10 Tech Habits that Will Change the Way You Lead Talent Development
We have so many tools available for how we design and deliver learning. From project management and identifying learning needs to delivering our learning solutions, we're using tech throughout the process.
Nonprofit L&D pros have very specific tech needs and we often have unique constraints that other organizations don't have. That's why I'm so excited that I got to chat with Shari Simpson about 10 tech habits that will change the way you lead talent development.
Listen to the episode or scroll down to read the blog post ↓
Key Points:
01:29 Nonprofit L&D tech needs
05:38 Shari’s career journey: From the mental health space to a forward-thinking HR leader
09:52 Paylocity: A modern human capital management system
11:50 10 Tech habits that will change the way you lead talent development
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10 Tech Habits that Will Change the Way You Lead Talent Development
Gone are the days of in-person training…
Well, maybe they're not totally gone, but we have so many options now for how we design and deliver learning. From project management and identifying learning needs to delivering our learning solutions, we're using tech throughout the process.
For me personally:
I use ClickUp to manage my projects.
I've been known to use a Miro board as I synthesize data into learning needs.
I've designed in-person training with tech like Mentimeter Integrated.
I've designed live virtual training using tools like Zoom and added engagement with Kahoot!, Mentimeter, Miro, and so many other options that we have.
I've created eLearning lessons with tools like Articulate Storyline.
I've created surveys to be delivered using tools like SurveyMonkey and Qualtrics.
And, of course, we can't forget the learning management system. The LMS is a huge one in the L&D talent development space.
And I'm really barely scratching the surface of the tools that are available for us to use.
I've used these and many more depending on the needs of my client. And that's why today, I really want to talk about technology.
Nonprofit L&D pros have very specific tech needs. Our training audiences can be different from other for-profit organizations or we might be training people that they aren't necessarily thinking about training. We often have unique constraints that other organizations don't have.
And that's why I'm so excited to have Shari Simpson with me to share 10 tech habits that will change the way you lead talent development.
In this blog post, we’re covering the following:
Automate Routine Tasks So You Can Focus More Time on Learning Strategy
Partner with Human Resources or Information Technology on Cybersecurity Training
Use Social Collaboration Tools to Reach Your Learners and Create Community
Stay Up to Date on Tech Trends Impacting the Training Industry
Shari has been in HR for over 20 years. She has worn many hats in the practitioner space including training and development, benefits, payroll, employee relations, and employee experience. In her current role at Paylocity, she has the opportunity to sit in the thought leadership space.
1) Automate Routine Tasks So You Can Focus More Time on Learning Strategy
“The more automation that you can create for yourself and the work you do, the better you'll be at your job and the more strategic you can be.” - Shari Simpson
Shari gives some examples:
If you get a lot of emails about a specific topic, create a signature that's actually the answer to that email and use that signature when you reply.
If you are managing your tasks and you have the Microsoft suite, there are a lot of cross-functional integrations between the suite that can help you really be more efficient.
If you're using a Human Capital Management system, one of the things you should look into is what the workflows look like inside those tools. Maybe you're still doing manual or email sign-offs on your status forms, can you bring those into your HCM and automate them?
“I honestly think automation is my favorite. The more I've dug into it, the more I've realized I have way more time to think than I ever had before because I'm not constantly interrupted because I have some really great things in place for automation.” - Shari Simpson
2) Have Good Tech Hygiene
This is one of Shari’s biggest recommendations when it comes to tech.
“What I mean by that is have a way that you're going to deal with your emails so that it doesn't become everybody's to-do list for you. [...] I have automation in my inbox that flags things, they get sent to OneNote, and that becomes my to-do list. So I can keep my email inbox clean and I can know what I have to work on.” - Shari Simpson
Shari also recommends finding a place annually that makes sense for you in your organization and taking a week to clean up your files, reorganize your files, and plan for the following year from a calendaring perspective.
“Block time. so that as I go into the next year, I have time each week, each month, each quarter to evaluate where I am with my hygiene habits.” - Shari Simpson
3) Leverage Data Analytics in Training and Development
“As we think about the evolution of HR and our roles, there is this idea now that we need to be more strategic, we need to sit in that place where we are offering the business value in a different way than we had before. So my suggestion on data analytics is to use that to anticipate the needs of your organization.” - Shari Simpson
Shari gives an L&D example: If you know that you have X number of roles that need these types of skills, and you know what the skills base of your organization is based on the data you've collected, start creating content to upskill your population so that you're ahead of the game when your organization needs to have that skill set ready.
If you want some more information on this topic, you might want to take a look at my past episodes on using data in talent development:
4) Partner with Human Resources or Information Technology on Cybersecurity Training
“This is something that I think we don't necessarily think about from our perspective in HR. We usually leave that to our IT people. But I think it's really important to think about how are we communicating out to our employees. How do we make sure that they know what's from us and what could be fraud?” - Shari Simpson
Shari recommends introducing robust cybersecurity tools in your organization and testing your employees with fake phishing emails.
“It's just a great habit to get into. You really understand what's out there and what you need to protect yourself from.” - Shari Simpson
As L&D, we want to transition from being an order taker to a strategic partner, and coming out ahead of the game on things like cybersecurity can help you be seen as more of a partner.
5) Adopt Mobile Friendly Learning Tools
Shari explains that there is nothing worse than getting a phone call from someone who needs something and you have to go and set your laptop up to find that information. It’s a much different experience to just look something up on your phone quickly.
“Think about adopting mobile-friendly solutions that are going to help you reach your goals.” - Shari Simpson
6) Make Remote Work Easier with Team Collaboration Tools
“Think about the tech stack that you're using. Does it enable your employees to actually work remotely if they need to? Your organization might not be in that space, but do they have the right tools?” - Shari Simpson
Shari explains that if you’re thinking about purchasing software, ask these questions:
Can it be used remotely?
Does it integrate with the other tools you have?
“We have to think about technology from a remote perspective.” - Shari Simpson
When you were always in person together in the office, you might go into a conference room and get your sticky notes out, put everything on the board, and work in a very physical way. And now when you're thinking about tools for remote work, that can become your digital whiteboard with sticky notes.
What are the right tools that make collaboration easier when you have a hybrid or remote workforce?
7) Enhance Employee Self-Service with AI
Shari explains that this is a great place to plug AI.
“Think about creating an AI bot that can answer questions about your employee handbook.” - Shari Simpson
Question like:
How much PTO do I have available?
What are sick time policies?
Who do I go to for FMLA requests?
“Make sure that you're creating a really great tech tool to use around enhancing employee self-service.” - Shari Simpson
8) Invest in a Learning Management System (LMS)
“As you are dealing with your employees, having some place to track and distribute your learning in a fast, easy tech way is going to be really important.” - Shari Simpson
It would be really hard for us to do our work without an LMS if you want any sort of record-keeping at all.
9) Use Social Collaboration Tools to Reach Your Learners and Create Community
Shari explains that this is an untapped market for us.
“If I think about all the organizations I've dealt with and all the conversations now we're having about Gen Z and Gen Alpha coming into the workforce, I keep hearing about social media. How they're using it. How they learn from it. If you're not on TikTok creating learning content, this is a great opportunity for you to put your feet in the water there and think about how you can create content for your organization but also, for those outside your organization.” - Shari Simpson
Nonprofits often train people who are not their employees, so we have to think about different ways to reach those audiences.
Shari explains that the other part of that social collaboration piece is to leverage whatever community style system you have to create camaraderie in your organization. This could be through Facebook Workplace or even a Facebook group.
10) Stay Up to Date on Tech Trends Impacting the Training Industry
Shari shared that she doesn’t know how many times she’s met with HR professionals who have talked about something that's coming out of their IT group that's going to affect them that they have no idea about.
“I would really love to see HR be at the forefront of letting IT know about new tech trends that they want to explore and seeing if they're available.” - Shari Simpson
To hear the full conversation I had with Shari Simpson on the Learning for Good Podcast, scroll all the way up and tune into episode 93.
The Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective
Helping to change the world for good is hard enough as it is. Finding good support shouldn’t be difficult, too.
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Thankfully, great nonprofit support is no longer hard to find or financially inaccessible.
Welcome to the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective – the only community specifically for nonprofit talent development professionals.
When you join this community, you will walk away with a new, diverse, and powerful network – and a sounding board for your staff development needs.
So if you're ready to exchange ideas and collaborate with your peers, come join the Nonprofit L&D Collective.
