Training and helping employees to develop skill and professional growth is like eating properly and exercising regularly – they are all worthwhile activities that many managers are inclined to postpone or avoid entirely. That is why training programs for managers offer valuable solutions that can motivate managers to create initiatives that work.
In our SADE Operational Model book, the terms “Alignment and Development” often strikes fear into managers’ hearts. It suggests integrating a team to achieve what they are truly capable of. To some managers, It is an effort that requires time and expense. But we argue that the number-one factor holding employees back from achieving great results is not aligning employees and managers behind clear goals during the execution.
Training your team is the single greatest market differentiator. Great companies and successful teams execute better than their competition because of their robust training. You should view training as the ignitor to get everyone behind to great execution.
Think about the areas in your operation where your team have fallen short, if you look at it critically, the breakdown is most often in not enough training.
Great training development is not about forms, choreographing new assignments, or orchestrating promotions. It is about obtaining the skill and knowledge to perform quality team execution.
This alignment should lead the way to new insights and awareness; explore possibilities and opportunities; and inspire responses that drive employee-owned ideas and actions.
Training programs for managers do not have to be long – you do not get points for length, you get more points for stimulating thinking.
In today’s hectic business environment, it is better to opt for shorter training programs for managers that fit the cadence of your daily operation. You will fare better with 7, 90-minute, training classes over the course of a year than the equivalent 2 days spent in one annual event mapping out goals for the coming months.
To be effective, managers and employees should sign a learning agreement before training. Managers should then expect their employees to report back after training what they have learned and how are they going to apply the key learning of the training to their operations. This alone will give you the best return on your investment.
This type of agreement sparks great conversations centered around the following:
- Reflection. The managers and employees will reflect on where they have been, and what tools and techniques they’ve learned and practiced in class. This type of self-reflection will help them transform learning into productivity.
- Anticipation. Get managers and employees to understand the big picture. This will build an anticipatory mindset in the team. This mindset will help managers and employees prevent problems before they occur. This mindset sets up change for growth and advancement. What are they committing in doing to make their tasks and team effort more effective and efficient in the future?
- Awareness. This is the sweet spot, where awareness and anticipation combine into organizational opportunities. This is where the manager and employee jointly determine how to successfully integrate the learning into daily operations.
The SADE Operational Model book packs a lot of useful material in its pages to get the team to align develop and execute. It will serve as the basis for employee involvement and to support great training program for managers. It will give you valuable training solutions that you can put into practice today.
Train to win.