Here Are Ways To Promote Knowledge Sharing In Your Organization

Organizations that fail to perform in knowledge management run the risk of preventing employees from accessing information they need to do their jobs. They should be aware that a knowledge sharing culture, after all, is the bread and butter of any company, may it be a startup firm or a well-organized medium-sized organization. Here are some ways companies can foster knowledge sharing in their ranks.

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Keep an open communication

Use clear, transparent means of communication, such as having employees express their ideas and contributions, and access company information in a regular manner. This fosters a culture of trust and awareness.

Engage people through conversations and scheduled meetings

Traditional office meetings and town hall gatherings never go out of style, and here employees get a chance to interact with upper management and discuss ideas and ask questions freely. Apart from formal meetings, meaningful peer to peer conversations every day also make a lasting mark in knowledge sharing.

Design the workplace to be conducive to knowledge sharing

Offices can be more social-friendly by setting up several coffee stations that can bring people together, designing conference rooms to be less formal and with several smaller tables with groups of chairs, and promoting casual seating in common spaces.

Share knowledge via training and onboarding techniques

Give new hires an assigned mentor, and allow them to shadow team members that exemplify knowledge sharing and collaboration as they work. Ask new hires and junior staff for their input, and always assume their desire to contribute and offer opinions that could be truly beneficial for the organization.

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Patrick Lanning is a leadership and team coach. In the past he held both student services and instructional positions such as part- and full-time faculty, faculty chair, director, dean, vice president and chief academic officer. Read more about education on this site.

Why Goal Setting Is So Important In Organizations

Goals and objective provide a sense of direction to companies and organizations. Written goals, as part of the overall business or organizational plan, describe what they seek to accomplish in terms of market share and leadership, profitability, and long-term growth. Here are some reasons why goal setting is more crucial than ever.

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Failure can readily happen
At any given time, a number of companies fail to execute strategy, have few or no incentives linked, spend less time on discussions, and budget misaligned. Organizational goals provide guidance and direction, incite planning, motivate people, and help organizations evaluate and control their performance to avoid failure and losses.

Goals provide focus
Goals give employees and people something to target or strive for whenever they perform their daily tasks. Specific standards for success, which are determined by those goals, dictate what to prioritize or show how the impact of individual work.

Goals encourage healthy competition
Goal setting affects competition, driving relevant activities such as research, knowledge upgrading, and added service.

Goals increase employee motivation and worth
They make everyone strive for excellence, especially when tied to other forms of reward such as group recognition or awards. Meeting those goals also reflect how specific input is valued, and how taking ownership of something matters.

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Goals steer direction
Goal setting sets the course for the organization, contribute to company values and culture, and help build its reputation and sense of community in the process.

Patrick Lanning has experiences as a higher-education director, dean, vice president, and campus president that has provided him skills for forwarding clear governance structures that will initiate diverse perspectives for institutional goal achievement. For more insights like this, click here.

What true leaders don’t do

People hold leaders up to a higher standard. That means they should set the right example at all times. Leaders are usually scrutinized more than others. A lot more is expected of them compared to their subordinates. As such, leaders have a small margin of error when it comes to making mistakes. However, it should also be noted that some mistakes are just plain easier to make than others. 

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It has been observed in the past that leaders who have just taken up the responsibility for the first time have a difficult time adjusting. One of the most common things they do is being too personal with the people under them. True leaders don’t do that. True leaders are always professional and have their eyes set on a certain goal. Though there is room for interaction in a personal capacity, it is very limited. 

Some leaders, though professional, tend to be too educational. This means that they spend a lot of time teaching their subordinates instead of letting them learn on their own. Provided there’s nobody present to train the people under him, the leader should educate new members of the group on the broad strokes and have them learn the rest. 

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Patrick Lanning of Oregon has extensive knowledge on leadership. Know more about his work through this page.

Why team building is essential in the workplace

Team building is not exactly a favorite word in the workplace. In most companies, team buildings mean an awkward day or weekend with colleagues. But despite its not so stellar reputation, team building activities are important to make stronger, more efficient teams in the workplace. Here are several reasons companies should embrace team building activities. 

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Builds trust. Team building activities build trust among team members. Trust is vital in business, especially among people who work together every single day. Businesses can’t live without teams, and for teams to achieve what the business needs, team members need to trust each other so they can be comfortable working together. 

Increases collaboration among members. Team building activities create strong bonds between members. These activities encourage employees to create solutions without having to blame others for their shortcomings. 

Encourages better communication. Employees learn how to communicate their needs with these activities. It encourages them to listen to what others have to say and speak whatever it is that they have on their minds in a calm manner. 

Helps ease conflicts. People have different personalities, and these may cause disputes and misunderstandings among members. Team building activities help ease conflicts by encouraging members to know each other on a different level. 

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Patrick Lanning, Ed.D., is a leader and facilitator with a Doctorate in Leadership Education from the Oregon State University. Visit this LinkedIn page to learn more about his work.

Tips On How To Start And Keep Employees Engaged

In consulting firm Deloitte’s survey on work environments last 2016, it was shown that the most important movement in businesses is “Culture and Engagement.” However, a little less than 70 percent of U.S. employees are miserable and discontented with their work, leading to high employee turnover and low productivity.

Companies should then make sure that many, if not all, of their employees are engaged. Here are some tips how to do that:

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• Establish a clear vision: The vision serves not just as the company’s direction and what it intends to achieve, it also provides a roadmap for employees. A clearly defined vision guides the organization’s members in navigating the business’s twists and turns.
• Communicate and connect: A culture that fosters consistent and clear communication boosts a company and encourages everyone to commit to do their job. Beyond communication, though, finding ways to connect with team members individually can also play a huge role in shaping their workplace experience.
• Focus on developing strengths: Some team leaders are bent on improving members’ weaknesses until the exercise becomes counterproductive. Instead, their strengths should be identified and developed. In doing so, they can become actively engaged in the workplace.

  

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Leadership and life coach Patrick Lanning from Oregon helps his clients draw solutions geared toward transformative learning. He has had 25 years of experience in higher education, which had him encountering many challenges and opportunities that have influenced his approach and belief in the transformative power of life changing and learning. Read more about Mr. Lanning here.

Growth In Restructuring: How a Life Coach Can Help You

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Many career-driven individuals find themselves running after elusive goals, unaware that they are running in circles trying to achieve these. They may have determination, but could lack focus. However, some of them lose their purpose altogether. After chasing a vision for too long, they forget why they even started.

A life coach reacquaints people with their purpose. They are hired by professionals who are curious whether they are still doing the right thing in pursuing their aspirations. Getting stuck in the same area for a long time is frustrating. Asking for help may be a good idea for extricating one’s self from a rut.

Sometimes, a person needs to have someone listen to him. A life coach is good at listening, and by doing it, he gains knowledge of what and how the client thinks, and how he can restructure his career. When hiring a life coach, one must not be afraid of changes. To some, major goal reconstruction is encouraged, while some would only need to be reintroduced to their purpose.

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Communication lets both ends meet. Sharing of vision and goals allows a life coach to assess where his client’s position in life and in career. As growth is the end goal of each relationship, finding it in a difficult situation may require major reorientation and alteration of ways and habits formed over time.

A life coach doesn’t give directions outright, rather asks the client challenging questions that may bring out the best in him. After all, those questions can only be answered by the client and no one else. A client’s success still depends on himself; life coaches are there to guide them towards growth the best way they can.

Patrick Lanning, Ed. D is an educator and a life coach. His expertise in leadership gives him the opportunity to help his clients in devising solutions that harness transformative learning. Get to know more about what he does by visiting this page.

Qualities Of An Effective Life Coach

A life coach is a professional who helps people achieve their goals and acts as both motivator and counsel. He or she guides by asking important questions and offering evaluation methods that help in planning and achieving set goals.

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People are reluctant to effect changes in their lives and careers, due mainly to various factors like a lack of focus, drive, and passion. A life coach helps address these prevalent problems. However, not everyone can be life coaches. An effective life coach must have the background and temperament for the job.

A key thing to remember is that life coaches are mentors, not therapists. They do not cure depression, trauma, and anxiety, nor do they do not play the role of doctors and give diagnoses. An effective coach should know if medical help is what’s needed, and should refer the mentee to medical professionals if this is what they deem necessary.

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A life coach never insists on any perspective nor does he decide on things for the mentee. His role is to help people find the answers for themselves by offering suggestions, engaging people in healthy dialogues, brainstorming, and reflection. The good coach will eventually let mentees go on their own ways when they have already been empowered with a mindset to push on and succeed.

Life coach and facilitator Patrick Lanning
has worked for two-and-a-half decades in higher education. He has been involved in various facets of educational leadership at comprehensive community colleges. For more information on Dr. Lanning and his work, visit this Linkedin profile.