Training Builds Culture

I work with multiple start-ups and small businesses, as an investor and board member. Coming out of Covid, many companies saw: high turnover, low engagement, and poor execution. These problems can’t be solved by stock options and recruiters alone. For me, this comes down to bad people management practices.

I come from a foundation of leadership training at GE. But, the tools and ideas around training change all the time. So, I spoke with 20 current HR leaders, mainly in Silicon Valley; and I reconnected with the great “HR Diaspora” from GE. Their message was concerning. They told me that training now is considered a “frill” ... that many preferred an over-reliance on “CEO Gurus” with low impact ... that MBAs are too expensive ... that virtual training has low retention.

This was a gap that needed a solution. ?Training is foundational for competency and culture.

I reached out to Kimberly Kleiman-Lee, who used to run leadership training at GE and today has her own development company. Together, we launched the “Performance Acceleration Journey (PAJ).” We call it PAJ because it is intended to accelerate the performance of individuals and teams. It is directed toward senior leadership ... just below the “C-Suite.” In essence, the people who make it happen.

PAJ has several pillars:

• It fits the leader’s schedule. -- We are realistic about time commitments. We match in-person sessions with online content.
• It trains for immediate impact. -- We teach the pragmatic skills and influential behaviors that meet leaders where they are in their careers. Content ranges from situational leadership to AI use cases to business strategy and powerful communication techniques.
• Leaders get to see the best. – Students will see the best CEOs, functional leaders, founders, and investors. We bring in our favorite professors and thought leaders. This gives me a venue to see some of my old colleagues from GE, who have gone on to lead incredible companies on their own. ?
• Leaders learn the power of connection. -- The cohorts are comprised of 6-8 leaders from 8-10 companies. Teams become closer, and they get to network with peers from other companies.
• PAJ is affordable. -- PAJ is priced so that CEOs can say “yes.” It is scaled to fit private/small public companies.
• Instruction is “hands on” ... I’m actively involved throughout: teaching, participating, interviewing guests, and coaching. Students are afforded immense access to world-class operators and professors in an informal setting.

We will soon host our second cohort ... 70 students from 10 companies ... public and private, start-ups and traditional, across five industries. Half of the companies are “repeats” from the first cohort.

I remain an active operator and investor, but I love teaching. I have spent several years teaching “Systems Leadership” to business students at Stanford. Teaching is hard and humbling ... it requires more than storytelling. I have learned to “teach” skills, like change management; to “demonstrate” the importance of new initiatives, like AI outcomes; and to “show” the power of building a network. Students force me to be honest with myself. They are attracted by the content and guests ... they learn from the grit.

Teaching forces you to keep learning. My efforts at Stanford and PAJ are about serving others. Besides, it has given me great joy at this point in my career.

Ultimately, I hope companies rejuvenate their own training programs. Training builds competence and competence builds culture. It is an investment worth making. In the interim, we hope you explore PAJ at www.PAJLeadership.com .