PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT – HOW CAN YOU BE SURE THE CONTENT IS ABSORBED AND APPLIED?

So what’s next in the Coach’s Views on the topic of Development? Well, of course it is HOW. Running a business with a small group of leaders can be a challenge. Adding just one employee throws off the workload and the training process can further drain the limited “people power” to run the business.

Even when a company is committed to developing people and has the basics covered, it’s easy to get tripped up on the HOW. If not done properly, it’s possible for training to have zero effect, and worse yet, it can be detrimental to the company’s overall success.

The answer here is situational. Understanding the people and the required tasks are crucial.

First, we all have different Learning Styles. What works for you, or the last person you trained, may not work for the next one. For example …

• VISUAL LEARNERS need to SEE the task performed. A demonstration is best here, and can be done in person or with video. Let them SEE the process. 
• AUDITORY LEARNERS can HEAR it and understand. Depending upon the task, you can likely explain it to them and they will understand the job at hand.
• KINESTHETIC LEARNERS need to FEEL it. They like to try it out for themselves.

What’s most important here is that if you use the wrong style for the wrong person, time might be wasted. Just because someone TOLD you how to do it doesn’t mean that method will work for the Visual and Kinesthetic learners. This is why we hear that medical students “Hear One, See One, Do One.” This covers all the bases.

Next is to understand the tasks. If it’s something simple and not an issue with the customers, you can consider good ol’ “On The Job Training,” or OJT. Remember though, something simple for an owner or manager after years of experience may be complicated for someone that’s never held a job before.

If you don’t want customers to know they’re being serviced by a rookie, or if the job is complicated & costly, then off-hours and behind-the-scenes training makes sense. It can be useful to break a complicated task into smaller parts of the larger sequence.

Finally, use some metrics or make it a game with a reward. The new term for this is “Gamification.” We did this with my daughters with hitting practice; for example, “I bet you can’t hit the back of the cage with a line drive without hitting the top, bottom, or sides!” We added a reward (ice cream) and it happened every time.

Find what is good for the trainee and make it fun! Hint: for today’s new employees, think video games.

I trust this series of People Development has been of value and motivates you to focus on training. If it’s difficult to get the people you need, then figure out how to invest in the team you have.

Should this motivate you but you aren’t sure where to start, give me a call!

PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT – WHAT SHOULD YOU FOCUS ON?

So far we have discussed WHY and WHO to develop. This month I share WHAT.

There are several different areas of focus. The focus of activities shift as you move up the career ladder and the tenure of the employee. This chart shows one such mix from Job 1 (Entry Level) to Job 4 (Leadership). The actual values are not critical as there are many variables. The key take away is that all roles require some exposure to all 4 categories and all roles should receive some exposure to each type of development. At different levels and jobs the content is different but recognizing the type of training is beneficial.

I'm a fan of the Baltimore Orioles. I was 14 when they last won the World Series. Obviously I was impacted by Cal Ripken. Hear what he has to say traits for success.

Below are my definitions of the different types of training.

Core Job Responsibilities – Obviously this is a focus on how to do the job the individual was hired to do. It is surprising how often this step is overlooked, particularly at the entry level positions. When this happens that training is often left to the last person who was trained or just happens to be there on their 1st day. In other words, the person with the least experience is setting the standards and practices for your business. Do you really want to leave the success of your business up to your team’s ability to play the telephone game?

Consider the impact to culture when a new employee realizes their training is an afterthought of the organization and manager. Clearly the message that quality work is not delivered to your new team member.

Why is this the case? Often because the vacancy was not posted until the prior individual left the job. The organization is understaffed and overworked.

So, other than having redundant employees, which many small businesses cannot afford, how can a well-intentioned employer avoid this pitfall? Two ways, first make sure that the on-boarding process allows for reasonable training time and ramp up to full capacity. Second, they can include cross train on adjacent job responsibilities.

Adjacent Job Responsibilities – This means you are training on the tasks that occur upstream and downstream in the work flow. If you are fortunate enough to have long standing employees this can occur through osmosis, however as companies focus on lean operations and high efficiency levels little slack is left in the system for this training and exposure. This too needs to be intentional.

The value in cross training is not simply during transitionary periods. When employees are aware of the requirements of their peers is allows for greater levels of quality through more awareness to defects. Likewise, it creates opportunities for process innovation and employees can recognize improvements to the work process.

Next Job Responsibilities – In this area of training employees are exposed to the roles they could earn through promotion. Like the adjacent training it gives additional benefits through visibility to the larger organization. In turn creating opportunities for innovation. Also, it reduces the ramp up time in the event of a promotion.

Imagine this scenario, you promote someone that must learn a new job AND train their replacement. When this happens, it leads to less-than-ideal training for both employees and more pain for the business in the short term and the long term. If you are lucky you won’t lose any customers in the process.

Organization/Big Picture – It is important for the company leadership team to continue to improve. A business leader that does not continue to learn will soon have a business that does not continue to grow. Exposing company goals and vision will have tremendous payoffs as the entire organization understands the direction and pulls in the same direction.

Likewise learning new skills to lead, strategize, communicate and time management will improve the performance of the entire company.

Timing is also a factor. It is obvious a new employee will need training in Core Job Responsibilities on Day 1. But don’t underestimate the value in sharing the Culture and Big Picture on the first day, or even before they start. Helping new employees assimilate into the culture and team will increase retention, peer acceptance, motivation, and long-term performance. Make a great 1st impression!

If you want to learn more about the 4 Ways System at ActionCOACH and start building your team the right way then reach out. I cannot wait to talk to you. 

RECENT ARTICLES

EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT – WHY DO IT?

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing thoughts about developing people. Much of it is obvious, but still worth sharing as it is the most important thing we do.

Why should we invest our time and $ in others? Selfishly, as a business/team leader, it helps our team perform and therefore we win.

The team wins too. Improving your weakest link helps all. With is we see more engagement & optimism. Raising the performance of 1 benefits everyone.

In addition to the short-term gains for the trainee and their family, you could contribute to a lifetime of learning.

Next, this knowledge is passed on. For example, I learned to turn a double play 40 years ago. Today 100’s more have learned how. Imagine if it was something important?

Also, there is more for us. We learn to be better teachers. We say, “Communication is the response you get.” If the trainee fails to learn, we must get better.

Second, when we receive validation, our self-esteem and confidence improves.

Finally, it is the right thing to do. Our Vision at ActionCOACH is to Create a World of Abundance through Business Re-education. Think about those words: Create, World, Abundance, Business, Re-Education.

Why not start now? There is clearly payback.

PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT – WHO SHOULD YOU FOCUS ON?

Last month I shared the benefits of developing your people. The next step is to determine WHO should receive the training.

In the corporate space the focus is often on the Stars. These are the people that seem to be involved in every success and win. Sometimes they even are given pronouns like like “Leadership Development Candidates” or “High Potentials”. Large companies need leaders and a lot of them to fill the roles vacated by the icons of the company. They start with titles like Supervisor and Manager. Then within a few short years they are called Director, Vice President, President, and CEO. For these individuals there are many needs and opportunities for people to be mentored and taught to be leaders. Often the cost of these programs is high, so not many get the chance. So, they apply the 80/20 rule. This rule sates that 80% of Output is from 20% of the Effort. Or it’s the relationship game. Either way, large companies often focus development on “The Stars”.

In other walks of life, such as sports, we are taught that a team is only as strong as the weakest link. I can tell you it is true. The ball finds the player that is the least prepared. With this thought in mind, shouldn’t we also put an emphasis to develop our struggling team members? This isn’t near as much fun so often they are overlooked, thrown away.

In one daughter’s last 3 softball events her team finished 2nd, 3rd, and 2nd in large national high-profile tournaments. This photo shows them in 2nd place and the other gives credit to a 1st place winner. (Photos courtesy of Susan McCard and Brett Eads of Extra Inning Softball). While 1st place is always the goal the results are outstanding. Their success is the result of many factors, talent, hard work, teamwork, etc. But what isn’t obvious is the versatility. Having players that can be excellent at multiple positions has made the difference. I believe this to be a common trait to all champions. This versatility can only exist if people are developed in areas outside their greatest strength, or perceived strength.

It is not surprising then, that I believe everyone should receive some attention and development. Not simply training in their primary roles but secondary and tertiary positions. Reasons for not doing so is include:

A)   we may never need them there

B)   We don’t have the time/money

C)   “What happens if we train someone and they leave? Well what happens if you don’t train them and they stay?”.

So who do you train?

Emerging Stars: These are future leaders in your company. They are most likely to fill your shoes when you step out, sometimes unexpectedly and at the worst time. For these folks I encourage you to challenge them. If the bar is set too low, it hampers the individual’s motivation and the organization’s benefit. Give them some guidance and goals, then get out of the way. They will create the innovation you want in products, services, and process to advance the company rapidly. Give them the chance to fail, but do not expect it.

Role Players: The best way to recognize these folks is they seem like stars in one moment and novices the next. Seek to understand when and why they fail. It could be experience, prior training, mindset, or a simple misunderstanding of the expectations. For example, if they are struggling with math based activities it is possible they never received that education, or don’t believe they can do it well. Spend some time here and you will find more stars. I am confident in this.

First, be sure they were taught to do the job correctly. Clarify how they were taught, were they provided only written work instruction, but not in their native language? Would another training method be more effective? Are they visual learners and would benefit by a video or demonstration? Place them in roles that accentuate their strengths, then work on the opportunities, you may find they were simply in the wrong role. Building their versatility could be the spark that is needed to inspire a lifetime of growth.

Make it personal. Share the goals and potential benefits when they become proficient in these areas. Affect their mindset. They could be the Stars in the making.

Floundering: Are they in the wrong role? Did they have a strong on-boarding experience? Is their motivation missing a key component? I was taught a great lesson in people by an engineering professor, “A vast majority of people want to do their job and do it well.” If that doesn’t seem to be the case seek to understand why. What happened in their parent’s careers that affected them? You can dismiss this and say “that’s their problem”, or you can spend some time with the individual, learn their past, and uncover their mental roadblock.

Be sure they buy into your Vision and Mission. Second, be sure they understand their role in the company and how success is mutually beneficial. If their heart is in it, you can likely make it work.  Make sure they have the basic skills and understanding to contribute and gain value within the team. If they choose not to get on board, then it is ok to let them off the bus.

The Team: Do you see your employees as a team or a group of individuals? Ensure that each role is understood by all players, what the expectations are, and why certain skills are needed in each role. Be sure that the team recognizes the value in each role and respects that it is crucial to the group’s success.

On my daughters’ team we have power hitters, power pitchers, spin pitchers, foot speed, agility, and of course game knowledge and leadership. In this group of future Division 1 athletes there isn’t one individual that is best in everything. It is easy for a team to recognizes each individuals strengths. A great team sees the weaknesses but does not hold them against the individual. They seek to work together to leverage their strengths to together, always respecting each other for the unique talent they bring to the group.

As a leader your role is to determine the individuals’ strengths and weaknesses. They you put the strong skills into the right roles at the right moment while seeking developmental opportunities to build up the weaknesses for the team and the individuals. When that is done well, great things happen.

 More to follow…

Prior Issues