Introduction
Training: I’m a great believer. I have little faith intraining courses. The best training occurs on the job. Someone, I forget who, said, “the only useful thing you learn in a classroom is how to pass exams”. Training is still awash with truisms. It’s seen as a “good thing”. Here are ten things you should know about making sure it is as good as it’s supporters claim.
1. The Won’t / Can’t Problem
Please understand this. The major reason that employees perform poorly at work isn’t because they “can’t” do their jobs. It’s because they “won’t”. All the training courses on the planet won’t change that. If some employee isn’t doing their job properly, that’s no reason to turn to training. It’s not the all purpose performance solution. The reason that employees fail to perform can usually be found within the company but beyond the employee.
2. The Power Of Expectation
“The main reason that employees don’t perform well is that they don’t know what’s expected of them.” They’re the words of famous performance engineer, Dr Tom Gilbert. I’d add, “But their managers think they do“. Be absolutely certain that your people know precisely what’s expected of them in specific, measurable terms. Years ago we used to put it this way; “if they can do it with a gun at their head, they don’t need training”.
3. Create Effective Systems
If your systems are poor your people will fail. No “ifs”, no “buts”, no “perhaps”. A poor system will beat a good performer almost every time. The most important thing a manager can do for employees is to put systems in place that make it impossible for them to fail. You don’t need courses for that.
4. Performance Standards Are Essential
Specify two things: precisely what you want employees to achieve in crystal clear terms: and how their performance will be measured to see if they achieved the goals you set. Employees need to know both. One without the other is like a half filled apple pie: generally palatable but not really tasty. Skills learnt in training courses are seriously devalued without definitive, measurable, on job performance standards.
5. Training Alone Won’t Improve Competence
Training is about skill development. But competence requires more than just skill. Competence is about using skill effectively for better business results. It’s great to have well trained people. But you need more.
6. Test Before Training
Before you train anyone in anything, on job or course, test them to see what they know and can do. Nothing demotivates employees more than undertaking training in some knowledge or skill they already have. It’s costly and counterproductive.
7. Insist On Measurable Objectives
Any training course worth its salt will start with a set of clear objectives. They will specify in clearly measurable terms “what the trainee will be able to do at the end of the training”. The important word is “do”. If the course doesn’t state that, don’t send anyone. Nothing less is acceptable.
8. Demonstrate On Job Skills
The only effective measure of training is demonstrable on job skill. If the trainee cannot demonstrate the skill specified in the objectives, the trainee hasn’t failed. The training has failed.
9. Reward Superior Performance
Use rewards and incentives to encourage employees whose work performance measurably exceeds expectations. Your scheme should apply to all staff, not just salespeople and operators. You benefit when employees excel. They should be rewarded too. Training courses should never be used as rewards for trainees.
10. Business Success
There should be a direct link between training and business success. And the training should be part of an overall performance system designed to facilitate that success. Any training, particularly any training course that lacks that clear link, is superfluous.
Conclusion
Training courses are usually expensive. Unless you have in place clear performance goals, clear performance standards, effective performance systems and sound reward and incentive schemes, courses will make little or no difference to performance. Stop playing psychologist. Start engineering performance.
