time for training
A perfect storm is brewing.
Why do I say that?
Because nearly every CEO I talk to is increasingly concerned about the ability to find the right talent to achieve business goals.
And the competition for talent is only increasing—unemployment is at a 17-year low in the U.S., Congress just passed the biggest pro-growth tax bill since the 1980s (regardless of how you feel about it), and our economy is booming.
Unfortunately, organizations are so focused on recruiting externally to achieve their strategic goals that they forget to tap into a source of proven talent that’s right in front of their eyes.
I’ve said it before—poaching talent from your competitors is not a strategy. The time has come to think much more broadly about how to develop the skillsets organizations need to fuel their growth. So, what should you do?
train
In today’s environment, the training department may be one of the most critical functions in an organization. Yet it’s the first to get cut every time an organization needs to reduce expenses. Why?
Well, historically, the training department has offered content that’s focused on internal processes. Don’t get me wrong—it’s important to make sure employees are able to use internal systems, process expenses, etc. But when times get tough, leadership isn’t going to see how that impacts the bottom line or achieves strategic goals, and they’ll likely choose to eliminate it.
So how do you change that? I suggest that organizations re-evaluate the purpose of the training department and align it to the organization’s strategic objectives. The training function should be charged with developing skillsets the organization requires to grow and achieve its strategic goals. As part of a broader talent management group, the training function should be evaluating which skills will be obsolete and looking for opportunities to re-train and deploy new skillsets.
For example, if a technology product is migrating from one technology platform to another, the training department should evaluate which skillsets won’t be required in the new world and develop a plan to re-train their talent with relevant skills that will be required in the future. This feels like a no-brainer, yet few organizations really make this leap. It seems many organizations would rather pay severance and hire new people who are already trained in the new technologies.
This hurts the organization (by letting go of good people who understand their product and operations), hurts families (by firing people who may not be able to find another job, as their skillsets are obsolete), and hurts the economy (by increasing unemployment). If that’s not bad enough, the organization will also develop a bad reputation for not valuing people, making it even more difficult to recruit and retain good talent.
Imagine, though, if your organization could keep strong talent who already had functional knowledge of your product and were committed to your organization. How much better would that be? How much more engaged and productive would they be, knowing that your organization made a long-term investment in them?
experience
In order to truly make the training function strategic, training organizations also need to broaden their scope. Today, many training functions focus solely on content, without providing an effective means to help the employees internalize and apply their new skills.
Previously, helping employees really internalize training was hard to do, but there are so many innovative technologies available now that can facilitate learning application. For example, many organizations are adopting gamification. There are also opportunities to leverage chatbots and artificial intelligence to interact with employees throughout their workday to help answer questions and re-inforce learning.
Imagine receiving this training exercise: You watch a series of videos during your own time about a new technology platform that you need to learn for work. The very next day as you’re working on this platform, the chatbot interacts with you to help reinforce some of the key principles. As you go throughout your workday, the chatbot answers questions you have about the new technology and adapts itself to your personal learning needs. It’s like a little virtual teacher to help you apply what you just learned. How powerful would that be?
Remember, content is only the first step. The bigger issue is to ensure people are applying their learning. I definitely recommend looking at emerging technologies to help create the right personalized learning experience.
evaluate
These new technologies also have the potential to help you evaluate a training strategy’s effectiveness. So many training organizations evaluate their success based on how many people attended a class or what the attendee satisfaction rating was. These are interesting metrics, but how do you know if the person who attended the training can effectively apply the learning to their jobs?
Most new technologies, like chatbots, can provide deep analytics about how a program is working based on interaction with employees. If your training is focused on relevant curriculum that the organization needs for growth, then you should be able to get a clear picture of how effective the program is and where you may need to adjust it.
These types of analytics will also help the organization understand how long it’s taking an employee to effectively learn the new skills, allowing management to forecast how many skills can be built internally and what skillsets it will need to find externally.
Imagine that your organization could model out the skills it would need three years from now. Based on learning trends, it could forecast how many of the skillsets could come from internal talent. It could then estimate how many hires it would need to achieve its goals and build a strategy to hire. The organization would be able to quantify the cost of acquiring and developing the talent it needed and set aside the investment dollars to make it happen.
Would that give the CEO peace of mind that she would have the skillsets to drive her business forward into the future? And would that make the training department indispensable?
sink or swim
In today’s world, it’s essential to have a training department that’s connected to the organization’s overall business goals. The time has come for the training department to be responsible for building the workforce for the future and, like all other groups, to be measured on its ability to impact business goals. Not doing so will put it squarely on the chopping block, but will also put an organization at risk of falling short of its overall goals.
How Can We Help You?
Consulting for Business Executives
Adapt company culture to the new normal
Get your team on the same page
Stop losing top talent to competitors
Online Coaching for Professional Development
Become a respected and strategic HR leader
Develop a unique company culture
Align the workforce to achieve business goals