Saturday, July 30, 2022
Reading can create awareness, and even some basic skills transfer, if the reader has the discipline and need. This includes listening and watching audios and videos.
Training can provide for transfer of skills and feedback on their practice. This is dependent on the quality of the training, trainer, and environment.
But only consulting and coaching can ensure and sustain application on the job so that there is a demonstrable improvement in behavior and results. It includes the proper consequences for success and lack of success, and involving ongoing management oversight and support. It also can discriminate between skills issues and attitudinal issues.
This is why the training industry (in 2021, over $90 billion in revenues in the US alone) is very reluctant to provide metrics for success, because it’s overwhelmingly involved in helping people “get their tickets stamped.” HR keeps track of who attends what, but now how their performance has been improved by the training, if at all.
There is seldom an attempt to study any kind of return on the investment. Imagine a $90 billion investment where no one is checking on whether they’re making money from it?!
“You train animals, you educate people.” —Maya Angelou