Baking the Cookies: Hiring Learning Consultants to be Successful

So many words have been written about dysfunctional organizations, if weighed would easily capsize…oh, say an aircraft carrier. Those who work in cubicles are often victims of enterprises that are so inefficient and in some cases borderline dysfunctional it’s stunning anything of value is created.  If you want to smell the enticing aroma of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, then follow the directions on the box.

Take the case of a senior manager, having been apprised no one on the staff has the skills or time to fulfull a critical assignment, brings in a consultant to address the problem.  She believes the functions have been clearly defined and deliverables understood by all.  Confident one problem along the critical path is sewn up in response to the needs expressed by the requesting manager, she moves on to other matters.  And never reviews the work product again.

Except – the immediate manager modifies the assignment/methodology/direction, and/or the support promised – everything from equipment to people resources is neither available nor provided.  The consultant somehow muddles through or cannot possibly deliver neither fast nor good enough.  The immediate manager reports the consultant is failing or has failed.

Every time I complete a contractual assignment, I’ve taken some time and distance trying to synthesize what all too often seems to be a virus unique to large enterprises.  I think I’ve come upon a way of looking at these deficiencies.  As I see it, they fall into 3 general categories:

1.       Preparedness
One should be safe in assuming there has been agreement among both senior, middle management the consultant is needed, and his function, deliverables, and schedule defined and agreed upon.  Too often that’s not the case.  During the recruiting/hiring process the consultant is introduced to the task and deliverables—and agrees to the project parameters only to find the resource or equipment, access, etc. will not be forthcoming.  Later, like after a week.

Also, in too many cases, companies are not ready for the consultant, who arrives ready to work only to find IT hasn’t stripped last user’s material, a server file or location created, a name and password generated, no plans made to get a parking spot, security key card, policies and procedures never formally reviewed. The cube hadn’t been cleaned since Hannibal crossed the Alps.  I recently had my name misspelled and entered into the server, but had to begin working realizing of course if my name were to be ‘fixed’ all settings and defaults would require reconstruction.

2.       Clarity
One-step more granular than preparation in the absolute assurance everyone on the inside is truly on the same side.  That is, from the top manager to the immediate supervisor there are procedures, processes, controls, and risk management in place for not just the next hire but the many who follow.  I have yet to see – at any company – and I mean the Fortune 100/500 a document outlining the intake procedures for consultants.  Now, it may exist, which should leave even more red faces as obviously it’s regularly ignored. I believe there should always be a risk management component.  In this context, if the consultant is not delivering, a conclave should be convened where the problems and solutions are vocalized.  If difficulties persist, the consultant has to go – even if the company is at fault.  Not to be too paranoid but that’s generally an indication some internal enemy is plotting away.  Neither has the consultant time, nor the political juice to do much that won’t end in termination anyway.

3.       Behaviors
This is so commonsensical it should never have to be said.  The difficulty faced by a consultant in any capacity is akin to a well-paid indentured servant.  He has neither power nor influence to bend people even when it might be in the company’s best interest to learn of economies, efficiencies, technical issues and so on.  The consultant knows that going above the immediate supervisor to le grande frommage for any reason short of harassment is signing his own visit to the guillotine.  So the smart move by any consultant is practice muteness, silencio, and that goes for getting to chummy with anyone on the staff.  Cordial, yes.  Friendly, OK, bull sessions about the company the boss or fishing around for information staff believes you have (and you doing the same) is a big, fat, no.

So…how to make sure working with a consultant will yield great results.

Paper.  A smart recruiting firm and especially a smart organization should develop a checklist – it need not be biblical in length – but clear and focused that does the following:

1.       Describes, in broad terms, the nature of the project
2.       Describe the deliverables in detail – the more clarity here the easier to define the type of individual required for hire, his skillsets, subject matter knowledge, and experience
3.       Ensure expectations for time on task, volume of work and schedules are clarified
4.       Determine and state with clarity if there will be support by internal experts, technical or supervisory staff, especially those who know the project/program/product – and how much time they will be available
5.       Milestones for a review of progress and product
6.       A daily check by the immediate supervisor to ‘take the temperature’ of progress
7.       Procedure for escalating developing problems: Will there be coaching or remediation if the consultant is underperforming or      summary dismissal

This document should be used by the interviewer(s) as well – both parties know what expectations the company has, and can this candidate meet those requirements and agree.

Ensure all administrivia is completed:

1.       Security, parking spot, building layout, etc., is ready for the consultant
2.       Is the workspace prepared: cleaned, free of left over detritus from the former inhabitant?
3.       Is the hardware, software, files naming protocols, file saving protocols, accessible printers, available, all demonstrated on the first day to allow for a rapid ramping up
4.       What is the protocol for phone and email usage
5.       Can the consultant utilize tech support directly or through, by example, a manager
6.       The consultant should be introduced to staff working in the immediate area and his role made clear to everyone

I’m not sure I’ve hit on every point but this is a good foundation from which you will enhance the likelihood that the best consultant for the work will be contracted, the hire will be capable of meeting expectations, and an agreement of understanding between the consultant and the organization makes clear who and what responsibilities are met.  As a former mentor said, blame paper, not people.  With documentation, few problems will reach even the remediation stage; the workflow will be smooth and people assets aware of their responsibilities.  A quality, on time result follows.

Now I can eat those cookies.

Treacherous Business Words Used in Learning Pt2

So we left off with Important/Urgent and I just want to mention that what is important and urgent to someone else may be of little consequence to you. What’s the phrase,”A failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.” So true. Of course know when and with whom to pick your battles, right?

I’ve saved these heavyweights for last. Enjoy. Or not.

7.       Strategic

In theory, strategy or strategic plan means looking out in the distance and setting your goals.  Then every decision would be tactical in that each would contribute to the success of the project.  Huh.  That’s gone.  Strategic is now important on steroids.  Whenever you’re asked for the strategy of this courseware or how it fits within the strategic vision of our corporate long-range plan – get out the shovel.  The more times strategic is used the more self-important the speaker and the less concrete the goal.

8.       Rightsize, downsize, best shore, offshore, outsource, optimize, redeploy, downshift, re-engineer.  Now entering the realm of hyper cliché are any of these ways of kissing off staff.  In the learning business, we tend to suffer early – and when training budgets start to be trimmed think of the canary in the coalmine.  Call your connections, dust off the rez, and brighten up your LinkedIn profile because you are soon to be history.  Using this terms makes the executioner feel like he is doing something strategic (see #7) for the greater good of the corporation.

9.       Thank you.  What?  How can some of the most benign words find their way on this list?  Simply when it’s spoken by a machine.  Thank you for your interest, your time, your patience, your value as a customer and such.  We don’t thank people much in online courseware – I don’t know why, we just don’t.  However, trainers are always thanking learners – most of who were locked up in a room for the day, had to show up to the session and compelled to complete the requirements.  Thanking them is obsequious.  Thanking them before the session ends for enduring the training with grace and composure demonstrates commiseration.  Of course, if the trainer was outstanding – the audience will say, “Thank you.”

10.       Interesting

I find this the funniest word on the list.  It suggests, on one hand pondering, deep thinking while all the facts are weighted.  However, as the Chinese say, “May You Live in Interesting Times,” it portends not a good thing.  Nor the doctor holding your x-ray and saying, “Hmm, interesting.  And my favorite use in learning – and it’s true especially in the arts as well – when the patron, viewer, learner says, “Interesting.”  That’s shorthand for you missed the mark.  I’d like to be less interested in employment if you will hire me.

11.       Opportunity

Oh, I know all about opportunities – they used to be called problems.  I will defend account executives (formerly salesmen/women colleagues who enjoy when an an opportunity to sell into a company appears. That is truthful.  Of course, they are there because the business has a problem.  Of course, everyone will first thank each other for finding time in their busy schedules to make the meeting…and once again the shovel please.

12.       Investment

Like opportunities, we do not spend (unless the opposite political party wants to put the taint on the other guys).  We do want to make investments in education, infrastructure, even in learning, public and corporate – with the hopes that the investment will pay off.  Here we are hobbled by two misconceptions.  Firstly, we are going to spend money and we will not (in the actual definition) earn capital in return.  Therefore, without a return on investment – it is spending.  In fact, those who want to make these investments hardly know what they will do or purpose they will serve.  Most egregiously – and this folks (hang your heads low because we share some of the guilt), is because no one knows how to measure the worth of these investments… and determine whether the spending was justified by the result.

 

So I hope you found this enlightening and humorous – good to laugh at yourself once in a while.  Please try to be interesting when you build your strategy and don’t forget to thank those who recognized the opportunity to see the importance in your project; just remember you might always be downsized, but from me to you I hope your investment will pay off.

 

Have a safe drive home.

Treacherous Business Words Used in Learning

I caught an interesting article about the twelve most dangerous words in business.  I thought, twelve.  That’s it?  Then I realized how they apply to learning and the pain they can cause.

I won’t hold back the suspense

1.      Just

Defined in business to dial down a big request.  “Could you just complete this (2-hour) course by Monday?  This is followed by a set of specs that led Columbus astray.  When you try to get clarity, the requestor says that’s the only information I have — Hey, thanks. We know in learning building the back-story – that is the actual objectives, resources, assignments, deadlines, critical path, and such are ridiculously compressed.  More often than we’d like to admit the resulting course has two-fold results: It is used, maybe, if it actually answers a need for which you thought it was made but never fully understood (shooting in the dark syndrome) or if it is delivered, the results are never exposed to any metric for measurement.

2.       But

If you hear ‘but’ everything said prior is meaningless because everything said after is what counts.  BTW, mother’s are great at this.  (At least mine) Vut brigns with it a  criticism, an excuse, or camouflage for someone to hide behind.  This is deadly in learning simply because it usually comes after an enormous amount of time and effort has already been expended.  Prepare to reboot.

3.       From

A modifier in ninja black that pretends to help by putting a stake in the ground – a starting point.  Seems innocent enough until it begins to move, uprooted by some other higher ranking influencer: ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could do this?’  Or, ‘I know we started from here – let’s try starting from here instead.’  This is a sneaky one.

4.       Might

Actually, this makes three appearances on our list.  As a negotiating strategy, your boss says he might be able to help you if…Next, it suggests you will have to compromise something to achieve your goals – see, it’s a snarky tradeoff based on power.  Of course, the last utilitarian application is post project when blame is being distributed ‘You know we might have done this if (Insert name of person, conditions, restrictions, etc.) might have (a two-for-one zinger) been somehow different.

5.       Only

Another modifier designed to relieve the speaker from responsibility by diminishing the scope or effort you’ll need to put out there.  I love this when it shows up after storyboards are going to production and ‘only one minor change’ would really be helpful.  GRRRR.

And the last for this morning…

6.       Important (and Urgent)

Stephen Covey separates these two as completely different elements.  For our purposes, it inflates how critical a project is and – by fiat – how vital your role will be.  Further it suggests this is a high profile assignment being viewed from up on high.  So, you had better give it your very best effort.  As if…

A Criteria for (Not) Hiring

Kudos for trying to build screening tools using video and other media for selecting viable candidates.  http://bit.ly/fuqSIq [Using New Tools For Screening Candidates – Ty Abernethy‘s Blog, ERE.Net].

It might, however raise the specter that pictures and sound might be more a weapon to keep certain candidates out?

I’m sure you’re quite aware that when the recovery takes place the recruitment process will be a huge funnel; many, many potential candidates will get in at the top; make the first cut.  During the process the funnel gets narrower and criteria more stringent winnowing those whom you believe can not only do the job – but must also please your client, your Hiring Manager.

That said what do the first acceptable potentials at the top of the funnel appear as?  Well, presumably all have the chops to do the job, have the recommendations, and, entertain me here – will differ only by subjective intuitive intangibles.  No, not gender, race, ethnicity, appearance, even comfort in front of the camera — age is what’s left from which to distinguish them from the coming hordes.

Age is the unspoken shibboleth among hiring managers and recruiters.  There’ll be four, maybe five distinct age groups shoulder to shoulder at the top of the funnel.  Moreover, by the time the few distilled candidates drip out the bottom you can bet age will be determining criteria for promotion to the next stage.

Mark this down: Age related issues will come to dominate the hiring process.  It will be the talk of broadcasters who will pick up on the story pronto.  Remember older workers are politic and not unfamiliar with how to start and feed a movement—we’re talking boomers here.  There are few ways.  e.g. the law, to restrict classes of people from employment.  Though mature workers are a cohort recognized in non-discrimination statutes – it only has teeth after hiring – that is, you can’t classify a worker as too old, nor terminate strictly for age.

But at the top of your funnel, when candidates have to stand up before a camera and discuss their qualifications and make their case – recruiters and hiring managers will play the age card – and after looking at the video, for sure.

The tragedy is, I’m willing to bet, older workers will never have their key cards validated.  And forced to the beach will be hundreds of thousands of experiences, intelligences, skills, and humanity never to be seen nor heard from again.

So, hey, use what tools you need to process the tsunami predictably hyped up by the talking heads.  For those 18 million or so unemployed or underemployed who are over, say 55, need never change into their swim trunks.

Especially when you get a good look at them first.