Training Industry Blog

In my most recent blog post, “Are your training suppliers aligned to your needs?”, I addressed one of the most critical mistakes companies make when selecting a training supplier – strategic alignment. But you or your company may have already committed to a long term engagement with a training supplier. After the services began, you then found that the supplier is not meeting your needs. So what do you do?

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Learning offers challenges in any industry, but in the midst of economic difficulties, the financial services sector can be especially beleaguered. Like many other companies, LPL Financial was facing a series of challenges in 2009. Training, happily, offered some unique solutions, and while times are still tight, the high-stakes results are adding up. It’s all about knowing your audience, knowing your options and knowing how to make things happen.

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As a leader-manager, consultant-coach, and author whose works and services have been used by thousands of other leaders and managers, many years ago it become obvious to me how valuable it would be to provide them with practical, useable guidance about the high impact practices required for their own, others, and their organization’s success. Blessed with the collaboration and brilliance of my co-author, Dr. Drea Zigarmi, fourteen such ‘best’ practices have been identified. We further discuss these in our book, THE LEADER WITHIN, and how to put them into personal action in our program, THE LEADERSHIP BRIDGE: Situational Leadership II® & DISC, that identifies which are common strengths and which need to be developed based on 16 personal style performance patterns.

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Business is starting to see signs of recovery on the horizon. At the global staffing firm Adecco, VP of Talent and Development Rich Thompson is pulling together a game plan to help prepare for a post-recessionary boom. With an attitude that’s part optimism and part preparation, Thompson is coaching his associates and Adecco’s client companies in talent development, helping get the A players ready to take – and keep – the field.

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The U.S. Department of Labor has set aside millions in workforce development grants to help fund the education and training of workers. In other words, free money to do just what you’re doing already or help you do even more. Grants benefit the workers, the company and even your state and federal government. If you’re not already looking for a ticket to this gravy train, now is the time to climb on board.

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The most common approach to leadership (and management) development is still training-based—and most of it doesn’t work! The reason is that leadership training events and programs require connecting both the development of people and fundamental business processes for them to be successful. A variety of research studies reveal wake-up results for us to heed in adjusting the traditional classroom type of training events approach, whether delivered by a company or as part of a university program. Without follow-up coaching or connection to on-the-job performance only 10% of what is taught is actually applied on-the-job. By contrast, with coaching, performance gains of 50%-73% are commonly achieved. One might even ask whether leadership-management training/development is necessary. The answer is ABSOLUTELY since research shows that less than 10% typically use the approach required for success—let alone doing so effectively! Consistent with this, we have found over the decades that people identify less than 1 in 5 or more managers they have worked with to have been effective ones.

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According to a survey of training professionals, the most important characteristic of a GREAT training company is 'strategic alignment'. So what is strategic alignment? And is your supplier aligned to your needs? And how would you know when selecting a supplier if they have the capability to align to your needs?

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As a leading provider of healthcare and dental benefits, Humana typically deals with people experiencing pain, discomfort and other attributes of really bad days. While the services they administer help, what really soothes the nerves is Humana’s drive to create perfect customer service. It’s a mission that’s redefining training and reaping results.

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All of us have participated in training that we can say has positively changed our lives. Whether it was a one day workshop, an online seminar, apprenticeship program, or a college or university course, training changes how we think and act. I’m beginning research to learn what makes one training program so much better than others. Sure we all think that great instructional design is critical, and a good instructor makes the difference in delivery, or the quality of facilities impacts the learning experience, but what I’m really looking for are those defining characteristics that separates exceptional training programs from those that are very good. To get us started, I’ll share the two training programs that absolutely shaped my professional personality and influenced my career.

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Difficult economic conditions typically result in natural emotional reactions by most people—and the organizations their actions shape. Yet when faced with unresolved performance problems, such emotional responses typically will not reverse such struggling performance without identifying and/or differently executing other solutions required for success! Let me share a few real, current examples that illustrate this point.

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