New Habits May Come From Employee Training
The interest in employee training often sparks from a problem. A breakdown in customer service, an incorrect shipment, or supervisors who lack skills to lead, may lead to an interest for employee training. Will it work?
Since I’m in the business, it is something that is near and dear to my heart. Training can be very effective but its impact is often conditioned on many things. Sure, you have to establish a good learning environment, you must have great content, and the flow should maintain both an interested and open atmosphere.
Those are all important, but for behavioral training and soft skill development equally important is the organizational commitment for change. How will the organization embrace new skills?
Learning and Practice
Learning is just the front edge. Much of the soft skill development is not rocket science. True, many people have room to learn more, but often the biggest value isn’t so much in the new material learned, but in replacing bad habits with good.
Establishing new habits is often critical, following up with customers, framing our meeting discussions with respect and open mindedness, and leading through inspiration instead of fear.
Practice will have much to do with success.
New Habits
If I want to get fit, I may know how, but if I only go to the gym once a month I’m probably not going to change much.
When I want a healthier diet, I may have to make time to plan, shop, and have different buying habits. It isn’t always that I don’t know how, it is about my habits.
In both cases, it is also be a commitment of time, money, and resources.
On the flip side of this there is often denial.
I’m fit enough, I’ll just wear some extra baggy clothes, or I’m not really overweight I just don’t like stairs.
This is often true in our personal lives, and metaphorically true for organizations.
Employee Training
Can employee training help my organization? Absolutely it can, it will close knowledge gaps, refresh lost or forgotten best practices, and motivate and inspire employees to make a difference.
However, both the employees and the organization will need to improve by replacing bad habits with good, then repeat.
– DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
