Maximize Your Training

When you think about how much money is spent each year on training and education, the numbers are astounding. I saw a report which said in the US, companies spent over $164 Billion dollars on employee training. I find that amazing! This makes me think, why do these companies spend so much money on employee training? Is your company paying for your training, or you have decided to invest in your own training? Either way, it is essential to know if the instruction is effective. Is it delivering exceptional value for its price tag? Here is how you can determine if your training is worth the cost.

Traditional Training

The vast majority of today’s training is directed at helping employees know more. Some of it might be to learn a new sales technique or a new technology. Other money might be spent on employee tuition or for advanced degrees. In the case of advanced degrees, companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on one employee. This is done with the assumption the employee will gain more knowledge and be more valuable to the company.

I’ve been exposed to several companies which offer advanced degrees, and I have actually taken advantage of one of these programs. However, when an employee completes the degree they are not guaranteed a promotion or even a merit increase. Why? Shouldn’t the employee be worth more with all the new found knowledge they’ve gained? Not necessarily…

Your Value is Based on What You Do…

…Not What You Know. In today’s world, we have our young people graduating college with degrees and a mountain of student loan debt. Soon after graduation they are moving into their parents’ basement because they either can’t find a job, or they can’t find a good paying job. How does this happen? They are educated, and we’ve been told for our entire lives getting educated is the key to success. Go to school, learn something, go to college or a trade school. Isn’t this how you become successful?

Learn New Behaviors!

If you want to get better results at your company and for yourself, you need to learn to do more. That doesn’t mean to work longer hours, or to work harder. It means changing behavior. We all do things from time to time and immediately realize we know better. How many times do we have to make the same mistakes before we learn a lesson? The answer is really one time… but you’ll continue making the same mistake until you learn to change your behavior.

Learn to Change!

What we do every day determines our results. Do the same thing every day, and you’ll get the same results. If you want to change your results, you need to change your actions. If you want your company, or team to achieve different results, you need to teach them how to think and act differently. You need to change behavior, or culture, to bring about different results.

Once you create a pattern of behavior (habit) or a culture designed to get the desired results, then you will begin to see the difference. I have say I am a big advocate for continuous learning, but knowledge that doesn’t lead to behavioral changes, won’t change your results. This is true no matter how many degrees you achieve.

This Week’s Challenge

The challenge this week is to examine your training. Either the education you’re providing your employees, or the programs you’re investing in yourself. If the training is designed to help you know more, are you getting the return on investment desired? Training with a goal to change behaviors permanently will help you grow your business, your career, and bring you closer to the results you are looking for!

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Quote of the Week

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” – Albert Einstein