Learning from the ways of the force, a timeless classic

It's an age old discussion, and in fact it recently became a rite of passage moment when my 7 year old son turned to me and said. "Dad, why doesn't Chewbacca get a medal?"  It's the kind of moment that brings a tear to your eye and especially when concerning Chewies lack of bling.

I have heard many of the answers before and decided to dismiss some of the possible responses to answer my sons curiosity, for example I don't believe the Rebel Alliance were Wookist, I doubt very much that Chewie suffered from a medal allergy and nor do I think it was an intervention by the Protocol Droid Union to stop them melting down any more of C3PO to make the gold medals in the first place. My response to Jnr Learning Dude was simple and opened up a whole series of valuable life lessons and discussions for the moment and those still to come. The simple answer I gave him was "Son, it's not all about the bling. A simple thank you and to be appreciated for what he achieved was gratitude enough for Chewie"

Too often people look for that "thing" as a reward for receiving training rather than truly understanding that the "thing" is what the learning has done or will do for them. Now Luke as you can see from above was well impressed with his medal and that's fine as much learning he has to do, so let him smile.

That Learning Dude got to thinking about the fact that 35 years had passed since Star Wars was released back in 1977 and at this time I myself was a mere 7 years old. I too questioned the lack of medal for Chewie and summoned my father, "Yes, he was my father" to calculate the many reasons possible for this on his shiny new Apple computer while Mother gazed on in admiration. Sadly the computation failed to provide the answer but did give me 7 other learning gems from the ways of the force.

1) Luke wanted to join up with his best mate at the Imperial Academy and become a pilot but his Uncle Owen had other ideas and hoped to keep him from his dreams. It happens. People, things, stuff and then a little bit more may get in your way from what you want to achieve but stick to the task and you will get what you want. Okay so I can't guarantee that a well connected old Jedi can get you a jump up to x-fighter class but you get the picture.

2) Make the right connections and build a network that can support your wider goals. Through Obi, they managed to find just the person for the job down at the Cantina which led them on their journey and indeed Luke's destiny. Without that connection Luke would have either been topped by Dr. Evazan who had the death sentance in twelve systems or ended up as charcoal like Aunt Beru and Unlcle Owen. Networking is an important part of learning as the wider the circle the more extensive the knowledge.

3) Okay so friends of That Learning Dude may laugh when I talk about the importance of plans when you are learning or creating learning as I do tend to be a little bit vague when I am in the zone as such. However this does not mean I don't have any (I keep them safe in a little droid). The importance of great plans helps you to track exactly where you are, react quickly to changes and help you to meet overall goals and milestones.......alternatively steal your enemies plans, find their weakness and you're all clear kid !!!!! Of course That Learning Dude wouldn't be an advocate of that. That wouldn't be the plans you'd be looking for.

4) Be prepared to make some sacrifices along the way, granted some may be more extreme than others as Obi proved for the greater good.......which reminds me, why doesn't Vaders strike with the lightsaber not burn through Kenobis cloak? Just asking.....ehem, anyway, where was I? Yes sacrifices. I spoke in a previous blog about a little bit of failure being okay. These little failings can be your sacrifices, it might mean putting a little more effort or time in to make something work but the long term gains will be worth the effort and will help you stay on target.

5) Look for feedback, it is the best way to find out that what you are doing is right. Now at times you may not like what you hear and possibly  attempt to ignore it, but of course, if you search your feelings :-) the chances is are you will know it is true and be able to accept it. This is perfect as you can then update your plans and goals with new targets. Who knows you may also be able to repair relationships that have lost there way a little.

6) One thing you shouldn't do is over promise. Not to yourself and not to others. Be realistic about what you can and cannot do. You don't want to have to drop things and let people down at the very sniff of an imperial cruiser so make sure you know your limits.  A greater strength to have is recognising what the priorities are and acting upon them. Oh and unless you want a dressing down from Yoda, don't tell people you will try to do it. There is no try !

7) Last but not least, the learning never stops

That Learning Dude @LearningXdude

Take a chance and Learn, failure could be an option.

Since the rumours broke and the official announcement was made about Microsoft launching their own tablet, there seems to have been a number of people lining up to announce its demise before launch.

Take this article from Business Insider which suggests that Microsoft are doomed to failure from the start. You can see why they have come to their conclusions but until launch it is difficult for me to think of it in terms of success or failure. I have a little more faith in taking chances. I can not imagine for one minute that Microsoft have set themselves up to fail. It would be incredibly unwise for any business to create and launch a product without taking a number of things into consideration. Microsoft have assessed the tablet market and see a gap for a new entrant, one of the reasons being is there is always room for healthy competition. This is what drives innovation.

One of the most interesting flaws in the arguments of the doubters is that Microsoft don't understand the market, they cite the example of their failed range of media players the Zune. Now whilst it was a failure as far as media players go the lessons learned have been used to help create the Windows phone. Zune as a music and video download service will be offered under the Xbox brand. Which leads me on to another point. If Microsoft are to be warned off of the Tablet arena just because there is a dominant brand, why did the Xbox succeed?

That Learning Dude remembers another product doomed to failure, the Sony Playstation. I was at an event in 1994 with two companies presenting their wares, Sega who had dominated the game console market for several years with the Megadrive and Mastersystem and the new kid on the block for consoles, Sony. So confident were Sega that their new Saturn would continue their market dominance that the exec hardly got out of first gear. He mocked Sony for even attempting to enter the arena, questioning their hardware and software choices, the control system and anything else he could see fit to challenge. Sony stuck by it, they had done their research and even though admitting Sega had sold millions of consoles they stayed true to their dream. The rest is history as they say, Sony still have one of the dominant brands in the marketplace and as for Sega? Well they make software now for the industry after admitting defeat. Even with the odds stacked against them Sony achieved success, just as Microsoft were to follow suit in later years with the Xbox when faced with Sony dominance. So who is to say Microsoft cannot challenge Apple? In fact it is in the games arena I see the biggest opportunity with the Surface with connection to the Xbox generating maps and additional data for games such as Call of Duty and Halo........but that's getting a little geeky........although would I not be right in thinking Nintendo are going down the very route of crossover tablet and controllers for their new console?

As I said. A little too geeky right?

Now what does this have to do with learning I hear you cry?

Well for me, learning is all about creation, connections, innovation, knowledge and in fact whatever you want it to be. Mark Twain said that he never let his schooling get in the way of his education. This means it never stops. To do this you should be bold and take chances. Stick your neck out and let people know what you think. Take information on board the way you want it and come to your own conclusions testing theory along the way. Don't pay too much attention to the doubters either, any time I hear their voices I refer to the story of the group of scientists who back in the day said that whilst the possibility of television was there, it would be a commercial disaster with limited potential................history is littered with these stories. I am just thankful nobody listened to them, but then I am watching BIG on Film4 right now so I am a little biased (for those who have watched this film it is hard not to disagree that a robot that turns into a building would be a rubbish toy so perhaps sometimes listen to the doubters but as a rare treat)

When I take on a development challenge or piece of work I would never set it up to fail and whilst I wouldn't go so far as to say failure is not an option, I would say that a little bit of failure along the way tests the strength of your product. So build an element of strength testing into your plan to ensure you can improve it right up until launch and even then keep it evolving.

Do not bother too much about the doubters, take on board constructive comments but if they are questioning the scale of the challenge you are facing then they probably will never understand creativity and innovation. JFK when asked why go to the moon? Acknowledged the task ahead but pointed out that they did not choose to go to the moon because it way easy but because it was hard. If you see someone doing something that you think is too hard then you are not looking close enough. Steve Jobs would have relished the fact that his Microsoft are set to challenge the dominance of iPad. It would have spurred him on to do something even more dynamic. That's the real challenge and only by doing so will you truly learn what it means to take a chance.

That Learning Dude

Follow me on Twitter @LearningXDude

Gadgets Gizmos & Bridging the Learning Gap

Awww, look. A cute little image of a tablet propped up on a teddy.........cute to the point that the teddy is purpose built to hold the tablet of a child. The question that once was at what age do you let your child have a mobile phone has progressed to what age should a kid have their first tablet?

An iPad in a toaster yesterday

That Learning Dude got to thinking about it tonight  while reading an article on www.tecca.com about this very subject and knowing that this conversation could be approaching me with a letter to Santa at any point in the very near future. The answer of course is varied, there are many who may wish to ask what is wrong with a Scalextric or train set? (an excellent way to learn all about physics I might add) or those who might plump straight for the iPad and worry about finding it in the toaster at a later stage.  


This isn't what it got me thinking about, it was more around how do we bridge the learning gap between the gadgets, gizmos and tablet's that are flooding the market on a daily basis with the way we are still learning in the business classroom. The report card of That Learning Dude Jnr will be landing on the dining table this week and within there will be the scores on the doors for IT Skills. The benefit of these skills at an early will be essential in his future as the pace of education begins to keep up with advancements in technology. There is no doubt that in the next ten to fifteen years if not sooner our future leaders are going to be some of the most tech savvy employees on the market place and they will pick and choose a business that meets their needs as much as we need their skills and therefore we need to be ready. 

Now I know that the video above is really an advert for SMART tech but if you look at how we have advanced through the ages it seems ironic that when we contrast this with the business world, by the time our future employees leave education and walk into their new role they step back in time.  They will encounter training that not only fails to meet their needs in a way they now receive information but at times in a way that is completely based on learning practise's of years gone by. I fear the day that poor unfortunate delegate comes into the room and is mocked for trying to turn on the flip chart. Now the business has to change but there are others that need to be involved, take Flip Chart Guy for example. He needs to be the champion in the class room in a way that engages the learner but allows him to continue to be confident enough to wear that snazzy dollar bill suit. Flip Chart Guy may be resistant at first so lets give him a little nudge.

1. Check your pocket..........okay not too often as that is bound to be reflected in feedback scores but what type of mobile device do you have, how do you use this? Emails, you tube, social media or perhaps you even take phone calls on them. The chances are you already have a quick win mobile learning tool in your pocket and looking around the room most people will have similar devices. Consider breaking that cardinal rule and ask people to turn phones on !! Tweet during the session or breaks, suggest videos that can be viewed on TED or You Tube pre and post course. Some of this content can allow you to make sessions more interactive and focus on something more practical
2. Save the trees,  save the planet and help the business be a bit greener. Now this one is something that always amazes me, we design materials on various office products and then spend hours at photocopiers printing off several trillion copies whilst enduring the wrath of that person who has one thing to print and faces many a demoralising trip to the printer only to see you standing there rhyming of the now well trodden line of "I only have a couple more to do". This content is and can be integral to a programme and does not have to be lost, send what you can pre course and ask people to review. For a real radical thought get them to bring their laptops into the room and access the material live for reference. Don't panic about them accessing outlook, people will do this on Blackberry's etc regardless what you say as in today's fast paced environment it gets difficult to stop them, I find it offers up more respect with the learner and if you contract or provide enough information up front around some do's and don'ts then in most cases it won't be an issue......plus you can email them during the session :-)
3. Finally allow people nay encourage people to take pictures or videos on phones etc  of what they have learned, posters, laughter moments or exercises. Make the room engaging, interactive and fun, learning is so much better this way. I was recently delivering out in South Korea and fascinated with how many photographs were taken during a session on iPads, iPhones and cameras. This was in no way distracting in fact the sessions were going viral within a few hours and shared with friends and family across the Asian region. Social Learning in a workshop without trying, merely by allowing the cameras in the room.

  Now we know a lot is about more for less just now so we have to think of a way we engage with business leaders to make these things happen, the key point is there is a lot we can do that works in conjunction with the restricted budgets. The fact that we can take advantage and cut costs relating to printing, or expensive corporate videos through the use of free resources means that the money we save is actually freeing up elements in the budget to invest in other tools.

1. Show them what it provides not what it costs - An investment in rapid learning tools takes the experience and skills of Flip Chart Guy and gets him to create relative material that cuts time to competency thus giving time back to the business to put the newly learned skills into practice to make or sell more widget's. 
2. Be brave and bold with the current social media trends and online content. We engage more through social media to promote our businesses and recruit staff but a strong social media policy is actually a deal breaker for some of the top graduates who will not join a business without one. Another way to engage is to offer online toolkits such as www.goodpractice.com which give on the go content to suit managers needs.
3. Lastly give them devices on the go, the benefits of this builds a mobile and flexible workforce. My recent trip to Asia saw a 200 strong induction group provided with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. They used this as a learning tool and will use it on return to the business. Providing tools which present opportunities in and out of the classroom is not only seen as an investment in people but builds trust in the workforce by potentially offering more flexible patterns of work.

So there you have it, my musings on Gadgets, gizmo's and bridging the learning gap, now if you'll excuse me I have a very important art lesson on Lets Draw

That Learning Dude  

De-constructing the course

Attended "beyond the course" yesterday with some like minded peers and Listened to some great speakers talking about the changing face of corporate learning and the ever increasing use of learning technologies in the our world. 


 Nigel Paine looked at how innovation is not a luxury in learning now as corporations demand more for less and require you to adapt to their business needs at an increased pace. He debunked the process of buying talent into an organisation by stating that the answer will always be to build the talent, innovate with it as this  can re-energise a whole organisation.


He had a pop at that part of the family we like to call Powerpoint and how as visual aids they are fine but in most cases that's not what they are (how right he is). The lasting thought I had from his talk was on my role as that learning dude, the job is not just about developing great people but you have to work in tandem to build great environments for them to operate in. To build this brave new world we need to take advantage of communities of practice and create external learning networks.


 Clive Shepherd focussed on the role of the Learning Architect, dissecting the position we once held and how we the role is very different from a learning builder. He has taken 70:20:10 and scythed it, changed it, tweaked it and created a model which is more flexible and directly related to the einvronment we now operate  leaving me with a message of how learning is situational like leadership.


There was also presentations by the likes of SKY, BUPA and BP in relation to work they have been doing with Brightwave which directly relates to providing a more targeted support for their business from the learning teams.


So what did I leave with? 


Well the good thing was it is always nice to hear people talk about something you are currently doing, nice to know you are on the right track etc and especially that you are not alone in the desire to change a culture that people have been comfortable with for so long. Most importantly for That Learning Dude is that it gave me time to think and reflect on what we are really doing. I call this less "Beyond the Course" and more about "Deconstructing the Course"


The traditional design process we go through is building content brick by brick. What are the objectives?......Build....What does the roadmap look like?......Build....Have you written the workbooks?......Build....What icebreakers will you use? etc, etc, etc Before you know it you have built a wall of content that will ensure every lucky delegate in that room will have everything they need to be trained on the day. Job Done :-) I am currently working on something which is all about deconstruction. Traditionally a Leadership course would be a number of days, packing in theory upon theory upon model upon model with the expectation that when the delegates leave the room they will remember everything which of course they don't. So you need to deconstruct


The learning architect needs to start by stripping back the content brick by brick, this leaves you with several pieces. 


There will be a face to face element which should please the "learning has to be away from my desk" fraternity. This does not have to be a course, it could be a seminar, coaching, mentoring or indeed that desired workshop but the content will be shorter and sharper. The architect will have taken out the knowledge and tell elements and creates a session dedicated to experiential learning. 


Around the outside of the face to face piece you construct a curriculum, I see this as a free flowing and ever expanding universe, an orbital curriculum. This is supporting content to reflect pre course knowledge and post course to embed the learning. The content here is critical to ensuring the learning leave, stays and evolves with the learner once they leave the room.


Learning is not in isolation, just as the content provides the learner with knowledge and tools to develop a skill there is also a need for external support from peers and leaders. For this reason we need to foster community Learning. Social media plays a huge part in this, through the likes of Linked I and Twitter etc we can create Communities of practice or direct them to external learning networks which enable the learner feel part of something bigger. You can do this internally and create a specific area for best practice and support. It provides the learner with a sense of belonging and also as most of those using the online space with them will be peers it creates and motivates a better culture of inclusion.


A space for learning is essential, an LMS can be so much more than a host for content, it should be the place people want to go to for course information, storage space, feedback, downloads, guides, hints tips etc etc etc. The creation of a Google or Wiki will provide not only a cool toy that shows you care :-) but allows you control over what content you provide with the flexibility to link directly with a changing business environment.


The final piece for me is sometimes the hardest. The buy in to this change is the hardest as what we are looking to do is increase self development but the key to this is it is not about do it yourself, it is do it for yourself. The traditional factory based learning model of one size fits all is long gone. Deconstruction is all about transformational learning, providing content and courses that truly meet an individuals needs. We focus on learner centric materials and not subject centred. If you do that buy in follows quickly. I was asked recently about creating a development programme for a large group of leaders. My aim is not to provide one programme but rather content that creates over 200 programmes which the individual has tailored to meet their own needs directly.


Right who wants to grab the sledgehammer first? :-)


That Learning Dude