If their lives depended on it…
In my last blog I wrote about the 6 factors that affect a person’s ability to perform, and that training is often not the best way to improve performance. Everyone loves to assume training can fix things. It’s a concrete event that can be checked off – done. It offers the hope that a person’s stumbling blocks will somehow disappear once she or he completes a workshop or eCourse. It also allows a manager to hand off an issue to a facilitator in a classroom, rather than having a straightforward conversation with an employee.
Waste, waste, waste
I’ve seen teams put through conflict resolution training when 7 out of 8 of them already knew how to do it well. The training was a veiled attempt to get one employee to play nice with the others. This approach is by far the most inefficient and costly way to address such a situation. 8 people spent 4 hours in training when only one needed it – that’s 28 work hours lost. Then there was the cost of the training itself.
If their lives depended on it
Plus, training may have not been the correct solution for the problem. Training addresses a lack of skills or knowledge. That’s it. To quote Robert Mager, an ultra-eminent dude in the human performance field, “If their life depended on it, could they do it?” Could they deliver or perform in the desired way? If the answer is yes, you don’t have a training issue. It’s possible the problem employee knows perfectly well how to have a mature professional disagreement with a coworker, and simply won’t make the effort to do so. I’ve seen this scenario many times.
The best training only goes so far
Even if you do build someone’s knowledge or skill, the training will only have an impact if the expectations, incentives and consequences for applying the new skills are in place. That’s where behavior change comes from – accountability back on the job. That’s what drives training ROI. I love a great education experience. It’s what I’ve spent my career doing – creating training and other learning solutions based on proven adult learning and instructional design principles. It’s a major investment though – and often a feel-good one, rather than the most appropriate approach. So, make sure it’s the right call. If it is, make sure the other factors are in place to drive meaningful application back on the job.
Cheers to you
Cheers to all of us out there trying to get the best out of ourselves, our employees and out team-mates. And if you want a free consultation to chat through a specific situation, don’t hesitate to reach out. Onward!