Lessons Learned on Making a Business Case for Learning: #5 Ask Spiritual Questions
Cat Cuevas
Head of People and Culture | DEIB, People Operations and Talent Development Strategist
One of the last things you're likely to hear in a business meeting is people talking about the spiritual nature of a corporation and how it impacts their bottom line. In my previous reflections from the Association for Talent Development 2015 Conference, I talked about being explicit, measuring ROI beyond money, knowing the case for the status quo, and using your imagination to help make a business case for learning. My final reflection is on asking a business spiritual questions.
I had the pleasure of being the Program Chair for the 2015 Association for Talent Development Puget Sound Workplace Learning Conference. It is a joy of mine to develop learning events and work alongside some of the top practitioners and thought-leaders in the field. In today's blog, I'm sharing the last of five ah-hah moments I had, and tips for how to improve your ability to make a business case for learning.
Ask spiritual questions.
If you want to identify and align strategic priorities and learning outcomes, you need to ask spiritual questions. Here are three of my favorite questions to ask:
1) Why does this organization exist? What is the purpose of the organization, department, team, project, etc.? Paraphrasing Alice and the Cheshire Cat, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road’ll take you there.” Identify and align your priorities and outcomes by reconnecting to your purpose. Your personal and organizational purpose should align to business goals, learning goals, leader behaviors, and team behaviors.
2) How are you relevant (how are the strategic priorities, learning outcomes, and training methodologies relevant)? Organizations are networks of interconnected people and processes. To make an effective business case for learning, get to know the impact you have on your team, other departments, the company, your clients/customers, and the world at large. What specific (and explicit) evidence can you provide that demonstrates your relevance?
3) How are you in relationship? In systems theory, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. What is the effect you have on other parts of the system, in addition to the system as a whole?
For more on making a business case for learning, check out my previous blogs from the Association for Talent Development 2015 Puget Sound Conference.
Making a Business Case for Learning
#1 Be Explicit
#2 Measuring ROI Beyond Money
#3 Know the Status Quo
#4 Use Your Imagination
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