Investment in Human Capital will pave the road to recovery
Posted in LCMA campaign
March 2022
4 minutes reading time
There is not a switch that will be flicked back on to take us to a pre-pandemic world. Leaders need to acknowledge that there will be many ups and downs on the way back from the global pandemic. The human dimension must be the primary driver for strategic planning and achieving strategic goals. Sure, it is critical that we understand our customers’ needs in a changing environment but understanding the synergy between customer, business and our own people is even more important.
As the effects of COVID-19 have shifted from momentary disruption to long-term impact, organisations around the world are faced with a new and complex challenge: How do you enhance your workforce’s ability to engage, collaborate and adapt in this volatile and uncertain reality? The reality is that we are now entering a grey zone where businesses are emerging tentatively from two years of emergency, continuity, and contingency planning, not really fully understanding what the future holds. Investing in and understanding your people has never been more important, after all they have proven their adaptability, resilience and flexibility over the most difficult and uncertain period many of us will ever face in our working lives.
One of our basic needs as human beings is people - the ‘inherent' desire to belong and be an important part of something greater than ourselves; belonging to an identifiable group. Many companies will be adopting hybrid working models but basic human desires and instincts must be considered. Companies must find ways enable human interactions that used to occur next to the water cooler or whilst making a coffee. Old rituals and routines that used to be normal will need to be replaced with new ones and businesses need to help to facilitate that. Our routines make us feel safe whereas significant change makes us feel uncomfortable and nervous, particularly if we have no say or control over it.
All of this unpredictability and uncertainty provides businesses with the ideal opportunity to invest in their human capital. Most businesses will claim that their people are their most important asset but only a select few live by this in reality and I imagine that they all feature on b. best companies or in the Great Places to Work list year on year. The fact is that people value investment in personal development whether it be in broadening knowledge, enhancing skills or investment in team activities, it goes a long way with employees.
CDS Defence & Security has a suite of personal and professional development interventions that can actively engage individuals and improve team dynamics despite the challenges we all face in an uncertain world.
When it comes to coaching, we believe that a bespoke programme is best. We understand that individuals should be treated in a unique and confidential manner that is appropriate in a relationship based on trust, credibility and a desire for meaningful, sustainable change. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to coaching so we adopt a style that is most appropriate to the individual or organisation. Each intervention is targeted to maximise impact from the outset. This approach provides important flexibility for clients, encourages engagement and reflection, and is designed specifically to challenge leadership behaviours. When based on science at the human level, coaching can enable talented individuals to transform workplaces into thriving, collaborative centres of excellence, that will cascade through the organisation.
Mentor programmes are structured, usually one to one relationships in a work or organisational setting. In recent years there has been an explosion of mentor programmes, and many have failed to make any impact on organisations. We believe that the reason for this is that mentors are assigned but are seldom formally trained or supported.
Our 1.5 day mentor training programme consists of 4 key mentoring modules
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Critical Thinking
- Communication
- Effective Feedback
Our leadership programmes focus on a specific combination of skills, behaviours and abilities that contribute to successful leadership and produce high performing teams within an organisation. The aim is the creation of a confident, agile leadership team who are able to adapt to, and succeed in a post pandemic new way of working.
The aim of our leadership programmes are for leaders to assess their own development needs by reviewing the relative importance of selected competencies for individual and team success now and in the future. They are then able to rate their ability to perform on these competencies. Gaps are exposed when the data reveals a deficit between the leaders' current and desired state of leadership capability. The competencies used in these programmes are drawn from multiple research projects aimed at understanding effective leadership. They are commonly accepted characteristics of leaders, observable through behaviour, and are related to effective leadership performance.
Everything DiSC Profiling
Everything DiSC offers a suite of personal development learning experiences that measure an individual’s preferences and tendencies based on the DiSC model. This simple yet powerful model describes four basic styles which serve as the foundation for the Everything DiSC Application Suite.
D: Dominance
i: Influence
S: Steadiness
C: Conscientiousness
Everyone is a blend of all four DiSC styles—usually one, two, or even three styles stand out. Unlike many personality tests, there is no perfect result or DiSC style. Each person has a unique behavioural profile with different styles and priorities—no one style better or worse than the next. We believe that these differences in style can be extremely valuable. Once you assess these differences and harness their value, better workplace communication AND healthier organisations become possible.
Participants receive personalised insights that deepen their understanding of self and others, making workplace interactions more enjoyable and effective. The result is a more engaged and collaborative workforce that can spark meaningful culture improvement in your organisation. Transformational Learning Using the DiSC model, Everything DiSC has built seven distinct learning applications using a transformational learning approach. These end-to-end learning experiences are rich with “aha!” moments that inspire behavioural change.
So if, post pandemic, you’re looking to really invest in your people, speak to CDS Defence & Security today.
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