When things get tough for you and your team, you may think training is a great fix. You squeeze in a webinar or even invest in a conference. You feel energized at first, excited about the new information and eager to put it into play. You take notes, you make plans, and then you get back to work. You may even start to implement some of the ideas and then among the meetings and the deadlines it goes from an exciting new opportunity to a bridge too far.
The key is to move from training to development. Training can be part of development. It provides the information and opportunities to practice. But without implementation, you aren’t really making progress. There are many reasons that training doesn’t always lead us to new behaviors or thought processes. Let’s talk about three:
- I don’t have time for that.
- One size fits most.
- Training isn’t the solution.
Let’s start with the first one. Even if you are excited about the information you learn in a training, once you are out of the classroom and back into the thick of things it can feel like there is no way to slow down long enough to implement the new ideas or strategies. And even if you have good intentions, the first fire that hits you when you get back has you forgetting all about what you learned.
To combat this, first you have to change your mindset. You have to realize that if the training addresses an important need, you don’t have the time to NOT implement what you learned. One way to help make the time is to make an appointment in your calendar for when you get back to review what you learned. Then plan for how you will implement it going forward. What specific behaviors or strategies will you put into practice?
Next, determine how you will hold yourself accountable. Who do you need to tell about it for accountability and wider implementation? Talk to your manager and ask for their help. Set up electronic reminders as accountability checks. Use your favorite AI to help you determine strategies to implement it.
Ideally, your webinar or in-person event will have included strategies for long-term implementation. Training does not always have the time allotted for hands-on implementation or follow-up. If you have the ability to schedule that with the facilitator, it is a great way to reinforce learning. If not, make sure you implement your own follow-up strategies such as those mentioned here. Additionally, doing related reading or listening to podcasts and teaching others can be very useful.
The second challenge is when the information or strategies are presented in a way that doesn’t allow for working within various environments. I was once part of a program that brought paper-based planning to a paperless organization. It was difficult to convince the group to adopt the planning method when it was contrary to their company culture. I was able to show them how to use Outlook to do the same system, allowing them to stay paperless and still use the strategies. This increased implementation from just a couple of participants to the majority of the group.
Relevance is important from the participant’s perspective as well. If a participant enters training convinced it won’t work for them, they are not likely to implement it. You can’t force someone to hear the information and apply it to their work. This makes manager involvement in training and development even more important. If a manager can explain the relevance and applicability on the front end and reinforce implementation on the back end, it can help participants turn the information into new ways of thinking and behaving. Development means including intentional action with any new information.
Finally, it is important to make sure that training is actually the right solution. When a leader is struggling, the first solution is often to train them; teach them change management, teach them communication skills, teach them how to prioritize their time. However, if the issue is a systems problem, the training may be like putting a Band-Aid on a broken bone. It looks like you tried to fix it, but the underlying issues remain.
For example, a team is working extra hours and struggling to meet deadlines. The gut reaction is to train them on how to prioritize their time. But instead of immediately scheduling training, a focus group is conducted to better understand the challenges. It identifies that the data-entry system they are using has bloated to three times what it used to be, is slow, and requires duplicate and triplicate entry of information for each activity they do.
Asking good questions to identify the challenges before determining the solution means more targeted interventions, better outcomes, and fewer resources spent. Instead of spending their time in training and being frustrated with a situation that won’t change, the team has identified the underlying issue. The resources are funneled into addressing the system and creating efficiencies that save time and frustration instead of unnecessary training. Not only can this improve how the team uses its time, but reducing unnecessary work and frustration could also contribute to improved retention.
As a leader, you can improve the likelihood of better outcomes for yourself and your team by being intentional with leadership training and development. Make sure you understand the problem so you can choose the right solution. Then, if training is part of that solution, make sure leadership is actively involved before, during, and after and that there is a clear implementation plan for the new information and behaviors. Taking the time and effort means making the most of your time, your team’s time, and your company’s resources.
