When your company is investing in management training, it’s always a good idea to perform a bit of research beforehand to make sure you will be getting the most from your investment.
Finding a management training course that teaches relevant skill sets is a start, but there are also things you can do as a business owner to maximise the benefit your managers get from their course. It’s imperative that your staff are confident about the training course, see the potential benefits that this training will provide, and know they have your support throughout the process. Here are a few questions that you could address to alleviate any concerns they may have:
Why Do I Need Training?
Your managers may already be doing a great job, and it is possible that your staff could take the fact that you have scheduled a training course as a sign that you are unhappy with their performance.
It’s imperative that you alleviate any concerns in this area, even if they have not been explicitly expressed. Low morale is certainly not conducive to good learning, so let your managers know that this course is intended to enhance their already stellar performance, learn from the experience of others, and expand their knowledge. You can also share details of the courses schedule, location, and lunch arrangements so that your managers have all the information they need and can focus on learning.
Providing a Safe Environment
Regardless of how much managerial experience you have, going into an unknown environment and telling people you have never met before about situations you found challenging can be a daunting prospect. Nobody wants to make a fool of themselves, so it’s imperative that you make sure the course you select provides a safe and open environment where your managers can share their experiences without the threat of ridicule hanging over them. This will encourage beneficial exchanges of experience and make the course more relevant.
Who is Teaching the course?
Unless your delegates agree that the person teaching the course is a highly experienced manager who has accrued a vast amount of valuable knowledge through ‘time in the field’, it may be hard for them to have confidence in the lessons that the trainer is trying to impart. A good trainer should be able to alleviate any concerns by accurately and diplomatically explaining why the suggested approach is a better method. Try to speak to the person who will be teaching the course in person before booking. Ask them to provide an example of the management techniques that will be covered, then ask them to explain why the suggested approach is better than another method. This will allow you assess their experience and how they respond to having their method questioned.
Putting Skills into Practice
After the course is completed, and your managers return to work packed with enthusiasm, you should do what you can to ensure that the new skills they learned are put into practice. If you have a senior manager it’s a good idea to send them on the same training course either beforehand, or at the same time. That way your senior manager will be aware of the new skills your that your managers learned on the course, and will be able tohelp them put those skills to good use. If you follow these tips, management training could provide your business with a healthy boost to productivity, and give it a competitive edge.
