inform. educate. connect. Issue #7 - February 2010

Two Down, Ten to Go! How is Your Training Strategy Working?

By Jim Hopkins, JK Hopkins Consulting

February 2010 is just about over, giving us just ten more months to accomplish the items on the strategic training plan we wrote last year! What? You never wrote a training plan? How is that working for you so far? If you are like most companies without a plan, you have been operating on a very reactive cycle, and in less than two months into the year, you are getting tired already.

One of the best things a training department can do is to realize that there will always be a certain amount of reactive activities tied to the function. Yet the leader’s job is to minimize the reactive times by becoming more proactive in their daily operations. The very best way I know how to accomplish this with positive results is developing and using a training plan. And better yet, a strategic training plan that is tied to business objectives.

When I conduct a training audit, before I even arrive for a site visit, I ask for a copy of the training plan. When there is no plan available, there will no doubt be a lot of unplanned activities driving the training function, and thus if I ask what the priorities are this year, I usually get a sigh followed by whatever they are currently working on. Which is not necessarily the highest priority, but it was what appeared to be the most important.

For several years I taught a time management program that was big on planning. Plan the year, the month, the week and down to the day. It took awhile to grasp that although planning took time out of my day, in the end, I was so much more productive and was free to be reactive when required, because when done I always had my plan to remind me of my priorities.

The number one skill development most companies “say” they want to focus on in 2010 is management & leadership development. I smile at this survey result because I believe it is the third year in a row it is making the top of the to-do list. Why? Simply because it didn’t get done the year before, so it keeps coming back annually like a tired old New Year’s Resolution! If developing managers is a priority for your organization (and it should be for everyone) then decide when the first workshop starts.

The training plan needs to include programs like management development that need some front end work before the training begins. Deciding what day the training begins is a way to put a flag in the sand and say to everyone, we are going to be ready to roll by this date. So activities in the training plan start being planned to accomplish the goal.

I am a big fan of the year at a glance calendars that give me a look at everything going on at once.  I start by blocking off holidays, any staff vacations, or professional development activities.  Then I lay out the published calendar of training, which by now is filling in a lot of the squares.  Depending on the size of your staff and the amount of work you want or need to accomplish, start penciling in your training priorities.

The Training Plan is vital if you are going to manage a team of employees each clocking 40 hours a week to the payroll. Call me old fashioned, but if I am paying people for 40 hours I want 40 hours of production. Another way of looking at it is the return on the investment. If you agree, then think about the first question I asked; with two down and ten to go, how is your training strategy working? I count about 240 hours per person in training so far. If they haven’t accomplished 240 hours of work focused on the learning function, then maybe it is time to write a training plan before the year gets any older.

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