Author: Dr. Brent Anderson
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The Wrong Rescue
On Leadership & Chaos Several years ago, my family took a trip to Cancun. My wife Amy and I brought our three kids, Jack, Abby, and Cal, while they were still young enough that a trip like that was still easy to pull off. I was in the best shape of my adult life. I’d…
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The Retention Audit Question L&D Skips
Retention Diagnostic I was coaching a leader recently, and I asked a question that stopped the conversation cold. Do you know where your people actually go when they opt out? Not why they left. Where they went. Most leaders can answer the first question in a sentence. Almost none can answer the second. And the…
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The Metric L&D Should Actually Be Tracking
Organizational Learning Most feedback forms get the same four words back. Good. Helpful. Enjoyed it. Learned a lot. I have read thousands of these, and after a while they stop telling you anything except that the room was comfortable enough for people to be polite. Then, every so often, one comes back different. I ran…
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Organizational Learning as a System Problem
A principal I was coaching recently walked me through his improvement plan. New instructional strategies, a rollout calendar, a training schedule for the fall. He was proud of the plan, and it was a good one on paper. Halfway through the conversation, I noticed something the plan didn’t account for. He understood the problem. He’d…
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Why the Best Training Teaches a Skill Twice
Leadership Development Most training happens once. One session, one exposure, one shot at a skill that’s supposed to hold up under real conditions the moment the session ends. Then we act surprised when it doesn’t. Several years ago I was helping a teacher teach her sixth graders to engage in academic discourse. Not just talk…
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The Structure of a Hard Conversation
A few years ago, budget cuts forced me into a reduction in force. I had to let go of team members who weren’t failing. Some were among the most effective people I had. I did the parts I knew mattered in the room. What I wasn’t prepared for was what happened after the room emptied.…
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The Metric That Predicts Behavior Change
Organizational Learning I walk into a lot of rooms. For any given event it is full of people who have chosen to attend or who have been told to attend. As a result, I’ve learned to read rooms fast. This one was easy. The group was attentive, engaged, taking notes. When we opened it up…
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The Intersection Most Fixes Never Go Looking For
Framework I wrote earlier this week about low-hanging fruit. The fixes that feel like progress because they’re visible and fast, while the real problem sits untouched underneath them. I want to go one layer deeper, because naming the trap isn’t the same as knowing how to avoid it. Here’s the story again, slower this time.…
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Why I’d Choose One Rigid Process Over a Flexible Menu Every Time
Case Study Flexibility feels like the safer choice. It isn’t. It’s usually the choice that quietly loses. I got asked to weigh in on a redesign recently, a large training program I’ve advised on, rebuilding a fixed block of team time that happens once a year. Five hours, one shot, real budget behind it. Two…
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The Cost of Activity Metrics
The slides were moving fast. NPS scores were up. The chat was full of fire emojis and congratulations. Someone typed “incredible work team” and it got fourteen thumbs up before the next slide appeared. I was sitting at my desk thinking one thing. Will any of this change what I see happening with our partners?…