Category Archives: L&D

Career Planning & Self-Development: Part 1

I love making plans. There’s something about figuring out what I want and how I’m going to get there that simply excites me. It’s a bit like a puzzle – if I want to get to point A, but I’m way over here at point Q, what’s the best way to close that gap?Video Game Guy 1

For me, it’s a little like playing a video game as a kid. I loved working my way through those old, pixilated games! As an adult, the sense of accomplishment when I put together a smart strategy is the grown-up version of clearing a difficult level in Super Mario Brothers.

It took me a while to realize that not everyone is wired this way.

Perhaps you’re like me and enjoy sitting down with a pen and paper and mapping out a strategy for achieving your future goals. Or, perhaps you’re not like me, and what I just described is your perfect recipe for a panic attack. Either way, when it comes to your career, a little bit of focus and planning can go a long way.

This article is the first in a two-part series where I’ll fill you in on the most important lessons I’ve learned about planning my next career move. In each article, I’ll touch on two major areas that, when all linked together, should help set you on the right path. Continue reading

Stress Management – Part 2

Are you feeling stressed at work? With friends or family? Because of the holidays approaching?

Flip through our second of two slidedecks which focuses on tips to tame your stressful situations, both at home and work.

This is part of our in-house class, Stress Management, taught by Director of Succession & Talent Acquisition Rachel Heisten. Be sure to also check out Stress Management – Part 1, and have a stress-free holiday season!

Stress Management – Part 1

Are you feeling stressed at work? With friends or family? Because of the holidays approaching?

Flip through our first of two slidedecks which focuses on definitions of stress and the science behind it.

This is part of our in-house class, Stress Management, taught by Director of Succession & Talent Acquisition Rachel Heisten. Stay tuned for Part 2 coming next week! And for even more learning content like this, check out our 2-part SlideShare series on Difficult Interactions.

Behind the Scenes – Difficult Interactions

Over the last two weeks, we’ve shared concepts from our in-house class, Difficult Interactions (see Part 1 & Part 2). While creating the class, it occurred to our Learning & Development team that no one was a better representation of difficult interactions in the workplace than Darth Vader. This developed into an over-arching Star Wars theme which is visible right from the get-go.

With the help of a local Darth Vader-helmet-owning employee, Jim Spena, and our wonderful Creative Services team, we captured a series of fun photos for the presentation. Check out some of our favorites below!

group-vader-mask-photo

Continue reading

Difficult Interactions – Part Two

Do you struggle with difficult interactions at work?

Flip through our second of two slide decks which focuses on how to neutralize misunderstandings before they turn into conflict as well as what to do when the difficult interaction is unavoidable.

This is part of our in-house class, Difficult Interactions, taught by Director of Employee and Labor Relations Michael Altman. Check out Difficult Interactions – Part 1.

Difficult Interactions – Part 1

Do you struggle with difficult interactions at work?

Flip through our first of two slidedecks which focuses on the anatomy of difficult interactions including what causes them, why they’re so difficult, why we avoid them, and how they escalate.

This is part of our in-house class, Difficult Interactions, taught by Director of Employee and Labor Relations Michael Altman. For more learning content like this, check out our 2-part SlideShare series on The Art of Coaching Employees.

10 Customer-Relationship Commandments

Note: This material was pulled from our in-house class, Customer Focus, taught by Director of Learning & Development Alissa Owsley. For more learning content like this, check out our 2-part SlideShare series on The Art of Coaching Employees and 6 Truths about Persuasion.

At Leggett & Platt we equate good customer service with good relationship-building skills. The bond between you and your customer—whether within your company (say a peer or your boss) or external (the traditional “customer”)—is just that, a relationship that needs attention and takes work.

With that in mind, we’ve come up with 10 universal customer-relationship commandments. You don’t have to have “customer service representative” in your title to get something out of these. Continue reading

6 Truths About Persuasion

Do you consider yourself persuasive?

Find out how to get people to say yes (ethically) by flipping through our 6 persuasion truths, below.

This is part of our in-house class, Persuading Others, taught by Learning & Development Manager Alissa Owsley. For more learning content like this, check out our 2-part SlideShare series on The Art of Coaching Employees.

The Art of Coaching Employees – Part Two

What can a 19th century Russian princess named Olga teach us about coaching?

To find out, you’ll have to flip through our second of two slide decks on coaching.

Is this your first time hearing about Learning & Development at Leggett & Platt? For an brief look into what we do, read: This is How We Do L&D at L&P.

 

The Art of Coaching Employees – Part One

Coaching, managing, mentoring… it’s all the same right? Wrong.

To be a better coach, you have to understand these roles and how they’re different. Flip through our first of two slide decks to learn more.

This series’ content was adapted from one of our in-house classes taught by Learning & Development Manager, Alissa Owsley. New to L&P’s Learning & Development group? For an brief look at our class development process read: This is How We Do L&D at L&P.