Unlocking Business Success: The Value of Prioritizing Training
I previously wrote about areas that can hold store managers back. In that article, I commented, ‘If you do not prioritize training up front, then newly hired associates will struggle, underperform, or leave. All of those outcomes have a significant negative impact on the business. Why do we never make it important enough to ensure it happens?’ Let’s explore that a little further. Why don’t we make the idea of foundational training more important than we do, and if we were to change our mindset, how would that change our outcomes?
In almost any associate survey or engagement survey I have seen, training is near the top of things employees want more of. Training is one of those topics that there is never enough of, and everyone believes that there is more to it than is currently available. Most people also forget that it is up to them to ensure they get the training they need and take advantage of what is available.
That said, it is also every leader’s responsibility to ensure that there is training available and that it is part of the culture for everyone to be a part of. This is where the mindset comes in. Having the belief that training is critically important is where it begins. It cannot be something that is discussed but never brought to life. Only the leaders of an organization can give training the level of importance it will need to make as difference in the environment. To make it significant enough that not only is the information needed available, but that others continually seek it out.
Training is a commitment
The challenge training (as a whole) faces is the time commitment it requires. Proper training requires dedicated time. Time away from the actual work, so people can digest the new information they receive. It also requires the time of follow-up, embedment, and practice. If all those things do not happen, the training will never reach its full potential impact on those taking it. That is most often the case, especially in the retail world. We are impatient, strapped for time, and require more resources. We provide base training to new hires, buddy them up with someone else, and then have them cover shifts within the first week of joining the company. This happens more out of necessity than anything else. It takes leadership to break that trend.
I have fallen into this trap more than once and continually have to work to create training opportunities. The fact is, there will never be a good time for training. Training always has to be the option we seek, with specific periods dedicated to new learning. The most successful retail companies make time for their associates to learn new products and ways to engage. They plan ahead and make the resources available (which doesn’t always have to be about more money or hours). Then, they support the team after the training has occurred.
Training is different from development
There are many similarities between what we call training and development. But there are critical differences between the two. Training is a foundational activity. This is about knowledge transfer, filling in information gaps to make people aware of what they do and how they do it. Development moves much further into the WHY of the work and processes it entails. Development assumes that there is already a knowledge base upon which to build. It can be easy to confuse the two, especially regarding succession planning and talent building.
When the two become confused, it can have a negative impact on the people involved. This is where the ‘stretch assignment’ can go wrong for talent development. Throwing someone into a new situation without the proper tools or training can be devastating to a high performer who suddenly finds themselves struggling for success. Conversely, the high-performing associate who is sent to training courses in areas they are already proficient serves to frustrate their appetite to do more and be more engaged in leading the activities, versus just learning about them.
Both development and training are essential at different times. And that is ultimately the point here. The mindset of making people better is at the core of any business’s success. There must be a leadership push on training the team with the right tools and then providing an environment and culture that allows them to further their knowledge and put it into use regularly, recurringly. This only happens if, as a leader, you make the training culture as important as conducting the training itself. This is where leaders can make the most lasting impact of all.
How will you make training meaningful in your environment?
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