Designed for the Moment of Choice – Just in Time, Not Just in Case

Thank you, Gerhard, and thank you, Jill, for the invitation. I think it's exciting to be here today and in a roster of so many wonderful speakers. And I have brought to you a topic that's actually been bugging me for a while. Basically, I've written a white paper a couple of months ago about enablement as an operating system. And the techies amongst you might say, hang on, how does this work? And I probably take a little bit of liberty on, on the wording. But what I do want to bring home to you is that when learning becomes infrastructure, meaning it becomes everything that your business is working on. And specifically now in the AI times, that is really the case. And then the moment of choice becomes the design target. I hope I've made you sufficiently curious about what this moment of choice is. I will explain it to you. I'll express— I promise. And I'm wearing many different hats in my life. So one of them is really the operator, as Gerhard has mentioned, at Salesforce. And I'm also wearing a hat of being an experienced board member in Germany. I have co-founded an AI initiative for small and medium-sized businesses there. So I'm really taking that broader perspective today and specifically also a governance look at enablement. And from an enablement perspective, we've been asking a lot about what do people need to learn? And how is this changing? And we've built curricula, we've built, you know, information and everything around it and lots of cool things. But I think the question is changing into when is it that people do learn best? Now, often we enable people at the moment when the program is rolling out, when something new is happening. It doesn't necessarily mean it's happening when the people actually need it in the deal right now, when you actually need to take a decision. Do I do it on my own, or do I do it, you know, do I get myself some, some help? Do I get it when actually the work needs it and demands it? And, you know, right now the old model with learning, you know, just in case, and then working, that is coming, that is changing. Let's put it this way, because learning really starts whilst the work is happening, and you're doing it both more and more together. Now, I'm not making the case for saying you have to do it together because there's still a value in carving out some time to just learn. Like, I'm actually now at a 3-day training on change management and doing the Prosci certification hopefully tomorrow. Keep fingers crossed. So, however, you know, like, you need to be more and more prepared for actually also allowing people, your sellers, your team members to learn just in time and learn inside the work where the learning and working really comes together into one moment and architecting for that moment of choice when it comes together and sellers can decide, your account executives can decide, am I going to accept that help now or do I not? That is actually that moment of choice. It requires 4 moves. not 4 programs. And that requires a little bit of different thinking. And actually, those 4 moves, I find them incredibly useful to just even look at what are we doing, how do we do it, when do we do it, and actually designing and architecting the right type of enablement. It starts with a signal, detecting when is the learning need happening. And it actually happens through a workflow It can happen through observation, but often it is a digital signal actually in the meantime that we can work on. Then it is actually the activation. It could be a nudge, it could be a micro course even that routes actually to the right place where that knowledge is and where it is curated for you and for your context. Then the learning is the actual intervention that happens and should be very small and targeted and specific for your specific need in that situation. And never to forget the feedback. You need to capture the outcome data and to refine the future signal routing so that you learn and it becomes a learning system. Now, that moment of choice, it actually mirrors— you can actually check whether, you know, you have something that is alive and is working as an operating system If you can answer those 4 questions on the, on the right-hand side, you know, can we detect it when it happens? Is it something that we can actually deal with directly? Secondly, on the, on the activation, can we route it to the right resource? And who decided, you know, which resource will be required at that moment in time? From a learning perspective, can we deliver it without breaking the flow? Because it should not sort of take you away. Then you need to go away, learn something for an hour, and then apply it. You need it in very small and distinct appetizers. I was just going to say, you know, like the little— a sandwich actually that you could use in an easy mobile way. And there my German doesn't translate very well. So we'll figure that one out, give it a better word for it next time. And last but not least, can we measure if it has worked? Has it actually had an impact on the next decision, on the next step? In the in the process, if you've got four yeses, you're good. If you don't, don't worry. I think this is still also a learning process for all of us. But you risk having a content library rather than an operating system and a live system. So instead of doing campaign planning, you really need to get your system thinking hat going on because an operating system is really always on. And that's also the case with with. With our learners, our sellers. You know, like some learn early in the morning, others learn just before they go to the customer if they're still going live to a site in the coffee shop just beforehand. But it could be at any point in time, and it's not driven by launch dates per se, but it's driven by what's the news of today, what has just changed, because there's so much change, but not the Big change. Now my slides have just suddenly disappeared. I'm not sure why that is. There's a lot of change happening. That's interesting.

That's okay. And as you're pulling those back up, I was just gonna say what I— what's really standing out to me here is this in the flow of work. So instead of pulling them out of the work, out of the workflow, and them having to learn when maybe it's not convenient, this is Happening in the flow of work, which is a game changer. And then the other thing that you were saying that really resonated with me as well is just this moment of choice. And again, with the psychology background, and so instead of when the leaders or the organization chooses for them to learn, instead it's the individual saying, I need this information right now. And what we know based on psychology is when people have choice, when people can choose, this is the time, they're going to be more engaged. They're going to be leaning in. They're going to absorb more of the learning. So I think those are a couple of big things I'm taking away. Yeah. And back over to you.

You are a superstar. Thank you. Wow. You have said it so succinct and so beautifully.

Well, no, it's— but it's so spot on and it's exactly what we need. And I always bring like just that human psychology into it. But it definitely, it definitely is resonating with me.

I love it. Thank you. Because I really think this is a platform, a thinking, a way of thinking that actually helps us to develop a lot more on it. I was actually trying to get all my Prosci sort of change management insights in immediately, which of course is a little early. But I think this is really a starting point on how to think about it, and therefore also then drive actions on that. So I hope you can see my slides again.

We can see them. We're good. Yep.

That is wonderful.

Great recovery.

But it's so ironic, isn't it? I was just saying always on and then it goes off. That was like funny.

I think I'd like to, I'd like to get your perspective on, on a related issue. What I'm seeing is that we live in an age of accelerated change. The, you know, when Salesforce started, there were maybe 20 CRM systems and maybe 10 or 12 applications, and now there are 10,000 different subsystems that work in concert with Salesforce.com. So the technology universe has changed everything. And so there's, as knowledge expands and as tools proliferate, there's so much to learn about how the world works and we need to figure it out. So if we don't change the way we learn, If we stick to the old ways of learning, we are cooked. We cannot exist. We cannot survive.

And where was your question in that? Because of course, I agree with that, Gerhard. What was your question?

The question is, what consequences do those organizations face if they do not accelerate learning and deliver it That would easily get me into doom territory, which I try and avoid.

But I'm trying to make a case for how can you actually speed up your learning in a way that's still very human-centric and is also still respecting people. Because I feel like sometimes, you know, like AI seems to overwhelm us and changes at a saturation level. So I think in a way I'm trying to see how can we actually use the technology to sense what is needed when it is needed. I mean, there's also a risk to it because if once you're really, really good at that, at what I'm describing, you might risk people never really learning it. They just, you know, use it as a crutch and go about it. Like one of the learnings that I didn't include in the slides, but as you're asking me, I'm happy to share. One of the learnings would be how do you make sure that people don't depend on a system like that and still know what is happening. So there is still, you know, a case for, you know, not just bringing those 2 moments together and allowing the technology to help you, but you still need to make sure as an individual that you use this as a learning. You don't just use it as a crutch. And there's quite— and that is definitely a risk of what I'm proposing. But I think you need to radically change how you learn and your speed of it so that you actually can deal with all of, all of that, of what is happening. And maybe if I share a few more slides with you, I know you've probably got another ton of good questions for me, so I'll, I'll make sure I'll get through those. I think, you know, like from a board perspective, I think it's always important that you look at decisions and at governance. And then when, when you start getting into more of an automated way of serving up questions, of serving up knowledge, of serving up how things are being done, And you need to make sure that what gets surfaced actually is clear and there's a decision behind it of how that's happening and who is doing that. There's 2 more shifts that are happening, and one is really, I think, all the metrics, you know, like in terms of engagement vanity is what I've called it, is, you know, you no longer will be able to say, oh, we have had 80%, 90% of completions. That might still be important for a certain learning like around compliance, for example. Yes, you need to have that number. You need to be able to show that everybody has signed this off. But there's others where completion might become much less important because you need to make sure that people had the right information at the right point in time, they know how to apply it and change the next decision. And that is how you move the deal forward is, you know, how do you actually make sure that you know what's the right solution in this case for this customer? And on the right-hand side, you see targeted precision. Actually just meaning not everybody needs every training. I mean, I think that's not the case even now because often you want to make sure that the whole team has the right training and they might need, subject to their role and their contribution, they might need different training. But here it is much, much clearer. It's not just when you need it, but also what do you need for your specific situation. And that goes beyond what we used to call personalization or even hyper-personalization. It's about the the timing and, you know, the content and the specific answer really to the specific questions. It also requires our learners to be a lot more self-aware. What is it that I need right now in order to move on? That in a way is like a meta perspective that is always called the biggest thing for learning or the biggest thing for your own personal success. If you are able to know how you learn, you learn much better, you learn much faster. But I want to make sure we'll have some time for Gerhard's tricky question. So let me go on on this one. So you literally see what are the trade-offs. I think I've talked a little bit about that. So you basically, you know, not everybody gets everything, you know, and that one source of truth may or may no longer be holding true because, and this is also to cover your question, speed is actually of the essence. Speed in itself is becoming having a value. And sometimes it's so fast and so furious that it even surpasses our human capacity of taking it on. But I think this is where the balance comes from. And I think what you want to make sure that it does happen in the right way. So you also want to build in the ability to improve and go on because vibes don't compound. I love that sentence, but data does compound. So you need to make sure you have the right data in place to measure this. And there, I think I need the next talk in order to talk about this one, because I wanted to make sure I land on actually saying, look, yes, I know it's a bit theoretical what I've been sharing. It's a bit more like fundamental in how you think about things. But I also wanted to leave you with one specific thought on what could you take away? Because why would we even talk if there isn't something in it for you that you can do and can take from there? I would like to encourage you to think about your own context, either your team or for yourself. Where are there already signals that you could see where you can choose either to allow a system or someone to help you or not. Now, that sounds theoretical. Let me break that down. For example, when it comes to making a point of view for your next customer meeting, do you actually use all the means that are available to you, you know, in terms of whichever tech stack you're using, or actually, are you doing what you've always done? And you wing it, or, you know, you work on the best quick information you have available. Because quick at the moment, you can also do this in many other ways. So think about what is that moment of choice that you might want to choose differently this time and actually saying, no, I will actually look at the signals and get myself the help based from that. Then you can actually look at the next right action after that. And yes, I mean, not all of you may actually be talking to a board, but I think what your board or whoever is funding your function or funding your funding, funding your work would always be interested in, you know, what are the metrics? How has it been impacting the business? And in this case, I would actually like to encourage you to think about how has it changed your next decision? Has it made it faster? Has it made it better? Has— have you actually gotten any, any better outcome from that. So, um, an operating system isn't really something that you necessarily notice when it works. That's also a danger for a function because of course you want to be noticed. However, in, in this case, um, it is what everything else is running on, and your learning will be more and more what everything else will run on, that everything else will enable. That'll really become a differentiating factor and your competitive point. So in that sense, I think we've been talking and you've been talking a lot in the, in the event about all the beautiful things of AI. And I would suggest a thought that it's never been really about just adoption of AI, but it's really about how AI is changing your next decision because that's actually driving an impact. And that's also then becomes measurable. You know, how has this decision become better, faster, more impactful? And that's one very last sentence I need to leave you with, because I know I haven't really talked about how leading agents is, but I still want to leave you with that thought. Forgive me for that. It's not necessarily actually my talk today about, but I do want to leave you with that thought of learning about leading agents like people. even though we know full well that they are not. And I think some of the things I've said would be possible or are possible through agents. So in that sense, yes, you can lead them in your moment of choice as well and actually say, you know, how do I want to do that? But I think that is my final gift, so to say, for our discussion. And I would be very honored if you want to connect with me through LinkedIn. And I know some of you have already done so. So looking forward to following up on the discussion. And I'm now open for your questions. I see, Jill, you've already been writing. I like that.

Now, yes, I can jump in too. But Gerhard will always have the challenging questions. I know he'll jump on in a moment. You were starting to say something before, I think, that was interesting, and I just wanted us to continue the conversation, which is how maybe we can go too far where people are not actually learning and using their brain. They're just relying too much. Tell me more about this concern and how can we make sure that we don't go too far?

It's a question. Who do you mean by we? Because I think with we, you mean that us as a community, us as leaders.

Well, what I heard— I think what I heard you saying is we want to make sure that we give people in the moment of choice exactly what they need, the right thing, the right time. your 3 rights. What were your 3 rights? The right mess, the right thing, the right time. I know the 3 rights, but you had mentioned we want to make sure that we don't go too far so that our salespeople are not learning it so that they're the ones saying it instead of them just like typing in, reading it. Because you had hinted that there was a risk of Making sure we don't go too far. So I just wanted to hear a little bit more of this concern and how do we make sure that we leverage this in the moment, the right thing at the right time to really help the human salespeople do their best?

Yeah. And I think by we, and this is the reason why I've sort of picked up on the we, is actually that often this is a very personal decision, you know, where you decide, do I just want to become an executor of what AI is telling me? Or do I actually want to accept this as a learning and even, you know, go into a discussion about it in order to take my own conclusions from it? I'm still of the generation, I still need to write it down. If I haven't written it down, I'll forget it. Yeah, it's kind of fascinating, but everyone will have their own methodology in how you make sure you anchor it and it really becomes yours. And I think this is the thing we probably as leaders would need to make sure that our our sellers actually make it their own, then it's repeatable. And the way you do it is, I think, is you talk about it. I mean, you basically don't just let people run off and expect that everything happens as if we're machines. But no, we were actually also talking about like, how did you get there? Why did you do that? And actually probably create some space where you reflect on your own process of learning. And I know you'd probably expect an enabler to say so, so, and I totally get it if sales leaders are in the conversation and, yeah, I don't have time for that. If you don't take a moment of time for it, you'll become a lot slower in actually absorbing all the information, all the new knowledge, because sales processes are changing right now. How we talk with customers is changing. And I don't think there is a clear playbook out there quite yet.

Mm-hmm.

I mean, there's many different Companies and people who are, in a way, writing the playbook right now. And I don't even know whether it'll ever be written in the way it was in previous times. It'll probably develop, yeah, and ever faster. So I think it's— I hope I've answered your question. But I think probably—

Yeah, I think you have. But I think you really surfaced something really interesting just for us to, you know, think about. I think the intent is so that, yeah, there's the learning so that it can enhance the interaction. I mean, our next speaker is going to be talking about the neuroscience of trust, right? And so I think ultimately, Many times sales happen because there is trust with the person and there's trust that the product is the right thing. So, you know, so I think that might be an element of just that human trust that might— we might be at risk of breaking trust if we're leaning too heavily and we're just typing it in and then reading it, right? And instead of the human just taking time. And I'm old school like you too. I still have a written to-do list. Everyone out in the audience there, I would love to see you in chat. Like, all right, are there any old school people like me? I like the old school to-do list. When I'm at an event like this, I take physical notes, or I know some people even like typing in their notes. But the act of processing and then saying it back, or the act of processing and writing it down, it actually makes it stick. And then we're going to be faster next time.

I don't know, my thoughts.

But Gerhard, I know you have a bunch of questions as well. So Let me flip it to you.

Yeah, Dagmar, I'd like to pick up what you said about self-awareness. And you suggest that people need to become aware of their own processes for learning. And what I'm reminded of is that awareness is really the first step to change. And, and I also remember that term retroactive inhibition, that new information that comes in that we learn actually has an effect on the brain. It erodes some memory. And, and we need to be aware of what to unlearn. And what to relearn. And, uh, and I think it takes a, a certain amount of curiosity about how the mindset works. So you talk about an operating system for learning, and I like to propose an operating system for the mind, an MOS, a mindset operating system. And it operates at 3 levels, unconsciously and consciously. The unconscious part is everything that we have learned as children when we grew up. And then, you know, imagine a house at 3 levels. The basement level is the unconscious operating system, the beliefs that we adopted and learned by having parents and siblings. So the second level of the operating system is we have teachers and mentors and we have sales trainers and enablement managers. That's what's happening on the ground level. And then there's a third operating system that every— that's the upstairs, which is the goals and dreams that we all have, what we want to become when we grow up. What do you want to achieve? And all those 3 systems influence the way we learn and what we reject. So I suggest that, um, your— our minds need to explore what is the role of curiosity, uh, because curiosity, in my opinion, is the inner drive to, uh, have an orientation towards discovery rather than validation. You know, most people seek certainty so they can feel secure. And a curious mind views certainty as a dead end where there's nothing to learn. And the thing is, what opens the curious mind to investigation is Ambiguity. Ambiguity is the driver. So in order to learn, we need to make the learner feel uncomfortable.

So maybe no question, but what are your thoughts on that? Add to the discussion. She's gonna say, what's your question, Gerhard?

Well, I think dogmas process thinking. about the process of learning needs to be examined through the lens of our mindset operating system. So how— the question is really, how can we help the students become self-aware about their own learning operating system?

Hmm.

I've got 2 answers because one was actually, I wanted to react to you saying basically we need to make people uncomfortable so that they can actually access their curiosity. And for that, and I think the following speaker might have a lot more details on that, but from what I know is that you definitely need to feel emotions in order to learn something or in order to memorize something. So I'm not sure it needs to be uncomfortable. or positive. It could be either or. I think it just needs to have a certain strength of emotion. But maybe you can ask the next speaker that. But it made me uncomfortable when you said we have to make people feel uncomfortable. I think we need to stretch them. Yeah. So, and that might feel uncomfortable, but—

Right.

That would be worth another discussion, actually. But when you said, how can we help people to learn? Actually, I think it's probably at the moment, because I'm just in this change management learning myself, I probably start with saying, awareness first, you know, why do we need to change? Why do we need to learn? You know, what is driving this? Yeah, the world is changing, so well, maybe we also need to change and just learn about that change so we know how we can best navigate it for ourselves, for our family, and, you know, for our work. And then the next one actually is part of the ADKAR model, is the drive actually, where you decide yourself personally What do you— what is your wish in this? This is also something you have described right now, you know, like, what is your wish for the future and how do you— and which role do you want to play in it? Because we always have a choice. And I think this is so important to remember. And I see you look to the clock, but then you also— then knowledge comes in and the ability to apply it and then the reinforcement. So I quite like that model actually, because it gives you a structure for how that's happening. Um, so that would be my short answer. I'll have lots of longer answers, but I know we are running out of time.

Well, Dagmar, I love our conversations. We need to continue this, and I hope you're going to join us at our next event in December. You always have a very unique perspective and insights that can help everybody Reach Higher. And you've done such a wonderful job for Salesforce, but also you have role modeled to us the principle of a good leader, which is to be a good teacher and also to be an excellent student.

Thank you. Yes, these two belong together. Thank you so much. I totally appreciate Being here.

Dankeschön.

Thank you. Bye everyone. Ciao Jill. Ciao Gerhard.