| “If
only there was an owner’s manual to help us run our
training team!”
The
above is a statement that we often here from Training Managers
with regards to managing the resources that they have in
their team!
The
situation becomes worse when you have just started your
role!
Sometimes
you just do not know where to turn!
So,
let’s see if we can give you a TOP 5 list of what
to do to make your life a lot easier and make your team
more effective.
1.
It’s all about credibility
We
have covered this already in an earlier section but I have
to say it is the most important factor by far.
Unless
you have got the “business” and the “managers”
on your side you will find it difficult to run an effective
team.
Instead
you will be too busy worrying about whether your ideas will
be accepted by the business rather than just focusing on
what you need to do to make a difference to the business.
You
need to build support from the business by getting key stakeholders
on your side. Communicate and update like you have never
done before, sing your departments praises and, better still,
prove your worth by action.
I
have seen so many TM’s talk a good game but sadly
they are missing the most important element – ACTION!
Your
hit list should include:
- Forming
strong alliances with the key decision makers
-
Informing the business what your role is in helping them
-
Create a workable plan and tell everyone what it is
-
Market yourself and your team to the business
-
Clearly define your team’s role and tell others
what it is
-
Ensure that you can evaluate what you are doing so that
the powers that be can measure the ROI of your department
2. What to focus on?
It
might be asking Granny to suck eggs but are you really focusing
on the essential training requirements of the business or
are you skirting around what really needs to be done because:
- Your
team does not have the right skills to deliver
-
You do not know the essential requirements
-
You do not have enough resource
-
You are not getting the backing of key people
-
All of the above!
Your
main area of focus is to concentrate on what will give the
business the most benefit.
You
need to determine what is most important to the business
at this moment in time and also what it will be in 12 months
time so whatever you put in place now has a continuance
in a year’s time.
Your
hit list should include:
- Determine
the training requirements of the business
-
Determine the priority training requirements of the business
from that list
-
Determine what areas will have the highest impact and
“bang for the buck”
-
Determine the business challenges that each department
is facing and work out how your team can help each one
-
Focus your training on where it can do the most good
3. Making the plan a reality!
There
is more to training that just running training courses (oh
my god, I am talking myself out of potential business here!)
But
seriously though; you should be thinking about the various
resources that you have at your disposal when it comes to
fulfilling training requirements.
In
my experience you should be utilising a whole range of training
aids and methods to get the desired result for it not only
provides variety but some methods are more effective with
certain types of training requirement.
For
example I have seen Computer Based Training work really
well when you have got some basic knowledge and skills that
you need to train the workforce on. This works especially
well when you have got multiple sites. The content may not
be the most “sexiest” to teach in a classroom
environment - for example, such topics could include WORD
and Excel.
Other
approaches to fulfilling your training requirements could
include:
- Training
courses – In-house
-
Training courses – open, external courses on specialist
subjects
-
Coaching
-
Mentoring
-
Job rotation
-
CBT (Computer based training)
-
Action learning sets
-
Distance learning courses
-
Shadowing
-
On the job training
-
Resource centres
-
CD/DVD/VIDEO TAPE sets
-
Ecourses
4. Develop your skills!
One
vital area that I see neglected in 90% of the Training Managers
that I know is your own self-development!
You
seem to be too busy with everyone else’s training
requirements that you neglect your own!
This
needs attention!
You
not only have to manage the business but you also have to
manage your team as well as yourself and hence you need
a wide variety of specialist skills to do yourself justice.
We
have already covered some of the main skills required in
order for you to be effective in your role but here is a
short hit list of skills that you need to target:
- Interpersonal
and influencing skills
-
Relationship-building skills
-
Resource planning
-
Management and leadership
-
Performance improvement
-
Business knowledge
-
Understanding your own business
-
Determination and will to succeed
-
Organisation skills
5. Is the glass half empty or half full?
Being
a Training Manager can be one of the most rewarding careers
in the world because you know as well as I do that you make
a HUGE DIFFERENCE to the business.
However,
not all people have this opinion and sometimes it can get
you down.
Sometimes
you can feel a little overwhelmed with everything; you might
have too much on your plate with not enough resources; you
are constantly battling with finance for budget; you are
always sticking up for your team in meetings and you might
at times feel very lonely with no support.
This
is understandable!
But
just remember why you actually doing this…
Remember
that the good times outweigh the bad by a factor of 10 to
1. I know I speak from personal experience when I have delivered
a course and one of the delegates have remarked about what
a difference that made to them.
And
that is the business that we are in – MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
Not
everyone has the ability to shape and help someone with
their own skills and development. At the end of the day
you are having an impact not only on the business but on
a lot of lives in general as well and it is easy to forget
that fact.
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