Today I came across a beautiful article written by Michele Martin called "5 Reasons You Don't Need Training". It is an eye opener to all those people who think Training can be used in fixing any problem. Read this and think again about your view on training.
When management finds that staff are not engaging in work behaviors desired by the organization, they often turn to training as the response for "fixing" the problem. But training frequently isn't the answer.
In this post I want to share 5 situations that won't be resolved by training:
1. To Make Up for Poorly Designed Work Processes--Many organizations have poorly designed work processes and customer flow. These processes have often been jerry-rigged to meet regulations or accommodate some shortcoming. Staff have often developed work-arounds that take them closer to their goals or that can be done more quickly and it is these work-arounds that management doesn't like.
But generally the reason that staff aren't adhering to a work policy or process is because the process isn't working. They know perfectly well what they SHOULD be doing, so lack of skill isn't their problem. Instead, they find that the process is not working for them, so they devise some other way to get their job done.
2. As a Replacement for Corrective Action
Several years ago when I was the HR manager for a large manufacturer, we had some serious problems with a couple of managers who were engaging in sexual harassment. Rather than disciplining the two offenders, my boss insisted that we needed to run a training for all of the managers in the company (over 50 people). Since they had never done sexual harassment training before, running a session wasn't a bad idea. But it wasn't the complete answer to the problem, either. What was really needed was to use a corrective action process with the offending employees.
I've found that many organizations are uncomfortable with confronting an employee who is not engaging in desired work behaviors. If a few people are having a problem with coming back from lunch on time, the next thing you know everyone is in a training on "time management." Training should never be a replacement for corrective action. It's frustrating to the people who are behaving appropriately and the staff with the problem generally don't believe that the training is directed at them.
3. To Satisfy a "Requirement" for Professional Development
One of my clients contracts to a large government agency that requires periodic staff development. Although in principle this is a good thing, in practice what happens is that managers realize at the last minute that they're supposed to be doing staff training at certain times during the year, so they run around trying to find a topic and a trainer to satisfy the requirement.
Ongoing professional development is very much a necessity in today's economy. But it can't happen just to prove that you're providing training to staff. It needs to be part of a larger professional development planning process that has clearly identified specific skills that staff need. And arranging for the training should be done thoughtfully, not haphazardly.
4. When Performance Expectations Have Not Been Properly Developed
I've written previously (here, here and here) about how performance expectations are the real drivers of staff behavior and how they must be properly formulated to be effective in encouraging staff to engage in the work behaviors you desire. People respond to the systems in which they operate--they tend to do what they are rewarded for doing and to not do the things that are ignored or punished. I can train until the cows come home, but if staff are not going to be rewarded for using the skills I'm teaching, then it's unlikely that they will actually use them on the job. Before you get someone in to do a training session, first make sure that you've set the right expectations for performance that will encourage workers to use what they're being taught.
5. When You Don't Have Management Understanding and Buy-In
I can't tell you the number of trainings I've conducted that supervisors and managers had no clue about. This is invariably a recipe for frustration and confusion because staff don't understand why they've been sent to a training about which their managers have no real knowledge. They know that the skills they're learning will not be used or reinforced on the job if their managers don't know anything about these skills, so to them, the training becomes "nice to know," rather than "need to know." And in most organizations, there's no time for "nice to know."
As I said earlier, training only works when performance expectations have been clearly articulated and the training supports those expectations. For this to be the case, managers must know what's going on in the training sessions their staff are attending. And they must be able to incorporate what staff are learning into the daily work of staff. Without management understanding and buy-in, there will be little transfer of training to the job. Which means that training has pretty much been a waste.
So when IS training the answer?
For training to be effective, these conditions must be met:
• Staff must lack skill in the area in which training will be provided. If people don't know how to properly perform a task, then training can teach them how to do that. But if there's some other reason that staff aren't behaving in a certain way, training won't help.
• Performance expectations have been clearly set and the training that's provided clearly leads to staff being able to meet these expectations.
• Managers have a clear understanding of what is being taught in the training.
• There's a plan for ensuring that staff have the tools, resources and supports to use the new skills when they return to the job. How many times have you participated in computer training three months before the computer arrived on your desk? How much did you actually remember? 'Nuff said."
• Work processes have been adjusted to incorporate the use of the new skills. If staff are being taught how to use new tools, then the use of those tools should be embedded in their daily work. If they are being taught specific ways to engage with clients, then work processes should support staff in being able to engage in those behaviors.
If you can meet these conditions, then it's time to offer training. If not, then you need to rethink what you're doing and make some adjustments to your plan.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
CLUB 99
Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was neither happy nor content.
One day, the King came upon a servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the
Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant had so much joy. The King asked the servant, "Why are you so happy?"
The man replied, "Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don't need too much - just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies."
The king was not satisfied with that reply. Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted advisor. After hearing the King's woes and
the servant's story, the advisor said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club."
"The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired.
The advisor replied, "Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep."
When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his house. When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy... so many gold coins!
He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 coins. He wondered, "What could've happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!" He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin was elusive. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to earn that gold coin and complete his collection.
From that day, the servant's life was changed. He was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated his family for not helping him make that 100th
gold coin. He stopped singing while he worked.
Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. When he sought his advisor's help, the advisor said, "Your Majesty, the servant
has now officially joined The 99 Club."
He continued, "The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never content, because they're always yearning and striving for that extra 1 telling to themselves: "Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life."
We can be happy, even with very little in our lives, but the minute we're given something bigger and better, we want even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, we hurt the people around us; all these as a price for our growing needs and desires.
That's what joining The 99 Club is all about.
One day, the King came upon a servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the
Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant had so much joy. The King asked the servant, "Why are you so happy?"
The man replied, "Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don't need too much - just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies."
The king was not satisfied with that reply. Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted advisor. After hearing the King's woes and
the servant's story, the advisor said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club."
"The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired.
The advisor replied, "Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep."
When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his house. When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy... so many gold coins!
He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 coins. He wondered, "What could've happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!" He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin was elusive. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to earn that gold coin and complete his collection.
From that day, the servant's life was changed. He was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated his family for not helping him make that 100th
gold coin. He stopped singing while he worked.
Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. When he sought his advisor's help, the advisor said, "Your Majesty, the servant
has now officially joined The 99 Club."
He continued, "The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never content, because they're always yearning and striving for that extra 1 telling to themselves: "Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life."
We can be happy, even with very little in our lives, but the minute we're given something bigger and better, we want even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, we hurt the people around us; all these as a price for our growing needs and desires.
That's what joining The 99 Club is all about.
Monday, November 2, 2009
STOP SHOUTING!
A saint asked his disciples, 'Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?'
Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.'
But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint. 'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?'
Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint. Finally he explained,
'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.'
Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...'
The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'
MORAL: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.
Never Shout !!!
Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.'
But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint. 'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?'
Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint. Finally he explained,
'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.'
Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...'
The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'
MORAL: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.
Never Shout !!!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Who determines your value?
The young man was climbing the hill, slowly a step at a time. His bowed head seemed to indicate that something was bothering him. Perhaps he was lonely, or discouraged. He was coming to seek guidance from the wise man that lived on the hill on the outskirts of town.
Entering the counselor's house, the young man found him reading, deep in thought.
"Excuse me, sir," he said hesitantly. The old man lifted his eyes. Timidly, with a courteous bow and a voice of desperation, the young man said, "I have come seeing your help … sir." After a short pause, he continued, "I have dreams that I believe I can achieve, but no one thinks I have the ability to reach them. People see little value in me."
The old man continued his reading. After a while, he said, "Before I can give you any counsel, I need your help. Are you willing?"Somewhat disappointed for having his own needs ignored, the young man nevertheless responded, "I will try, sir."
The wise man stood up. Stretching himself a bit, he said, "I may need to pay a large debt in the future, for which I will need money. Here is my gold ring. Take it to the market and find out how much I can get for it, but don't settle for anything less than five gold coins. There is my horse. Go!"
The young man held onto the ring tightly and upon reaching the market place, went from stall to stall, offering it in exchange for cash. The fruit seller ignored him. The clothes merchant told him that he was not interested. The farmer selling chickens continued to bargain with a customer and waved him away.
Finally, the young man reached the pig seller's stall. After examining the ring for a while in his dirty hand, he said with a covetous smirk, "Tell the owner that I man be willing to give him five bronze coins for this."
"I fulfilled your assignment, sir," said the young man upon his return. "No one in the market is willing to give five gold coins for your beautiful ring."
"That's fine," responded the wise man. Now we know how little the market people value this ring. Go to the jeweler in town and show it to him."
When the jeweler saw the gold ring, he quickly stood up and used a silk handkerchief to hold it carefully. Bring it under a lamp, he examined it in detail with a magnifying glass. "A masterpiece," he said softly. "If the owner of the ring is in hurry, I will buy it for 10 gold coins myself. But if he gives me time to bring out all its beauty, I shall find a wealthy customer willing to pay at least 20 gold coins for it."
The wise man listened attentively to the report the happy young man brought back and then told him, "Don't let the ignorant tell you the value of something they know nothing about. Listen only to the appraisal of the skilled specialist, the one who can recognize the true value of a master artist's work."And with a smile, the wise man placed the golden ring back on his finger and waved the young man good-bye.
Entering the counselor's house, the young man found him reading, deep in thought.
"Excuse me, sir," he said hesitantly. The old man lifted his eyes. Timidly, with a courteous bow and a voice of desperation, the young man said, "I have come seeing your help … sir." After a short pause, he continued, "I have dreams that I believe I can achieve, but no one thinks I have the ability to reach them. People see little value in me."
The old man continued his reading. After a while, he said, "Before I can give you any counsel, I need your help. Are you willing?"Somewhat disappointed for having his own needs ignored, the young man nevertheless responded, "I will try, sir."
The wise man stood up. Stretching himself a bit, he said, "I may need to pay a large debt in the future, for which I will need money. Here is my gold ring. Take it to the market and find out how much I can get for it, but don't settle for anything less than five gold coins. There is my horse. Go!"
The young man held onto the ring tightly and upon reaching the market place, went from stall to stall, offering it in exchange for cash. The fruit seller ignored him. The clothes merchant told him that he was not interested. The farmer selling chickens continued to bargain with a customer and waved him away.
Finally, the young man reached the pig seller's stall. After examining the ring for a while in his dirty hand, he said with a covetous smirk, "Tell the owner that I man be willing to give him five bronze coins for this."
"I fulfilled your assignment, sir," said the young man upon his return. "No one in the market is willing to give five gold coins for your beautiful ring."
"That's fine," responded the wise man. Now we know how little the market people value this ring. Go to the jeweler in town and show it to him."
When the jeweler saw the gold ring, he quickly stood up and used a silk handkerchief to hold it carefully. Bring it under a lamp, he examined it in detail with a magnifying glass. "A masterpiece," he said softly. "If the owner of the ring is in hurry, I will buy it for 10 gold coins myself. But if he gives me time to bring out all its beauty, I shall find a wealthy customer willing to pay at least 20 gold coins for it."
The wise man listened attentively to the report the happy young man brought back and then told him, "Don't let the ignorant tell you the value of something they know nothing about. Listen only to the appraisal of the skilled specialist, the one who can recognize the true value of a master artist's work."And with a smile, the wise man placed the golden ring back on his finger and waved the young man good-bye.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Perfect Opportunity
A young man wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission.
The farmer looked at him and said, "Son, go stand out in that field.
I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter."
The young man stood in the field awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out came the biggest, meanest looking bull he had ever seen.
He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through.
The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. He had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life.
It stood pawing the ground, it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one he thought.
He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through
The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull, he said to himself.
As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He threw his hands to grab.....
But alas.... The bull had no tail.
Moral of the Story………………………..
Moral of the Story………………………..
Moral of the Story………………………..
Moral of the Story………………………..
Do not wait for the perfect opportunity. Always grab the first one.
The farmer looked at him and said, "Son, go stand out in that field.
I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter."
The young man stood in the field awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out came the biggest, meanest looking bull he had ever seen.
He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through.
The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. He had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life.
It stood pawing the ground, it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one he thought.
He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through
The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull, he said to himself.
As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He threw his hands to grab.....
But alas.... The bull had no tail.
Moral of the Story………………………..
Moral of the Story………………………..
Moral of the Story………………………..
Moral of the Story………………………..
Do not wait for the perfect opportunity. Always grab the first one.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Share Information and Solve Problems
Sharing information can help to solve a problem, how complicated it might be. Do not believe me? Then read this story.
A very old traditional brewery decided to install a new canning line, so as to enable its beer products to be marketed through the supermarket sector. This represented a major change for the little company, and local dignitaries and past employees were invited to witness the first running of the new canning line, which was followed by an buffet and drinks.
After the new line had been switched on successfully, and the formalities completed, the guests relaxed in small groups to chat and enjoy the buffet. In a quiet corner stood three men discussing trucks and transport and distribution, since one was the present distribution manager, and the other two were past holders of the post, having retired many years ago. The three men represented three generations of company distribution management, spanning over sixty years.
The present distribution manager confessed that his job was becoming more stressful because company policy required long deliveries be made on Monday and Tuesday, short deliveries on Fridays, and all other deliveries mid-week.
"It's so difficult to schedule things efficiently - heaven knows what we'll do with these new cans and the tight demands of the supermarkets..."
The other two men nodded in agreement.
"It was the same in my day," sympathised the present manager's predecessor, "It always seemed strange to me that trucks returning early on Mondays and Tuesdays couldn't be used for little local runs, because the local deliveries had to be left until Friday.."
The third man nodded, and was thinking hard, struggling to recall the policy's roots many years ago when he'd have been a junior in the despatch department. After a pause, the third man smiled and then ventured a suggestion.
"I think I remember now," he said, "It was the horses..... During the Second World War fuel rationing was introduced. So we mothballed the trucks and went back to using the horses. On Mondays the horses were well-rested after the weekend - hence the long deliveries. By Friday the horses so tired they could only handle the short local drops..."
Soon after the opening of the new canning line the company changed its delivery policy.
A very old traditional brewery decided to install a new canning line, so as to enable its beer products to be marketed through the supermarket sector. This represented a major change for the little company, and local dignitaries and past employees were invited to witness the first running of the new canning line, which was followed by an buffet and drinks.
After the new line had been switched on successfully, and the formalities completed, the guests relaxed in small groups to chat and enjoy the buffet. In a quiet corner stood three men discussing trucks and transport and distribution, since one was the present distribution manager, and the other two were past holders of the post, having retired many years ago. The three men represented three generations of company distribution management, spanning over sixty years.
The present distribution manager confessed that his job was becoming more stressful because company policy required long deliveries be made on Monday and Tuesday, short deliveries on Fridays, and all other deliveries mid-week.
"It's so difficult to schedule things efficiently - heaven knows what we'll do with these new cans and the tight demands of the supermarkets..."
The other two men nodded in agreement.
"It was the same in my day," sympathised the present manager's predecessor, "It always seemed strange to me that trucks returning early on Mondays and Tuesdays couldn't be used for little local runs, because the local deliveries had to be left until Friday.."
The third man nodded, and was thinking hard, struggling to recall the policy's roots many years ago when he'd have been a junior in the despatch department. After a pause, the third man smiled and then ventured a suggestion.
"I think I remember now," he said, "It was the horses..... During the Second World War fuel rationing was introduced. So we mothballed the trucks and went back to using the horses. On Mondays the horses were well-rested after the weekend - hence the long deliveries. By Friday the horses so tired they could only handle the short local drops..."
Soon after the opening of the new canning line the company changed its delivery policy.
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