Accountability
Article:
Training
Do's and Don'ts
I have been in the
training industry since 1986, and there's something I know that
you probably know, too: Most training fails.
Yes, fails. Too often
training makes no difference. It adds no value, creates
no change—and in the end, is a cost rather than an investment.
Why? Because both buyers and sellers make mistakes. And in the
current economy, we can't afford mistakes.
On the "vendor"
side, more often than not, the training rep is hungrier to make
the sale than the buyer is to complete the purchase.
Thus, desperation can lead the vendor to sell the client the
wrong training, just to make a sale.Many years ago, a paper
manufacturer contracted for a three day senior staff "management
training" project facilitated by yours truly. Looking back,
it was not what they needed. What this group (can you say dysfunction
junction?) really required was an extensive intervention by
skilled therapists. In way over my head, the project failed.
My name was Mud. And, honestly, it was my bad.
Furthermore, some training
suppliers don't just sell the wrong product, they sell a bad
product. There's a lot of junk on the training market,
and when it doesn't work, it gives the industry a well-deserved
lousy reputation—and is a waste of the customer's time,
energy, and money.
On the buying side, even
when clients purchase really great stuff, they too can make
really big mistakes. One banking institution acquired
$157,500 worth of training material to use in-house—and
then lost it. Yep, a year after we traded money for material,
they had still not implemented and could not find the product.
It had all been warehoused in .... well, they didn't know. But
this wasn't just about misplacing paper and plastic, this was
also about changing priorities. Business was now great and they
were simply too busy succeeding to implement the training they'd
paid for. Today, that struggling industry needs the training,
but "can't afford it." Their bad.
To make training worthwhile,
here are several "Do" and "Do Not" recommendations.
Do Not:
-
Do not buy fads.
"Everyone is doing it!" and "This
author's book is hot right now!" are not reasons to
buy a training program. Resist the temptation.
-
Do not buy training
only "if it can be measured." If you
believe a statistical return on investment can be applied
to the development of people, then I have some beach front
property in Arizona to sell you. This desire to measure
is often an excuse used by executives to not spend money
on training. The truth is, senior managers either believe
in training or they don't. Note to trainers: If your leaders
are asking, "How will we track results?" then
they don't really believe in training at a gut level.
-
Do not rely on the
training vendor for success. Just as Mom and Dad—not
the school, church, or scout leader—are accountable
for the success of the child, it is the client organization's
job to create change in people and culture, not the outsider's.
-
Do not believe there
are panaceas. Events, books, audios—these
are just tools; tools that need to be used correctly. Single
events need to be followed by repetition to effect change.
Books require a commitment to study, discuss, and apply.
As one retail book seller told me, execs "backed up
the truck" to load up on mega-seller "Who Moved
My Cheese?" and threw it at their people saying CHANGE!
And then they all wondered why nothing did. There is no
silver bullet.
-
Do not do "executive
overviews." What could be more arrogant than
buying into the myth that the senior team only needs the
short version?! Want to tear down walls, build trust, and
engage employees? Have everyone go through the same program
and mix the top folks in. And no sending the CEO and Team
to the warm weather golf resort while the staff does it
in the company cafeteria, either.
-
Do not allow "auditing."
If someone from another department wants to "check
the program out," have them pull up a chair and get
involved. People watching from afar with an evaluation mindset
hurt the group, the program, and themselves.
Do not buy the lie of "customization." Paying
more to have your organization's name on a workbook does
not make it customized. Nor does hiring consultants to ask
a lot of questions. True customization equals practical
content applied to your problems/issues, and this happens
only when there's in-house ownership driven by in-house
implementation. See "Do" on creating ownership.
-
Do not s-t-r-e-t-c-h
material. Don't do in three days what can be done
in two, or in six hours what can be done in four. Stretching
content kills people's desire for the next training program.
-
Do not cancel training!
Short of a natural disaster, stick with the scheduled commitment.
If you don't, it wasn't ever a commitment—and the
people know. Oh, and Mr. or Ms. Executive, if you're scheduled
to be there, then be there. That's real leadership.
Do:
-
Do decide that people
can change. This is a belief held deep down, where
we really live. If your organization isn't there, don't
buy/do any training. It'll only fail.
-
Do use training to
solve a problem. Example: If sales are down, bring
in some quality sales skills development. Don't train just
to train. It's not a "To do" that we do just to
check off our list.
-
Do implement training
in bite-size "chunks." People learn best
when exposed to material they can apply now. As the wise
farmer said, "I may have a barn full of hay, but I
don't feed it all at once!" The purpose of training
is to get action, so give people small amounts and let them
act.
-
Do acquire practical
"how to" content. If the ideas presented
don't cover the what, the why, and the how, then don't do
the training. Life is not theoretical, so don't give learners
just a bunch of theory.
-
Do buy less stuff.
The axiom "less is more" truly is true
when it comes to training. Many a credenza is loaded with
3-ring binders that were never opened again after the class.
-
Do create ownership
in-house. The best learning comes from one's boss.
Give the manager the tools required to do the training.
Yes, she/he may not be a polished, professional trainer,
but it speaks volumes when a leader engages with people
in this way. And if the manager doesn't own the training,
it'll die anyway.
-
Do stick with what
you buy (unless you bought the junk). Avoid doing
the blue program one quarter, the yellow program the next,
and the purple one after that. This creates confusion and
cynicism—the latter being a disease that's hard to
eradicate. Effecting change is based on a commitment to
constant and consistent communication. Mixed messages never
work.
There you have it. What else
is there to say, other than training does not fail—when
we do it right!
PS: And thank you for forwarding
this QuickNote to your executives, managers, and HR/training
people.
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 to others or printed in their entirety
with full credit given for personal and group use. © QBQ,
Inc. 2008. All rights reserved.
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