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

….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?

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.

We’re really excited that our blog is now part of our website - we hope you enjoy reading it and we’d welcome your comments

This is also just a place to chat - not necessarily about HR or Training and Development - just to post things we like or want to share with others - enjoy!

My favourite quote for example:

“Wouldn’t it be a shame if you had a really wonderful life and you didn’t notice?”

I am sitting here at my desk today enjoying catching up on so many tasks that have had to wait until the kids went back to school today after the Easter Break - I’m sure I’m not the only one who enjoys the opportunity of a rare uninterrupted day to blast through a list of jobs - so satisfying to feel on top of things! So I wonder - how up to date are you right now? This blog is a bit of a checklist but I hope it is a useful recap on things that you might want or need to do: 1) If you employ staff have you updated policies and procedures in line with new legislation - holiday entitlement, flexible working and disciplinary procedures are just three areas that you may need to review since the changes that came into force earlier this month. If your handbook has not been reviewed in the last year or so then there may be other changes that are required too. 2) Are you up to date with current SSP / SMP / SAP / SPP allowances (so many acronyms!)? 3) Have you had planned to do something fantastic, exciting, motivating and rewarding with your employees for Learning at Work Day? 4) Don’t forget to book to meet your Train to Gain Skills Broker to find out what training you can access for free - both for yourself & your staff. 5) Are you up to date on knowing about changes in Pensions that might impact on your business over the next few years - we’re being advised that wise businesses will be putting plans in place by 2010 so that they are prepared for the changes when they come into force. We’d be delighted to give you more information about any of these matters - just get in touch.

I was delighted to give a brief presentation this morning at a local business breakfast. Continuing my theme about engaging employees and training, I was pleased to talk about reasons why I believe that now, more than ever we need to keep on investing in the skills and abilities of our employees. Why now? Am I mad to be talking to you about spending money on training in the current climate? Absolutely NOT! Now is THE time to focus on training. Why might I say that? 1. You want to be FIT FOR THE FUTURE – if your business is surviving the credit crunch when your competitors aren’t then you want to be fit & ready to pick up the maximum amount of business when times get better again. Will people want the same things from you as they want now or will expectations have shifted? Ensure you and your staff are skilled for future needs – this is an essential time for forward planning. Remember THOSE WHO FAIL TO PLAN ARE PLANNING TO FAIL. Also take note of research that has shown that businesses that train their staff are 2.5 times less likely to fail than businesses that don’t. 2. You may find that there is time available to do training now – if people are currently under-utilised then their time can be well spent on developing their skills. 3. Now is an essential time to motivate, reward and ENGAGE your staff. Well planned and relevant training can do this. You want staff who remain loyal to you and being giving opportunities to develop their skills will help build and maintain this loyalty – it gives a perception of a business with a positive forward focus who are worth sticking with. Be imaginative – what training would your staff enjoy & see value in? What can you do that doesn’t cost too much yet still has a high perceived value? 4. You also want to keep the loyalty of your customers at a time when competition is fierce and other businesses may be cutting their prices – investing in ensuring that EVERY SINGLE MEMBER of your teams has the skills and attitude to place customer service at the centre of their focus will help you maintain that loyalty. 5. Skilled staff save you money. We often challenge delegates on training to make efficiency, improvements or cost savings that are equivalent to the training investment – for example if everyone who attends meeting skills training then saves just 30 minutes a week in meeting time that adds up over a year to big efficiencies in excess of the cost of the training. Let your staff be your experts in finding ways to do things better, faster, cheaper and for more profit! 6. Skilled managers will also save you money as they will rely less on external help from people like me in matters like HR! 7. You can tie training in with your Corporate Social Responsibility commitments which is great for PR and brand awareness. We run many training programmes where the learning activities are “real” and geared towards supporting a community or charity project. The learning is high quality, meaningful and relevant, people remember the event for years to come, a charity gets help and you get great publicity- everybody wins! 8. A great reason to invest in training RIGHT NOW is that there is money available to do it! FREE money! There really is no catch – there are pots of funding available to spend on management and leadership development, NVQs, essential skills, bite sized learning programmes, and there is also sometimes money available to pay the wage costs while staff attend the training. Contact Train to Gain to find out more. 9. The next month or so is a great time to plan to do something as on May 14th it is Learning at Work Day – this is a national event as part of Adult Learning Week and is focused on encouraging us all to continue learning throughout our adult life. The theme for this year is SKILLED FOR SUCCESS and looks at three areas: a) Key competencies – literacy / numeracy / ICT / commercial / management. b) Soft skills – intangible yet essential – Emotional Intelligence / presenting / listening / decision making / creativity. c) Being ready to learn new skills – confidence / motivation & willingness / ability / awareness. Remember that learning can include non work training too – anything that gets people fired up and using their brain cells will be good for them and benefit your business! Any learning increases the capacity of our brains’ functions so be imaginative in how you introduce learning in your workplace. We’d love to talk to you about learning in your business so why not get in touch today?

I know that I am highly influenced by the weather, and so I probably mention it a lot in this blog, but it really does feel as if Spring has sprung and that some people are feeling more optimistic. We have seen an uplift in training bookings, as I think many companies have perhaps made the cost cuts they had to and are now at a point of getting on with running their business….part of which involves retaining, motivating, engaging and developing their staff. We have been talking to clients a lot about ENGAGEMENT - the importance of getting and keeping the loyalty of your staff, the value in them believing in your business and wanting to be part of it, the strength in them feeling proud to work for you and representing your company in a positive light at all times. This might not sound easy to achieve in current times, and yet it is more essential than ever to do so. We believe that investing in the development of your staff; showing both your belief in them and your loyalty to them will reap great rewards for your business. Training need not be costly and there are some great opportunities for getting financial support through Train to Gain to help cover the costs (including wages costs during training in some cases). Why not talk to your staff about their goals and the development they would like, then seek inspirational and exciting ways to make that happen? Create a buzz in your workplace that gets people talking. Encourage people to see learning as a continuous process and reward efforts to bring learning into the workplace where that learning benefits the business with cost savings or increased revenue. We get incredibly excited about working with businesses that have a passion for learning so why not give us a call and we’d be delighted to give you some great ideas and a free copy of our 7 Steps to Training Success. Also you might want to take a look at the Learning at Work Day website for some inspiration about what do in on May 14th 2009. http://www.campaignforlearning.org.uk/ If you do something great that adds to your learning and development, or that of your staff we’d love to hear about it! In the meantime I wish you all a Happy Easter.