Between 2020 and 2021, the cost of training reached $92.3 billion in the United States. That’s not exactly a small investment, so making sure that training has a lasting impact should be a priority for people managers. However, a lot of training ends up falling flat for a number of reasons, be it lack of capacity, interest, or incorporating practices for sustainability.
So how can organizations sustain training’s impact and how can leadership coaching help?
Why training in the workplace fails and how to make it more effective
Organization’s invest in training for a variety of reasons; to increase performance, upskill employees, improve manager-employee relationships, and even build leadership skills. However, organizations don’t always see, or maintain, these benefits. Here’s why:
- Limited time and competing priorities
Most managers and employees in the workplace have many responsibilities. Therefore, more time is spent on tasks that bring profits faster instead of training.
Possible remedy: Managers should ensure that they look into more flexible training methods. Recording the training sessions can help them quickly access them when their schedule is free. - Lack of interest
Many training programs struggle with a lack of interest from the employees. Most fail to recognize the benefit of the courses being offered.
Possible remedy: HR should ensure the training is strategically marketed to employees and get the support of all managers and explain the benefits of the training. - Limited budget and training resources
Some businesses increase their focus on providing employees with training, yet their budget remains the same. This can be brought about by lack of enough funds due to the high cost of training.
Possible remedy: Managers may engage the trainers on how to maintain or maximize learning while minimizing cost. For instance, they may consider using instructional video content rather than one-on-one sessions. - Information overload
To maximize resources available and minimize expenses, some companies offer extended intensive training programs. It leads to information overload, which isn’t easy to absorb and apply.
Possible remedy: The trainers can provide short, memorable training videos that are easy to understand even for future referencing. - Neglecting what happens after training
When employees fail to execute what they learned in training, they are likely to forget easily. New skills have to be practiced and applied immediately.
Possible remedy: The manager and HR should design follow-up activities and testing to reinforce the new skills acquired immediately after completion of the training. - Over-reliance on technology
Some people believe that technology will solve all their problems in the workplace. However, this can be a massive mistake if the technology used isn’t accompanied by human input.
Possible remedy: An assessment on how best to use the technology needed in the company should be done.
Tips for attaining successful training outcomes
An effective training program is built by following a systematic process, which includes follow-up. Here are some tips on how to sustain effective training outcomes;
- Assess training needs
The first step in the process of developing a training program is to identify and assess the needs of the employees. Sometimes these needs are outlined in development plans. A meeting of managers and HR with all employees will help develop specific challenges that are hindering the company from achieving its targets and increasing the profits gained. - Set organizational training objectives
The training’s needs assessment will identify challenges that need to be addressed by training. These challenges should be carefully analyzed and prioritized according to their urgency. The key goal is to help employees increase their performance and hence increase the profits for the company, as well as personal growth and development. - Create a training action plan
This involves creating a clear action plan that includes the learning theories, content, and materials needed. It should clearly outline the resources and training methods. The trainers should also consider the level of training and the participants involved in the training. - Establish training initiatives
This is the phase where the training is carried out. Trainers need to consider a suitable venue, employee engagement as well as thoroughly schedule the activities like facilities and equipment to be used. During the training, managers should monitor the participants’ progress to ensure it is effective. - Evaluate and revise training
Eventually, managers should evaluate the training program to check whether it is effective and whether it meets all the objectives set. All the stakeholders should submit honest feedback to determine the effectiveness of the program. Questionnaires should be administered and analyzed for performance review.
Sustaining training's impact with leadership coaching
Leadership coaching is a powerful management tool that helps leaders at all levels and industries bring out the leadership skills to maximize their impact. Leaders have an opportunity to sharpen their leadership skills and motivate the employees to deliver the company’s targets and goals.
Leadership coaching can go a long way to ensure the training for all the company’s employees is sustained. Coaching is an action-oriented approach that generates insights that can lead to positive and lasting mindset and behavioral outcomes. Coaches can align growth objectives with the business’ goals, support in building new habits needed to ensure training sticks, and create accountability.
Training is a huge, and often necessary expense for the development of your people and business. Training develops the right skills, proficiency, and the ability to complete jobs effectively, therefore building in practices, like offering leadership coaching, will be critical to ensure your investment is fruitful.
