Last month’s article discussed “training” in a general sense, offering a bird’s-eye view of the training landscape.
Jim CastigliaIt was a lot of information about two types of training (tribal method vs planned); training methods; training objectives; training effectiveness; assessing the need for training, the benefits of having a strong training strategy and program in your business or department; and seven powerful questions to help you develop an organizational or departmental training plan.
This article will focus on a particular category of employee we’ll call “up-and-coming employees.” (Longenecker, C. 2015) Using the two factors of 1) motivation and 2) skill level, up-and-comers are highly motivated, have their heads and hearts in the game, and are willing to be very industrious but lack some of the specific skills they need for top performance.
First, check your willingness to commit yourself and make the time to identify and develop these employees. This investment on your part could have a high ROI. You’ll reap the benefits in more fully engaged employees who can positively impact the business in many ways.
Next, determine who the up-and-comers are. Remember, these are very motivated employees, but lack certain skills. Once the skill deficiency is identified, you can start developing a training plan.
You’ll need to activate two instructional roles: trainer and teacher. These two roles differ and are distinct from how you develop the other three categories of employees.
What Do Trainers Do?
Trainers train. They teach specific skillsets. Training is a hands-on type of instruction. Trainers identify where an employee is lacking a skill, then develop a customized “training plan” to help the employee acquire that skill and perform it at the highest level. (N.B., the training plan project can be delegated and emerge from others besides the company or departmental leader.)
Trainers use role playing, games, fishbowls, simulations, video playback, feedback, and instruments, to name a few. Trainers observe performance and offer structured expertise and insight to the performer. Why do top athletes have coaches? Because the athlete can’t see their own performance. Trainers hold employees accountable for the behavioral changes expected of them.
What Do Teachers Do?
Teachers promote theoretical understanding and knowledge of subject areas such as customer service, sales, problem-solving, communication, and team building.
One example is teaching the correct steps in a process and explaining the whys of each step (e.g., a sales process). The teacher is advancing principles and knowledge. Training comes into play when the employee “gets on the mat” and practices what he or she has learned through a role-play or hot-seat exercise.
Another example is learning to play an instrument, such as the piano. There’s the theoretical knowledge about chords, notes, timing, and rhythm, then the practical skill of finger movement. Learning to perform involves practice. Practice is about repetition… lots of it, until the knowledge is in your fingers without thinking.
Note that training and teaching can overlap, so don’t get caught up in the differences mentioned above. These distinctions are for your own clarity.
Where Does Talent Come In?
At this point, I’ll mention the subject of “talent.” The Gallup Organization has done extensive research in this area, and the first key to successful management is to hire for talent. So, let me first define what a talent is.
Gallup defines a talent as “a recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied.” (Buckingham, M. 1999)
There are four basic categories of talents:
- Executing talents
- Influencing talents
- Relationship-building talents
- Strategic thinking talents.
What’s so interesting about talents is that they’re formed early in life, by the time we’re in our mid-teens. Talents come from the synaptic connections between the 100 billion neurons in your head. Talent development starts in the womb. And Gallup lists 34 talents.
Why is this important? Because if an employee lacks a talent or talents required for success in their role (i.e., has a non-talent/non-talents in certain areas), it becomes a “weakness.” No amount of training or teaching is going to turn that non-talent, that weakness, into highly productive performance.
Gallop recommends three strategies to deal with an employee’s weaknesses:
- Devise a support system
- Find a complementary partner
- Find an alternative role for the employee.
A typical case of a support system is in the field of optics. Hundreds of years ago, if you were nearsighted, farsighted, or had an astigmatism, you were handicapped. But as the science of optics developed and glasses became available, imperfect vision became an irrelevant non-talent. Glasses were the support system.
In terms of complementary partnerships, think of Warren Buffett and Charley Munger; Walt Disney and his brother Roy; Bill Gates and Paul Allen. These partnerships enabled the partners to capitalize on who they were, not by trying to fix a deficiency.
Lastly, if you have an employee for whom no support system or partnership works, it’s time to find them an alternative role. The key to knowing it’s time to move the person into another role is if you’re spending a lot of time managing around their weaknesses. It’s likely a casting error.
The Training Plan
Okay, so you’ve completed task 1 and identified your up-and-comers. You know where their skills are lacking. Your next task is to create a training plan.
A training plan is like any business planning effort you’ve done. It includes specific schedules, resources, who’s doing the training, clear training objectives, and defined training methods.
If your prior training methods were more “pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey-blindfolded” and hope for the best, this article should help you to better understand and help your employees.
Just imagine how well-developed employees can impact your organization's top and bottom lines.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or want any assistance. You don’t have to decide on training initiatives all alone. If you value cutting through the fog, no-fluff insight, being challenged, direct truth, and energizing direction that can help you transform how you lead your company or department, text me at 949-338-7141, tell me about your situation, and let’s get to know each other. Thank you.
Jim Castiglia is the founder of Business Street Fighter Consulting, supporting entrepreneurial business owners in their desire to grow and maximize the value of their businesses. You can reach him by email at jvcastiglia@icloud.com or text him at 949.338.7141.
