Sundial Learning Systems

This season, we’re grateful for the opportunity to support your learning journey. Thank you for being part of our community. Wishing you a day filled with joy, gratitude, and wonderful memories!

Organizations everywhere are learning that building resilient performance isn’t about avoiding disruption but thriving despite it. At Sundial Learning Systems, we’re passionate about empowering teams to adapt, evolve, and excel, no matter what challenges come their way. Our insight deepens into strategies for developing a resilient workforce, from leveraging proactive planning to nurturing a culture that embraces agility and continuous improvement. This is important because resilient organizations recover faster, innovate more effectively, and maintain performance even in turbulent times. Curious to learn how your team can build resilience? Check out our article: https://lnkd.in/epYka2cw Let’s spark a conversation—how is your organization preparing to perform resiliently in the face of disruption?

The creation of an effective plan is an art as much as it is a science. At Sundial Learning Systems, we take our organizations through a rather thoughtful and substantive-based strategic planning process that is more than superficial. Our approach is truly cognizant of the wisdom of strategic experts like Eliot Cohen, who defined strategy as the "art of choice that binds means with objectives." With over three decades of experience, we know that strategic planning is more than operational tactics; it's about making conscious choices that define priorities, align resources, and position organizations for success. Our 7-Phase Strategic Planning Process prepares leaders to pivot through disruption, capitalize on the opportunity, and execute plans that finally stick. We prepare every component of your strategic plan to be actionable and ready for the future, from deep environmental scans and market analyses to facilitating interactive planning workshops. We believe in practical execution through clear timelines, aligned resources, and leadership teams committed to success. Our facilitated sessions at Sundial encourage strategic thinking, foster a sense of ownership, and crystallize insights into actionable strategies. Using tools such as P.E.S.T. Analysis, Porter's Five Forces, and the TOWS Matrix, we draw a road map to sustainable growth supported by sound analysis and collaborative innovation. We believe that strategy is not only having a plan but also adapting, thriving, and becoming resilient in a continuously changing environment. Whether you are ready to make the idea a reality or set an organization on its path to enduring greatness, we can take this journey together. Success is not a destination; it is a bunch of well-executed steps. Are you ready to take the first one? https://lnkd.in/eDG49a9u

Over the years, we have helped many organizations, businesses, and government agencies cultivate strategy and inspire performance, including United Way, the University of Southern California, the US Navy, ATD, and the National Park Service. Learn how we can help you strategically identify your priorities, engage your team, and optimize performance. https://lnkd.in/eWn654Rx #businessleadership #smallbusiness #nonprofit #governmentagency

New Article from Sundial - "Employee Performance: Measuring and Improving What Really Matters" Summary - Employee performance should focus on outcomes rather than merely behaviors or activities, as organizations often fall into the trap of addressing perceived internal issues (e.g., skills or motivation) when performance lags. True productivity, however, is frequently influenced by external factors—like system constraints or resource limitations—that require a comprehensive analysis to identify and resolve. Quotes from experts like Dr. Geary Rummler and Dr. Joe Harless underscore the importance of assessing the performance environment rather than assuming training will address all issues. Effective performance management involves understanding organizational goals, conducting thorough performance and cause analyses, and distinguishing between behaviors (actions taken) and accomplishments (tangible results). This approach, coupled with setting SMARTER goals, ensures that employee contributions are meaningful, measurable, and aligned with the organization’s objectives, ultimately fostering sustained productivity and success. Read the full article by Ethan Sanders https://lnkd.in/efbhxiyY #business #employeeperformance #evaluation #leadership

NEW ARTICLE FROM SUNDIAL: Building an Effective Mentorship Program: Key Elements for Success In today’s fast-paced work environment, mentorship is indispensable in cultivating professional development, enhancing employee engagement, and promoting diversity across organizations. Whether in government sectors or corporate settings, a well-structured mentorship program can yield significant benefits for both mentors and mentees. This article will explore how to develop a successful mentorship program and outline essential components to consider along the way. https://lnkd.in/eGhdsP-8 #mentorship #leadership #tomorrowsleaders #businessgrowth

As consultants, our most solemn task is implementing solutions that help the organization succeed. Assessing gaps is just a means to this end, and if performance improvement projects fail, they tend to fail during implementation. While at the Navy’s Human Performance Center, I saw this happen repeatedly. Don’t get me wrong, we also had lots of success. However, the effort to go from recommendations to planning to implementing and evaluating was always more extended and more complex than we expected. Getting buy-in from all stakeholders, aligning resources, forming implementation teams, and monitoring the roll-out is complex. In today’s fast-paced business landscape, addressing performance issues requires a multi-faceted approach. Performance improvement projects can often seem overwhelming. But you can simplify the complexity with the proper framework. This article breaks down effective strategies for integrating training and non-training solutions, ensuring that project managers—often acting as performance improvement consultants—achieve their goals cost-effectively and in a timely manner. We begin by looking at the five phases of project planning. Then, we dig deeper into the keys for successful design, development, and critical elements of successful implementation. https://lnkd.in/e4FkzGrq

Sundial Philosophy #5: Meaningful Results Organizational goals are important. However, they need to be tied to measures that matter. There is too much “counting of paperclips” (i.e., measuring unimportant things just because they are quantifiable) and lofty language around goals. We try to introduce our clients to “simple but elegant” ways of measuring success. Sundial Learning Systems also believes in measurement maturity. Often, the first idea for how to measure success is only a stepping stone to more meaningful measurements. We have to be patient until those better measures emerge. https://lnkd.in/eAgjybSb

Philosophy #4: The Importance of Leadership Leadership is the bedrock of strategy, change, resilience, and engagement. Leaders must know how to envision the future, articulate a compelling understanding, assess and mitigate risk, balance resources, problem solve, make complex decisions, and ultimately project an image of confidence, compassion, and collaboration. The key to being a good leader is first being a good person. Leaders must have the self-awareness necessary to understand the implications of their behaviors and the values they suggest by their actions. https://lnkd.in/eAgjybSb #leadership #leadershiptips

Sundial Philosophy #3: Focus on Learning Learning is so much more than employee development. Every time we consider the external environment, we are learning. Every time we assess the organization’s performance, we are learning. Every time we formulate strategies, we are learning. Every time we build a team, we are learning. This is why the word “systems” is used in our company's name. It’s not just about developing training—it’s about engineering an environment where learning can “grow roots,” lead to better performance, and ultimately empower clients “to fish” so that someday they won’t need us! https://lnkd.in/eAgjybSb #learning #strategy #performance