When it comes to getting the people right in your business and really capitalizing on your greatest asset, there are several areas you need to address to ensure your training programs are where they need to be to actually add the value needed. Not just to the business outcomes, but to the individual staff members, and culture of your company; you want to ensure maximum benefit, not just the possibility of good outcomes. This is a big mindset shift, as too many times in the past people felt forced to go through training programs or saw them as a waste of time. However your new workforce feels the opposite, and you need to capitalize on this to develop a sustainable business, using training as an engagement tool, not a punishment! Michael Leboeuf in his book "The great principle of management" warns of the dangers of ignoring training: "If you believe that training is expensive, it is because you do not know what ignorance costs. Companies that have the loyalty of their employees invest heavily in permanent training programs and promotion systems. " This is simply because it actually works, and costs due to lack of innovation, high turnover and poor culture are removed. Not to mention better trained employees are more productive! A recent survey by PWC, of millennials which asked what characteristics make a company compelling to work for, found that 52% values career development and 35% values excellent training programs, these were item 1 and 3 at the top of the list with good pay and conditions sitting at 2. You need to have a strong focus on discovering just what your business and your people need, and then design programs or provide ones that support that. For your business to be the best it can be, these programs need to move beyond only covering today's technical skills, and provide more than soft skills. You need to look to the future and find training programs that meet your organisational development needs as well. When you do this, you not only future proof your business, but you also fully engage your people as you are giving them the opportunity to grow and succeed. This then all works together to give you the best possible outcomes. 10 Steps to setting up your training as an engagement tool 1. How do I determine my company’s training needs? 2. What are the intended outcomes of the training program? 3. Make sure that your employee development needs are considered. 4. What feedback have employees given on any knowledge or skills gaps? 5. How are you going to track your training? 6. Training needs should be incorporated into the employee evaluation and performance review process as well. 7. Develop a learning culture within your company. 8. Look at a career development from several viewpoints – technical, organizational, and individual. 9. Develop people technically first - job of management is developing skill mastery, but do not forget to include the development of soft skills into your training program. 10. Continue to develop their business skills to make competence complete. This is the piece of the puzzle that most businesses and leaders need help with. If you have reached this point do contact me directly at [email protected] for a free no obligation discussion of just where you are and how we may be able to help. Tags; strategy and culture, aligning culture and strategy, strategy implementation, strategy vs culture, culture and strategy, business strategy, strategic planning, strategy software, humantelligence alignment, organizational culture, cultural change, strategy cascade, strategy, culture, align team goals, objectives, technology, people, training