Challenge Blog

Many of the “myths” about training do little to encourage people to invest the time and money in developing their staff; we believe that these often spring from bad experiences with poor trainers and hope we can shed some light on the reality behind the myths about the value of training for your business.

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.

Wow!  We’ve been so delighted recently to receive some wonderful testimonials for the business.  They make us feel great and they are brilliant for helping potential new clients feel assured they they will get great service from us.

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!

So this week sees Emma starting her maternity leave and we’re very excited to think that we’ll soon have our first Challenge Manager baby!  Aunty Challenge!

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

What a fabulous development day we had yesterday.  Lots of time spent with horses with opportunities to strengthen all sorts of business and personal skills.  Hear what Gavin has said about Challenge Manager’s Business Horse Whisperer Day.  He sums it up brilliantly!

From February 2010, the maximum compensatory award made by an Employment Tribunal will be £65,300 for a successful unfair dismissal claim whilst awards made in cases of unlawful discrimination can be unlimited.  In 2007/08 nearly 190,000 claims were made and data suggests that this figure has increased to the end of 2009 as the recession has impacted on employment.

For an SME this kind of payout, not to mention the legal fees, disruption to work and bad publicity, could irreparably damage a business.  Falling foul of other Employment Legislation can be costly too.  So what can you do to minimise your risks? 

1.       At a minimum provide all employees with a Written Statement of the Terms and Conditions of Employment within 8 weeks of their start date – this is a legal requirement.

2.       Preferably provide all employees with a more comprehensive Employment Contract that includes key rights and requirements associated with being employed by your business; provide this prior to employment commencing or as soon as possible after the start date. 

3.       Maintain comprehensive employee records that evidence your correct and fair treatment of employees; ensure that these records comply with Data Protection requirements

4.       Check your employees – always obtain references, request medical reports if you have any concerns, complete CRB checks if required, and ask to see proof of qualifications and driving licence if appropriate to the job.

5.       Check eligibility to work in the UK whenever you take on a new employee – the fine for not doing so is £10,000 per employee who is not entitled to work in the UK and you could face 2 years in prison.

6.       Proactively establish a company culture of respect and value for people, that promotes fairness and does not tolerate prejudice, discrimination, harassment or bullying.

7.       Ensure that all matters relating to Health, Safety and Welfare of employees are managed by a competent person who fully understands their responsibilities.

8.       Set clear workplace policies, rules and issue guidelines for conduct and performance; consider training for employees to ensure that these are understood and followed by everyone. 

9.       Outline the consequences for failure to adhere to these rules in a Disciplinary Policy that complies with the ACAS Code of Practice – this is a legal requirement.

10.   Set out a formal Grievance Policy that complies with the ACAS Code of Practice to deal with concerns or complaints raised by employees – this is a legal requirement.

11.   Deal with problems and issues as they arise; deal with matters immediately, fairly and consistently. In the first instance aim to deal with matters informally, however if matters are significant enough to warrant formal action, do so in accordance with your Disciplinary or Grievance Policies as appropriate.

12.   If in doubt seek the advice of an expert!  HR Consultants are an invaluable service to your business that can save you time, money and help you avoid costly mistakes, whilst legal advice through an expert employment law solicitor is advisable in circumstances of a complex nature.

Challenge Manager offer a FREE HR AUDIT for a review to ensure you are legally compliant and following best practice so that you avoid potentially costly tribunal claims.  Contact Us Today.

At the start of the year I met a business owner who told me “Most importantly, I just want to be sure that we’re getting the ‘people bit’ of this business right”.

What a great way to approach business; after all it really is all about the people…the people you employ, the people you buy from, the people you sell to, the people you enter into agreements (or disagreements!) with….

Its a big step for many business owners to take the leap into becoming an employer.  There are fundamental questions to ask and answer: what / who do I need, who would be the best type of person to work here, what do I want them to do, how am I going to find them, how will I know they are the right person, how can I trust them, if they are as good as I hope how do I keep them and how do I deal with any problems along the way?

I have heard many business owners say they would rather not grow the business if it  means taking on staff and if people have had bad experiences with poor employees I can understand why they might feel that way, but it isn’t going to help generate the kind of success or wealth that many of those same business owners aspire to.

So what to do?  Well be like my client who wants to get the “people bit right” and focus on answering those questions before you even place a card in the window to say “staff wanted”. 

Get the fundamentals sorted first - once you have a clear vision for employing staff, a solid objective about who to employ, a robust set of policies and procedures to manage those employees, strong leadership to ensure those employees are working towards your business success and the desire to really grow your business, then you stand a pretty good chance of getting the people bit right!

As for my business owner client - he’s doing a great job!

….Or what gets measured gets done

I’ve been working with a business who wanted to develop the skills of their managers.  I was pleased to agree a series of outcomes and plan training to help those be achieved.

As the first day unfolded it soon became clear that this training wasn’t what was needed at all (or at least not yet!).  Managers were telling me that they saw no need for the kind of skills we were working on.  The view seemed to be “we just need to get on with our jobs and so do our staff”.

Interesting…..

So what are their jobs?  They all have MANAGER if their job title.  Without exception they have all been  promoted from the staff teams they were in and it became clear that the reason they were promoted was where the difficulties began.  They were all ambitious and keen to get ahead in their careers which they see as being through promotion to manager.  They were also all fantastic top performing sales people who got great results when they were selling.

Guess what - now they are managers what they REALLY still want to do is SELL!

There is little recognition within the business for the skill of managing and certainly the biggest financial rewards are still given for highest sales.  Targets are about sales activities and results, meetings are about sales figures, the appraisal questions focus on sales performance….

What gets measured gets done

These managers keep on selling and view managing as an inconvenient side activity to be done as little as possible.

So where are they now?  Well we’ve begun a much more fundamental process of reviewing business processes, organisation structure, pay and rewards, career progression and company values. 

It is early days yet but I am delighted that the senior management team in this business are really willing to listen and take action.  They want their business to be the best in the market, the best in the region and the place that people want to come and work.  They are keen to get it right and come out of what has been a tough two years in their industry fighting fit,  focused and strong for the future.

They recognise that strong management is essential and they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that.  I believe they will succeed and I’m really pleased I’ll be on the journey with them throughout 2010.

How do you feel as we approach the end of the year?

I feel we at Challenge Manager have much to be thankful for.  So we didn’t get rich in 2009  but we’re still succeeding as a business - we’ve weathered the storm and feel optimistic that 2010 is going to be our best year yet. 

We are busy coaching and training in December which is almost unheard of & add that to the fact that I ran training for the first time ever in August this year tells me that times have changed in how businesses are approaching things.  For the better in many cases I think and we are seeing signs of that in the work people want to do with us.   We have a new client who wants to set his business apart from his competitors by simply being the best through having the best staff.  How great is that?

We’re reaping the rewards of networking and we’re getting invited to some pretty swanky dos too!  We continue to speak at events and write articles for local business publications - people recognise us - we almost feel famous!

Our trainers networking group Challege Yourself! goes from strength to strength with more members, busier sessions, heaps of people wanting to run those sessions and a real sense of excitement about what value the group can add for training coaching and development businesses.

Despite sad events and tricky times at various points this year, we’re all now pretty healthy and we’re surrounded by people who love us and we love back.  I personally am delighted that my husband is back in work after being made redundant at the start of the year and I’m proud of how positive he stayed throughout the whole time of looking for a job.

So I didn’t get my new kitchen this year (but I hold out hope for next!), and my car is getting rustier & will continue to do so but the important things in life feel pretty good to me right now.

So I will be bidding 2009 farewell but not feeling as glad to see the back of it as I thought I might earlier this year.  I am beginning to get excited about Christmas as an opportunity to indulge ourselves and spend happy time with my friends and family, and I look forward to 2010 very much.

How about you?

Does it seem like every networking event you go to there are these magic people who call themselves coaches?  Do you often wonder how someone else can have all the answers to things that worry you!? 

How can other people know how to help YOU? 

Does working with a coach really work?

How can it work……..?

Imagine you have won the Open at St Andrews.  How did you get there when from being just a good golfer? 

Yes - you had a coach.  A coach who knew what your strengths and weaknesses were, a coach who knew the game of golf [maybe who knew the best players!]  You worked together, you set goals together.  Coach gave you feedback, and showed you the difference between a good shot and an excellent one.

You won the Open, your coach didn’t and at the next tournament he’ll still be your coach constantly helping your strive for perfection. 

This is the same for tennis players and other sports people so what’s the difference between these games and the game of life?

A coach [some people would call this person a mentor] knows people, understands potential, believes in YOU.  They understand that you have the answers somewhere even if you can’t find them right now.

They ask the right questions.

They see what your face is saying but your mouth is not.

They pull threads together and present back to you possible links in the threads. 

Being coached can help you with an immediate issue or an old chestnut.  Have you always had a problem with relationships, a new challenge, that type of manager/client/member of staff and you’d really like to resolve it now? 

Did you know the rugby player Matt Dawson had a drama coach to help him improve his dancing when he was in the competition Strictly Come Dancing?

I would like to tell you about someone I coached who we’ll call George.  He was a young manager who had ambition but he was not progressing very well and felt he was undervalued.  He was recognised as a skilled technical member of staff but had very little credibility with his team. 

I noticed he had a young face and manner, in fact childish mannerisms.  We built trust and confidence and worked on different aspects that he was frustrated with and needed to change including his gravitas and maturity as well as his communication and management style. 

Yes this story has a remarkable and happy ending.  George became accepted and respected by his team [not an easy journey but rewarding one].  As part of the journey, he revealed and accepted help with learning difficulties that no one knew about and following that he became more confident. 

He could measure the value of changes; in just one meeting his new adult behaviour saved the company £10,000.  That was just one of many changes he recorded.  He went from being on a performance improvement plan to being a highly respected manager.  He felt more confident and significantly raised his level of performance.

George used the coaching skills he experienced to coach his own team.  Exercises I did with him he used with them.  They supported each other learning and growing!

Your challenges may be different to George’s, but you may have an area in your life where you want to improve your performance, and know more about this growing process which will support your improvements and give you tools to use with others at home or at work!

Article written by Coach and Mentor

Lynne Ewer Carrington

Director

Challenge Manager

I’m really enjoying being part of 4Networking - if you haven’t gone to a 4N breakfast yet you are missing out on the fun!

Not only that but we cannow proudly say we have clients that were referred to us through 4N - and we’re really pleased about that!  We met someone at a breakfast who liked the sound of what we do and how we do it.  He put us in touch with a business looking for HR Support and we made an apointment to carry out a FREE HR Audit. 

This impressed our pootential client who has contracted us to provide ongong outsourced HR Support from November.

The 4N philosophy meet like know trust works for us!