Training & Development

Louder for the people at the back 🎤 Many organisations today seem to have shifted from being institutions that develop great talent to those that primarily seek ready-made talent. This trend overlooks the immense value of individuals who, despite lacking experience, possess a great attitude, commitment, and a team-oriented mindset. These qualities often outweigh the drawbacks of hiring experienced individuals with a fixed and toxic mindset. The best organisations attract talent with their best years ahead of them, focusing on potential rather than past achievements. Let’s be clear this is more about mindset and willingness to learn and unlearn as apposed to age. To realise the incredible potential return, organisations must commit to creating an environment where continuous development is possible. This requires a multi-faceted approach: 1. Robust Training Programmes: Employers should invest in comprehensive training programmes that equip employees with the necessary skills for their roles. This includes on-the-job training, mentorship programmes, online courses, and workshops. 2. Redefining Hiring Criteria: Organisations should revise their hiring criteria to focus more on candidates’ potential and willingness to learn rather than solely on prior experience or formal qualifications. Behavioural interviews, aptitude tests, and probationary periods can help assess a candidate's ability to learn and adapt. 3. Partnerships with Educational Institutions: Companies can collaborate with educational institutions to design curricula that align with industry needs. Apprenticeship programmes, internships, and cooperative education can bridge the gap between academic learning and practical job skills. 4. Lifelong Learning Culture: Encouraging a culture of lifelong learning within organisations is crucial. Employers should provide ongoing education opportunities and support for professional development. This includes continuous skills assessment and access to resources for upskilling and reskilling. 5. Inclusive Recruitment Practices: Employers should implement inclusive recruitment practices that remove biases and barriers. Blind recruitment, diversity quotas, and targeted outreach programmes can help ensure that diverse candidates are given a fair chance. By implementing these measures, organisations can develop a workforce that is adaptable, innovative, and resilient, ensuring sustainable success and growth.

If you are a brand or creator planning to grow your own community, save this post for your next brand strategy session – Follower counts are overrated. What truly matters for your brand is a community that talks back. In the last 5+ years of building my personal brand along with Like Mind Tribe, I’ve learned this the hard (and beautiful) way. We often chase vanity metrics, namely likes, views, followers. But the brands that actually grow focus on: + trust + conversations + creating spaces that people want to return to My top 3 learnings about community building that most people ignore are👇 1/ Stop broadcasting. Start involving. Don’t just talk to your audience, co-create with them. Ask for their input. Let them choose the next product, workshop, or event theme. Your content should feel like a conversation, not a monologue. 2/ Trust builds in silence. Show up even when it’s quiet. The real connection begins when no one’s clapping. Be consistent with your presence. Show your progress, not just your polished wins. 3/ Give them a space beyond social media. DMs, Zoom rooms, meetups, or even a close friend's story list; These micro-interactions are where loyalty is built. If you want retention, give them a room where they feel seen. ———— I’ve met: → strangers who are now collaborators → community members who became accountability partners → even businesses that were born from casual coffee chats at our meetups That’s what happens when you value: Impact >>>>> Followers Whether you're building a brand or just starting out as a creator – Don’t just aim for attention. Create belonging. What’s the biggest challenge you face in building your community? Let’s tackle it together! #drishtiispeaks #community #branding #strategy #growth #socialmedia #content

Sales isn’t magic. It’s math. But if your revenue isn’t growing, chance are... It’s not your product. It’s your system. Let me explain. The fastest-growing companies don’t have “better closers.” They have better processes. Here’s what top 1% sales teams do differently: 1. They multiply, not guess. Revenue = Leads × Conversion Rate × Deal Size × Retention Change one variable → growth. Change all four → rocket fuel. That’s not a hack. That’s math. 2. They stop pitching and start listening. The best reps talk 30% of the time. The rest? They listen for gold. People don’t buy when they understand. They buy when they feel understood. 3. They don’t chase. They qualify fast. 🚫 Endless demos 🚫 Chasing low-fit leads ✅ Score prospects early ✅ Cut the dead weight ✅ Focus on buyers who are ready now Time is your most expensive resource. Guard it. 4. They don’t sell the product. They sell the cost of inaction. A great pitch isn’t about what you do. It’s about what your buyer loses by doing nothing. Paint the pain. Then make your offer the obvious solution. 5. They follow up with purpose. 80% of deals close after follow-up #5. But most reps quit after #2. Win the deal by staying in the game. And bring value every time you follow up. If you want sales that scale without burning out your team: • Stop relying on heroics. • Start building systems. • Track the right KPIs. • Make it easy for buyers to say yes. Revenue isn’t a mystery. It’s a repeatable machine. If you build it right. Want your team to sell smarter, faster, and at scale? Let’s make that happen. I'm hosting a free training for founders & CEOs. "How to Accelerate Sales Growth For Your Business" Thu June 26th, 12 noon Eastern / 5pm UK time Join me: https://lnkd.in/dnjfFDuF ♻️ Repost to help a founder in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more sales growth strategies. P.S. Want a PDF of my Sales Growth Cheat Sheet? Get it free: https://lnkd.in/dcgvWeMv 📌 Our next cohort of The CEO Accelerator starts July 23rd. 20+ Founders & CEOs have already enrolled. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/dRwv7nJF

Most engineering graduates are unemployable because colleges don’t teach these 3 things. I graduated with 8.53 CGPA from NSIT, thinking I was ready for the real world. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t. Here are 3 skills that would have saved me months of struggle: 1. How to Communicate Ideas (Not Just Code) College taught me to write algorithms, not explain them to non-technical stakeholders. At Microsoft, I realized brilliant code means nothing if you can’t: • Present your solution to managers • Write clear documentation • Explain complex problems simply I had stage fear in college but had to become president of 3 societies to learn this the hard way. 2. Learning How to Learn (Fast) College taught me Java and C++. The industry wanted React, Node.js, and cloud technologies. The real skill isn’t memorizing syntax. It’s: • Picking up new frameworks in weeks • Adapting when requirements change overnight • Unlearning old patterns when they don’t work My Microsoft manager said it best: “Learn to unlearn.” 3. Building Real Solutions (Not Textbook Problems) College problems have perfect inputs and expected outputs. Real problems are messy, incomplete, and constantly changing. Nobody teaches you: • How to handle unclear requirements • Working with legacy code that “just works” • Balancing technical debt vs. delivery timelines The brutal truth? Your degree gets you the interview. These 3 skills get you the job and help you keep it. What skill do you wish college had taught you? 👇 #Engineering #CollegeLife #CareerAdvice #RealWorldSkills

Many of my podcast episodes will make you better at your job, but a select few will make you better at life. Today's episode is one of the latter. Carole Robin, Ph.D. spent 20+ years teaching a class called Interpersonal Dynamics, affectionately known as “Touchy Feely” at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. After leaving Stanford, she founded a nonprofit called Leaders In Tech, which applies the Touchy Feely principles to help Silicon Valley executives build their leadership and interpersonal skills. Carole also co-authored the popular book Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues, which shares key insights from her decades of teaching these courses. In our conversation, we discuss: 🔸 How vulnerability makes you a stronger leader 🔸 Why mental models you build early in life hold you back later 🔸 The 15% rule of disclosure 🔸 The art of inquiry 🔸 The three realities and “the net” 🔸 Practical tips for avoiding defensiveness when getting (and giving) feedback 🔸 The impact of long Covid on Carole’s life 🔸 Much more Listen now 👇 - YouTube: https://lnkd.in/ejqmeUv2 - Spotify: https://lnkd.in/egW9afwc - Apple: https://lnkd.in/eQw2HxcS Some key takeaways: 1. When giving feedback, remember that in any interaction between two people, there are three realities: - Reality 1 includes their motives and intent - Reality 2 is what they say and do - Reality 3 is the impact of their behavior on you 2. Embrace the 15% rule: By pushing yourself just 15% beyond your current boundaries, you can create opportunities for growth and deepen connections with others. This approach allows you to gauge your comfort level and adjust gradually, avoiding overwhelming discomfort while still fostering meaningful progress. 3. You should address minor irritations (“pinches”) before they escalate into major conflicts (“crunches”). Early identification and resolution of pinches promotes honest relationships and minimizes the expected pain of a crunch. 4. When someone responds in a way you didn’t expect, ask them, “What did you hear me say?” Most of the time, the other person heard something incorrect. Follow up with “I’m glad I asked; let me try that again.” 5. When seeking to understand someone’s motives and intent, inquire genuinely without judgment. Avoid asking “why” questions, as they provoke defensiveness. Instead ask what, when, where, and how to gain insight into their perspective. 6. Don’t use phrases like “I feel that” or “I feel like,” as these often lead to statements rather than emotional expressions. Instead, use “I feel” followed by an actual feeling word. This simple change is more likely to result in a connection with the other person.

Did You Hire a Hunter: Only to Train Them to Be a Farmer? "The difference isn’t just who you hire, it’s how you set them up for success." The gap between “Hunter” and “Farmer” sales leadership often lies in: - How they empower their team to win. - How they remove obstacles instead of creating them. - How they design a system that rewards results, not just activity. Here’s how to keep your hunters hunting and your farmers farming… 1. When Hiring a New Rep ↳ Instead of "They crushed it at their last company. Let’s hire them!" ↳ Say "Do they fit our culture, and sales model?" 2. When Onboarding a Hunter ↳ Instead of "Here’s our product, now go sell." ↳ Say "Here’s how our best reps win. Master this playbook." 3. When Structuring Their Day ↳ Instead of "Make 100 calls a day." ↳ Say "Focus on high-value activities that create pipeline." 4. When They Struggle Early On ↳ Instead of "Maybe they’re not the right fit." ↳ Say "Are we giving them the right coaching and real opportunities?" 5. When Reviewing Performance ↳ Instead of "They’re making a lot of calls." ↳ Say "Are they having high-quality conversations that convert?" 6. When They Start Closing Deals ↳ Instead of "Nice work! Keep it up." ↳ Say "Let’s analyze what worked and scale it." 7. When Holding Them Accountable ↳ Instead of "Try harder next time." ↳ Say "What’s the root cause? What adjustment can we make?" 8. When They Face Objections ↳ Instead of "Move on to the next lead." ↳ Say "Let’s uncover the real objection and solve it." 9. When They Lose Momentum ↳ Instead of "They must not be motivated." ↳ Say "Have we challenged, coached, and empowered them properly?" 10. When Evaluating Your Sales Culture ↳ Instead of "Are my reps working hard?" ↳ Say "Is our system setting them up to win?" 11. When Building a High-Performance Team ↳ Instead of "We need more pipeline." ↳ Say "Here’s how we create predictable, scalable revenue." 12. When Defining Who You Are as a Sales Leader ↳ Instead of "I manage a sales team." ↳ Say "I build high-performance machines that win consistently." - Good sales leaders hire talent. - Great sales leaders create an unstoppable culture. - Good sales leaders hope their team succeeds. - Great sales leaders engineer success. Now, ask yourself, are you leading a team of hunters? Or are you forcing them to farm? Make the shifts today. Build an elite team. Your results will thank you... — ♻️ Share this post with a sales leader who needs to hear it. Follow me for more strategies to grow your team and results and drop me a comment about how you manage this process... 👇 👉 Click here: Follow me on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eA7csH2q Join our community of 30,000+ sales professionals today! #SalesLeadership #BreakingTheMold #BeyondTheFunnel P.S. Thanks for reading!

Integrated brain training is a real game-changer for ACL rehab. 🤔 In sports, athletes perform in dynamic, unpredictable settings, making split-second decisions while executing complex movements. That's a far cry from the controlled environment of typical rehab sessions. 💡 Rehab focuses on task-oriented exercises and internal feedback, but it might be missing the mark. From recent research it even seems that classic rehabilitation induces as much, if not more, of the neuroplasticity than the injury itself, increasing the risk of re-injury (Grooms, in press).   🏋️♀️ There’s a need for an implicit and dual-task approach in ACL rehab, starting from the early stages. The video highlights the integration of this approach into ACL rehab.   🔴 SL squat right leg; Pass left; Count -1.  🟢 Step-up right leg; Pass left; Count +1.  🟣 SL RDL right leg; Count -2.  🔵 SL squat left; Header.  🟡 Step-up left leg; Header; Count +2.  🩵 SL RDL left leg.   1️⃣ Neuromuscular deficits and muscle weakness occur at different central nervous system levels (Cortical, subcortical and spinal level) in ACL patients (Tayfur 2020, Bodkin 2019). These deficits in central activation are linked to poor recuperation of quadriceps activation and strength (Criss 2023). These neural deficits not only prevent effective strengthening, but also contribute to secondary injury risk (Capin 2016). Impaired strength and central nervous system excitability persist for months to years after ACL surgery, suggesting the need for integrated brain training during the early stages of ACL rehab (Kuenze 2015). Traditional concentric exercises cannot overcome the inhibited cortical drive to the muscle and therefore fails to adequately activate muscles and restore neuromuscular control (Lepley 2015).     2️⃣ There's a link between how our brains work and the risk of ACL injuries. Brain activity related to visual, proprioceptive and attentional integration are crucial factors in rehab and prevention of ACL injury (Grooms 2022). Interestingly, athletes with high-risk landing biomechanics following ACL rehab exhibit a brain activation pattern shifted toward increased visual-proprioceptive and spatial processing to organize movement. However, this heightened reliance on attentional and sensory processing for movement coordination might compromise their ability to effectively maintain neuromuscular control in high-pressure sports situations involving opponents or the ball (common scenarios for ACL injuries) (Villa 2020) The current task-oriented rehab methods might actually reinforce these less effective brain activation patterns rather than fixing them. It is paramount to design rehab programs that challenge both the body and the brain, simulating the unpredictable situations athletes face during games. By integrating tasks that require perception, quick decision-making and neuromuscular control, we are able to retrain the brain and reduce the risk of injuries (Chaaban 2023, Grooms 2017). #acl

Old Way = Look at the Sales funnel by department New Way = Look at the Sales funnel by buyer intent (how the buyer entered the sales funnel) Historically, each department is measured by the blended performance of the “leads” they source with direct software-attribution. This model incentives getting the most “leads” and the lowest cost, not to drive *revenue & and sales productivity. Marketing runs lead gen to first-touch attribution on as many contacts as possible to game attribution. It doesn’t actually drive customers to want to buy but appeases their outdated attribution models circa 2012. Planning and forecasting breaks down because they blend content syndication leads that close at 0.1% with declared intent demo requests that win at 8%. Their old school “demand waterfall” model breaks like cheap glass. Departments (Sales, Marketing, SDRs) fight over credit instead of working together because that’s how teams are measured and budgets are set. It’s such an outdated model and a core driver of sales/marketing misalignment and other overall GTM problems. Smart companies want to adopt an “All-Bound” model because they see this clear problem in their business, but need a new framework to measure success & make strategy adjustments. Here’s how to make it happen: 1. Look at what GTM motion CAPTURED the demand (what was the trigger for how the buyer entered the pipeline). These are called “pipeline sources”. 2. These pipeline sources are a surrogate for **buyer intent** and will much better predict sales efficiency metrics like win rate, sales cycle length, and pipeline velocity. 3. Build a separate attribution model (e.g. self-reported attribution) to characterize what programs are CREATING the demand. 4. Use this data to OPTIMIZE your entire revenue strategy, not determine binary credit to teams, departments, and budgets. Implementing this framework will: 1. Drive significantly better alignment between all GTM teams 2. Have all teams WORKING TOGETHER, not fighting each other for “credit” 3. Create an entirely new view for Revenue leaders and strategists to make far better decisions & strategy improvements 4. Dramatically improve your revenue planning and forecasting accuracy. 5. Clearly show you where to FOCUS and clearly show you what to STOP doing. It’s 2023. Every department (Sales, Marketing, SDRs, Customer Success, etc.) contributes to every closed won customer. Because of this, B2B companies need to establish a holistic, objective, comprehensive view of their entire GTM performance. #b2b #revenue #sales #marketing #gtm

If your one-on-ones are primarily status updates, you're missing a massive opportunity to build trust, develop talent, and drive real results. After working with countless leadership teams across industries, I've found that the most effective managers approach 1:1s with a fundamentally different mindset... They see these meetings as investments in people, not project tracking sessions. Great 1:1s focus on these three elements: 1. Support: Create space for authentic conversations about challenges, both professional and personal. When people feel safe discussing real obstacles, you can actually help remove them. Questions to try: "What's currently making your job harder than it needs to be?" "Where could you use more support from me?" 2. Growth: Use 1:1s to understand aspirations and build development paths. People who see a future with your team invest more deeply in the present. Questions to explore: "What skills would you like to develop in the next six months?" "What parts of your role energize you most?" 3. Alignment: Help team members connect their daily work to larger purpose and meaning. People work harder when they understand the "why" behind tasks. Questions that create alignment: "How clear is the connection between your work and our team's priorities?" "What part of our mission resonates most with you personally?" By focusing less on immediate work outputs and more on the human doing the work, you'll actually see better performance, retention, and results. Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #leadershipdevelopment #teammanagement

You don’t need 100k followers to build a wildly successful personal brand. I recently spoke to a coach who earns over ₹8L/mo from her online presence. No ads. No paid funnels. Not even daily content. Just a simple but powerful system that brings in high-quality clients consistently. She has around 18K followers in total. But here’s the magic: almost all of her clients come through content + referrals. Let me break it down for you 👇 1. High-Value, Results-Focused Offer She’s a business coach, but instead of being vague, she helps people launch and scale group programs (which brings recurring revenue for her clients). That means her service delivers clear, financial ROI. She isn’t just offering “clarity” or “mindset”, she’s solving a specific problem with measurable outcomes. Because of that, her clients stay longer. Some even work with her for 6+ months. And just one client can bring her ₹1.5-2 lakhs over time. ➡️ Lesson: Clarity in your offer = higher client value + more referrals. 2. Trust-Building Content This is her superpower. She doesn’t just post fluff or tips. She shares: Case studies of clients filling up their group programs Screenshots of feedback from live calls Simple behind-the-scenes of her process People trust her not because she shouts the loudest, but because she shows real proof consistently. ➡️ Trust > virality, always. 3. Value-First Content Once or twice a week, she drops short, snackable tips: ✅ A simple DM script that helped her land 5 discovery calls ✅ Her 3-step framework for filling up masterclasses ✅ Mistakes she sees new coaches make (and how to fix them) These posts don’t always go viral. But they’re shared, bookmarked, and make people say: “I learned something.” That’s the kind of value that builds brand recall. 4. Subtle Differentiation She doesn't bash other coaches. She simply positions her offer in a clear, differentiated way: "I don’t just help you attract leads, I help you convert them with zero ads and zero burnout." That line alone is a brand differentiator. ➡️ It’s not just about being different. It’s about being usefully different. 5. Her Secret Sauce: Referrals + DMs She has a small but engaged circle. And she shows up intentionally. She replies to DMs. She sends voice notes. She checks in with past clients. And she offers free 15-min strategy checks in exchange for referrals. Because she’s easy to trust and easy to recommend, she gets consistent warm leads, no cold pitching needed. The Big Truth? You don’t need a big following. You need a clear offer, real proof, and a repeatable system to build trust. If you're a coach trying to grow your personal brand and client base.. Start here. Nail this. And you won’t need to chase the algorithm ever again. P.S. If you want to set this up for yourself, I created a free 5-day guide that helps you fix your profile, create content, and attract real leads from LinkedIn without wasting hours. Drop a “5 DAY” and I’ll DM it to you.