In a perfect world, each new person you bring into your organization has a pre-existing knowledge of the way in which you do things. This is, of course, not the case, and while they may have the background experience you’re looking for, like sales, for example, how that position fits into your company might be completely different than what they’re used to.
That’s where you, as their boss, come in to offer them the support and resources they need to excel and grow within your company.
Dale Carnegie Training of Central & Southern New Jersey offers six employee training tips to strengthen your team:
View training as an investment, not an expense. Many businesses dismiss the idea of training because it seems like an expense rather than an investment. This is simply not true. Ultimately, the long-term benefits of employee training far outweigh its immediate costs. And when you factor in the importance of employee retention, the value of training becomes self-evident.
Get management to support the initiative. Obviously, an employee training initiative cannot get off the ground without the support of management. Furthermore, when management gets involved with an initiative, employees tend to show more interest. Otherwise, they might be hesitant and view continued training as a criticism of their skill sets.
Start the initial training program off small. Getting in over your head right from the start is a surefire way to see your training program canned immediately. It is best to work the kinks out of the new initiative by starting out small. Benchmarking a developing training program with a handful of employees exposes weaknesses and shortcomings in its design.
Choose dynamic instructors to lead training. There are really only two options when it comes to employee training instructors: Either you outsource the job and hire a professional trainer (check out our class offerings here) or you select a knowledgeable staff member who is charismatic and engaging enough to prove an effective teacher. Either way, the person leading the employee training needs to be a capable educator.
Train employees throughout the team. Even employees who have been part of the team for several years can benefit from further training. The worst mentality one can develop is thinking that they have learned everything about their business. Everyone can and should strive to learn more, whether they have just been hired or been around for over a decade.
Measure the success of the employee training. Measuring the efficacy of your employee training might seem difficult, but it should actually become apparent in a number of ways. If after employee training you notice an increase in profits or employee productivity, take it as a sign that the employee training is pulling the weight of its cost.
Are there any tips you’d add to this list? Leave them in the comments section.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Central & Southern New Jersey. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @CarnegieJersey.