Motherhood, apple pie, and training. All sacred . . . until budgets become tight. Training is the first to go because, upon close inspection, we too often discover it isn’t producing profitable results.

I have designed, led, and measured training courses ranging from technical skill tune-ups through executive development seminars in hundreds of organization over the last twenty-five years. The primary thing that I learned from these experiences is that for training to be effective it must be managed.

Executives who are responsible for the development of their people generally delegate the training responsibility to specialists within their organization. Too often that delegation becomes abdication. When this happens, training evolves into just another organizational activity rather than a managed investment that is expected to produce measurable results.

There are five primary reasons why training fails to produce results.

No accountability: Training that lacks measurable objectives and observable implementation. Without measurable objectives, training will never be more that a nonproductive activity. Measurable objectives are needed to define success and to targeted the desired results.

Incongruity: Teaching techniques, skills, and values that the corporate culture will not support. Examples include: Introducing long range planning techniques in a management-by-crisis organization. Teaching quality customer communications in an engineering driven company. Teaching bottom up values [participative management] in a top down organization.

Inappropriate application: Attempting to solve a performance problem with a training solution. This involves teaching people what they already know, but aren’t doing because they aren’t motivated, e.g., Attempting to solve delayed service reporting through time management training.

Ineffective methods: Using teaching methods that do not involve the students emotionally and physically, as well as intellectually. When people are ‘talked at,’ there is minimal involvement. Plus, at the end of the lecture you have no idea what they now understand. Silent note taking does not necessarily equal learning, and learning does not necessarily equal application. Even upscale Power Point presentations can be very passive teaching methods when they do not involve the learner.

Fad focused: Any materials touting the latest P. O. T. Y. [Program Of The Year]. Trainees invest little energy in the content since they know from experience that "this too shall pass."

Mentally review the training your people have received in the last year. Which, if any, of the above parachute jammers have been present?

However, if you’re ‘free falling’ with a defective parachute it really doesn’t matter why the chute won’t open. What matters is how to get the parachute to open before the first bounce. Integrating the following five factors will assure that your organization’s training succeeds by producing positive results.

1. Measurable objectives & application: Insure that all training you sponsor is measured at the end of the learning experience AND as it is applied in the workplace. Effective training begins when measurable objectives are established for each learning experience. Productive training is complete only when its effectiveness is measured in work applications. The most important measure is always the application on new knowledge. The workplace is where your training provides a return on your investment. As the executive sponsor, hold the trainer and the trainees accountable for measurable workplace results.

2. Strategic focus: Assure that the training results are producing positive changes that directly support and enhance your organization’s vision and direction. Doing so adds a bottom line purpose to your training, e.g., To enhance the performance of your organization by increasing specific skills and techniques of staff.

3. Appropriate solution: Insure that your training is being applied to solve training issues. Training issues are deficiencies in knowledge, information, or skills. Training is never effective when it is applied to performance and motivational deficiencies. The best way to differentiate between learning and performance issues is the 357 Magnum test.

Before designing a learning experience, picture yourself with a loaded revolver [hypothetical, of course], cocked, and aimed at the potential trainee’s head. The question becomes: Under this life threatening stress, could the potential trainee do what you want him them to do. If the person immediately leaps into effective action, you have identified a performance problem. However, if the trainee, facing the threat of death, doesn’t move to accomplish the desired task, then you know you have a genuine training problem.

4. Pygmalion effect: Expect and behave as though your learning resource is going to produce measurable change and it will. The executive communicates this self fulfilling expectation through words, behaviors, and planned follow though. The trainers and trainees look to these variables to determine whether this is just another "fire drill" or if it is the real thing. Your high expectation of measurable performance improvement is critical.

5. Just-In-Time training: Insure that your training resource is being applied to current rather than future issues. The closer the learning experience is to the application, the greater the usage. This just makes sense. Teach people how to conduct meetings [or any other skill or technique] just before they will be conducting a meeting, not six months before. The learning is fresh and the learner more motivated.

EXECUTIVE TRAINING AUDIT:

What are the measurable objectives of your training??

What measurable results are expected from your training??

How do you follow up to assure implementation of your training efforts??

How are the results directly tied to your organization’s success??

Are you attempting to solve performance problems with training solutions??

Have you applied the 357 Magnum test to your training?

Is your training focused on current needs?

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