If you were only going to do 3 training related things this year, these are those!
1. Put your WSP (workplace skills plan ) in place.
This ensures that you are approaching your skills training methodically and pre-emptively. Be practical when doing this.
For example if you know that you have a particular weakness in a product that could give rise to additional queries and increased return rates it would be VERY wise to include a CUSTOMER CARE workshop into the early stages of 2009. Why lose your clients when, with a bit of planning every single employee could know exactly how to retain them?
2. Put a buddy system in place
This allows for continued assessment and growth. Buddies ask each other for feedback on professional behaviour and method of communication or execution of task. Buddy teams can even team up with other buddy teams and or switch buddies on a temporary basis. You can even formalise it slightly be asking for praise for each buddy on a buddy-board in the canteen area. (make this a weekly task) This means that not only does the practice remain in place, it means the message gets reinforced quite visibly. Obviously participation needs to be monitored. Buddy systems cultivate new cultures.
3. Put your faith in the power of knowledge
During the course of 2009 it is by now quite obvious that new economic challenges will face us. This is not the time to run scared on training expenditure. Training – and holding the candidate accountable for new and different behaviour patterns - generates a return on investment. Measure this return.
For example if you send a supervisor on a management workshop expect increased productivity from them. Remember to formalise the measurement criteria, then hold them accountable.
(c) Debbie Engelbrecht 22 January 2009
Debbie is the owner of www.stafftraining.co.za a soft skills training company. Her passion is the motivation and empowerment of individuals whilst on a continual journey for improved Emotional Intelligence (EQ) herself.
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