"Surely there comes a time when counting the cost and paying the price aren´t things to think about anymore.

All that matters is value - the ultimate value of what one does." James Hilton (1900-1954)

Framing the right value proposition is an art. It does not come naturally for most, but must be cultivated and cured over time. The natural response of most individuals when they believe they have an idea that will forever change the face of the organization is to make a presentation full of projections for the future. Complex formulas, boiling every learning event into an ROI calculation, are deployed or worse yet; the great idea is presented without solid value statements other than that it is the right thing to do. "Organizational Learning will reduce cycle time, shorten down time in machinery repair, make our marketing staff and call centers more effective" some will say. Really? What evidence is present to support that claim?

This approach, when done alone, does not work. It is part in parcel to the reason learning initiatives are cast in the risk discussion. If the discussion surrounds shortening cycle time, then there is risk to mitigate. The same with the call center discussion. "Our call centers are not being effective? Well, fix it!" Throw some training at it and all will be fine. Learning professionals are classic in their value propositions of demonstrating what is actually wrong with human capital and how they, their programs, and even learning can be the solution-thus eliminating risk. Remember, once the discussion is in the "risk" bucket, there is only one response: "How do we minimize it or better yet eliminate it?" So ultimately, training programs and the rest of human capital interventions are about fixing something that is wrong. The people are wrong. They are the company´s greatest problem. Fix Them! The question remains. How does one build the bridge to cross over from risk to return?

Bridge Building

Asking penetrating and relevant questions within the strategic process of bridge building is central to generating action around the appropriate goals and ultimately the return of learning. An unmanaged approach to bridging the gap between risk and return might generate a lot of great actions, but if these actions are not emanating from the appropriate question, they may be meaningless.

So in reality, asking questions becomes an art form of great magnitude. It is a matter of degrees. If the question is only off the mark by one or two degrees and it has to do with a functional tactic, then the short-term nature of the question will generate actions that will still be close to target. If, however, the question is about grand strategy, direction and purpose of a learning organization and its integration into the master corporate framework, being off by those same two degrees, spread out over years of implementation, can be terminal in the fullest sense of the word.

The art of framing appropriate questions within strategic learning process requires four key steps.

Elevate the Question: A significant amount of time and energy should be applied to refining the question and analyzing basic assumptions surrounding it. Preparation around question formation in the early stages can save many headaches in the long run.

What is the Desired Impact? At the end of the day, what was desired to happen that was transformational? In the desired impact statement, is the entire scope of the impact defined? If that impact is attained, will all the key stakeholders be rewarded? Remember, in this case we have more than the organization at stake - the employee weighs in here as well.

Understand the Dynamics: What will be impacted and why? By using some of the common tools of planning, such as RBV (Resource Based View), SWOT analysis (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats), identification of core competencies and SCA (sustained competitive advantage analysis), all of the relevant data dynamics will be placed on the table. But again the audience is two-sided. The employee must be a part of the questioning process. What goals, objectives, meaning, or learning is desired? How can the two be mated in such a way as to create motivation on both sides?

Integrate the Solution: Once strategic action items are identified, the solution sets must be fully integrated into the systemic organization. Who will be responsible? When are the milestones and progress points to be? Significant efforts in project management will help move the project forward and keep focus in process.

Process the Results: Solid questions and the impact successful actions make must be evaluated continuously. This process of measurement and reflection is not only good business practice; it is central to adult learning. It is through analysis and reflection that new questions are generated and the process begins again.

What is the nature of the learning questions? Are they well framed and articulated for maximum impact? Doing so eQUIPs (Elevate the Question - Understand the Dynamics - Integrate the Solution - Process the results), an organizational culture with the tools for practicing the Art of Framing the Right Value Proposition.

Value Propositions for Learning Leaders are about moving away from cold calculations and projections toward penetrating questions. In so doing, the focus of the conversation changes both in quality and in scope. The quality of the conversation changes to center on things that really matter, that really have the potential for change and for return-thus they have great meaning. The scope of the conversation changes so that instead of a transactional training platform or task specific approach, culture is beginning to change. This new culture is one that understands and values the role and person called "employee." This new culture is one that has the capacity to move the human capital discussion from a great risk to be mitigated to a great return whose potential must be fleshed out.

A learning leader skilled in the art of creating a winning value proposition is one who is skilled in the art of asking penetrating questions that really matter to all of the parties involved. Questions build ownership in both process and product. Questions bring about a risk-adjusted return metric in place of either pie-in-the-sky returns or risk that must be cut. Questions push silently from behind instead of pulling from in front. When working with the executive leadership team, understanding how to present the learning value proposition through questions is an art all in itself. It is the art of winning. It is learning.