JoAnn Corley — November 12, 2019 
Call me crazy, but I just have to write, proclaim…beat the drum again about the most important, compelling need of a business – having competent managers…and the challenge of developing and managing the managers.
If you have chosen to work with, have an employee based business, having competent managers – those with good people management skills (as many say) is not an option. Yet, many treat it as such. Does this make sense?
Now, there are many reasons why folks see it as optional, but my focus for this post is to talk about, be squarely focused on the solution….one that actually works.
What’s Currently Available for Management Training
If you were to do an on line search for management training, which might also include management training seminars, online management training, management training seminars near me, management training for new supervisors, management skills for new managers, you would come up with these most popular results:
– The AMA – American Management Association
– Public Seminar companies such as Fred Pryor, National Seminars, Career Path
– Online offerings such as Skillsoft Management Training, Mindtools, Cornerstone, LinkedIn
Learning (for the record, I am an SME-course author for them).
Though a few less popular brands appear, these are the companies that have dominated the leadership and management training market for years. In my early years, I contracted with a few of them. I know the industry well.
Which brings me to an important point. Over the 20+ years I’ve been in the industry, I’ve had a front row seat to observing what’s most effective in manager training – what it really takes to help develop people management skills that results in effective management…and what falls short.
With all these offerings.. there is still an issue with successful management training…that is reliable and sustainable. Consider this quote from the Harvard Business Review from the recent past:
“Managers are trying to solve their intractable people problems in any way they can. They’re exhaustively using all their skills to find solutions—in fact, most of the leaders and managers we have worked with are highly motivated and educated, yet when they confront certain people problems, their traditional approaches just aren’t working.”
Source: Putting a Price on People Problems at Work
The truth is current offers are partially helpful – only to a degree. And, they are not really “training” resources, they are learning resources. There’s a big difference.
You see they are only partially helpful because they only offer partial training because the bulk of their offer is only information and usually lots of it…more accurately “information dumps” during a short, prescribed period of time. And unfortunately for the buyers, the perceived value is based on the volume of information not the ability to achieve desired results.
Additionally, they promote unrealistic expectations about their training results. Gaining information – that is learning – is really only the first step of training. Learning does not equal automatic skill acquisition.
Think about it… a skill is an exceptional behavior. In fact, a skill is a specialized habit.
The great misconception:
Talking about a skill does not a skill make –
talking about a habit does not automatically create a habit.
So the next time you see an ad of any kind that suggests you will be gaining skills by sitting in a classroom or working through an e-learning module understand that acquiring information will not automatically translate into a tactical, practical skill or permanent behavior change. Learning provides prompts for change. It’s the consistent practice post learning that will create the skill.
Promising or promoting skill acquisition disguised as learning has done a great disservice to the HR industry for years. It sets unrealistic expectations, which has created frustration and disillusionment regarding the value of training-development and which has also wasted tremendous amounts of time and money.
It’s also conditioned decision-makers into a state I call FOS – fear of spending. Consciously and subconsciously many decision-makers feel as if spending money on employee training and development is really just a waste of money and something that’s nice to do “if we can afford it”.
Here’s What Missing in Most Offerings
What you’ll learn in more detail when viewing the video is what’s missing or not helpful with current offerings and the industry approach to training and development in general – here’s just a few elements:
-the buffet style-random choosing which offers…
-a lack of continuity
-no consistency
-no meaningful accountability for application
-no long term support for as long as needed to see desired result
– some are too costly, which makes it too exclusive – so many who need it are left out (kinda defeats the purpose)
-not operationally focused or real-time relevant
-no ability or effort to track ROI
So, What Are Your Options?
How about considering the ultimate management training idea that goes way beyond a management training book, seminar, workshop, or e-learning module.
Here’s the reality. You can continue to use the popular offerings and experience the same deficits, but in a more informed way (after viewing our mini-course below) so that you can at least make a plan to fill the gaps.
Or you can try our offering. It is the only one on the market that is structured to fill the gaps in a distinct, unique way with a significant, measurable return on investment (which we even help you calculate).
Our Key Difference – How to Train Managers: Use a Comprehensive Operational Approach
Brief Overview
– we’ve developed in collaboration with clients a tested, proven step-by-step (9 building block) how to manage blueprint that’s comprehensive and which can be used at any level or title. Think of the design as if a manager training curriculum was built into an easy to follow framework or roadmap.
It’s the Effective Executive’s Blueprint for Smart Management. It’s designed to serve as a senior management training program first and then duplicated through-out the organization. It helps construct a cohesive leadership team and culture.
The result?... an “all-in-one” resource that improves operations, fosters high-functioning teams, cultivates a learning and process-improvement culture all while developing effective management skills.
– it is easy to budget because it is a flat fee model – no matter how it’s used within an organization
– we are virtual so we are anywhere you need us to be – we serve clients world-wide (also great for companies with remote teams).
– key distinction=> we have continuous weekly live learning to provide continuity and real-time support for learning and application accountability
– we are always just a phone call or email away-period.. for as long as you need us
– we are fully invested in the results you want for as long as it takes
– all application of learning is applied to current operational needs (this is your opportunity to customize) so you can financially measure value and results in real-time.
2 Very Distinct Bonuses
– each step of the blueprint is carefully designed to include human behavior science
– each step (building block) is designed to produce a positive financial gain – that’s 9 opportunities for financial gain within the first 90 day roll-out cycle.
Summary
I know this a lot to digest. This post is an introduction to…and encouragement to rethink how we as an industry collectively view management training – to go beyond the sporadic, periodic, disjointed, one and done approach that doesn’t produce the needed results. We need to see it and advocate for it to be a continuous endeavor, embedded in day-to-day operations, relevant in real-time, and able to be measured as a natural part of business management and operations.
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