Scrap Your Employee Training Plan

The word ‘training’ can mean many different things depending on the participants and situation. For pet owners, it means teaching a puppy, kitten, and even goats (yes, you read that right) how to behave properly and perhaps some tricks—with the reward typically a treat and the praise of their owner or trainer. For athletes, the concept of training involves a well-designed plan that incorporates different exercises, as well as necessary ‘rest’ days—the reward ideally is successfully participating in an event or achieving a desired level of fitness. In many corporations, the concept of employee training is traditionally received by participants with reluctance, apathy, and even angst—despite the valiant efforts of those who are leading and sponsoring the training agendas to bolster enthusiasm and reward training completion.

It’s time to change the perception of employee training. No longer should the word ‘training’ be in the lexicon or on the calendars of companies who wish to truly augment their employees’ skills and advance their organizational prowess. In the Parker Avery point of view, “Advancing Proficiency Through Sustainable Learning,” organizational change management (OCM) expert Kathi Toll outlines why and how companies must focus on sustainable learning and true proficiency—and scrap the word training forever. Below is an excerpt from this publication.