As I’m continuing to make my running comeback after COVID-19, the importance of training and training has been at the forefront of my mind.
COVID took me down as I saw growth in my running. My personal record for the half marathon happened days before I could not move for days. It took months before I felt confident to move my body as I had previously.
As I did, I began to realize that I had lost the progress I had made. I could no longer run an 8-minute mile (I know, some of you will say that’s not fast but it was fast for me). I struggled to run continuously.
Why did this happen? Part of my regression was due to COVID. The other part of the regression has come from a lack of training. It took me almost 3 months before I began to regularly train my body to run again.
The lack of physical movement destroyed all of the hard work I’d put into my physical fitness over the years. It was gone. It will come back, though.
Train, Train, Train
Knowing this now (and then), I see us doing the same thing with the people we hire and lead. We bring on a new hire. We train the heck out of them. Then we let them languish in mediocrity.
These employees do it to themselves too. Schooling is a training session that happens over and over again. Then, they train at a new employer. It’s a constant cycle of training until they settle into a habit of complacency.
BUT…
What would happen if we didn’t let up on training our employees, even years after they have been hired? What are the possibilities of constant training?
Your organization would look completely different. You would have rock stars in your current employees.
I want you to think of what you can do for your employees as Train, Train, and Train.
Train 1:
You hire a new employee. You see their attitudes and skills fit the organization. After the hire, you train them for their new job.
You help them understand what is expected. Your employees understand what needs to be done. Then they learn the skills from you or someone in your organization.
This is training number 1.
Train 2:
After a period of adjustment, find time to continue training the employee. This could be done at 90 days or so to coincide with a review period.
Find some areas that the employee could improve upon. Use this time to train again. It might be reinforcing cultural items or another area of the business.
This helps the employee to understand how important culture is and that training is a valued aspect of the organization.
Train 3:
Continue to offer training material. You cannot stop at training one or training two. You have to continue to push the importance of training.
This does two things. The first is it, once again, reinforces the value of training. The second is even more critical.
You continue to train the employee and you continue to get a better employee out of them. The more you put into your people, the more you get out.
It’s a win-win that takes some effort. However, it is well worth it.
Consider this: You have an employee who has been with you for 15 years. The first year they received amazing attention from you. They felt they were trained well. And, let’s give you credit, they were trained well.
Time goes by, they get busy, and the training stops. They struggle to find time outside of work hours to work on their skills. They begin to slip.
This happens year in and year out. Their skills are now years behind the best in their field. You’re not getting the best out of them.
However, if you put in a bit of effort, you see what areas of the job they enjoy. You begin offering training for these areas. The employee’s skills improve year over year. You’ve now got one of the best, most knowledgeable employees out there.
Consider ongoing training for your staff. Your employees are going to benefit from it. You’re going to benefit from it.
