To help your organization evolve to the next level, all leaders need to continually train team members. Continual training shouldn’t just apply to team members. It should also apply to the leaders, too, at all levels of the organization. Ongoing professional development is required for all organizations to not only survive but thrive in today’s competitive marketplace. Focus on developing the bench of talent and leaders to raise the level of effectiveness across the organization.
Professional Athletes
Look at professional athletes. Despite them being some of the best in the world at what they do, they continually train and practice. Hockey players spend an inordinate amount of time shooting pucks at the net. Basketball players practice free throws repeatedly. Pitchers in baseball continue to practice and tweak how they throw the ball. These professional athletes do so to continually get better so they can help their team achieve championship-level results. The more they practice, the more refinements they can make to consistently execute and win against the competition.
What’s remarkable is that many organizations neglect to invest in ongoing professional development and training. Whether it’s their customer service teams or other groups throughout the business, many fail to invest in ongoing training. You’ll often find that organizations will invest heavily in new hire training but not continual training. Even some companies don’t spend the time offering new hire training, though, too. Whether it is deemed unimportant or too expensive, some managers fail to create a culture and employee experience that people are proud to be part of. Failing to invest in your people leads to significant attrition and engagement concerns.
Continual Training Isn’t Just for the Highly Ambitious
It’s often said that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. In many organizations, this also usually applies to training and development too. Those who are highly talented are often ambitious, not afraid to ask for additional training. With a hunger to learn, these people will request continual training to see the value it provides. While there may be an element of selfishness to it, many want to get better. Everyone, as part of an organization, deserves an opportunity to improve and get better. Customer expectations are continuing to rise. At a minimum, everyone in an organization, at all levels, should receive continual training in customer service to meet expectations.
Three Ways to Develop a Culture of Continual Training
A culture of continuing to develop yourself and your people will increase the bench strength of talent in any organization. Leaders at the top of the organization know this but must commit to ensuring they live it every day. Whether a leader has a team of five or forty-five, they must invest in their people. Here are three ways in which an organization can invest in a culture of continual training.
- Offer training resources that are easy to access, appealing to multiple learning styles.
- Link ongoing professional development as a core requirement to be eligible for the next level of promotion.
- Schedule ongoing training refreshers as well as new content at a minimum of once per quarter.
Final Thoughts
To ensure an organization performs to its potential, continual training must be engrained in the culture. Despite the effort, any time invested in developing your people and yourself will pay dividends for years to come. Organizations that continually train well will deliver championship-level results, differentiating them from the competition. Continuously training your staff and leaders might find organizations in a spot where they have to recruit even less too. Leaders and organizations that want game-changing and strong award-winning teams prioritize developing their people.
