Accountability
Article:
It's Time
To Train!
The man who brought
me into the training industry in 1986, a terrific guy named
Jim Strutton, always told me,
"John, most organizations spend more money landscaping
their grounds each year than developing their people!"
Well, probably not always accurate, but given our current economic
plight it sure could be. Yet the reality is this:
Now is the time to invest
in people.
An immutable truth:
When tough times come,
the training dollar is the last one budgeted and the first one
cut. Training is seen as "discretionary,"
even as some management teams chant PEOPLE ARE OUR GREATEST
ASSET!
Cutting training now
would be as ludicrous as:
-
Allowing a teenager
to get his license and begin driving his little sister to
dance practice without ensuring, through responsible parental
instruction, that he knows exactly how to do the job.
Teaching a teen to drive safely is not optional. Right,
parents?
-
Allowing the passengers
on the plane that became a boat on the Hudson River to be
served by pilots and flight attendants who didn't have the
skills to handle the crisis. Thankfully, their
training wasn't "discretionary."
-
The Millers frantically
knocking on the door of our neighbor Bruce—a
lieutenant in the local fire department—at 2am because
our house is on fire, and having him respond with, "Sorry,
but our classroom training budgets have suffered deep cuts,
so my team just isn't ready for fieldwork. Good luck!"
Yes, I know, a bit absurd,
but don't doubt it for a minute: The economic situation
we're in right now is a lot like a house on fire. For some organizations,
it is an emergency.
And that is why we must train.
We need team members
who are sharp, able, and ready to solve problems. Efficiency
and effectiveness are paramount, while paying customers are
rarer than ever. This is not a time for waste, nor the moment
to lose buyers while believing there are a dozen more waiting
in the wings to take their place. Because there are not.
Too often organizations
try to get through tough times with nothing more than empty
words like these:
Or possibly you've simply
been told to work harder. Sorry, but lectures, motivational
speeches, and platitudes are not enough. People need skills.
The good news is, some
organizations seem to be on top of this incredible need for
skill development. We've already seen a change in 2009.
As I digress just a bit, this may sound like a commercial. So,
my apologies in advance ...
At QBQ, Inc., we do two
things, both around personal accountability: Live QBQ!
presentations (speaking) and provide a training program our
clients facilitate in-house.
Our speaking revenue
is dependent on client-held events. Currently, events are scarce.
When the economy suffers, layoffs abound, and profits dim, this
makes sense. Events stick out like sore thumbs and send the
wrong message. It's pretty conflicting to take a sales force
to the Bahamas while home office positions are being cut.
But on the training side, we
see growth. And that's good, because training sends the right
messages to people.
Training builds trust,
loyalty, and confidence—not to mention competence. It
assuages fear and worry. In fact, one client firm went a step
further. They took a class of 16 people through QBQ! training
even though seven of the people had just been laid off and would
be seeking employment elsewhere! Now that's a merciful company
and one that I could work for.
It's also an organization
that will be ready to compete when the economy turns.
And make no mistake; all recessions go away. All sour economies
rebound. So the only question is, will your people be prepared?
They will be if you agree with the title of this message:
It's
time to train!
John G. Miller
Author of QBQ! and Flipping the Switch
With Kristin Lindeen
QBQ! speaker/workshop facilitator
QBQ! (The Question Behind the
Question) QuickNote
QBQ! QuickNotes™ may be
forwarded by email or printed in their entirety with full credit
given for personal and group use.© QBQ, Inc. 2009. All
rights reserved.
Did You Know?
Did you know personal
accountability training will allow your employees to thrive
in change?! Isn't 'Change Management' one of the biggest challenges
businesses are facing today?
Why not explore
QBQ! more and discover the secrets that the top performing compaines
are doing to increase employee morale and productivity while
allowing them to thrive in the changing world around them?
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