In Actual Life: Batman Will At all times Want Alfred
Who is your favorite Alfred from the Batman movies? Your options are …
Photo by Unsplash
● Alan Napier (Batman ’66)
● Michael Gough (Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin)
● Michael Caine (Batman begins, the dark knight, the dark knight returns)
● Jeremy Irons (Batman vs. Superman, Justice League)
They may have been the same character, but each Alfred brought something different to Batman history. Napier was more comedic to match the tone of the 1960s Batman. Gough was a wise old mentor who never really got into the action. You could see that Caine had done a few things in his day before becoming the “guy in the chair” who supported Batman during the fight. Eisen was a combination: fatherly mentor, man in the chair, and ultra-skilled mechanic. They were different Alfred’s, but they were all there to give Bruce Wayne the help he needed so he could go out and play Batman to the best of his ability.
L&D is not Batman. We are Alfred. We are the person in the chair who does everything we can to help our heroes do their best work every day. Circumstances will change. New “bad guys” will appear. People may not know how to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Then Batman needs Alfred the most.
Being the person in the chair means something different to every L&D professional. We have different roles. We support various organizations and functions. We use different tools and tactics. We all currently face our own challenges, both inside and outside the workplace. Just as Batman needs to figure out how to adapt his strategy to face his newest opponent, L&D needs to adapt and play the role that people (not just staff) need of us in these troubled times.
What it means to work in L&D every day has changed a lot in just a few weeks. And it’s going to keep changing in ways we can’t predict. I usually spend a lot of time thinking about the L&D mindset. the way we perceive our role within an organization. The how of our work may be in flux, but the why remains the same. It is important to bring the right mindset into our work when trying to support people when they are disrupted.
In one of my most shared learning solutions columns, I tried to define a “modern learning mentality” using six new learning topics in the workplace. But how do the same principles apply in our current context? What attitude should we adopt in order to be the best possible “person in the chair” for our frontline heroes?
… is an important part of the employee’s workflow
Some people work on the front lines of the pandemic in healthcare facilities, grocery stores, and delivery companies for more than 14 hours a day. Some work on normal schedules, but they do so from home while trying to raise their children. Some take on new roles and adapt their roles to the current state of their business. In any case, any help they need has to fit their current work reality. Time is limited. Distractions are everywhere. The value must be clear.
… uses the entire ecosystem
We find ourselves in a situation where all hands are on deck, regardless of your industry or organization. To help people do their best job, we need to offer simple, high-quality solutions. This likely requires L&D to quickly adjust tactics or adopt new practices. For example, you have traditionally relied on your LMS as the source for all L&D resources. But is this the best solution you can use right now if your priority is getting people the information they need as quickly and easily as possible? All options need to be considered, including tactics that are not typically used for “learning”.
… Applies data to guide and accelerate decision-making
Developing your measurement practices may not be high on your to-do list right now. So how can you potentially use existing data to provide more targeted and appropriate support? For example, do employees often search for resources on your learning platform or on the intranet? Can you review search data to see what topics users are looking for and use that insight to focus your solution development on the biggest problems people face in their daily work? Identify gaps in your data practices so you can have a more hands-on strategy conversation later.
… Offers a personal experience on a large scale
I’ve been working remotely for years, but most of my team is new to the concept. Some users may need help setting it up while others can get started with their new setup with ease. Can you consider personal support needs in a potentially chaotic workplace? Adaptive learning can be an effective approach when you have the right data and content. Providing searchable on-demand resources (and making sure users know they exist) is also a way to provide personalized support, as an alternative to having employees go through training they don’t really need.
… Has a significant business impact
Frontline HR and L&D professionals have said a lot of the same things in our conversations over the past few weeks. The main topic: focus on what is important right now. Everything else can wait. For example, food L&D professionals focus on giving employees the latest updates, attracting new employees quickly, and providing training on exactly the topics people need to stay safe and productive at work. The schedule for the exercise program you created in January doesn’t matter. How can you work with your operational partners to align all of your efforts with changing priorities?
… Promotes ongoing organizational agility
“Agility” in the workplace currently has a completely different meaning. If I were to rewrite this part of the modern definition of the learning mentality now, I would use the term “resilience” instead. Every business function, including L&D, will seek to reconcile two competing priorities for the foreseeable future. What can we do NOW to help our employees, customers, organizations and communities? And what should we do to prepare for the FUTURE needs of our employees, customers, organizations and communities? Most of us are out of balance right now and we don’t know when that will change. L&D can help management strike the right balance whenever possible while playing the role we need to play to keep everyone from falling down.
Just like Alan Napier, Michael Gough, Michael Caine, and Jeremy Irons, we all play our L&D roles differently in real life, depending on what our teams need most. It can be quick content development. These can be performance support tools. It can be a virtual training. It can support other functions such as B. Recruitment or Operations. Regardless of the specific work we are doing now, we are still fulfilling our role as Chairmen. We are there for our heroes, no matter what Batman is up against this time.
Thank you for all you are doing to help your co-workers and your communities during these challenging times. If there is anything I can do, please contact [email protected]
Be good.
