delisheva

Should I Train the Trainer for my training needs?

That’s a great question! Training employees from day one is an important way to integrate them into not only their jobs, but the organization as a whole. Knowing whether it is a good idea to train someone internally to handle this needs some reflection.

One question is, what will employees be trained on? Well, most companies start with Onboarding (previously called Orientation). Today, Onboarding can last from one day to up to two weeks, depending on their level in the organization and the level to which you want them fully integrated into the life of the company. Will the internal person be able to onboard the new employee in a way that will create an excitement in the new-hire to stay and grow? Will they be a dedicated resource that will not have to set aside normal duties to spend several days doing the Onboarding?

Then you have job-specific training, compliance training and then (hopefully and very importantly) soft-skills and development training. Will the internal trainer be qualified to train on job-specific knowledge or skills? Will the internal trainer know the laws and regulations necessary for compliance in your industry? Finally, would your internal trainer know how to motivate adults? Command a room? Handle difficult participants? Impart the knowledge in a way that the participants will accept and even champion when they leave the room?

These are not academic questions. In asking someone to be a trainer, you are asking them to understand what motivates adults, how to engage them, to confidently stand up in front of a group of their peers and impart knowledge and passion. You don’t just want training, either. You want results! These are all skills that belong to a group of people that spend years learning them. Training people is as much art as it is the ability to create and hand out job aids.

So, it sounds like you are saying I should not do Train the Trainer.

Well, that depends. Train the Trainer can be a good option for a limited amount of training.

Train the Trainer can be a good option, for instance, for training Rules and Regulations (such as how to prevent bank fraud), Safety Culture and Procedures and on Prevention of Sexual Harassment (all compliance-related). Not to say that these are easy – they still require time and mentoring to learn and be able to convey in a manner that participants will accept – but it can be an option.

They can also impart limited job skills and knowledge (based on their own experience). We usually call these folks Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). They do not formally hold the role of trainer, but can be trained to impart their own job knowledge in a way that others can understand. I would spend at least a day or two training SMEs in adult learning theory and allow them to practice until they get the feel for it. Not all SMEs can be good trainers, although there are some out there that can be.

The more difficult training, which I personally do not recommend for Train the Trainer, is for soft-skills and personal development. This requires not only an intimate knowledge on material and course content that most people do not already know if they haven’t trained for it, but also an understanding of adult learning theory. A second reason is that an internal person, known as they are as a fallible human being from co-workers and management alike, is not likely to receive the support and acceptance as an expert worthy to speak on many topics. They are, in a sense, under a microscope and, as the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt.

This may be an unfair judgement, to be sure, depending on the trainer. However in my own experience, participants are rarely forgiving to a fellow employee when they are asked to step into a role as expert trainer. In addition, a trainer should have experience in and the ability to create course content (for e-learning and/or for in-person training) that will yield a desired outcome, and even some experience as a consultant – having to navigate silos, inter-department collaboration issues and in navigating the world of HR and upper management.

What should we do then? If your budget allows, hire someone with experience in training, learning and development or talent development to fill the role of internal trainer. This person should have at least 2-3 years of experience in training others, and preferably, some type of certification. The Association of Talent Development has a few options. They offer the APTD – the Associate Professional in Talent Development. This is for those with 3 years of experience in the field or two years plus college or plus other ATD certifications. Then you have the CPLP – Certified Professional in Learning and Performance now being renamed CPTD – Certified Professional in Talent Development. This certification is for those with at least five years of experience and much broader knowledge in the field of human capabilities and much broader scope of knowledge in the talent development field.

Well, what if I don’t have the budget to spend $50,000-$100,000 to hire a training professional?

No problem! Then another good option is to hire an outside training consultant. There are many great consultants out there that are CPLP or CPTD certified or have a masters in teaching or training adults. Consultants generally become consultants because they are already experts in their field and want to work for themselves. Consultants will typically work with your HR team to find out what learning outcomes are needed and then work backwards to create course content specific to your company’s needs. Consultants also have prepared training on a host of subjects such as Teamwork, Communication, Problem Solving, Project Management, Leadership, Management, Customer Service, Leadership for Women, Diversity & Inclusion, Prevention of Sexual Harassment and a wide variety of other courses.

Can I afford an outside consultant? YES!

Many consultants will charge by the hour or a day rate and cover large areas (such as I cover California, Arizona and Nevada). This can be a cost-effective option as you only pay the consultant for the training you need. A good consultant can even help you create a training plan to be used for the following year’s budget (and the more budget the more training you can offer!). A training consultant can also do Train the Trainer for those subjects mentioned above and they can also train an SME on how to train their subject matter.

So, should I do a Train the Trainer? Should I hire a full-time trainer? Should I hire an outside consultant?

My answer might surprise you: YES to all three!

You can do Train the Trainer for those classes that you really need to do yearly, but you can have the employee do another job for non-training days. This person may even become a part-time trainer. They will need to stay abreast of changing regulations, or you can have an agreement with a consultant to provide yearly updates as part of a Train the Trainer agreement.

You can hire someone to be a full-time trainer that can deliver classes and train SMEs. Many times your internal full-time trainer will train on job-specific changes (such as new software), maintain training records and maintain the training budget so HR doesn’t have to. They are also always available for new job-specific training when you need them.

You can and should hire outside training consultants for: specialized training (such as Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Diversity & Inclusion, Workplace Violence, etc) and also to train on subjects your internal trainer may not have expertise in, or that you need a fresh non-employee perspective on, such as: Leadership, Employee Performance, Personal Productivity, Basic Project Management, personality assessments that will reinforce certain communication or teamwork behaviors, Presentation Skills, Problem-solving and much more.

Please contact me if you’d like to learn more about this topic, if you’d like to discuss Train the Trainer opportunities, Train the SME, starting an Onboarding program, creating an internal training department, or if you’d like me to come train as an outside consultant. My website gives details on all the courses I currently offer in both English and Spanish. I train any size group in-person, at your facility. I am professional and knowledgeable but also funny and approachable. I also offer consulting services on any of the above.

Please contact me at: devorah@allensolorioconsultancy.com

10 Ways New Learning Leaders Can Gain Respect From Their Colleagues

Please click here to access this article on Training Industry.com

The Culture of Mid-Stream Strategy Change

Please click here to be re-directed to the Association of Talent Development, where this article was published. I hope you find it refreshing!

What to Consider Before Developing a Management Training or Hi-Potential Leadership Program

Screenshot (1)

By clicking here you will be re-directed to TrainingIndustry.com where the article was published. Enjoy!

Change is Like Lyft

By clicking on the title you will be re-directed to the Association of Talent Development website, where this article was published – td.org Enjoy!

Core Values – Why are they important?

Let’s first define what values are.

Values are terms we use to explain how we measure achievement. These values determine our actions and beliefs. These chosen measurements lead to real-life behavior. Values apply to both employers and employees, and create behaviors in each.

Corporate Core Values

Creating or updating core values is a very popular organizational trend lately. These core values purport to define how the company and its employees behave.

These core values may include corporate-speak, such as:

· Sustainability (or an environmentally sustainable workplace)

· Social responsibility (Some initiative for the betterment of the community)

· Technological Innovation

· Optimize Towards Ideals

· Agility

· Do No Evil

· Growth and Learning

· Embrace and Drive Change

Then there are one-word values, such as:

· Integrity

· Accountability

· Empowerment

· Respect

· Fun

· Family

· Teamwork

Many companies (nonprofits and government included) expect their employees to memorize their core values, and some even tie performance metrics to their adherence. Think about that. If you have to memorize an imposed list of values – some of which aren’t even clear in relation to your job – how likely are you to be able to actually put them into action?

There is also a trend to ‘hire for values’ – perhaps by use of a pre-hire assessment or by carefully crafted questions during an interview. This could work if the company truly created an environment in which processes, procedures and rewards actually allow employees to behave in accordance with the stated values.

Companies say that they want these values to guide both corporate and employee decisions and actions. They want resonance between what is stated on the website and what the company and employees actually do.

Great! Except…well this can be tricky, since many companies come up with a list of what they say the core values are, but their own leadership/management team’s actions undermine employee adoption of them by rewarding something other than the stated core values; or their processes and procedures contradict their own value statements. So, really, it isn’t what the core values are necessarily; it could just as easily be what they wish the core values to be – as if by stating it, they can make it so – or as if the organization can do one thing but expect something different and better from the employees.

Example: A company has the core value of Operational Excellence. This value – performing each action with the highest quality and efficiency – is a great predictor of long-term success. Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma and Total Quality Management have proven that. However, what if the company rewards short-term goals and quick wins over slower quality processes? Those short-term goals can have an adverse effect on adherence to processes that would lead to Operational Excellence. Since the reward is for short-term success, employees will likely not have the will to behave in accordance with this stated core value. Instead, the real core value that finds expression in action is Quick Profits lead to bonuses.

Another example: A company has the core value Embrace and Drive Change – yet puts roadblocks to innovative thinking and experimentation by reprimanding those that fail to hit targets on the first iteration of a new concept. Is it such a surprise that very few bright ideas are being proposed by employees? So, the real core value is Follow the Status Quo.

Another example: An organization has the core value of Growth and Learning. Great! Except that there is no provision for employees to leave their desks long enough to attend training or to attend coaching on professional development goals – much less provision in the budget for outside training or attendance at industry conventions. So the real core value is Profitability, not Growth and Learning.

Stating one core value and then reinforcing a different value through processes and rewards creates cognitive dissonance for employees, which is a great demotivator.

To make it even more complicated, a company can have a list of core values that are derided internally as nothing more than slogans.

For instance, a company lists Employee Engagement as a core value. However, managers with no understanding of the business are hired from outside the company while qualified employees with deep job knowledge are not even interviewed. When these same new managers come around touting Employee Engagement and arrogantly neglect to ask the employees what they think about x, y or z and then make unilateral decisions about things they don’t understand, the employees snicker to each other, “this is what employee engagement looks like?” and mock the system and culture that produce it.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, companies that do create environments that matches their core values (like Zappos) are also consistently known as among the best places to work, as seen in such lists as Fortune.com Companies like Zappos know that they should look for employees whose personal values match their corporate values. What this means is that those employees don’t need to try to match their values – they just naturally already do. There is no cognitive dissonance to try to overcome – and employees convey this resonance by voting their approval on the Best Place to Work survey form. Those are the employees that ‘stick’. The ones whose values ultimately don’t really match are weeded out.

It is, therefore, imperative to choose employees wisely based on shared values – and for organizations to enact resonance between their stated core values and their actual culture, processes and reward systems.

Personal Core Values

So, what personal values do we hold that will determine our success?

Well that depends. Success is subjective and personal. We first have to ask, what is important to me?

Do I place value on external measures of success or on internal states of contentment and meaning, leading to a more purposeful and productive life? I will choose an employer (or to be an employer) based on this answer.

For instance: Do I constantly compare myself to other people?

If so, that metric for achievement means that I have to be better, more popular, more monetarily wealthy, in a higher position and so-forth than someone else. If I am not, then I may become jealous, angry, feel under-appreciated, all of which can lead to envy and bitterness, and a very real chance of being unhappy. I will want to work in a place that is known for success and will reward me regardless of the means I employed to reach that end.

What if, in contrast to that, I measure achievement by how well I get along with others, how competent I am in my assigned job duties or projects, how well I communicate, how effective I am as a team member or leader, how I benefit my organization by being ethical, present, mindful and confident, yet empathetic? That may very well lead to a meaningful, contented life. I will want to work in a place that is known for being ethical, communicative, that values its employees as seen in its actual culture.

Which person would I like to work alongside every day? Which would I like to work for? Which would I like to be?

Another question: Do I value money over finding meaning?

If so, that metric may look like taking the highest-paying job I can find, regardless of the culture/value fit. I may also have no trouble stepping on and over the backs of others to get to where I want to go. I will constantly be in competition with my co-workers, neighbors, friends and, I daresay, my significant other. It’s all about the prestige, the car, the clothes, the fancy dining, the trips to Paris and New York, the adoration of my family and peers. The trouble with this is I may find it very empty and lonely when I look around and see only those who hang around for the free drinks.

On the other hand, what if I measure my achievement in working for a place that has an integrated work-life? This company may expect a lot from me, but also may offer an onsite gym, or a nap room, or flexible work hours, or on site child care to create the environment for integrated work-life (Family core value in action).

What if I measure achievement by working in a place that incorporates gender/cultural/ethnic diversity and same-sex benefits in its strategic human resources plan? (Inclusion core value in action).

What if I value starting my own business that benefits humanity in some way – promoting social justice or the elimination of poverty in minority children, for instance? (Social responsibility core value in action).

In choosing any of these paths and these types of values, I may very well find meaning and fulfillment in my everyday life, and probably feel a lot less bad stress too.

Which person would I like to work alongside? Which would I like to work for? Which would I choose to be?

This is the discussion we need to have about values. Organizations of all kinds should think hard about whether their stated core values and their corporate culture agree. Is the behavior that they reward in line with their stated core values? If not, this could be creating the dissonance that creates employee turnover and low morale. Employees should be sure they are working for a company where the core values agree with their own and are more than a slogan. This will set up both organizations and employees for success. This is why Core Values are important.

Does your company’s core values match what they actually reward or allow? What do YOU think is the most important personal core value? Please share your comments below!

Image Credit: http://www.leblogducommunicant2-0.com/

Learning to Love Myself

Image Credit: Heartandmoxie.com

By clicking the title, you will be redirected to The Association of Talent Development, where the article was published td.org

Creating Future Value by Living Today

We do not know what the future will bring, and we cannot control the future. However, we do know that we are constantly thinking about it, planning for it, worrying about it, plotting and scheming about it, so much so that we end up missing out on the present – which is like putting money under the mattress.

Image Credit: Investopedia

By Clicking on the title you will be re-directed to the Association of Talent Development website, where this article was published. td.org Enjoy!

The Merging of the Gen X and Millennial cultures in the Workplace

All the talk these days is about Millennials and how they will be in power in just a few years. Indeed, the more precocious of the Millennials are already in power. The real issue, of course, is what each group can teach the other.

By clicking on the title you will be re-directed to the Association of Talent Development, where this article was published – td.org Enjoy!

What do you think? Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Image credit: Experion

When the Get Up and Go Has Gone – and what to do about it

Do you feel like your Get Up and Go has gone? Are you feeling uninspired? Bored?

Do you dread going to work? Do you feel dull? Unhappy?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, keep reading!

There may be many reasons our Get Up and Go has gone.

Here are a few possibilities to ask yourself:

Am I happy in my life outside of work?
Am I still doing fun things like I used to?
Have I been on any fun vacations – maybe visited another country or even visited the Grand Canyon or New York?
Am I happy with my spouse or significant other?
Am I unhappy because I don’t have a significant other?
Do I feel like I am on the top of my game at work?
Do I look forward to new projects and challenges?
Have I learned anything new in the last year? In the last five years?

If I answered no to any/all of these questions, what does that mean?

Generally speaking, these issues are not the problem. They are the symptoms of the problem.

Well it could be…

Sure, some of it could be a longing for a simpler time – a pre-hyper-connected era. We are so busy with our iPhone, Tablet, Laptop, working 24/7, that could certainly make a person burn out. After all, who wouldn’t like to just go home and forget all about work? But no, that’s not it.

Perhaps it is a trick of the mind that times past were so much more fun and lively and interesting. After all, my days are just copy and pasted from the previous day. Nothing ever changes. I get up, brush my teeth, get dressed, commute to work, do the same things over and over at work, commute home again and then eat while watching TV, check Facebook and go to bed. So, perhaps you did have more fun in the past, but no, that’s not it either.

You’ve conveniently forgotten how in the past you had the same daily grind, the weeks that you were so tired you could barely function and that you were stressed out and broke. However, you reminisce as if those days – your best days – are over – and you are destined to subsist on the memories of ‘my best years’ in the rear-view mirror.

You are not happy at work because the new kids have come in and blown past you. They are already making you look bad. You don’t ask for or take on any new projects unless they are forcibly given to you. You just feel tired. You haven’t bothered to sign up for any training, certifications or anything else.

You are bored with your marriage or your significant other. There is no zest or spice to your relationship. When you are not in a relationship you can’t find anyone that appeals to you.

Well, if my past wasn’t really better than my present, then what’s the real problem?

What we’ve forgotten is that those days were fun and motivating because we were making memories. We tolerated the days of grind, hard work and being broke because we were out and about doing things that interested us, spending time with our friends and family, learning new things. Going places and exploring – every day seen as an opportunity to try something new.

Somewhere along the line we decided that we were too old, too tired, too slow to learn or do anything new – as if we were an old outdated model and not up to the challenge of competing with our past; As if the accumulation of time had, instead of sharpening our intellect or adventurousness, somehow made us dull and witless.

The real enemy of our Get Up and Go has been the acceptance of routine as the baseline of life to the exclusion of other choices.

We have simply acquiesced to lethargy and allowed the heavy chains of routine to be placed over our minds.

Well, you say, what can I do about it? I have good news! You can reboot your Get Up and Go in less than one minute!

All it takes is a decision and then an action. Fun, growth, change and adventure are only a decision and an action away!

So, here is what you do:

Take a moment to think about what you would like to do, or accomplish – just one thing – and then make a plan to do it. Give your Get Up and Go a little jump start.

One small movement to act can set the new idea in motion.

What have you been thinking about doing and just never did? Do it now!

Make that phone call. Who have you put off calling for too long?
Dust off and update that resume. Post it and make it searchable on LinkedIn. How can anyone find you if you can’t even be bothered to update your own CV?
Take that class. What have you always wanted to learn? How to build your own website? Pivot tables? Linguistics? Data Analysis? How to rappel down the side of a mountain? How to bake bread from scratch? How to write a book? Google the idea and your city and you will be amazed at what comes up in the search. Almost everything under the sun is right around the corner.
Take the opportunity to make new memories. Meet someone new. Say hi to the woman next to you pumping weights at the gym. Ask her how she learned weightlifting.
Learn something new! Go online and sign up! What are you curious about that you never followed up on because you got so busy with life and kids and a spouse and ageing parents? It’s never too late to get out of your shell and do something new! Almost every community has a “community school” that offers all sorts of classes for either free or a very minimal amount of money.
Call a friend, and say, “Hey Friend, let’s go hike the Santa Monica mountains on Saturday!” or “Hey love, can we go skydiving? I always wanted to do that!”
Go back and revisit those things that used to give you pleasure or joy. Dust off that skateboard and go hit the beach riding path. Pump up the tires and clean the seat of your bike and ride around the neighborhood, or ride to the grocery store. Go see that movie you keep putting off seeing. Walk around and see all the new shops you didn’t know were there, say hi to your neighbors, sit and listen to the birds, smell the salt from the ocean and feel the sun on your face.
Visit the local library and check out some books (yes, real non-digital books).
Be the buddy for someone else who has wanted to go to a baking/karate/tai chi/yoga class. You will help someone and have fun too!

It’s not too late to become the person you have always wanted to be. You can get your mojo back. Your Get Up and Go is not broken – it just waiting for you reboot and make the first move. Let’s start today!

So, what is it that you have been putting off doing? Share in the comments below!