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Make Organizational Education A Priority
 
When performing a comprehensive needs analysis, one of the main areas we examine is the organization itself. Who are the people working there? What are their roles? Do they fully understand their function and how it plays an important part in the overall operation of the business? Do they like their jobs? Are they fully trained to handle any contingency that might occur within their area of responsibility? Are they cross-trained in other areas?

Whether yours is a large corporation or a small business, the issue of training - or what we prefer to call "organizational education" - should be of paramount importance. From the receptionist to your vice president of finance, every member of your team should receive continuing skills enhancement and education to help them improve core competencies in the areas of communication, conflict resolution, time management, efficiency, quality, customer relations, sales, image, strategic and contingency planning, goal-setting, cost-cutting, creativity and listening.

Because of our country's continuing dearth of skilled workers, companies are faced with two options: 1) Search out and hire only skilled and educated people (which can be time-consuming and expensive), or 2) hire quality, trainable people who can learn on the job and grow with your company.

The most strategic and innovative companies are now creating their own internal universities, complete with comprehensive curricula, educational requirements and achievement reward systems. The best news is that employees are clamoring for the education and the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to maximize success in their current positions.

As you assess your own organizational education program, you might consider the following ideas:

1. In conjunction with structured learning, implement an employee mentor program whereby long-term employees are teamed up with new staff members. This informal ongoing learning provides a significant win-win: Mentors hone their training, coaching and communication skills while new employees receive personalized training in a hands-on, team-oriented environment.

2. Don't underestimate the knowledge your employees possess. The breadth of experience and life skills your employees bring to the workplace each day might surprise you. Encourage staff members to conduct informal seminars during the lunch hour. It's amazing what employees can learn from one another.

3. Ask your employees what they want and need to learn. They are your best source of information for determining core competencies, predicting trends and identifying needs. Ask an employee to assess their own strengths and weaknesses and, more often than not, they'll give you an honest, introspective self-appraisal. You can't get better data than that to determine your educational objectives.

4. If you're contemplating outsourcing your employee education programs, invest wisely. Ask for references, testimonials and videos of all speakers. Obtain seminar agendas and handouts ahead of time. Be proactive and involved in the educational process; don't assume that trainers and seminar leaders know more than you do. And always request that instructors customize their programs for your employees and your specific organizational needs. Generic seminars are a waste of time and money.

5. Always solicit feedback from your employees because bad training is worse than no training at all. My philosophy is this: If employees don't get value from a program, the company shouldn't have to pay for it.

The end game in employee education is to build teams of self-motivated, self-directed individuals who exhibit high levels of job-related competence, emotional intelligence and responsibility. When people become adept at this kind of personal leadership, you'll find that they are able to make sound decisions and adroitly handle virtually any situation without direction. Education empowers employees with the knowledge and confidence they need to do their job well with less supervision. As a result, your managers can spend less time directing activities and spend more time developing new programs, streamlining operations and building profits.

Debra Davenport, PhD, is a Master Professional Mentor and the president of DavenportFolio, a licensed firm with offices in Los Angeles and Phoenix that mentors entrepreneurs and professionals. She is the creator of the Certified Professional Mentor® designation and certification program and the author of The Ten Commitments of Highly Successful People. debra@davenportfolio.com or (866) 232-6492.

 

 
 
     
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