James Beeman, MCC

Got to see one of my great mentors Jack Phillips, PhD, CEO of the ROI Institute, yesterday. He spoke on ROI at NASHRM North AL’s Spring Workshop. I’m fortunate enough to work for a company Guidehouse that heavily supports Leader Development at all levels but also wants to know its impact. For highly visible and expensive programs, the answer, “I don’t know the impacts”, won’t work. The resilience program I manage gave the firm a 107% ROI. Building the resiliency skills of your workforce is critical to their mental health and wellness, their performance, and benefits the company financially. Win-Win. We’ve seen bigger ROI impacts with Executive Coaching too. Bottom line 👉 Start measuring the impacts of your programs. Tell that story. ✅Thank you Jack Phillips, PhD for all your support over the years.

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I started a series earlier this year on the questions executives ask about developing their people. I’ve noticed those questions tend to surface most when leaders are navigating challenge and complexity. Right now, that complexity is very real. There’s a lot happening locally and nationally that’s affecting how people show up to work, individual contributors and leaders alike. As a Minnesotan, I’ve felt this acutely. There are moments when the distance between what’s happening in our communities and the language we use at work feels uncomfortably wide. At times, even posting about work can feel disingenuous when people are carrying fear, disruption, or uncertainty that doesn’t switch off during the workday. In recent weeks, tensions around federal immigration enforcement and their impact on communities have disrupted daily life, prompted protests, and reshaped how people balance work with everything happening outside of it. That reality doesn’t stop at the door when people log in or show up to work. It changes focus. It affects energy. And it shapes the kinds of questions leaders start asking. What I’ve learned is that, in moments like this, questions about training aren’t really about courses or content. They’re about how to support people doing real work when conditions are complex, priorities compete, and change feels constant. That’s the role of learning at its best. Not as noise. Not as an extra initiative. But as steady support for people trying to perform in real conditions.

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A coaching culture is not a coaching program! That was one of my biggest takeaways from this conversation with Katherine Lord, MSW, Director of Organizational Member Experience at the ICF.     In this episode, we unpack what a coaching culture actually looks like inside organizations and why it has far less to do with optics, branding, or how many people have access to a coach, and far more to do with everyday behavior.    If you care about building coaching cultures in organizations, this episode is a strong reminder that the real work is not just launching an initiative. It is shaping an environment where coaching mindsets and behaviors become part of how work gets done.    A few ideas that stayed with me:  ✅ Behavior is the real signal  ✅ Maturity is a roadmap, not a competition  ✅ You do not need a perfect program to start  ✅ Pilots and community can create real momentum  ✅ Group coaching can become a powerful lever once the culture is ready to support it Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eYkSd7mr   #CoachingCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #TalentDevelopment #InternalCoaching #GroupCoaching 

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Recognition as a learning strategy? Why, yes! Recognition is one of the most powerful (and most overlooked) learning accelerators! It's so easy to do and takes little-to-no time and effort when done correctly. When we recognize someone for applying a skill, modeling a company value, and taking the initiative to focus on continuous learning, we reinforce the exact behaviors we want to see more of in our organizations. Per Gallup, employees are up to 4️⃣ ❌ more likely to be engaged when recognition is authentic, personalized, equitable, embedded in culture and aligned with employee needs. Recognition isn't always about handing someone a gift card either. There are several low-or no-cost recognition ideas you can use to keep the learning alive in your organization: 👏 Handwritten thank-you notes 👏 Public shoutouts during meetings 👏 Flex rewards (leave early or come into late for work) What ideas have you used to provide budget-friendly recognition to your employees to appreciate and praise their employee learning efforts? Happy Employee Learning Month from Learning Jeannie! If you're interested in learning more about my "Recognition that Resonates" learning session, let's chat! 🤳 🧞‍♀️ www.learningjeannie.com 🧞‍♀️ #LearningJeannie #EmployeeLearningMonth #Learning #LandD #LearningandDevelopment #Training #TandD #TrainingandDevelopment #Recognition #TalentDevelopment #EmployeeDevelopment #LeadershipDevelopment #LearningStrategy #LearningApplication #LearningReinforcement #LearningAccelerator #ContinuousLearning #EmployeeEngagement

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“At the heart of ICF credentialing is a commitment to impartiality and fairness in assessment, ensuring that every qualified candidate has a fair and equal opportunity to demonstrate their competence and earn a credential.” 🎧 This Wednesday, tune in to the Beyond The Page Podcast with ICF Vice President Carrie Abner as she explores how equity in credentialing shapes the future of coaching. ✨

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Earlier this week, a prospective student reached out via email about our ICF Level 1 program Foundations in Holistic Leadership Coaching. She had two questions. I answered them. No Zoom call. No sales funnel. No pressure. No urgency. Four emails and 48 hours later, she made a high-ticket, paid-in-full investment. That’s not a sales story. That’s a leadership story. I know this personally as I was trained in coercive high ticket sales. I know how to force and it is not aligned with my way of doing life and business. Most coaches and executives assume they need better closing skills. They don’t. They need stronger leadership presence. Because in 2026, people are not responding to pressure.🚩 They are responding to safety. Communities are skeptical for good reason. They’ve been oversold, overpromised, and emotionally handled. Bullied into Buying. Manipulated into Moving. So when someone encounters: 1️⃣Clear answers. 2️⃣Transparent standards. 3️⃣Calm authority. 4️⃣No manipulation. Their nervous system settles. And settled nervous systems make aligned decisions. Ethical leadership shortens sales cycles. Psychological safety increases conversion. Clarity outperforms coercion ANYDAY. If your revenue feels inconsistent, it may not be your marketing. It may be the way power is being held in your conversations. Sales is downstream from leadership. And leadership is downstream from regulation and attunement. That’s the skillsets we train.

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These techniques amplified my speaking skills. 🎤 I’m Mohamed. I train executive leaders and teams in public speaking and communication for clarity and confidence in high-stakes environments. 🔹 Presentations 🔹 Boardrooms 🔹 Critical conversations under pressure Discuss a corporate public speaking & communication training: 👉 https://lnkd.in/dSsbAA_V (L&D, HR, Managers, Executives, Technical Teams) ——— #publicspeaking #communication #presentationskills #traininganddevelopment #executivetraining #leadership #articulation #confidence

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“Recognition is more than praise—it’s advocacy that changes lives.” That’s the lesson from Charles Bernard’s pivotal career story, when a leader elevated his voice in a way no one else had before. In a blog post inspired by our conversation on Narativ Inc's Leadership Story Talks, we explore: 🔑 Why advocacy is a core leadership act 🗣️ How elevating diverse voices strengthens culture 💡 The power of storytelling to build confidence and inclusion Charles’s story is a reminder that great leaders don’t just manage tasks—they shape careers by making space for every voice. 📘 Read the blog in the comments.

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Have you ever been part of a team that didn’t operate well? Often, these environments are marked by passive aggressive behavior, dominating voices, manipulation, or individuals who shut down and disengage. The impact is costly: isolation, fragmentation, and the loss of collaborative innovation. Strong leaders recognize these patterns and take intentional steps to build environments of trust, respect, and open communication. That’s where true collaboration and breakthrough ideas happen. How do you help create a healthier culture on your team?

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The ‘Core Energy Experience’ presents a stimulating conversation with Dana Lynn Bernstein, PCC, MA, CMP, PMP, CPQC on Decoupling Thoughts. Dana is a Conflict Resolution Coach. She is the Author of ‘It’s The Thought That Counts: Mastering the Art of YOU vs. you’. Prepare to experience the power of Decoupling Thoughts and reframing your thinking. If you're enjoying this ‘Core Energy Experience’ clip, please like, subscribe, and comment. We love hearing your thoughts. You can use the link below to get more episodes of the ‘Core Energy Experience’. https://lnkd.in/ejYTaJ8C Thank you for your time, energy and participation. It is greatly appreciated 🫶 Host: Kurt Bruckmann (@coreenergykurt) Co-Producer, Associate Director: Alex Fabio (@munkpunk_) #energy #resolution #awareness #core #decouple #podcast #kdb #wellbeing #coreenergyexperirnce #transformation #trust #consciouschoice

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“Gen Z is less cognitively capable than we were at their age.” or... “What happened around 2010 that decoupled schooling from cognitive development?” That’s the question neuroscientist and former teacher Jared Cooney Horvath, PhD, MEd brought to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation His core point isn’t “blame Gen Z.” It’s: our education systems changed the tools faster than we changed the conditions for learning. In his testimony, he points to several system-level signals: • In many countries, literacy, numeracy, attention, and reasoning indicators have stalled or declined while schooling time and investment increased. • Digital devices now take a large share of instructional time; he cites U.S. estimates that over half of students use a computer in school 1–4 hours/day, and about a quarter more than 4 hours/day. • He highlights classroom “off-task” time on devices (up to 38 minutes of every hour in some studies). • He leans on international assessment patterns (PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS): more classroom screen exposure, lower performance at scale. In education and training, tools often arrive faster than the capacity to use them well: • clear learning goals and instructional design • teacher support and time to adapt practice • routines that protect focus (not constant switching) • feedback loops that show what is working In my work with universities and organizations across 🌐, the pattern is consistent: when learning is well-designed and well-supported, technology can help. When it isn’t, technology simply makes existing gaps more visible. Where are we scaling devices faster than we’re scaling instructional quality? Where are we asking learners to adapt to the tool — rather than adapting the system to support learning? Thanks to Chris McKenna for sharing the post that prompted this reflection.

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Check out the newest Harvard Business Review playbook, “Make Better Strategic Decisions Amid Uncertainty.” Featured authors and experts include  Scott D. Anthony, Laura Huang, Adi Ignatius, Ernie Tedeschi and Martha Gimbel - each offers unique insights to help leaders at all levels navigate ambiguity. Article Summary: Big-bet strategic decisions can define an organization’s success. But when so much is changing and ambiguous and the amount of information available is overwhelming, leaders are often tempted to just make the call based on instinct. How can you make a decision without being distracted by the wrong data or slowing down the process? This HBR Executive Playbook will help you ask the right questions to keep the process focused so you can make the best decision possible. If you’re wrestling with strategic dilemmas, uncertain paths, or high-stakes tradeoffs, I hope this article offers some useful insight! I'd love to hear your take-aways! https://lnkd.in/eVbe8VC9

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We’ve launched the LIA Microlearning Library — bite-sized leadership resources designed for busy professionals. Explore practical tools you can use today. LIA Training LEARNING HUB, https://lnkd.in/gXrDwpdH #LeadershipDevelopment #Microlearning #LIAtraining

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Have you noticed when a learning session feels disjointed, where one topic ends and another begins without a bridge? Transitions are the unseen threads that connect learning, helping participants orient themselves, anticipate what’s next, and process ideas before moving forward. When used intentionally, transitions reduce cognitive overload, maintain attention, and enhance knowledge integration by signaling shifts, summarizing key points, or prompting brief reflection. Here are tips and guidelines to consider when designing learning experiences that include thoughtful transitions. What’s one tip that you can share for designing transitions? #microlearning #InstructionalDesign #training #neuroscience #instructionaldesigners #elearning #elearningdesign #talentdevelopment #education #learning #StrategicLearning #LearningDesign #LxD

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Excited to partner once more with Training magazine and run another transfer-powered webinar. No matter what model you use for training design, you can increase training effectiveness (or increase the impact of your training) by paying attention to the following 4 transfer levers connected to training design. 1️⃣ Clarity of Expectations 2️⃣ Content Relevance 3️⃣ Active Practice 4️⃣ Transfer Planning So on August 13th we will jointly explore and discuss: 🎯 Why asking about expectations in a training session is a waste of time 🎯 How to strengthen the perception of content relevance. 🎯 The crucial and so often misunderstood difference between active learning and active practice 🎯 Common mistakes with regards to action planning Looking forward to sharing some practical and tested ideas and tools on what you can do to set the levers in training design to "transfer effective" Register here: https://lnkd.in/dFJqSJZv Wed, Aug 13, 2025 at 9AM Pacific / 12PM Eastern #maketransferhappen #trainingeffectiveness #learninganddevelopment #instructionaldesign #trainingdesign

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Hey Coaches 👋 If you’re feeling overwhelmed about ICF credentialing or recertification, here’s something that might help: CCEase is a 9-week program that makes the process doable — and way less stressful. 💬 Past participants say they walked away feeling clear, confident, and supported (oh, and 20 CCEs richer). The Fall 2025 cohort runs: 📅 Sept 11 – Nov 20 🧭 Includes mentoring + training 📝 Pre-registration Zoom with Anne C. Kelly, ICF PCC, CMC is required CCEase Info & Registration: Sept 4th CUTOFF for registration. https://lnkd.in/eK8MmQXE  Questions? Special Requests? Schedule a chat on Zoom: http://meetme.so/AnneKelly #ICFCoaches #CCEase #CoachCredentialing #MentoringForCoaches #ICFSupport

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Strategic ways to build leaders! There are many ways to skin a cat, as the phrase goes, but here is one of many ways to encourage and build leaders in any organization! #RADIATETHEBRAIN https://lnkd.in/daunfvz

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