The Track
A Section Blog
How I use AI to help my boss prepare for board meetings
The three skills that actually matter to business growth
Do you ever look at a company like Google or Netflix and think, “I know we could be that successful – if only we had their people on our team”?
The bad news: It’s impossibly expensive to recruit talent from the top tech companies.
The good news: You can develop this type of talent in-house, if you zero in on the skills that actually matter to drive business growth.
To help you, our research team looked at 100 of today’s top-performing organizations and identified the business skills that matter.
These are the skills that should be your top priority in talent development. So let’s get started.
Self-assessment: Does your team trust you?
I’m sure you’ve had a manager you didn’t trust.
Maybe that manager said she valued your time – but then canceled your 1:1 at the last minute because she just had to run out and get a smoothie.
Maybe he called you out in front of the team for a mistake he made. (Truly an unforgivable offense).
Whatever it was, you know that once trust is lost, it’s hard to get back...
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Why most corporate learning offerings suck (and how to fix it)
What percentage of employees actually use the skills they learn in L&D programs at their jobs?
Twelve percent.
If these numbers sound rough, that’s because they are...
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Why we’re opening up unlimited access to sprints
I was talking recently with a Section4 student, and I let him know that we would soon be giving members access to all our sprints for $995, about 1% the annual tuition of an MBA.
“That’s incredible,” he said. “I’m so excited – my mind is blown.”
Then he paused.
“Why are you doing that?”, which is a polite way of asking “What’s the catch?”
There isn’t one. And here’s the answer as to why.
The science-based secret to being more productive at work
Have you ever sat in a 9 a.m. meeting with your team and wondered why one person is jacked up on coffee and firing off ideas, and another person looks like they just woke up from a 100-year sleep?
You might think, “Well, the first person is just more productive. They’re good at their job, whereas Steve is a useless lump. Duh.”
But actually, it’s not that simple. These two people probably have different chronotypes – meaning they’re inclined to sleep, work, and recover at different times.
How to know if NFTs are right for your business
Pop quiz. When you hear the word NFT, do you think:
💪 I know exactly what an NFT is and how to use it for my business
🤔 I think I understand what NFTs are, but I have no clue if they’re relevant to me
🤢 Argh! I should know what NFTs are, but thinking about them makes my head hurt
If you answered the latter two options, you’re not alone. Don’t worry – we sat down with NYU Stern Professor Sabrina Howell to simplify it for you.
Which skills matter? Employees and L&D leaders don’t always agree [research]
Which skills matter in the modern workplace – to get promoted, to get ahead, to impact the business? It turns out that employees and learning leaders don’t always agree.
We recently surveyed 10,000 students and 250 learning leaders on the skills that are their biggest priority in 2023.
Want to build the next Airbnb? 4 steps to get started
Airbnb changed the way we travel without purchasing any hotels. Uber made it easier to get around without amassing their own fleet. And DoorDash took care of breakfast without cracking a single egg.
The common thread between these companies is that they’re platform businesses. Rather than selling products directly, they’re providing a platform that conveniently connects sellers and buyers.
How do you follow in their footsteps? Here are four steps that can help you build a platform of your own.
