Training Trends
News Headlines
By: Debbie Wyda, Training & Development Specialist
One of the best investments an organization can make is in training and professional development opportunities for its people. In addition to helping employees expand their knowledge and skill set, employers who make training programs available can also send positive and powerful messages to those invited to take part in them: (1) you matter to us; (2) we value you; (3) you are worth investing in; and (4) we hope you will stay here and grow here … just to name a few.
Way back when, launch of a training program typically involved some online research and selection of generic set of exercises, often packaged into a box and available for the taking by any organization under the sun. These days, leaders are looking to do more than simply check a box showing that training took place. They need training that is impactful, and that can produce tangible, long-term results, in line with their bigger picture organizational strategy and goals. And that is where customization comes in, and stands as a gamechanger.
Training program customization is a process that requires planning, perspective from many, critical thinking, problem solving, and goal setting. The Training & Development Solutions team begins this process by meeting with the client and asking a lot of detailed questions, across many levels of the organization. We need to understand leadership perspectives, thoughts, ideas, concerns, and what is keeping people awake at night. We need to see with our own eyes how the organization and its people function; what the core jobs are, what work spaces look and feel like, how teams collaborate, the challenges that are part of the day-to-day, and how communication takes place. With this information in hand, we can begin connecting the dots and building out a program or series of programs, to move the needle forward. We develop themes. We generate group exercises. We identify creative ways to get the hard conversations started. We know from our experience that a lot of problem solving can take place authentically once people have a platform to talk openly and understand one another’s views and ideas.
The impact of customized training is not something that tends to be realized immediately. The magic in what we do instead takes place a bit further down the road. People take what they learned in training back to the workplace and apply it. The positive shift often takes place gradually, and over time, can be quite significant. Sometimes it leads to new or better operational procedures. Other times it’s about achieving competencies, facilitating positive culture change, or creating pathways for people to be promoted from within. Collectively, these are the achievements that matter, and that prove the key is in the customization.