Training and Development Is Essential For Long Term Success

If the above headline is true and your long term business success is reliant on training and development then why in poorer financial times like 2009 is training and development the first thing to go?

Research shows that most companies start by hacking away or completely deleting the budget for training when cash reserves get low or depleted.

But, this strategy is just plain wrong.

Think of it this way. If you or your employees don’t keep learning then it’s a pretty good bet that you’ll remain status quo forever. Sure, you may have your ups and downs but, for the most part you’ll remain exactly where you are over the long term.

Hiring new individuals to help with sales or customer service may help increase business but what if you just better trained the employees you’ve already got?

I’m also aware of many companies that don’t like to train their employees for fear that they might leave and get a better job.

Perhaps you could think about it this way… Would you rather train someone and risk them leaving or not train them and have them stay?

As a business trainer and full-time marketer I am witnessing common theme that plays itself out over and over again with most of the businesses I come into contact with…

Companies and individuals don’t spend money on training.

Why?

Well, the answer to that may surprise you.

My belief, which is based on experience, research and the thousands of people who come through my free training courses, suggests that; business owners, management and entrepreneurs feel that they are the ones best qualified to train employees.

That may be so but, who’s training them?

If the predominant feeling among decision makers is that they have enough knowledge and experience to train then the company goes no-where fast.

The only way to change an organization and make it grow is for the individuals in it to grow first. This only happens when the individuals in it, including owners and management, are open to new learning.

This means adopting new habits and behaviors as well. Knowledge and information are nothing without the courage and resolve to implement them. Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed a distinct lack of positive behavioral change taking place in many of the companies that I’ve come across.

It seems, for the most part, that everyone is a know-it-all.

So, here’s my question, “How can an organization proper when everyone thinks they already know everything they need to know?”

Well, it can’t.

The decision makers in the company need to step up to the plate and realize that everyone needs to go from being a “know-it-all” to a “learn-it-all”. Only then can new information, new thoughts, new behaviors and the collective energy shift from status quo to outstanding productivity.

So, where does this super learning come from and where do you go to get it?

The answer to that is simple; find someone or some organization that already has what you want and go get the answers from them. Naturally you’ll find some resistance on the part of many competitors to divulge this information so; all you need to do is go to a company that’s not a competitor or find out who the experts are that helped the company in the first place.

Furthermore, you can find new strategies and often new creative ways of doing things even in businesses that do not compete directly with you.

Find out how they do things. Find out who they learned those things from? And, what you’ll find is that most successful companies will have a long list of recognized experts teaching them everything from sales to customer service to logistics to marketing advice.

Companies that thrive are the ones that seek out the best trainers, experts and strategists to help them. In fact, that’s why my companies are growing faster than ever – even at a time when everyone else seems to be putting on the brakes.

The secret?

I’m not a know-it-all. I’m a learn-it-all!

I spend thousands of dollars a year learning on training and development courses, mentors and other business information.

You might want to think about that the next time you slash your training and development budget.