The Tangram “Bold Moves”
Last Thursday’s workshop, 5 Bold Moves for a Learning Strategy Reset, was so fun! It was also my last social activity for the foreseeable future (#socialdistancing), so thank you to all who attended. The room was full and buzzing as everyone shared their ideas throughout the hour.
As we discussed each bold move, we reviewed real-world examples to inspire us and get the ideas flowing. I then asked the participants to rate their organization on a scale from 1 to 5 to help them decide where to focus first.
For example, one of our bold moves is “Build a community.” A rating of 1 would mean a learning community is sadly lacking, while a 5 would mean a learning community not only exists but is thriving and influential, benefiting its members and also the organization as a whole.
I gave everyone some personal time to make notes about their current state before sharing with their neighbors. When they would start talking, I kept hearing, “Well, we’re a 2!” and “This is another opportunity area for us.” But then invariably someone in the group would share an example of the bold move in action at their organization.
I was heartened by the group’s willingness to freely share opportunities as well as successes and bounce ideas off each other during the session. They left with lots of notes, ideas that they could bring back to their teams, and probably a few new items on their to-do lists.
Utah ATD Workplace Learning and Development Conference and Expo on March 12, 2020, in Salt Lake City, Utah
It is common and perfectly okay to have many opportunity areas. Learning teams are often strapped for time and resources. It’s hard enough to keep pace with the business, let alone do everything on the wishlist. Also, our Tangram Bold Moves are unconventional things that probably aren’t on your radar — and yet they are some of the most impactful activities your team could be doing. In fact, we believe it would be worth it to reduce your time spent in other areas just so you can implement one of our recommendations and reap the benefits.
We will be doing this workshop again soon — ATD Chicago, mark your calendars for May 12! — so follow us for information on how to participate. Also, we highly recommend taking our virtual workshops as a way to improve your strategy and your impact on your organization.
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