What's the Reason for Training?

[An excerpt from UPTRAIN: An Executive's Guide to Making Powerful Training]

 

Why train at all?

It’s a simple question. It’s also the only question that matters.

Training is a ubiquitous event in most companies today. Instructional designers, developers, trainers, and LMS staff are hired; they then form teams whose sole purpose is to identify, design, build, and implement training.

But why does your company even have a training function?

I have worked with countless companies that want to create training to improve or change their employees’ performance. Sometimes, the training need results from a measurable lack of performance (the sales team isn’t closing deals, for example). Other times, the need arises because senior management wants to change the perceived skills of the company’s employees.

On paper, both are valid reasons to create and deliver training.

But why train at all? You could just hire people who possess the necessary skills to accomplish the performance you’re looking for. You could buy off-the-shelf training programs to address  what your organization requires. Numerous companies can build custom training to address your issues.

So, again, why do you have a training function in your company? The answer is simple. It’s people.

Your employees are the cornerstone of your business. They build your products, provide your services, and interact with your customers.

Actually, scratch that – they aren’t the cornerstone. Your employees are your business.

If you want to improve the efficiency and quality of your products and services, guess what? You have to improve your people.

That’s why, as mentioned previously in this book, training is an operations function.

When you realize this – when you really internalize it – you can make training an integral part of your operations decisions. Then you’re able to reduce the cost of production or service and better address the needs of your customers.

There are many reasons and activities required for developing the talent within your company. Training for specific skills or knowledge is not the only thing you need here. Increased employee engagement, employee satisfaction, and the cultivation of tomorrow’s leaders are real needs within every company.

LinkedIn® Learning’s 2018 Workplace Learning Report shows that employees feel valued when they are empowered to perform better. They want to stay with your company longer when they receive the training they need to succeed.

These secondary reasons are almost certainly reason enough to train, but it’s not WHY you train.

You train to provide continuous improvement of your products and services. You train to create greater efficiencies. You train to address the ever-changing nature of your business and the market you serve. Training is, and always has been, the operations lever you pull to bring greater value to your company and increase the bottom line.

As a business leader, do you feel you possess the knowledge and skills to train effectively? Do you know how to make the most of whatever training initiative you implement? Can you determine the effectiveness of your overall training effort – from start to finish?

Your business probably isn’t about training (unless you work in a training company), and you probably aren’t in your role because of your extensive education and training background. So how have you prepared yourself to make sound management decisions about training?