The resounding theme for me at the end of my first CLO Symposium was the need to view learning in a different light. The point was driven home when, in the opening presentation, Maestro Roger Nierenberg drew an analogy between orchestras and businesses — two entities I typically don’t think of in the same context. He illustrated that the dynamics that make an orchestra successful are the same that make a business successful — teamwork and good leadership.
In Edie Weiner’s keynote, we were told to strip off our blinders and view the world as it truly is — as an alien or a child would. Lastly, Michelle Blieberg, global learning officer at UBS Investment Bank, actually showed us examples of learning in a new light. She uses ballet companies and juvenile detention centers as examples of how important recruitment can be and how to change the culture of an organization.!@!
I walked away with a new and exciting perspective of learning and development and the potential it has to change an organization, especially if learning executives think out of the box. Learning should not be viewed as a rote function or a necessary evil; it should be creative and unlimited in its approach.
How many of you have taken off your blinders? How many have developed learning that employees look forward to rather than dread? And lastly, how important is creativity to your role, whether you’re a chief learning officer or trainer? Please feel free to share your ideas in the comment section below.
