By Teresa Pappas, Ph.D., Consultant, The CARA Group

Let’s face it, these continue to remain unprecedented times. And they require an unprecedented response from us all.  We’ve been used to working within a global VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) business environment for some time—one that’s required us to demonstrate both adaptability and resilience. But these times are different. As we continue to do our part in combatting the global coronavirus, we are finding ourselves still working 100% virtually. This need to work differently, along with the stressors of finding ourselves within a global pandemic, is likely still bringing up some new reactions for us all. Common challenges include the need to balance work priorities and deliverables, while battling feelings of isolation and missing the kinds of everyday ‘hallway’ interactions we’ve relied on and enjoyed. We’re all battling these experiences for ourselves while we find our way. And if you’re a leader with direct reports, you’ve got a team of people relying on you to address their concerns and keep them connected as well.

This article focuses on five ‘must have’ techniques for doing just that. As you read, keep in mind how and when you can begin applying these for yourself and your team. 

1. Plan your Approach

Eleanor Roosevelt once said “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” Comparing the two, experience tells us that we can have a much better ‘hit rate’ for success with a plan, so why not start there? Take the time to be intentional about what success will look like while leading a team that is completely virtual. 

This starts by reflecting on your vision and hopes for your team. How do you want your team members to act and feel in this virtual environment? What will it mean to be productive, connected, and successful? How can you help team members tap into their individual core competencies and strengths? How do you see yourself continuing to build team cohesion remotely while making sure that everyone feels part of the team? Your answers to these questions will shape your interactions with your team members and will go a long way to foster the type of virtual team environment that your employees will have. Share your vision and what this means for your team.

Remember that you have a critical role to play in shaping your team’s virtual culture. Be a role model by demonstrating virtual team commitment and collaboration. What work style habits can you build that will benefit you and provide examples of what others can emulate (e.g., taking care of yourself and your energy levels, integrating work and family tasks, maintaining effective routines)? Keep in mind that regular routines go a long way to combat an unpredictable external environment. How can you authentically convey the importance of your team in supporting each other in a virtual setting? Aim to develop realistic, focused goals (both team and individual), and establish upfront expectations of each other. Also, be the kind of leader who has ongoing conversations with your employees on progress made.

  2. Communicate Early and Often

In a virtual environment, it is more important than ever to use a variety of vehicles and methods to set the stage for open communication. How can you develop a cadence and process for coming together—for both team and one-on-one touchpoints? What structure can you provide for your team to foster information sharing and connection? How can you augment this by seizing impromptu opportunities to check-in, share information, ask a question, or simply say “hello” and see how people are doing? Don’t assume that others know what you’re working on or who you’re interacting with. What questions do your team members have? Where should people go with specific questions? Consider your responses to these questions for establishing your team’s pattern of communication, and see where it may need to adapt over time.

On top of this, don’t forget to master the ‘basics’ of communication. Respond to others in a timely manner. Keep scheduled meetings. Listen actively. Remove distractions in your work setting. At the end of the day, set yourself up to be present, engaged, and in-the-moment when communicating with others. When face-to-face conversations aren’t practical, know what to listen for. In this case, you won’t have the benefit of seeing someone’s nonverbals—so you’ll want to pay extra attention to subtle nuances in individuals’ tone and pace of speech. This will clue you in to where you may need to check for understanding.

Communication is so important because it helps direct your team’s actions, accountabilities, and progress made. What methods and processes can you use to make sure everyone is on the same page? Share meeting agendas, outcomes, commitments, and next steps.  Your team members will rely on the open communication you foster to build trust in a virtual environment. This will go a long way to your team members being open to giving and receiving feedback as your team continues to evolve. 

3. Leverage Technology

We are fortunate to live in a time where we have wide access to technology and systems that give us the opportunity to work remotely. That said, you’ll want to make optimal use of available technology and resources. This means using the right tool(s) for the situation. We’ve probably all been part of remote interactions that didn’t go well simply because an overly complex tool for the situation was utilized. When a formal meeting is involved, this is when you’ll want to learn to make good use of your company’s online meeting software. However, in other cases, exchanging emails, sharing instant messages, sending texts, or holding phone calls will easily suffice to expedite making the right connection. 

Another recommendation is to opt for face-to-face interaction to increase engagement (and decrease the tendency to multi-task), particularly when longer conversations are involved. Now is the time to practice getting technology savvy with using your computer’s camera feature! This will come in handy when holding virtual face-to-face meetings with your team. Think of it as a wonderful opportunity for the team to come together, share updates, ask questions, and foster a sense of camaraderie.  

What about other important logistics? You’ll want to test your technology equipment and connections to ensure you’ll be in a position to connect easily and both begin and end on time. Do what you can to anticipate and mitigate any challenges that may arise. If you’re part of a global workforce, you’ll want to be sensitive to time zone differences when scheduling team meetings. Think about ways you can facilitate holding an effective and efficient meeting so you are focused and attentive to your role in the moment.

4. Don’t Neglect the Human Component

It’s been said that the most effective leaders show they care first, and give direction second. Focus on how you can continue to build your relationship with each of your team members so you’ll be in the best position to meet them where they are—uniquely and individually. It will be particularly important in a virtual setting to ask your individual team members how they are doing with the changes to their work environment. Listen to what they have to say and empathize with their reactions. 

One resource that may be helpful is Kubler-Ross’ change commitment curve—the process humans go through when adapting to a new reality. It gives additional insight into the internal psychological adaptation process that an individual goes through when moving through a change. Consider where you fall in adapting to virtual work, as well as where each of your team members are. 

Doing so will raise your awareness not only to what you’re personally experiencing, but to what your team members are going through. By reflecting on this you’ll be in the best position to help your team move through the change curve. You may even help them think about how they can reframe initially perceived challenges into opportunities. This will help to foster an environment of team learning. When and how might you hold conversations on how individuals are adapting to virtual work? How could you provide a forum for team members to share ‘bright spots’ they’ve experienced along the way?

This is the time to show your appreciation for your team and how they are rising to the challenge of virtual work. Recognize and celebrate both individual and team success when you see it. Get to know your team members’ individual preferences for recognition, and customize your approach to this. This is also the time to incorporate F-U-N where you can into the work day! Get creative when thinking about how you can build virtual team camaraderie. 

5. Stay Flexible

A virtual work environment lends itself to continual adaptation and the opportunity to be flexible. You may find that expectations about how the work will flow and how people will come together will need to shift over time, and that’s okay. Know where your team may need to re-prioritize tasks, assignments, or ways of interacting along the way. Keeping flexible will help you and your team to not get bogged down in old ways of thinking or acting. 

This will serve you well in being able to identify what changes may still be needed, both in the short- and long-term. It will also help you determine any immediate changes needed around the corner, along with their impact on the team in general and individual team members in particular. This is where open communication will be instrumental.

In the end, we now find ourselves working in completely new ways where the need to engage virtually has never been greater. As a leader, your opportunity to bring your team together is at a critical phase. We hope you’ve gathered some new insights that will be immediately helpful in directing your team to rise above and achieve more. 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since our worlds turned upside down.

Over the last year, I’ve felt how important our talent development community is--and how easy it was to take that community for granted. Without our time to mingle face-to-face before and after events, maintaining our relationships has been hard work.

I sincerely hope that we’ll soon be able to gather in person again. But until that happens, we are still finding ways to connect with each other. I want to offer three ways for you to stay engaged in our community.

TD Coffee Hour

First, we’ve heard how much you appreciate time to socialize and connect. Our volunteer recognition evening was a great opportunity to catch up with each other, and we want to create more of those opportunities. So, we are now hosting a monthly TD coffee hour. There’s no agenda; just drop in with your favorite brew and connect with your fellow TD professionals. We will have lots of breakout rooms so you can split into small groups, or stay in the main room for a larger group conversation.

Professional Development Networks

Second, our professional development networks remain a great forum to share challenges and solve problems with each other. I want to thank our Training Delivery PDN and Leaders of Learning PDN leaders for continuing to host these conversations, and I’m excited that we have a new group for Organizational Development professionals launching in April. I encourage you to participate in these sessions.

If you have your own areas to explore with chapter members, we would love to offer additional PDN groups. Whether you want to organize a standing group or a short-term learning circle, email me at president@sewi-atd.org and we’ll help you make your idea a reality!

Get Involved

Finally, the best way to feel connected is to get involved. There are dozens of ways to volunteer in our chapter, from working on our newsletter to organizing events or serving as contacts to our partner organizations. Volunteering is a great way to build friendships, grow your skills, and find meaning in your work. Raising your hand is as easy as emailing me, so don't wait!

Until we are able to see each other in person--thanks for being part of our community!

Colin J. Hahn

SEWI-ATD President

We are so lucky to have amazing volunteers that support the work of our chapter. Every year, SEWI-ATD recognizes one person as our Volunteer of the Year. We are proud to announce that Megan Cardenas is the recipient of the 2020 Bob Von Der Linn Volunteer of the Year award!

This award is named after Bob Von Der Linn, who served as the president of the chapter. This award recognizes his spirit of dedication to the chapter’s mission and his commitment to engaging other professionals so the chapter would flourish for years to come.

Megan certainly carries on Bob's legacy of service. For years, she has led the Leaders of Learning PDN and has been an instrumental part of this chapter. Congratulations, Megan, on this well deserved honor!

By Kristin Derwinski, Executive Consultant and Coach, Stewart Leadership

Earlier this year, we facilitated a webinar on Building a Resilient Workforce. We introduced the three skills needed to Recharge Your Leadership, which include: Resilience, Connection, and Empathy, 

In a series of articles to follow, we will share highlights from our webinar and provide helpful hints and tools for building your leadership skills.

Let’s focus on Resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back after facing adversity or experiencing a setback. It is about seeking advice or guidance from others when navigating a challenging time. It is the ability to grow after facing adversity or learning something new and applying it right away, even when it is uncomfortable.

We have all faced many challenges in the last year between COVID -19, social and political unrest, and the need to work and communicate in new ways. In the face of all of these challenges, we have seen tremendous growth, learning, and innovation as we navigate in a world that is continuing to evolve. We have also seen what happens when people are not able to grow or change. Or how,  when there is low resilience, people can become stuck, walk away, or isolate themselves.

The good news is that Resilience is not something you have or don’t have - it is something you can learn.  Anyone can develop the capacity to become more resilient.  

We designed a Resilience Continuum that provides a framework for conversations around Resiliency. It enables a leader to identify where they are on the continuum and then determine where they want to be. It is also an excellent tool for leaders to use when they want to help team members increase their resilience capacity. Leaders we have worked with share that the Resilience Continuum allows them to approach these challenging situations with empathy.

Here’s the Continuum.  If someone is acting or behaving in a way that is preventing them from working through a challenge or adverse situation, that behavior is reflective of low resilience. If a person meets the challenge head-on, working on learning to seek advice, or simply moving forward, their behavior is closer to high resilience.

The table below details the behaviors, thoughts, and actions that describe each phase. Please note: this is not about labeling a person; it identifies where someone is on a given challenge or situation based on their behaviors and actions.

Low Resilience	Resilience	High Resilience
Enjoys being comfortable Little to no interest in learning something new May be experiencing physical, mental, or emotional challenges Workload is extremely demanding Fearful of the future if there is not a roadmap Isolated	Appreciates comfort but willing to be uncomfortable Willing to learn something new Takes actions to manage well-being Ability to manage workload Looks forward to future and appreciates if there a roadmap Connects with others for advice and guidance	Thrives in an environment where they can be uncomfortable Seeks to learn something new and apply it right away Is proactive in managing their well-being Ability to manage workload Strives to lead self and others towards a future, even if there is no roadmap Connects with others for advice and guidance frequently

 

As you look at the table above, ask yourself these questions:

• Which behaviors most closely match the way I take action when faced with a challenge?

• Which behaviors would I like to demonstrate more often?

• What skills do I need to develop to get there?

• What is getting in my way?

• What actions can I take to get there? And by when?

We encourage you to have a conversation with your direct reports to learn more about their Resilience capacity and what you can do together to work towards high resilience.

Interested in learning more?  Feel free to view our webinar on Building a Resilient Workforce or contact Kristin Derwinski to schedule a conversation.

There is so much to love about the ATD membership, but there are important changes coming to tailor benefits to what serves us best in today’s world. Members know that access to professional development and the latest content in the field are hugely important benefits of joining and renewing with ATD. Rather than limiting choice or having multiple a la carte options, ATD is rolling out a full library of content including hundreds of TD at Work guides and 99 micro courses. These changes also include enhancements to the website, a growing library of tools, checklists, and templates, and unlimited access to whitepapers and 10-minute case studies. ATD Membership gives you access to what you need, when you need it. Read more here: https://www.td.org/2021changes.

These changes mean an increase of rates starting April 1. However, you have the opportunity to lock in current rates if you renew by March 31. But do not delay: You can begin accessing new member benefits as early as March 1.

Now is a great time to review the benefits of a Power Membership as well, combining the local networking and industry access of SEWI-ATD and the content and exposure of the national branch.

Renew today! 

From MRA Edge publication

Our friends at EARN (Employers Assistance Resource Network on Disability Inclusion) support employers in their efforts to recruit, hire, retain, and advance qualified individuals with disabilities. 

Check out these questions and answers that employers should know regarding important aspects of a disability-inclusive workspace.

1. What is a disability-inclusive workplace?

A disability-inclusive workplace is an accessible workplace, covering not only physical accessibility, like wheelchair ramps, braille signage, and accessible restrooms, but also digital accessibility, where information and communication technology is available to all and compatible with assistive technology devices.

Accessibility also has an attitudinal dimension. The key is to ensure doors are open, literally and figuratively, to all qualified individuals. Accessible workplaces help everyone increase productivity, ensure a wider pool of talent can apply for, maintain, and advance in employment, and expand their potential customer base.

2. What is an attitudinal dimension when it comes to accessibility?

The biggest barrier to workplace accessibility is not architectural in nature, but attitudinal. Employees may have misconceptions about people with disabilities and the work they can do. Examples of attitudinal barriers include:

• Inferiority: Viewing a disabled individual as a “second-class citizen.”
• Pity: Feeling sorry for a disabled individual and behaving in a patronizing manner as a result.
• Hero Worship: Considering a disabled individual living independently to be “special.”
• Ignorance: Dismissing the individual as incapable because of his or her disability.
• Multi-Sensory Effect: Assuming that the individual’s disability affects his or her other senses.
• Stereotypes: Making positive or negative generalizations about disabilities.
• Backlash: Believing that a disabled co-worker is being given an unfair advantage because of his or her disability.
• Denial: Believing that disabilities that are not visible are not legitimate and, therefore, do not require accommodations.
• Fear: Being afraid of offending a disabled co-worker by doing or saying the wrong thing and, as a result, avoiding interaction with the individual.

Employers can help break down these barriers by engaging employees in discussions about disability and providing training to change employees’ perspectives and increase understanding.

3. How is physical accessibility achieved at work?

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is an employer’s obligation to “provide access for an individual applicant to participate in the job application process, and for an individual employee with a disability to perform the essential functions of his or her job, including access to a building, to the work site, to needed equipment, and to all facilities used by employees.” In addition to the building and work site, areas to which accessibility must be provided may include (but are not limited to):

• Parking lots (handicapped parking spaces)
• Entrances/exits
• Fire alarms/emergency exits
• Conference rooms and shared workspaces
• Desks and personal workspaces
• Hallways and stairwells
• Elevators
• Restrooms
• Cafeterias

Businesses that make modifications to improve workplace accessibility may be eligible for tax credits or deductions to help offset costs incurred. For more information see Tax Benefits for Businesses Who Have Employees with Disabilities.

4. What does it mean to have technology accessibility?

When workplace technology is accessible, it presents opportunities for people with disabilities to get hired, or to excel in a position because they can perform their job duties with access to basic workplace tools. It is a barrier to employment to be without technology accessibility.

Taking steps to ensure all employees can access the technology they need to perform their jobs is a best practice and can impact a business’s bottom line.

Technology accessibility benefits include:

• Improved recruitment and employee retention
• Enhanced productivity
• Operational cost reductions
• Improved corporate image
• Reduced legal costs

5. How can EARN help your business?

Visit EARN’s website for more information and educational resources, like toolkits and publications. EARN also offers the Dinah Cohen Training Center for Disability Employment & Inclusion for free webinars and trainings on a variety of topics, including the Inclusion@Work Framework for Building a Disability-Inclusive Organization.

If you’d like to stay up to date on upcoming events, developing news, and promising practices in the world of disability, diversity, and inclusion, you can subscribe to EARN’s newsletter.

By Lynell Meeth, Director Member Content MRA

With all the benefits that come from making diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI ) a priority, some might wonder why we still need to make a business case. The plusses of a successful DEI strategy are hard to beat. Take a look at these compelling outcomes from a culture rich with DEI at work.

Commitment. Organizations with a strong DEI culture are more likely to attract and employ people with greater job satisfaction as well as higher levels of engagement and trust. According to ZipRecruiter’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Survey, 86 percent of job seekers say workplace diversity is an important factor when looking for a job.

Success. DEI can help the bottom line. A McKinsey & Company study found that organizations in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity on their leadership teams resulted in a 33 percent increase in profitability.

Innovation. A 2018 study by Harvard Business Review found that the most diverse companies also tended to be the most innovative. Employing people from all different backgrounds brings more brainstorming, ideas, and creativity.

Ready to dive into your organization’s DEI efforts? Check out these six steps to get started.

1) Know why DEI is important to your organization.

If your organization doesn’t have a vision statement around DEI, create one. It’s critical to have clarity around the benefits that are realized from investing in DEI initiatives—like widening your candidate pool for qualified talent, fostering a more creative and innovative workforce, and supporting employees who can contribute to their fullest potential within an inclusive environment.

2) Make sure everyone is on board and will champion DEI efforts, especially top management.

From the C-suite to frontline employees, everyone needs to see and understand their part in the company’s DEI culture, and the top leaders must be supportive of DEI efforts. Leadership needs to set the tone and example, and all employees should understand how their behaviors contribute to inclusion.

3) Assess the current state of your work environment by asking employees what they think and how they feel.

Employers who assume they know what the challenges are run the risk of missing the mark. To establish a baseline of the current reality, employers need to hear directly from their employees. Ask and listen. This can be in the form of an assessment, like the Spectra Diversity Inclusion Assessment™, or setting up focus groups or listening sessions.

4) Examine workplace practices with DEI in mind and make necessary changes.

Employers need to identify if there are barriers that get in the way of the employment, opportunity, and inclusion of individuals from different backgrounds. Do any policies or practices need to be adjusted or tossed? Some to consider include:

• Employee referral programs. While beneficial, some referrals can bring about "like me" recommendations, where employees refer candidates of the same race, religion, or gender. Encourage employees to make referrals of individuals from varied backgrounds, and even open up the program to nonemployees, such as vendors, partners, and customers to recommend great candidates.
• Unconscious biases. If a department is considerably less diverse, less impartial, or less inclusive than others, a review of the department manager’s procedures may be in order.
• Promotions. When managers don’t advance (enough or at all) underrepresented individuals in their organizations to positions of more power, take a closer look at leadership development to determine why few employees of diverse backgrounds are moving up in the ranks.

5) Let employees decide what DEI initiatives are important and let them take the lead in organizing.

It’s kind of like having your kids help make dinner. There’s a better chance they’ll actually eat it because they had a hand in making it. Similar concept here. If your employees are interested in starting a committee, resource group, book club, or community alliance, support their passion to get involved. Not only will they feel empowered and heard, they will be more engaged and then everyone benefits.

6) Understand what DEI metrics to track and how you will determine what success looks like.

Tie metrics to your overall vision and what is important to your organization. Maybe you have fewer women in management or lack a disability-inclusive environment. Set goals to make that change, collect data, watch for (and remove) roadblocks, and hold people accountable until you are successful in turning it around.

A key to getting started with DEI efforts, especially in smaller organizations where there isn’t a dedicated position or team, is to remember that HR should be supportive, but should not own the outcomes of DEI. HR can assist with providing the foundation for change, influence decision makers, and foster the right environment, but ultimately the accountability for progress should come from the top.

Companies everywhere strive for profits, mastering their craft, and securing top talent, and detailed plans and strategies are used to get there. Why not put a strategic plan in place for DEI initiatives at your organization?

Be sure to visit the MRA website for more information and tools to help your company’s business imperatives around DEI. 

Director, Member Content

By Nicole De Falco, Learning Strategist/Sr. ID Consultant, The CARA Group

Inclusion may not be rocket science, but it is human science. And, in today’s environment, it is non-negotiable. Inclusion is imperative for leaders to drive up innovation and drive out institutional racism. A Deloitte Insights article by Juliet Bourke and Bernadette Dillon, “The diversity and inclusion revolution: Eight powerful truths,” reveals that organizations with inclusive cultures are eight times as likely to achieve better business outcomes and six times more likely to be innovative and agile. 

Daniel Sanchez Reina, Senior Director Analyst for Gartner, in the article Diversity and Inclusion Build High-Performance Teams, notes that diversity and innovation are correlated, “but inclusion is the key to leveraging diversity.” And, leaders are the linchpins to inclusion.  In the Deloitte Insights article, Bourke and Dillon highlight what they call the “power of a leader’s shadow.” Leadership behaviors can “drive up to 70 percentage points of difference between the proportion of employees who feel highly included and the proportion of those who do not.”

Individual Ghosts

But, for many leaders, exactly how to be inclusive is elusive. In an HBR article, The Key to Inclusive Leadership, Juliet Bourke and Andrea Titus cite their research indicating “only one in three leaders holds an accurate view about their inclusive leadership capabilities.”

Every leader has the potential to be radically inclusive; creating a culture where people feel safe, valued, and a sense of belonging. Inclusive leadership is everyday actions done with eyes open and ears engaged. Inclusion happens when leaders know and treat each person like the unique and valuable human they are.  

“Inclusion happens when leaders know and treat each person like the unique and valuable human they are.”  

A truly inclusive culture begins with leaders with truly inclusive habits. Organizations can move the needle on inclusion by equipping leaders to act inclusively as part of their routine interactions with employees. Most people are just not aware of the biases that get in their way. It’s like being tripped up by invisible ghosts – you’re stumbling and just not sure why. This is where the human science comes into play.

Neuroscience in Action

Neuroscientist Beau Lotto in his book Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently teaches us that “Every decision you make in the future will remain grounded in history.” We draw on experiences to inform our actions and decisions today. How we treat others may be the result of perceptions formed by past events. Lotto’s research provides insight into how we can “use our brains to change our brains” by re-writing our past perceptions, so we make better decisions in the future. 

The first step for leaders looking to act more inclusively is learning to surface, question, and recognize the impact of assumptions and biases on their behavior in certain situations or with particular people. 

Seeing the implications of assumptions and biases kick starts an intrinsic drive; motivating leaders to ask questions like “what else might be true?” to replace unproductive perceptions with possibility thinking. They have formed a “new past” to reference when faced with these situations or groups. 

With potentially limiting assumptions neutralized or replaced, leaders now need to get comfortable selecting and tailoring inclusive actions to fit their situations and the unique humans in their care.

Finally, leaders need methods and practice in the formation of habits to promote daily use of these inclusive intentional actions. To ensure habits stay ingrained, organizations are wise to design requiring environments rich with accountability and recognition for inclusive leadership. 

Institutional Ghosts 

Which brings us to the organization itself. Just as leaders desiring to behave inclusively bump into personal ghosts, organizations are haunted by the institutional ghosts of historic and systemic racism.  In her Forbes post, Four Strategies For Moving Diversity, Equity, Inclusion And Belonging Beyond Lip Service, L’Wana Harris explains, “It’s your responsibility to reimagine and redesign your organization to create an environment where all of your employees can thrive. We must go beyond simple “inclusion” work and venture into the work that reforms and disrupts. Conduct an enterprise-wide audit for bias and discrimination.”

Organizations must identify and address the myriad causes of imbalance among employee groups. The key question to go after is, what are the business practices, systems, and processes tripping up the progress, engagement, and productivity of people of color, women, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented employee groups in our organization? Organizations with an inclusive culture spearheaded by inclusive leaders unlock the power of diversity to drive innovation needed for market success and for identifying and unseating inequitable business practices.

Sources

“The Diversity and Inclusion Revolution:  Eight powerful truths by Juliet Bourke and Bernadette Dillon, Deloitte Review, Issue 22

Diversity and Inclusion Build High Performance Teams, Gartner, IT Leadership, September 2019

Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto

https://hbr.org/2019/03/why-inclusive-leaders-are-good-for-organizations-and-how-to-become-one

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/09/06/four-strategies-for-moving-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-belonging-beyond-lip-service/

By Genevieve Daniels, VP Finance

The SEWI-ATD Board recently approved our 2021 budget. Most learning functions think about budgets solely in terms of expenses, but SEWI-ATD also has to generate revenue to sustain our operations. So, our budgeting process is an exercise in strategic planning and forecasting as much as resource allocation.

Our chapter has a tradition of budgeting and spending carefully. I am proud that as a Board we were able to adjust our 2020 operating plan due to the health pandemic. While many non-profits suffered substantial losses this year, SEWI-ATD managed our expenses carefully in order to have a financially stable year. Those efforts put us in a great position for 2021, as we look at how to continue serving our members.

Because we anticipate that the pandemic will continue to impact the economy, we planned a conservative income estimate of approximately $42,000, which is very small for a non-profit of our size. You’ll see in the graphs below that our 2021 budget relies on three primary sources of revenue: membership dues, sponsorship, and programming income. Having three major revenue streams gives us flexibility in an uncertain business environment. 

We matched our conversative approach to income with our expenses, focusing on where we need to put resources in order to provide great value to our members and the regional talent development community. In 2021, you can expect to see SEWI-ATD expand our programming, improve our communication, and strengthen partnerships with other organizations in our community. Our 2021 budget also keeps us on target to reach our goal of 100% operating reserves by 2025., ensuring that the organization is fiscally sustainable for the long term.

The new ATD Capability Model includes business acumen skills because talent professionals are increasingly expected to understand their business in order to deliver impactful performance. This year, the SEWI-ATD board saw firsthand the value of strong financial acumen. A great way for our members to develop their personal business acumen is by volunteering with the Finance Committee. The committee meets once a quarter to review financials, advise on our financial operations, and develop participants for future roles in the chapter. The time commitment for this role is 90 minutes each quarter. If you are interested in learning more, please contact

Gen Daniels, VP of Finance.

From the CARA group: 

Transforming instructor-led training to virtual learning is not going away anytime soon.  Read our infographic that highlights the seven steps to transform from ILT to vILT.