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.

For many business owners the answer to that question may well be “we don’t – it’s just not worth it”

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

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!

We have been pondering change and continuing development here at Challenge Manager.  Certainly the last year or two have led many businesses to take stock, make changes and do things differently.

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!

….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?

We’re still busy writing articles for the Chamber of Commerce and other publications.  They seem well received and we hope you find them useful when you read them here on our blog too. 

Our latest set of hints & tips comes at a time when we hope many businesses are beginning to believe that the worst might be over and be looking forward to business growth and development in 2010 and beyond.  So we’re focussing on recruitment, as are some of our clients.  We hope this is a great time for you in your business.

Recruiting for Success

Reports suggest that we are beginning to recover from recent economic hardships, and businesses that weathered the storm might begin to look towards a more positive year ahead which could mean a need for more staff.

It’s fair to assume that many businesses have changed the way they do things over the last year, seeing benefit in being cost aware, looking for efficiencies, and better ways to manage budgets to ensure long term stability.  With that in mind and whatever the reason you might need to recruit new staff, Sam Swinstead at Challenge Manager offers some pointers to recruiting for success.

1. Decide if you need to recruit at all.  Outsourcing functions such as telephone answering and printing can be cost effective and reduce risks as you only pay for these services as and when you need them.

1. Recruit for the right job.  When an employee leaves, avoid replacing “like for like” and look internally first.  Does the job need doing in the same way as before?  Are there people who are under-tasked or unchallenged who could take on some new responsibilities?  This keeps existing staff engaged and ensures you only recruit to fill genuine skills gaps in your workforce.

1. Attract the best applicants.  Produce a clear job description and person specification.  Advertise in appropriate places, including your own website and the job centre.  Use your network of contacts for recommendations and utilise sites like LinkedIn.  If you use a recruitment agency ensure they will get you the right calibre of applicants, and agree a clear fee structure and service level in advance. 

1. Recruit the best person.  Recruit for attitude – look for organisational and team fit – seek out the employee who has the attitudes and values that are important in your business.  If you find the right person find a job for them and hold on to them!

1. Run fair objective interviews.  Ensure you are up to date with equality legislation and plan interviews that assess the qualities you require from a new employee.  Competency based questions give indications of ability and work based tests give an objective measure of suitability for the job role.

1. Check check and check again!  Always take up references.  Ask for a medical report and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks if the job requires one.  Most importantly but often overlooked, ensure that you check all potential employees for eligibility to work in the UK as the fine for not doing so can be £10,000 per illegal employee.

1. Plan an effective induction.  Staff that receive a good induction are significantly more likely to stay with a new employer so it is beneficial to put time and effort into getting this right after making efforts to recruit the best applicant.

Challenge Manager offer a FREE HR AUDIT to all Chamber members; call Sam on 07816 316598 or email sam@challengemanager.co.uk for a review to ensure you are legally compliant and following best practice, and to explore the most effective ways to recruit new people in your business. 

At Challenge Manager we are delighted to organise a networking and professional development group called Challenge Yourself!  We meet quarterly and have been incredibly fortunate to have had a great series of speakers and facilitators over the last three years.

Friday’s meeting was no exception.  John Rice of Bowland Solutions facilitated a session on 360 feedback which gave us all a great deal of food for thought, hints, tips and ideas that we can take away and use.

http://blog.bowlandsolutions.com/blog/bowland-solutions/0/0/bowland-solutions-present-at-tj-forum-networking-event-friday-11th-september

We’re always looking for new speakers, great venues to hold meetings in and of course we are delighted to welcome new members, so if you are interested, take a look at our website for more information.

www.challengemanager.co.uk

So could it get any better than the last time I posted?  Well the next networking event I went to was run by the North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and I won the business card draw - bagging myself a weekend’s test drive in a brand shiny new BMW Z4 - now I’m not a car expert but it sure looks like fun to drive!

How is life going for you?  Are you making each day count?  I’m making it my mission to do so!

I am working with a group of team managers next week on Days 2 & 3 of a development programme aimed at improving how they manage themselves, the individuals that report to them and their teams. 

What a luxury and a privilege in the current economic climate for a company to still invest time and money in managers receiving this training.  These folks really recognise their value to the business that their employer is willing to invest in their development. 

What makes this even more fantastic is that the senior managers came along to the first day of the programme to work with their team managers on identifying their individual objectives for the programme, laying out the support they can expect to receive and committing to attend again at the end of the prgramme to hear the success stories.

I love working with this organisation and am really looking forward to Monday and Tuesday when I know that this group will be ready and raring to keep on learning. 

I’m off to gather my training materials to together…including the suncream as we’ll be working outside if we possiby can!

Wishing you all a fantastic week…whatever you are doing.