MANY YEARS AGO, I had an employee fail to meet a critical deadline, which ended up costing me a substantial and profitable contract. Afterward, I had an opportunity to reflect on his action. I concluded that you shouldn’t blame them unless you train them.
The best investment you can make right now—with immediate results—is to learn how to effectively train your employees. Most people respond well to receiving training that improves their skills and enhances their value in the workplace. A smart business owner or manager uses this as a way to motivate employees.
Training should be based on the idea that true learning occurs when individuals discover something for themselves. Training programs should be based on objectives, skill checks and reinforcement. Objectives include the conditions, action and criteria. In other words, objectives tell you what you are given to work with (conditions), what you must do (actions) and how you will know when you are successful (criteria).
There are many positive outcomes that result from training employees, including:
Better customer service.
Higher sales and profits.
Fewer job mistakes that cost money.
Fewer work-related injuries.
Reduced turnover.
Consistent implementation of company systems, polices and procedures.
Having trained employees is critical to our industry and your business success. Consider developing a training program based on the following criteria:
Training must be formal and inclusive. Don’t simply put one employee with another for a few days and expect the employee to be trained.
Develop a training checklist. Be sure your training covers all the aspects of the job you expect to be completed.
Develop a methodology. Deliver the training in a way that includes training methods, testing, tracking and documenting.
Prioritize training content. Focus on must know and need to know training content.
Continuing Education
It’s important to think of training as an ongoing process. Successful companies recognize that having an ongoing training program builds skills and reduces turnover. In addition, having an ongoing training program allows you to select people from within the company who already have an understanding of your mission, vision, values, systems, processes and procedures. It also enables you to build a “pool” of qualified and potential candidates for management or supervisory positions.
Link your incentives to training and post-training measurable improvements. This not only gives employees a positive reason to get more involved in the training, but to learn and, even more important, apply what they have learned. Above all, don’t become complacent with your training. It’s important to continually update your training as the operational practices of your business changes.
Just be mindful of the fact that people tend to do best at work they enjoy. You have some control over the situation simply by how you manage. When you give a person the latitude to decide how to do their job, instead of micromanaging every detail of every task, they will do things in a way that’s most enjoyable for them. The result will be a more productive, satisfied employee. Plus, you’ll find you have more time for managing the “big picture,” concentrating on the things you do best.
Earl Rivard is vice president of marketing for First United Door Technologies, a Tempe, Ariz.-based manufacturer of residential and commercial doors. To reach him, call 866.366.7636; visit www.firstudt.com.
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