Month: June 2021

One of the best times to build up your Influence and Impact is during times of crisis. Under difficult situations, leadership will shine. Those who can keep their heads and address the challenges confronting the organization will be listened to and valued. Erica Spencer, the VP of Global Learning and Development at Marriott International, wrote an extended version of the following contribution for our book to bring leading in a crisis to life:

Introduction

At the beginning of 2020, I set goals for the Learning and Development function. We emphasized the continued digitization of our fundamental training content, and the implementation of our learning technology roadmap. We cascaded these high-level goals to team members and defined specific initiatives and projects for each team. In March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic hit. This caused an unprecedented impact on the hospitality industry. We had to do more with less. We had to understand the constantly evolving recovery strategy and determine how learning and development could best support those efforts. At the same time, we needed to support the digitization and technology efforts that were critical moving forward. We quickly learned that COVID-19 had created a scenario in which we could accelerate and demonstrate the value of digital learning.

The Opportunity

We absolutely had to deliver training to associates on business-critical topics, such as the new cleanliness and safety protocols. We also needed to educate associates on how to work and manage teams in a virtual capacity. However, we no longer had the ability to deliver this training in-person. Through our focus on digitization, we created over 100 digital learning assets that supported our cleanliness efforts. Over 430,000 associates completed these trainings within two months of launch. We also curated over 150 resources to support associates during their furlough. More than 125,000 associates accessed these materials.

Solving Big Problems

Our support also went beyond the typical learning and development initiatives. We used our learning technology platform as the infrastructure to support work done by the broader HR organization. Our Work Opportunities Site, for example, showcased job opportunities for associates, as well as supported  the data needed to support our re-organization efforts. Finally, we used this technology  to create a health screening program for associates who needed to return to the office.

The Impact

As a result of the flexibility and commitment of our team, the learning and development organization delivered what the organization needed during an extremely challenging time. This work was completely different than what we had planned, but we were still able to advance our overarching goals of digitization and learning technology. These efforts also served to stimulate change in the organization, getting our leaders and associates comfortable with and accepting of learning in a virtual environment.

I have known Erica for many years, and wherever she goes, she builds up a level of respect and trust that gives her enormous influence across her organizations. Her impact has always been beyond her level, and leaders across the firms she has worked for pay attention to what she thinks.

To understand the basic concept of the book, this video will give you an overview.

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The last time I published a book, it was 1994, and I was an Associate Professor of Psychology at Fordham University. I had one child, and another one on the way. The book – Attachment in Adults – was targeted at an academic audience, and I was technically the co-editor, not the author.

In other words, it was a lifetime away. Since that time, I started a software company, left academics, sold the software company, ran the professional services group of the new company, and learned to be an executive coach. Quite a change!

I have continued to want to write – to share ideas, to stimulate others’ ideas, and to help people grow and “become who they are capable of being.” (Goethe). I wrote a number of articles over those 27 years, and for the past half-dozen or so, I’ve been thinking about writing what became “Influence and Impact: Discover and Excel at What Your Organization Needs From You The Most”. I knew that the focus needed to be on people’s ability to lead team members and peers without authority – influence – and deliver results for the organization – impact.

It took me a long time to write the proposal. I knew the process to follow, because I had so many coaching engagements, many successful and some that were not successful. I knew that the people I coached were mostly very strong but were often missing one or two critical aspects of their job. Consistently, they had either misread the job responsibilities, or had misread the culture they were in. I also learned that different organizations embrace very different ways of working, interacting, and communicating.

But how to write a book about it? As I thought about the people, and the organizations, I understood the pattern of my work, and realized that some of this could be done by anyone with the desire to make a few changes that would make all the difference for them. Then, the finishing touches of the proposal came quickly.

Once the proposal was accepted, we wrote the book in just a few months. George was a wonderful writing partner – he kept me on schedule, and we iterated writing and editing different chapters. As is typical for George, and atypical for me, we got a good draft done ahead of schedule, so we had time to revise and improve it. And we delivered it on time.

It was a great experience and produced what I hope is a boon to everyone on their professional journeys. Best of luck to you all!

Influence and Impact: Discover and Excel at What Your Organization Needs From You The Most“. By Bill Berman and George Bradt. Published June 2021 by Wiley, Hoboken NJ.