Where do we go from here?
With the worst of the economic downturn behind us, it’s time to get back to business. More often than not, as previous recessions have shown us, the first cost saving measure to be employed has been a reduction in Training and Development. However, now that budgets have been reset at a lower level, the question turns to what choices an organization will make in this area during 2010?
The first realization is that many organizations will only dare to tentatively dip their proverbial toes in the water this year. In other words, Training and Development budgets (as with many others) will be very closely monitored. Therefore, the emphasis will have to be on extremely targeted training initiatives.
Secondly, once budgets have been set, as may already be the case in your organization, you must decide how to balance your overall Management Training and Leadership Development investment in terms of three broad areas when planning initiatives for 2010.
These areas are:
Level – how are you going to effectively train your Leaders, Managers, and High Potential Emerging Leaders?
Delivery – knowing effectiveness and ROI for training will be closely monitored, what method of delivery is appropriate?
Content – will you be fundamentally rebuilding your training programs, or simply making measured modifications in content?
2010 is the new “new normal”. Business has changed again and, in order to prepare your people for both this year and the years to come, developing an effective training program must start today.
Level
With the pain of the 2009 downturn fresh in our memories, it makes great sense to identify the gaps that exist within your organization. What leadership skills are missing? How did your managers perform in times of crisis? Did you lose any key talent due to layoffs?
The days of the one size fits all training programs are long behind us. From now on, preparing your organization, at all levels, for the realities of the business world, must be a top priority. The focus must be on adaptable leadership skills, those needed to deal with the chaos, ambiguity and uncertainty we will be faced with in the future. As a result, in 2010, great organizations must segment their training programs into various levels to ensure the organization is prepared for current demands and its employees can grow into future roles.
For example, your programs must be tailored to three key populations:
Leaders – those tasked with making strategic decisions that affect the future of the organization.
Key areas of development for Leaders in 2010 will include Scenario Planning, Strategic Thinking, and Knowledge Transfer in order to help them prepare for the inevitable changes in the business world.
Managers – those who, through their people, execute the strategy set out by the leaders
Key areas of development for Managers in 2010 will include Talent Management, Goal Setting and Accountability, as well as Overall Business Acumen in order to ensure that the focus on business goals and objectives remains crystal clear.
High Potentials – those who will become the next generation of leaders within the company
Key areas of development for high potentials or emerging leaders in 2010 will include Facilitation Skills, Team Building, and Mentoring to help them fully understand the skills they will need, in addition to functional experience, as they move upwards within the organization.
Delivery
Over the past 5 years there has been an emergence of Online Learning initiatives within organizations. However, The Beacon Group believes that this sort of learning, while inexpensive, will take a back seat. The reason? In 2010, Leadership Development must focus on – collaboration, consistency, and credibility.
Collaboration
In order for knowledge transfer, team building, and true innovation to occur, there must be a high level of collaboration amongst partners. In 2009, we observed many instances where employees within an organization felt disconnected from their peers and co-workers. To effectively kick-start the revival of the business community, classroom based training will return to many organizations in order to get participants interacting, sharing, and growing cross functionally.
Consistency
While online learning and distance learning deliver the material in a standardized format, the level of follow up with each person to ensure the consistency of the message heard is just simply not possible. In 2010 organizations who deliver their training programs in-class, will reap the benefit of clarity, and consistency across functional areas, at a moment in time.
Credibility
There is no question that the effectiveness of a training program is much higher when delivered in class. In 2010, participants will be far more skeptical, and in some cases jaded with their organizations, and having a facilitator that can answer these questions effectively, and in a timely manner will help drive the underlying learning principles forward, and anchor the overall credibility of the program.
Content
Whether you find yourself in a position of having to rebuild your entire training program, or simply making some changes, the focus of content development of your management training programs in 2010 should be centered on three components:
Active Participation
Many organizations are moving away from the “talking head” lecture style of training. In some cases The Beacon Group has been involved with organizations that limit the theory instruction component of a training day to 20%. This ensures that participants spend the vast majority of their time “getting their hands dirty” whether it be analyzing a case study, a group exercise, or even attending a “field trip” to enhance their learning.
Multimedia
With the pervasiveness of technology in the class room, many organizations are insisting on its use in the program. Many world-class programs are utilizing streaming video, web-based case studies, or wireless audience response tools to enhance the learning experience.
Constant Enhancement
When developing your Management Training Programs for 2010, be sure to accept the fact that going forward, training programs must be treated as living organisms. They require constant attention, and modifications to preserve their relevance within the organization.
Conclusion
Management Training and Leadership Development in 2010 is not about going back to basics. In fact, the theme should be “never again”. Never again will we find ourselves facing this many leadership gaps.
Never again will we have managers who aren’t masters of Talent Management.
Never again will we fail to develop our next wave of talent, thus filling up our leadership pipeline with the very best people in all areas of the organization.
Never again will we find ourselves reeling from another economic meltdown.
Never again.
About the Authors
Kyle Couch
Kyle is the Vice-President - Client Learning Experience for The Beacon Group. His primary responsibilities include the creation of all Leadership Development initiatives, trend spotting for The Beacon Group and its clients, as well as client relationship management.
Kyle’s work with clients is focused primarily in the areas of Emerging Leader Development, Creativity and Innovation, and Change Management.
R. Douglas Williamson
Doug Williamson is President & C.E.O. of The Beacon Group. Doug leads the company’s associates in their activities providing state of the art Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, Strategic Planning and Performance Management services and solutions to both private and public sector organizations in North America.
Throughout his business career Doug has been actively involved in initiating positive change within many different organizations while improving the overall performance and effectiveness of countless senior level executive teams.
About The Beacon Group
The Beacon Group is a Canadian-based professional services firm providing support to clients throughout North America and around the world. We focus on helping organizations leverage their investment in their people. With our full line of service offerings, we are not only able to help organizations understand their strengths and weaknesses, but develop and deliver programs that help address key areas of concern, and enhance current strengths.
Visit The Beacon Group at www.thebeacongroup.ca