Why Training Fails
By Steve Kaye |
Sometimes when I conduct my workshop on Effective Meetings, one of the
participants will ask, "Where's my boss?"
And I say, "Your boss claimed
to be an expert on holding effective meetings."
Then the person laughs.
"My boss needs to attend your workshop more than anyone in our company. And
without our manager's support, no one will use this."
This is bad because
if no one uses the ideas presented in a workshop, the client will conclude that
training doesn't work. And then the company might abandon all
training.
Here are three important issues that determine the
effectiveness of training.
1) People follow the leader. Any training
program will be more successful if management supports it. This is why I always
involve top executives in planning my workshops. I also ask them to attend. And
I recommend follow-up sessions to review the material covered in the workshop.
In fact, I only work with people who value and support learning.
Training
has earned a bad reputation because many programs were just thrown over the
fence at employees who were sent to be fixed. It’s unlikely that any training
program conducted under these conditions will accomplish much.
Key Point:
Gain management support before scheduling any training program.
2) Each
of us has control over our area of responsibility. And each of us lives in the
environment that we create.
The participant mentioned above can conduct
effective meetings, even if top management continues to hold bad meetings. In
fact, someone who demonstrates sound leadership by holding effective meetings
could end up replacing the boss who holds bad meetings.
There are two
parts to every learning experience. The first part involves mastering new
skills. The second (and critical) part involves choosing to use them.
Key
Point: You can be an effective leader even when others aren’t.
3) Some
people play make-believe. Many years ago I received an evening phone call from a
colleague who wanted to know if I could recommend a good book on how to hold
effective meetings. It seems this person was scrambling to find material for a
workshop that was scheduled to start the next morning.
You will learn
more from an expert, rather than from someone who is delivering a book report.
In this case, I recommended either of the two books that I had written on how to
hold effective meetings.
Many companies hire trainers who build training
programs based on books that they read. And some entrepreneurs agree to speak on
topics that are purely academic for them. The best trainers ARE the message,
which means that they live and breathe and use what they teach. They can answer
any questions, meet any needs, help with any situations that the participants
may bring up. They truly know their topic.
Key Point: Hire a trainer who
wrote the book instead of one who (you hope) read a book.
Any training
program can succeed, if delivered to people who want to improve by an expert who
can show them how.
About the
Author
IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and author
Steve Kaye works with leaders who want to hold effective meeting. His innovative
workshops have informed and inspired people nationwide. His facilitation
produces results that people will support. Call 714-528-1300 or visit his web
site for over 100 pages of valuable ideas. Sign up for his free newsletter at
http://www.stevekaye.com
Top of Page |
|
|
|
