GET THE MOST OUT OF TRAINING: TRAIN FOR LIFE
WHY TRAIN?
Good question! Why spend time and effort and sometimes money when it could be shunted into other areas of "better" value? We need to justify the investment in time and energy required of the trainee, the trainer and organization as a whole.
Training is an investment in an individual that should yield productive results in the near term for the individual, the business unit, immediate associates and wider social contacts. Training on skills such as "time management" can have far reaching results in organizing the environment of the person applying himself to practice the acquired skills.
Training adds value to the individual through enhancing; competence, ability, appreciation, knowledge, skills, attitude, wisdom, exposure, experience, life perspectives, capacity, latent potential as well as the ability to perform better at work. Training makes staff more valuable and "indispensable" to employers. An individual taking training or a course of study enhances their market value. Employers place a higher value on the trained and competent employees.
Other reasons to train stem from an organizations recognized internal need of skills to overcome performance and production barriers in areas such as communication, management styles, work procedures, accounting, customer care, business culture etc.
However satisfactory or unsatisfactory the reasons for training may seem, training is primarily an INDIVIDUAL benefit. The capacity developed during training is an individual asset. No one can take it away from you. And no one else can make it work!
Business
Why do businesses look for trained personnel to? Why not just pick one of those many primary secondary and college graduates flocking after jobs? The truth is that employment skills are very different from academic training. Much academic training has little work skill content. Even college graduates need to develop work skills. Employers of every kind in providing opportunity for employment are in the same act committing themselves to train and develop staff for themselves and for organizations that may employ them later. Trained staff contribute far greater worth to the organization over a shorter period of time than untrained personnel.
The training environment at work is created by; specific procedures, interpersonal contacts, communication modes, unique production methods, organization, structure and industry standards. Staff are expected to learn and master a host of different systems and utilize them to make a useful contribution to the business. In this way, they justify their employment. Employment skills are about technical competence, interpersonal skills, decision-making and information processing. Training is an effective tool to ensure organization systems are utilized efficiently and effectively.
ATTITUDES
Attitudes have a special place in all training. Training undertaken with a negative attitude invariably has negative results. Attitudes exhibited during training reflect on the outcome of training efforts. What should the attitude towards training be? Training should be approached from an open standpoint where, "there are other ways of doing things… improvement is possible… there are things even I do not know! …I could learn something from this program". A negative attitude, like a bad experience, can raise an effective mental block to stifle any learning effort and can actually destroy any progressive initiative thereafter.
Learning
Much as there are great teachers, nobody really talks about great learners yet, to produce a great teacher you need a great learner. The function of learning, which is what training aims to effect, has always been the preserve of the trainee. No matter how much effort the trainer puts in, if the trainee refuses to switch into "learning mode", the program will be of no effect. Because learning depends on individual ability, experience, exposure, aptitude and talent participation in group training because individuals learn from each other. The group itself is a learning resource. But in order to benefit from any form of training the trainee must exercise the option TO LEARN!
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES
Training is about changing perspectives. During a training program expect to wrestle with new ideas or other approaches that you may not have utilized before. It is all too easy to state " We just can't do things that way!" Without a change in perspective, nothing changes. In a good training session, expect to build a new operational framework, which may tear down some established and hardened beliefs, concepts and work habits.
New perspectives and approaches are often resisted not because they are new, but because with the change a new level of responsibility and accountability is placed on the individual to adjust to the change. Most people don't like change for this reason and those who face change often fear failure. Training helps manage this resistance and fear by a) defining what to do b) how to go about it and c) setting practical expectations and performance standards.
Before perspectives are changed, there is often a battle of wits or a "denial" phase where the real issues are hidden under clouds of dust, digressions, excuses, complaints and long explanations as to why things can't change. In one way this battle is good because it makes us reexamine the value of any form of training. But if this stage is not quickly and effectively dealt with by appreciating that training has something to offer it will cloud the entire training program and take away a great deal of energy from individual and group commitment to put training objectives into action.
BENEFITING FROM TRAINING
In order to benefit from any form of training try to understand the underlying principles and objectives of the training program and identify specific areas of personal attention to impact your own development. During the training, identify intervention areas that you will need to begin working on immediately. The rate of decline of recall is exponential unless the knowledge gained is made practical and utility oriented.
Training should make you a better person or make you understand others better. That is why training is not to be attended for selfish reasons. It can be a powerful means of learning about and with others. Training is an experience out of which you should come out richer having added value to yourself and having the capacity to bless and assist others.
Implementing Learning
If you have undergone training by yourself on some individual/external program, implementing learning can be a struggle especially where you need executive muscle to implement learned strategies. Expect this. Expect resistance. Remember your colleagues did not attend the training with you and may not have the renewed perspective that you have developed. Implementing learning is parallel to introducing change. You will need to set goals and realistic targets to address current problems and define steps that will enable you to ensure the desired change takes place. If you do not have the administrative authority to put your learning into practice you may have to seek audience with your superior and together work out how your new perspectives can benefit the organization. Sometimes organization structures may obstruct the implementation of positive change and this may need to be pointed out for management review.
After in-house training programs use the group momentum gained during the training session to implement changed approaches to work. Call each group member to account for learning and maintenance of new standards. In this way, you will help maximize the impact of training throughout the organization.
TRAINING FOR LIFE
Training is about learning and learning is about life. No experience is a waste of time. All experiences form a part of life so make use of them effectively. The accomplishments you will be recognized for in future are the sum total of all the learning and instruction you put into practice today.
Training is a personal effect. By making good use of your training, you will be able to positively influence your work mates, colleagues, friends, family, business associates for good. If you learn to plan at work, you can apply the principles of planning to influence the quality of your life and that of your environment.
Human beings from their first day on earth are expected to grow. At some point physical growth stops, but they are still expected to continue growing intellectually and even when that reaches its limit the result should be wisdom and spiritual strength which is nurtured, developed (trained) throughout life. So take your training seriously and apply it.
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