1.       Anyone can be a trainer: we often hear “George used to work in sales so he started running training”.   Many people might be able to run some training but not everyone can be an excellent trainer, and after all if you are paying for it don’t you want the best you can get?  Look for trainers who get great recommendations from happy customers, have a proven track record and who demonstrate how they maintain and update their own skills and knowledge.

2.       No trainer can possibly understand the unique challenges in my business, they’ve never worked here: Sometimes this is true, particularly in legislative or compliance based training and at other times there is value in an external perspective, a fresh pair of eyes and a new approach, and be aware that many skills are transferrable across most industry sectors. Ensure that your trainer will spend time and effort getting to know all about your business and the unique challenges you face before delivering training.

3.       Those who can do, and those you can’t teach: Excellent trainers have real world experience in the areas that they cover in their training, proving that they can both do and teach!  Ask potential trainers about their background and their successes, and choose to work with the trainer who you feel will add most value in your business.

4.       Training will fix the problem / the trainer has all the answers: If you have unhappy or underperforming  staff, or if a department is failing, training may be part of the solution but it certainly isn’t the whole answer.  A perfect example of this is time management training – I promise you that it really WON’T result in the perpetually late employee getting in to work on time!  People must be willing to develop and the business must be willing to support this and create a culture for change and improvement. 

5.       We’ll spend money on training then the staff will leave to get a better job with their new skills:  Not necessarily!  As employers you need to create a working environment that people want to be part of, that people feel proud of and where they want to stay as they see opportunities for their career progression.  At the same time we must recognise that some people will move on in time, but our business will have benefitted from their increased skills following training for the time that they were employed by us.

6.       We haven’t got time / it costs too much: The successful business will invest time and money in training that adds maximum value to the business and that leads to increases in efficiencies or decreases in costs, so that a positive Return On Investment can be measured.   Talk to your trainer about how they will measure ROI so that you know the investment in time and money is worthwhile and justified.  Aim to be thinking “we can’t afford not to do this training”! 

7.       You can’t teach an old dog new tricks:  Well we agree - not if the dog doesn’t want to learn you can’t!  For training to be successful, both the individual and the company have to want to change and develop, and both need to know that there is value in doing so.  Training itself doesn’t change anything; it simply provides opportunities for people to make changes but they have to want to and the business has to support that in order for the changes to happen and be sustained.

8.       It’s just an excuse for a jolly – no one really does any work on training: if that’s the case it’s a very expensive day out!  If you want to take your team out for a fun day don’t pay a trainer to come along for the ride!  People learn best when they are relaxed and having fun, but a good trainer won’t be planning fun for fun’s sake.  A great trainer will ensure that there are learning opportunities that meet the agreed development objectives built into every activity that runs during the training day.  Make sure you agree objectives for the training with the trainer and with the trainees.

9.       It will be dull dull dull death by powerpoint:  It shouldn’t be!  Good trainers recognise that people learn in different ways and will use a variety of training methods to meet all the learning preferences.  Powerpoint is a wonderful presentation tool but that by itself is not training.  Ask your trainer how they work with all learning styles and what methods they use, then ensure their answer gives you confidence that they won’t bore your employees with endless slideshows! 

10.   We do all the work not the trainer: Often accompanied by concerns that “we’ll have to do role play” or “I’ll have to stand up and talk”.  Research has shown that most people learn best by doing and experiencing for themselves, so a great trainer will provide plenty of opportunities for people to “try out” new skills in the safe environment of the training room.  This allows opportunities to get feedback, make changes and try again with no fear of negative consequences.  Good trainers are not in the habit of humiliating people and “role play” as a form of torture is best avoided!  Experiential learning and opportunities to practise skills are powerful training methods, and a good trainer will ensure people feel able to try these out and to work outside of their comfort zone with support and encouragement.  It may look like the trainees are doing all the work – but the trainer will have worked hard to set up the right opportunities for this, and after all they are the ones that are there to learn!

Our conclusion is really quite simple; training is most successful, and none of these myths stand up to much scrutiny when the trainer and the business collaborate to ensure that any training meets the needs of the business and the employees.  Invest your training budget wisely and aim to work with trainers who are highly skilled and passionate about business success.

Take a look at some of the lovely things people have said about us:

http://www.4networking.biz/members/testimonials.htm?UserID=27858

http://www.freeindex.co.uk/profile(challenge-manager)_104401.htm

http://www.linkedin.com/in/samchallengemanager

It makes us feel great to give testimonials about others we’ve worked with too - so for some of you reading this - look out for nice words about you coming your way!

After all, it costs lots of money, it takes people out of work for too long and there’s no guarantee that it will improve performance….is there?  So really….why bother?

At Challenge Manager we believe passionately in the value of developing your employees and there is plenty of research that backs up our “gut feeling” that this is a good thing to be doing.

The CIPD* cite a lack of training, development and career opportunities as major reasons for employees leaving a business, and high staff turnover can be costly.

The IES* report that the main drivers of employee engagement which directly impacts on motivation and employee performance, are feeling valued and invested in by your employer, feeling enabled to perform well and having opportunities to develop.

After extensive research, Gallup* developed a 12 question survey that assesses factors that impact on employee engagement, which they found has a strong correlation with superior job performance.  The questions include reference to having opportunities to do what you do best, having your development encouraged, talking about your progress and having opportunities to learn and grow.

So if development is a good thing what does that mean in reality?  Employee development might include, but is certainly not limited to simply training in a conventional classroom style.  Training as we knew it has progressed, so that the right solution for your business is cost effective, targeted to your needs and focuses on specific measurable outcomes that improve individual and business performance.

We encourage you therefore to consider:

·         Induction programmes for all new starters

·         On the job learning that is supported by the business but directed by the individual learning as they need to

·         Self-directed learning with books, journals, trade publications, internet research and relevant business forums

·         Attending conferences, presentations and trade shows

·         E-learning with interactive internet and computer based training resources

·         Mentoring from a colleague or a more senior member of the team

·         Coaching that is targeted at individual development with focussed outcomes

·         Action learning sets aimed at solving business issues and developing skills at the same time

·         Training events geared to your specific business needs and using the best techniques and tools in maximising learning

A key to the success of any development is the involvement and support of the senior people within your business as they create the environment for growth, encourage development and provide opportunities for learning to be applied in the workplace.  Excellent managers will be seeking positive outcomes, looking for attitude and behavioural changes and will be encouraging continuous development.  Successful business will be measuring the Return on Investment of development and ensuring that it really is worth the bother.

* Chartered Institute of Personnel Development July 2009 Report on Employee Turnover and Retention

* Institute of Employment Studies November 2009 Update from the CIPD

* the Gallup Q12 is a registered trademark of the The Gallup Organisation www.gallup.com

Challenge Manager is a mum and aunty & a granny in one moment!

If you are interested in knowing more about NHE then take a look at their new website.

http://www.northhampshireenterprise.co.uk/

Oh and keep an eye out for featured news articles from us on developing excellent employees in your business.

So this is a year for change and growwth for us both personally and as a business.

It feels exciting and yet a little bit scary too as we are still shaping what the future will be.  How we manage ourselves and our business through a period of change is so crucial to the experience our clients have of working with us so we’ll be doing our best to Manage our Challenges (so to speak!) in the same way as we support our clients to.

What is going on in your business that presents a challenge?  What exciting developments are you planning or managing right now?  How will you ensure success?

We wish you all the best with what you are doing and we are wishing Emma all the VERY best with her new arrival xxx

Business is good and growing so that can only be positive but it still feels important to keep everything moving along - including this blog!

What tasks slip off your radar when you get busy?

Key features are:

1. Employees may be fit to work if they do less hours
2. Employees may be able to work if they do light duties

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What about each of us as individuals though?  How do we continue to grow, change, adapt and develop?  Do we need to?  Should we bother?!

If you own and manage a business then moving with the times and staying ahead of the game is a vital business survival tactic.  How do you ensure you do that?  If you are an employee how do you ensure that you continue developing your skills to be first in line for new opportunities?

Here are a few thoughts from us:

1. Seek learning in everything you do – ask what could be done better, differently or perhaps not done at all

1. Ask questions and try to learn from everyone you meet – even if sometimes that learning is how “not” to do it!

1. Say YES more than you say NO!  You never know what opportunities might come from the most unlikely sources

1. Take calculated risks – be daring and bold if you want to keep progressing and stay ahead of the competition

1. Look for the positives and opportunities first – you’ll be more likely to find a way to overcome problems or barriers

1. If at first you don’t succeed… try try and try again

1. Commit to lifelong learning - push yourself to keep developing and progressing in whatever is your passion

1. Surround yourself with people who want to do the same then support and encourage each other

1. Above all else – enjoy the journey!