Who Trains Who?

Those managers and executives who have come through the ranks, maintaining their own diaries, typing their own words and creating their own presentations often find it difficult to adjust when they reach the dizzy heights of having their own secretary - or even an executive assistant.

Most secretaries/assistants realise this and, in effect, end up training the manger on how to use this new resource.

Slowly they work out an effective working relationship which works for them both - and, hopefully, for the organisation.

This should be a valuable lesson for the manager/executive.  

• They don’t know everything.
  
  
• More junior staff often know more about their own role than anyone else.
  
  
• Effective relations take time to develop - and need the engagement of all parties.

If they can take those learnings into their future planning and operational activity, they should be more effective - and create a mutual trust with those underneath them in the hierarchy.

This, in turn, makes them more productive, more satisfied and more valuable to the organisation.

The Future of Work?

Is the future of work to be similar to the hybrid forms we have seen emerge from the pandemic - with workers attending the workplace only 2 or 3 days per week (or even less)?

There seems to be some kickback from employers who would like workers in their offices more often - but there is (at least) equal resistance from workers (and their representatives) who want to retain the flexibility they have enjoyed.

To ensure the advantages of post-pandemic remote working exceed the disadvantages, it is important to find innovative ways of promoting knowledge flows and training on both hard and soft skills and to ensure there is a schedule to bring teams together face-to-face on a regular basis.

What about the Workers?

Over the last few decades there has been steady and continual divergence between productivity growth and pay rises,    

Analysis of historical data shows that productivity and compensation for ordinary workers grew in near lockstep from the end of World War II through the 1970s. Since then, however, productivity has grown nearly four times faster than pay for ordinary workers, the difference going to shareholders and the most highly paid workers (think executives).

This has happened through various governments, irrespective of their left or right leanings.

This is a recipe for either mass poverty  or revolution - it is reminiscent of the wealth gap in the middle ages.

Productivity gains have to be shared more equitably.

Do this on Monday morining

 On Monday morning (or perhaps Sunday evening), ask yourself the following questions :

What are the critical issues this week?

What do I absolutely have to get done this week?

What might come back to bite me if I don’t get it done this week?

What does our strategic plan suggests are my priorities?

Hopefully this will help trim your impossible to-do list down to the key essentials which you can plan to do, and concentrate on.

How artificial, how intelligent?

Some people praise the potential of AI (Artificial Intelligence).  Some are scared by it.

Who is right?

All of them.

We know that all new technologies tend to be misused by unscrupulous and unprincipled actors. The nature of AI technology makes this potential very high.

Yet, AI also does have great potential to assist us in all sorts of ways.  Lots of us will find we have some form of ‘virtual assistant’ helping us to find information, analyse data, write reports, edit photos, compose music, find our way through masses of data and so on.  It can help to drive up productivity.

I recommend every one to try Chat-GPT and see what it can do …. just to become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of current software. Of course the software will improve - probably very quickly - but it will always be artificial intelligence.

Is AI a match for real intelligence?  Only time will tell.  However the scammers and fraudsters will soon prove that it is more than a match for real ignorance and complacency.  Be aware. Take an interest.  Keep an open mind on the effectiveness of AI. But watch out for signs that things are not going as you expect; that what you see is not real - it has been created to try and  fool, misguide or cheat you. 

Small can be effective

In a changing world, business leaders are looking for more training options that provide greater flexibility and variety. They are looking for a mix of formats and delivery options, with a preference for short courses.  

industrial certifications, and vocational qualifications. dip-in, dip-out and online learning is seen as being most beneficial by time-poor, resource-constrained small businesses.

If the further education ecosystem can build learning and development propositions that meet these needs, there is a massive opportunity to be realised. 

And helping the country’s small businesses to become more digital has never been more important. 

With small businesses making up such a significant part of the economy (they account for 99.3% of all businesses and £1.6 trillion of annual turnover) their failure to adopt technology will hold back the pace of post-pandemic recovery.

We must make training more accessible to business leaders and their employees, giving them the skills and confidence to successfully adopt digital tools. The task is a mammoth one, but the opportunity is greater. 

By supporting small businesses to successfully use more technology, we will do more than just recover from the pandemic; we will emerge from it even stronger.

Re-Generation

In many countries, governments are raising the retirement age to contain pension and welfare costs.   Today’s workers are going to have to work to a ripe, old age.  (Since, generally, people are healthier and fitter than they were 30 or 40 years ago, this is not necessarily a bad thing.)

It does mean, however, that, increasingly, organisations will have a more diverse workforce - in terms of age.  Millenials and generation X workers will be working with - and perhaps crossing swords with - older colleagues (generation A?).

There is a natural difference in the working styles, preferred communication styles and general attitudes of different generations.  This can cause interpersonal tension and personality clashes which can result in lower performance.

However, some firms have realised there is also an upside, a potential for increased innovation.  The different generations bring different experiences, thought processes and viewpoints to the table - which can expand and extend the range of ideas being brought to bear on a problem or opportunity. 

To ensure the organisation moves from ‘tension’ to ‘potential’ requires a strong, pervasive culture and awareness of mission and vision which focuses all minds on the ‘prize’ and keeps everyone moving in the same direction.  It also requires supervisors, team leaders and managers to have the interpersonal skills to manage this varied workforce.

So, you’d better start preparing your organisation now.  Even if you have a monoculture, single generation workforce you will still benefit from a review and strengthening of culture which focuses and drives thought and activity in pursuit of the shared mission.