Do you shift slightly in your seat or feel the heat on the back of your neck when the executive meeting turns to the inevitable conversation about how to effectively measure the impact on your business? When I was the director of a corporate university and in my first instructional design business, I always felt this way. It felt like that wasn’t really possible, but how was I going to say that? So, I didn’t say anything at all. What I didn’t know then, but now is: I was right. It’s not possible for training to drive business impact. But when you shift your mindset from simply training people to dedicating yourself to improving employee performance — you can.
If you desire to be the trusted strategic partner that contributes to the revenue growth and success of your organization without breaking out into a sweat, then you’ll need to have a plan, the proof and a performance department that you can execute. This article will explore three barriers that are blocking or limiting your ability from achieving this goal now and actions you can take to break through those barriers and earn your seat at the executive table.
Problem No. 1 you will need to solve for: It’s often the business unit that is asking for “training to solve problems,” but this is actually a performance issue, staffing or people issue, procedure or systems issue or could even be a product design issue. The corporate university structure has been around since the 1950s and has not fundamentally changed since then. It’s focus is on learning, not on performance. We keep building a better mousetrap to train more people with more efficiency, but what we really need to be doing is establishing a process to diagnose the cause of the problem and presenting solutions that will actually solve the root cause; which are never solely a training issue.
The solution: We have to become better at marketing the full scope of services and impact that we can provide to the organization. You already know that a training course alone isn’t going to improve employee engagement scores, yet your leaders keep asking for them. From a consultant standpoint, if I don’t make you believe that what I know and the solution I provide are exactly what you need, you won’t purchase my services.
The same is true for L&D leaders within your own company. Having a thorough marketing campaign and strategy to expand the view of your department’s capabilities, the scope of services you can provide and the success that your programs generate — is vital to changing perceptions and earning your seat at the table. You also need to come to the table with proof of success that your leaders visualize, understand and desire to have for their companies too.
What do you do when you want to try a new strategy, but you don’t have your own proof to share? I guarantee you another company is doing it or a trusted industry expert is talking about it. You can learn from their experience if they’ve published a case study or white paper. Executives are always willing to listen to trusted sources that they have confidence in. So, make time in your schedule to attend conferences, network with peers and stay abreast of your industry. Another person’s success story is your proof.
Bonus: You can present your programs in a way that will capture the attention of the employee population you are trying to serve. A simple tweak in writing course titles and descriptions from the perspective of the participants and the problems they want to solve will increase their level of willingness to show up because they want to and believe it will add value to their job — not because they’ve been forced to attend. This is copywriting 101 in marketing and we’ve seen it increase registration rates, attendance and completion rates beyond typical industry averages.
Problem No. 2 you need to solve for: The training mechanisms that we’ve relied on for decades, such as workshops, seminars, e-learning courses and on-demand libraries, actually don’t move the performance needle. They were never intended to produce results. Their function is to expand awareness and increase higher level thinking.
Every instructional design course I’ve ever taken focuses on Kirkpatrick’s levels, but just because an employee comes to your training workshop and learns a new skill does not automatically translate into them being able to perform differently in their work environment. The university structure is rooted in generating the highest level of understanding, yet what our participants really need is guided support, clarity and permission to take imperfect action necessary to implement what has been learned and achieve mastery of the new skill, task or strategy.
Even the most successfully designed e-learning courses, in-person events, virtual workshops or self-guided learning can only produce higher degrees of understanding. They are not designed to fill the performance gap, but rather guide employees through the process to achieve assimilation and effectively increase their performance in their role and responsibilities at work.
The solution: Add additional elements to your training design that support implementation needs. Create safe places for human connection, collaboration and guided practice, “after the training is over.” Provide time and space to address common and predictable performance blockers that stop or limit participant implementation. Eliminate distractions and include more accountability and key milestones to keep people actively engaged and constantly in motion towards the achievement of the goal.
This functionality is possible today more than ever through emerging technologies, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams or Workplace by Facebook. They open the door wide open for two-way continuous communication, accessible anytime and from anywhere and on each person’s own schedule. Effective use and cultivation of communities in the online space are the game changer for results focused training programs.
If you’ve ever personally belonged to groups through LinkedIn or Facebook, you know the power of idea generation, strategy sharing and the support that is only one social post away from you at all times.
Problem No. 3 you need to solve for: Your current training department does not support the creation of a performance focused environment. One thing I hear from every L&D leader I’ve ever worked with is a feeling of frustration when the business asks for training in two weeks, when we all know this takes months to perfect.
The solution: A new organization chart that moves the team from instructional designers, facilitators and program owners, to a team of strategists that diagnose problems and design solutions, and specialized designers who can craft the right solutions and advisors who monitor and drive implementation.
Existing trainers and facilitators can expand their skills and fill the role of performance advisors. They will be able to recognize predictable participant behaviors that limit or block performance and successfully remove them so results are achieved.
Finally, create a network of internal experts, business partners, external vendors and on-demand training content that can reduce the heavy lift of creating content from scratch. And, here’s a little bonus tip: Less is actually more. There is way too much content crammed into a way too little amount of time. That’s the one problem I solve the most in my practice. Go deep — not wide — for increased performance results.
It’s time for more L&D leaders to disrupt the long-held view of training as a “back of the house” function. Choose to become a performance department that is obsessed with participant results. Redefine yourself as the leader of a powerhouse employee performance center that drives business results. The road map to follow is presented right here for you. All you need to do is believe this is for you and be willing to take the necessary and messy imperfection action to achieve it! Good luck.
