Scrimmage EXTRA - LIVE @ATD2019
I had the privilege to attend this year’s ATD International Conference & Expo in Washington, DC - and I have to say it was an amazing experience! There were many insights, new schools of thought, as well as traditional topics.
One of my main takeaways was around the importance of leadership. What it takes to be a good leader. How being a leader means to always remain fluid, be open – and it’s okay to not always know what the next move is, or should be.
Exhibit A - Oprah Winfrey. This year, Oprah was the Opening (and Marquis) Keynote speaker. Her talk centered on Leadership and Leadership Development.
Resonating with me, in particular, the following quote from Oprah offers key advice for both current leaders - and future generations of leaders.
Live out the truest expression of yourself, as a human being.
Oprah constantly reinforced that the ‘right’ leadership is very important. She recommended following your instincts and listening to your gut. Many times, leaders talk themselves out of what they think is right because it is going against the grain of others. But, in the end, it will have a way of coming back to hurt you.
A good leader also knows that people seek validation and want to feel heard. Leaders do not always have to agree with what is being said, but it is more vital to listen to their teams’ opinions, thoughts and concerns. It goes a long way to gain trust.
Oprah shared yet another leadership quality. It is also critical to recognize when something (or someone) is not working and taking the leap to fix it, sooner than later. Her personal stories and experiences offered insights on not only her pivots, but also what she would have done differently to prevent them from occurring in the first place. Such reflection – and taking the time to reflect, to learn from these “failures” – was yet another key takeaway.
On a similar note, she admitted that it is often hard to take a step back and celebrate the small wins. However, it is imperative to do so, or, as Oprah explained, the feeling of fulfillment (which we all seek) may never be truly felt, nor enjoyed. At the same time, we should all realize that our peers are looking for the same outcome(s), hold similar goals. Although, how they may go about finding them and achieving them becomes the real differentiator.
For instance, today, Millennials seek immediate passion, fulfillment and success in their jobs. Oprah acknowledged this aspiration, but went on to implore that it actually takes time and experience to figure it all out. Being a millennial myself, it was definitely interesting - almost comforting - to hear.
After all, from the time we are young, we are planning our next move. In high school we are preparing for college and in college we are preparing for our careers. From there, we are trying to work up the ladder, while always striving for the next big thing, the next big promotion, a new title, a new seat at the table.
Leader or not, hearing this year’s speakers consistently touch upon the fact that it was okay to not know your next step, let alone your next move. We cannot expect everyone to have all of the answers, all of the time. We are actually all learning – and learning together. In fact, working together as teams to decipher our next steps and how we get there is what becomes essential.
In the end, the qualities of a good leader and good leadership support the vision of both the leader and the organization. A good leader enables everyone across the organization to play a part in the execution of that vision, as well.
In essence, the real indication of the “right” leadership today is actually quite multi-faceted. Thus, leadership development, training and even mentorships become that much more important.
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LIVE From ATD 2019 – Our Special #WednesdayWebinar with Guest, Tiffany Prince:
We want to thank Tiffany Prince, author, corporate consultant, ATD advisor and principal of Prince Performance, for her insights on Leadership Development. It's Worth The Watch! Check out this #WednesdayWebinar with her thoughts and best practices on our YouTubeChannel: https://bit.ly/2KEsUp5
To learn more about Tiffany and her work, please Click Here.
Or, Click Here To Enjoy A Sneak Peek Of Her New Book, Top of the Mountain Leadership: The Future of Performance and Productivity in a Technology Changing World.
Scrimmage Celebrates Its ATD Excellence In Practice Award:
At ATD 2019, Scrimmage was honored to be a part of ATD’s 2018 Excellence In Practice Awards celebrated during this year’s conference. We are honored to be a Partner & Winner in the Learning Technologies category with Gilead Sciences. This award recognizes the innovative work of both IT departments in step with Gilead’s CL&D department to integrate its various (legacy) LMSs and create one touch point, one mobile experience for learners to access their trainings, product information, and more.
And, Another Congratulations ...
We congratulate another partner (and dear friend) to Scrimmage – Prof. Karl M. Kapp on his well-deserved recognition at this year’s award ceremony. He was presented with the prestigious ATD Distinguished Contribution Award. It was in recognition of not only his groundbreaking work in gamification, but also as a steward for his students, and constantly exposing them to the talent development industry, design-thinking aspects, new technologies and all of the many possibilities.
To Learn More About The 2018 ATD EIP Awards & Winners, click here.
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For more information, or to enjoy a demo of the Scrimmage mobile learning platform: http://go.wescrimmage.com/demo
About the author:
Krista Gargone
Krista is based in the New Jersey office.