All Managers Are Trainers

Above: Conducting in-house sales training with ClarkMorgan Corporate Training. Suzhou 2008.

In my last post I discussed the importance of implementing training from the top, to improve managerial behavior, and allowing the improvements to filter down from senior management to the middle management and beyond.

Before I continue my analysis of "Why (Most) Training Is Useless: Start Developing Skills; Stop WASTING Time." By David H. Maister, I’d like to expand upon my previous article. I’d like to extend the idea that a company should use managers to spread the word on best practice within the workplace by stating that ALL managers ARE trainers:

All Managers Are Trainers

If you manage other people within your organization, then you are a trainer. Whether you are an effective trainer or not is another question. Effective managers put people into a position to succeed and provide them with the skills and knowledge base to do so. Ineffective managers set people up for failure by failing to provide the necessary training, and then complain that they can’t find effective employees. The success or failure of any business depends on the skill, confidence, and motivation of the employees. However, the skill, confidence, and motivation of these same people depends on how well their manager trains them.

Improve consistency with trained employees

Even though tasks are completed using varying techniques from organization to organization, it is important that tasks are completed in a consistent manner in each individual company. Consistency improves labor efficiency and can improve company performance.

Consistent efficiency is achieved by establishing a standardized routine and then training should be used to ensure that all employees actually perform the routine in the same way every time. If a standardized routine and an effective training program are not in place, it is almost certain that working practices will vary from one person to the next. This variation means that with some employees, resources are being used less efficiently.

Training increases confidence

Employees need to clearly understand their work and how they can do a good job. Training is an effective tool for managers to orient new staff and to help current employees adopt new practices or technology. Training activities should always give trainees skills that they can use immediately within their job. Effective training will help workers to recognize when a job is completed to a high enough standard and make them feel confident in their ability to produce good results.

Training is an effective motivational tool

Managers need to make sure that they and their staff have the right attitude towards training. The right attitude can only exist in a company that believes improved performance benefits everyone, including the employees. An employee can then understand that training to enhance performance will ultimately benefit him or her personally. This creates an environment where employees will feel motivated to take advantage of opportunities to improve performance.

Managers should train their team to have a feeling of ownership in their work. The best way to do this is to ask employees to constantly look for ways to improve work processes. In-house training is critical to successfully incorporating new practices, but there is no way to determine if a new practice is working without unless the practice is consistently used. Managers need to help employees understand this concept.

Employees will then appreciate that training is not only as a means for improving skills, but also as a means for implementing the ideas and decisions that they helped to make.

So, there it is; my full argument as to the importance of implementing training from the top down. Please forgive my digression from my original topic for today, “Training is a waste of time and money if what is taught is never put into practice.” I will cover this topic in my next article.

Until then, happy training!

Emma

If you would like to discuss anything within this article or previous posts, please contact me on eharradine@hotmail.co.uk or leave your comments for me here.

1: Changes At The Top

Above: Spark09 – Shanghai. An event hosted by thought leaders and attended by future thought leaders. Coming soon to Hong Kong and Beijing!

“True long-term changes in any organization need to begin with changes at the top - in managerial behavior.”

As I mentioned in my previous post, it is common for organizations to use their training budget as strategically as they would their coffee break budget.

The multinational company I spoke about previously, invested in inspirational speeches for the masses in the hope that theoretical training would be enough to change employee work habits, but as we all know, knowing is not the same as doing. They wasted their valuable training budget, at a time when waste is not an option, on ineffective methods and an untargeted audience.

So what audience should they have targeted?

I can give you three good reasons why, within any organization, long-term changes need to begin with changes at the top – in managerial behavior:

Firstly, training must always be linked to management behavior and organizational strategies, and who understands the strategies of an organization better than top management. When the management trainee can see how the improvements will benefit the whole organization, and the connection between the skills and the company’s goals, they are more focused on applying the newly learnt behaviors.

Secondly, managerial ideas tend to filter down from senior management. Training ideas developed at a lower level are less likely to be adopted by the senior management and will, in turn, become obsolete in a short period of time. However, if a results-oriented manager demands improvements from all staff, employees are far more likely to jump to attention.

Thirdly, changing workforce demographics and the war for talent mean that organizations are seriously suffering from a lack of talented middle management capable of becoming higher management. Companies must, therefore, build from within their ranks. It is an enormous challenge for HR to retain potential talent and maintain their leadership pipeline, but using strategically planned training as an incentive for talent to remain within the organization is mutually beneficial.

In addition, managers achieve a deeper level of skill development when they are expected to teach others and to know the ins and outs of their newly acquired work practices. When put on the spot to practice what they are now preaching, managers feel the need to rise to the challenge and develop their skills to the next level; therefore adding value to the initial training.

Finning Ltd., the world's largest Caterpillar dealer, has the right idea. Finning’s executives are not only first in line for service and quality training, but they are also the trainers delivering sessions to their employees. The perfect example of adding value to training and therefore maximizing training budget!

Okay, so, I gave you four good reasons instead of three, but you can’t go wrong with delivering more than your clients' expect. So, no complaining!

I’m sure you’ll agree with me that all four points are valid reasons to begin with changes at the top, and therefore focus your training budget at managerial behavior.

Tomorrow, I’ll cover point number two from "Why (Most) Training Is Useless: Start Developing Skills; Stop WASTING Time." By David H. Maister:

“Training is a waste of time and money if what is taught is never put into practice.”

Until then, thanks for reading,

Emma

Please contact me with any thoughts or questions on eharradine@hotmail.co.uk or leave your comments here. Thank you.