Learning Bytes by Steve Semler

Working with one organization, I started a new multi-day program every month for people new to their first leadership role. When I took people through the section on making the transition from individual contributor or subject matter expert to manager of others’ work, I often heard people express some concerns about “Imposter Syndrome,” where the person feels like an imposter in the role. For example, “It looks like everyone else knows what they are doing, but I have no clue.” “As I learn...

Personality plays out in leadership roles in different ways. I was wondering recently if it is okay for a leader to be friendly, but not social. I’m curious about your thoughts on this. Which way do you lean on this question? By “friendly, but not social” I mean that the leader is open, welcoming, supportive, positive, and encouraging, but not outgoing. This person is probably good to work with, but wouldn’t usually be interested in going out for a beer. They may not reach out just to chat....

"Great works can only be performed through unity, not uniformity." Where are you seeking to do great things? Perhaps you could tap into the power of unity to accomplish your objectives. Image by Gary Butterfield on Unsplash Unity and uniformity are different things. Uniformity is things being the same, without variation. Unity is things being part of one greater thing, contributing their variation to a collective whole. Uniformity is critically important for efficiency and quality. Often,...

Some people ask me what I mean when I say I work with simulations. I explain that the best learning happens when people practice real tasks in simplified real-world conditions. This simulates what they would do on the job. The more that learning activities feel like real work situations, the better the learning transfers to the real world. Typically, by 50% or more over traditional methods! Real-world relevance is why this simulation-enhanced learning strikes a better balance of complexity,...

📌 Sim·u·la·tion [sim-yuh-ley-shun]: imitation or enactment, as of something anticipated or in testing. A lot of people in the training world have been using simulations for a long, long time. I've been using simulations for learning since 1989 because they are fun, cost-efficient, and super-effective. (Yep, sorry. Dating myself there.) Why? You ever hear the phrase, “learn by doing?” Yep. That’s what simulations are for. Simulations can be very effective learning strategies, and deeply...

Have you ever gotten some positive, validating feedback you didn’t expect? A conversation that told you that you had done a good job, even though you knew you weren’t perfect? I got three bits of very affirming feedback a while back, and they are things I still remember today. Maybe you’ll resonate with this story. Photo by Ben White on Unsplash Back about 20 years ago, I was working for The Schwan Food Company. I had been recruited to go out to southwest Minnesota as a director of learning...

Did you know that stress interferes with learning? Reactions from our survival brains cause us to sabotage our own efforts to learn, grow, and change. I’ve made several “Activate” videos with short techniques to help learners activate the positive thinking and learning part of their brains and let their survival brain reactions fade. With just 10 seconds at a time of focused attention on a single source of physical sensory input, or by consciously producing a desired emotion, you can...

There’s a problem in the training industry that we don’t like to talk about with clients. It’s responsible for much of the cynicism and grumbling about leadership training. I’ve had the opportunity to develop and implement solutions, though. The problem is this: You cannot develop useful levels of on-the-job skill from a one-shot training program. After traditional training programs, the learner is released back to their work area and expected to “just do it” on the job. To use what they...