For SME’s, one of the hardest things to grapple with is finding effective development programmes that don’t take up too much time, but which the really deliver some results. What should you consider when buying stuff for you and your team?

I am sure that you have heard of the story of the three little pigs and their battle to survive the desires of the hungry wolf.

And perhaps you will have recognised that each of these pigs starts the story with differing life experiences, personalities, expectations and skills. Yes, I know they all lived in the same maternal home, until their mother rather dispassionately threw them out on their own and subjected them to a dangerous world where wolves lay around every corner. But there were differences in their characters, with the result that they each found different solutions to the challenges they faced.

But boy, wouldn’t it have helped them if their learning could have been accelerated and they could have found a solution to that hungry old wolf earlier in the story?

And this is the challenge for all of us on the buy side, so we need to make sure that they do will do the job, and quickly and that the lessons will translate to business, and quickly. Obviously the truth is no programme can satisfy all the people all of the time, but they can ensure they include a mix of approaches to learning that best seek to address the differing needs.

Normally, that isn’t so much about the content but howe the porgramme is delivered. So ask yourself whether the programme and its contents have been built to make that they are;

Accessible – will you understand it and is the material delivered in a mix of ways that recognise my learning style (e.g. touching, looking or doing)?
Memorable – will you be provided with learning triggers that will resonate and last over the long term?
Applicable – will you be provided with knowledge and solutions that can be applied for real impact on a day to day basis?

And in an SME (and for us at the Non Exec Academy), this last criteria is the most important of all – so dig deep and find out whether the programme really has been built with a true understanding of, and focus on the world that entrepreneurial companies operate in, or whether it is just another rebadged and bland corporate course.

Obviously, there are no definitive answers and often you have to make comprises to make the programme work but if the right approach had been taken with the development of three little pigs, then perhaps they would have found that their solution lay in a well-aimed gun much earlier in the story and they could have saved themselves a lot of trouble.

And what has this got to do with Prime Ministers? Absolutely nothing, but perhaps it caught your attention, made you take notice and made you think about your what is right for your growth business.

Share/Bookmark

Toast falls butter side up

There are a number of helpful things in life that people don’t necessarily think to tell you; dropped toast will always land butter side down, two children is not less work than one and getting the job title of Director doesn’t automatically bestow any greater knowledge than you had before the promotion to those lofty heights.  The problem is that the people working for you suddenly expect you to have all the answers, and it’s all too easy to pretend that you’ve got them rather than lose face and admit that Directors need to keep learning as well.  So all of a sudden you’re in the dangerous situation of being one of the key team leaders, setting the pace for the organisation, they’re all looking to you for guidance……and it takes a brave Director to constructively criticise themselves and realise that they’re lacking in some areas.  But if we want our organisations to develop and we want our people to have a great role model to follow, there’s no better way than by having a learning culture that is driven from the very top.

I’m constantly amazed at the number of people who are Directors and completely unaware of the obligations that they assume when they are appointed as a legal Director.  It’s all too easy to be so absorbed in the detail of our businesses that we forget that we are supposed to be out in front, mapping a future path for the organisation.  I’ve been a Director for 15 years now and I’ve seen all sorts of Directors; the good, the bad and the downright criminal!  I’m a great believer in the benefits of professional development and I originally started the Chartered Director course so that I could ensure that my skills were being kept up-to-date.  The combination of being tutored by people with relevant experience, practical application to your business and networking with like-minded individuals really appealed to me and the course certainly didn’t disappoint on those fronts.  I also found an added benefit in that it gave me space for some “me” time away from the business and my young family.  I found that I was reinvigorated and began approaching problems from a different perspective.  My course group was very stimulating and we kept in touch after the exams – I still call some of them to discuss things now.  It also gave me an insight into the University of Exeter, our co-ordinator Ann Cullum, was great and we were invited to lots of development events.

Ultimately, partly as a result of the course I decided to start my own business, and together with another new Mum we set out writing business plans for people.  We quickly realised that being a trained Director was a great help to the businesses that we worked with so we changed our business model and we now provide non-executive and part-time Director services to a number of businesses, along with development plans, coaching and training.  Being a Chartered Director gives me the confidence that I know what being a Director is all about, and it helps me through challenging conversations when I need to persuade someone who has been running their business for a long time that they still have something to learn!  I’ve also become a leadership affiliate of the University of Exeter so that I can continue on the skills development path.  That’s the great thing about the Chartered Director course, it reminds you that there is so much more out there and that your company’s competitive advantage is firmly based in your openness to learn and share knowledge with others.

Emma Warren FCMA, MBA, C Dir | Managing Director | Portfolio Directors Ltd | www.portfoliodirectors.com

Share/Bookmark