STAFF training and development is inevitable to every corporation that wants to stay competitive and profitable.
Times and the tools are changing and no one wants to be caught off-guard. Most leaders and institutes just assume its business as usual. That statement has become so obsolete and embarrassing to mention.
There are some organisations, (NGOs, government, corporations, churches, colleges, universities and social groupings, among many) that I knew about a decade ago and they have not improved their infrastructure, let alone their most important asset; the human resource.
New players are coming on stage to plug the gap that the old players are failing to. Young leaders are coming up with cutting-edge strategies and solutions. Why? They couldn’t stand the suppression of talent or potential for greater opportunities.
So what did they do? Quit their jobs and start their own corporations and bloom! Now, we can’t neglect training and think that’s waste of money and time. Let’s explore seven areas of staff training and development I have leant over years:
Leadership training Leadership is the fulcrum of any organisation. It is like a radar that controls any organisation or grouping, hence the need of its checkups, re-skilling and re-directing. The shrewdness of leadership will mean the success of the organisation.
As a result, sticking to antiquated systems that create robots out of followers who have to do things in certain pre-defined way irrespective of current occurrences is what has made companies downsize or go to obscurity.
To quote Wallace Wattles: “We do not become successful by doing certain things; we become successful by doing things in a certain way.”
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If leadership was trained to know this, they would in-turn cascade this to fellow team workers and bring about best results and profits.
Technology training Software that we use in our day-to-day work has changed so much. The way we communicate on the social media platforms continues to revolve.
Companies find it hard to have new clients since they are still using the same means of communication they used back then, which has since become irrelevant. Your clients are now on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram you name it!
I have trained leaders in respectable organisations that can’t even print a document from their computer.
They have to call the PA to do that for them! For every company to stay abreast, such individuals would need special training (like computer training for executives) to give them the necessary skill.
These days you can’t be effective without a cyber office otherwise called a website, hence the need for technological training.
Customer service training The money you need is with people and to lure them you don’t just need a product, but people who know how to handle customers.
At times, as an organisation you need to close doors (as you would do on stock take) and immerse every worker in customer service training. Government offices need more training because they are the face of our country.
At times you walk into a certain office hoping to come out with help, but you only realise that you become even more annoyed because of how people attend to you.
Effective communication training Everything that needs to be done has to be communicated effectively from the leader to the follower. The leaders have to make the vision, mission and activities clear to every work. This takes a not only a memo, but clear and articulate communication.
You might not be a good speaker, but training and practice will help you to become effective. Some leaders would think that a command is what we call communication.
Workers need to be enthused through communication. Again communication should not be clogged, but should be a two-way channel to necessitate the free flow of ideas.
Public relations training Effective communication entails not only internal affairs, but communication with the public. Public relations will determine who hears the message through the proper channel of communication.
Again, public relations will determine how the company image is projected to the clients and the general populace.
This takes specialised training. The number of clients retained is also determined by how the worker has been trained to communicate with clients.
Effective team work We never function in an island. If there is anything big to be accomplished, it’s not possible through an individual, but through team work. Workers have to be equipped to function effectively as teams.
The malfunctioning of one part of the company could mean reduced production or no results at all. So a team spirit can be cultivated. Some companies today are not doing well because people have not been trained to work as a team.
Change management training Change is at times unwelcome, but it comes anywhere. A great leader is not only the one who gets the work done, but who is able to anticipate change before it comes and then engage the whole organisation to be ready for it.
When change meets a prepared person, you are on top of the game, success is inevitable.
Parting point: The greatest investment with an individual is to keep learning and developing every day. We don’t need to specialise in buying new machinery only, but we also need to acquire a new mentality through training and staff development.
