Learning – Nathan Magnuson

How Leaders Learn to Lead

How do people learn to be leaders? That’s the question leadership consultant and thought leader Robert J. Thomas answered at a leadership academy event I recently helped organize. Speaking from his book Crucibles of Leadership, Thomas demonstrated that simply taking a course on leadership would do little to transform leadership abilities.…

9 Ways Learning Events Can Flop

February 6, 2017 Learning

As a talent development professional, I’ve been privileged to lead, observe and participate in many types of learning and training events. I’m often invited by vendors to sit in on their training in the hopes I’ll make a purchase. I can say firsthand there are some amazing learning events out…

Beware the Curse of Knowledge

October 3, 2016 Change Learning perspective

Acquiring knowledge and know-how is critical to any professional – both for knowledge and manual workers. But with it brings some new disadvantages as well. The “curse of knowledge” is recognized as a “cognitive bias” that essentially means it is difficult or impossible to unremember or disregard information you possess. It…

What You Need to Understand About Adult Learning Theory

August 1, 2016 Learning Organizational Effectiveness

Picture yourself attending two training sessions. In the first, you sit quietly in your row as the instructor lectures on the benefits, nuances and applications of the topic. In the second session, you sit at a table with a group of peers as a facilitator introduces the topic, elicits several responses…

How to Deliver a Leadership Event that Sticks

May 2, 2016 Human Resources Learning Organizational Effectiveness

I’m constantly surprised at what passes for “leadership training” these days. Then I remember that most leaders work in business operations and their involvement is often extracurricular. I’ve also noted how easily many business operators are impressed with the leadership development support that comes their way. It’s almost as if the simple fact that…

Becoming Excellent

November 16, 2015 Inspiration Learning Personal Effectiveness Uncategorized

Excellence is a blessing and a curse. It’s always a noble pursuit. But it can be intimidating as well. With so much information and many high profile examples of what excellence looks like, how can we contribute in a significant way? Regardless of what you aspire to do, excellence is…

What Should I Get Mentoring For?

July 20, 2015 Coaching Learning Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness

Congratulations – you’ve just been selected to participate in a corporate mentoring program. Or maybe you took the initiative and enlisted a mentor yourself. Or perhaps, a seasoned pro has begun to formally or informally take you under his wing. Whatever the case, way to go! Now comes the tricky part:…

Surviving Success

September 1, 2014 Guest Post Leadership Learning

Today's guest post comes courtesy of Mark Miller, Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness at Chick-fil-A and bestselling author. Receive his updates by visiting his website Great Leaders Serve or following him on Twitter. Success is a lousy teacher. The best leaders know this and are always on guard against complacency.…

How to Ask Great Questions

August 18, 2014 Coaching Communication Influence Leadership Learning Personal Effectiveness Questions

This post is excerpted from Nathan’s book Ignite Your Leadership Expertise. What if I told you you don’t need to have a solution for every single problem that comes your way in order to be a competent and mature leader? That’s exactly what I’m about to propose. Hopefully it’s as…

5 Ways Employees Learn

March 3, 2014 Learning Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness

Where do you send your employees to learn something new? Where do you go yourself? There a lots of options out there. The best strategy is to take a integrated approach to learning across five broad categories. Here they are.

The Thing I Hate About Personality Assessments

January 6, 2014 Human Resources Leadership Learning Organizational Effectiveness Personal Effectiveness

Have you ever taken a personality assessment? What were your results? Were you an INFP? A “high D and low I?” A fire with a bit of earth mixed in? An eagle or an otter? If you spend much time on social networks, you’ve probably even seen personality quizzes that…

7.5 New Year’s Leadership Resolutions

December 16, 2013 Character decision-making Expectations Influence Inspiration Learning Networking

This year has just about come to a close. The Type As among us are probably wrapping up their goals and planning for the new year (if they aren’t finished already). The rest will catch up. Maybe. I saw a great post from Mark Miller last week on New Year’s…