ideas, but will be “boring.” Onboarding is not just about getting a newcomer secure in his or her role and up to speed to work faster, it’s about making them feel welcome and excited and wanting to be there! If you want to stop employee turnover from happening in the first 45 days, bring them onboard with passion, and maybe a little flare so they want to stay.
Many thanks must be given to the Association of Talent Development (ATD) for once again setting up such an amazing event. It was an honor and privilege to be able to provide insights and solutions to so many talent development leaders. We look forward to next year’s event.
