When I first started my business, I did not envision doing so much training. To support new and aspiring managers, I envisioned more intensive work that involved coaching, experiential learning, and self-reflection. But it turned out to be a tough sell. Organizations were interested in working with me but almost always wanted me to come in for training. And in most of those cases, for a training.
These calls increased significantly during the height of the pandemic when organizations were scrambling to figure out the whole virtual thing. These emails and calls were motivated by a sincere request for help with frequent pleas of, “Can you do a training on communication?” of “Can you teach my team how to be professional?”
In almost all cases, the request was for a 60-minute session.
To fix an organization’s entire communication.
Or a society’s entire generation.
I grew more and more creative in how I tried to leverage these requests to something more meaningful. And every once in a while, it worked. But more often than not, the initial request remained- come do a training and fix it. In 60 minutes.
As an employee of dozens of organizations for several decades, I have participated in my share of trainings. Now, as my livelihood, I deliver them. But increasingly, less, and less. Because in most cases, they are not enough.
There are some specific skills and pieces of information that we can learn quickly through a one-time training. YouTube videos have become the gold-standard for this. How do I recover a webpage I accidentally closed? What do I do if my Thanksgiving turkey hasn’t defrosted yet? How do I fold a fitted sheet? There are countless questions that a quick YouTube video can answer and truly fix the problem. These situations are naturally limited, however, to problems that can be solved with a quick fix.
But for all the other stuff- the complex, filled with gray kind of stuff like communication and generational values and norms, there is not one right way to “fix” it in ten clearly-defined steps. These larger concepts require far more than one video, one training, or one conference. Instead they require an intentional investment of time and sometimes money (though not always). And the vast majority of those calls should be coming from inside the house.
Too often we equate professional development with external trainings and conferences. Both have their place, but frankly, they are limited. Too much time and money are spent on these methods that are far less impactful than what you already have at your disposal. So much time is wasted explaining the specifics of what your staff already know and the nuances that are impossible for an outsider to grasp.
Instead of constantly looking externally, then, you are far better served to leverage the opportunities you already have internally.
Within your team, you already have so much expertise and so many opportunities that can and should comprise your staff’s professional growth plans. These plans can and should include:
MENTORING AS IN-HOUSE TRAINING
The best onboarding experience I ever had was uncoincidentally the only job that provided me a mentor from day one. This mentor was less for helping me learn and grow and more to help me navigate those stressful first days and weeks on a new job.
Whenever I was unsure of who to go to for what or who needed to be copied on what, I simply reached out to my mentor who let me know. It was such a comfort to know I had that resource available to me and really helped me feel welcomed and supported.
Mentors are invaluable for both growth and guidance. It is a great opportunity to provide leadership experience for current staff while simultaneously supporting new staff. And it does not cost a thing (though a pay bump is always encouraged and welcomed).
Take a look at your current onboarding process and work with your team to develop a system of mentoring for new hires. It is one of the easiest most impactful things you can do to start your new staff’s time with you in a positive and effective way. Further, mentoring has been shown to increase equity by ensuring that all people have equal access to knowledge, information, and opportunities available to them.
SHADOWING AS IN-HOUSE TRAINING
Despite the common claim that many are exclusively visual learners, all people benefit from a variety of tools and strategies for learning and growth. Very few people can be told what to do and go off on their own to do it well. Learning is a process that takes time and should involve multiple differentiated strategies- including visual- to ensure growth.
One of the best ways you can help your staff learn and grow is by having them shadow people when they first start and at various points throughout their time working with you. This can feel awkward at times and there are moments that confidentiality will preclude someone from being around. Despite these shortcomings, shadowing is a great way for people to learn something new and for current staff to demonstrate something they are really good it.
Not everything or everyone can and should be shadowed. Find those opportunities that will benefit your team and involve them in determining which ones that might be.
DISCUSSING AS IN-HOUSE TRAINING
When I work with new managers, I encourage them to block out time in their schedules for thinking, reading, relaxing, and reflecting. You should see the look of horror on their faces! Yes, it seems strange to consider these things as work but the truth is, these opportunities are what allow us to get our best work done.
Too often, we work in silos and need to figure everything out for ourselves without the benefit of institutional wisdom and other perspectives. All while appearing to be busy, busy, busy. Quiet time for reflection and thought are important, as is the opportunity to talk with other people about complex decisions and ideas.
When it comes to growth, these types of conversations and discussions can take many forms. From one-on-one supervision to team discussions, to book groups, to team retreats, creating time to discuss with one another is an invaluable and underutilized opportunity for in-house professional growth.
OBSERVING AS IN-HOUSE TRAINING
Much like shadowing, observing provides great benefit to both the observer and the observed. For new and long-term staff, being able to watch how someone else does it, whatever that it may be in your organization (sales call, presentation, board meeting), is in invaluable tool in the proverbial professional growth arsenal.
For the person being observed, it allows them the chance to share their expertise as well as think about the way they are currently doing whatever it is that they are doing. Questions from the person doing the observing ideally will challenge the observed to explore new and different ways of doing something. Additionally, feedback can be one of the most helpful ways to help people grow, though most people will need some coaching on what constitutes effective feedback.
TRAINING AS IN-HOUSE TRAINING
Finally, we come full circle to training, which again, can be a valuable tool for growth among the many other valuable tools. But instead of always looking externally, providing opportunities for your staff to train other staff is one of the best ways for everyone involved.
It affords the trainer the opportunity to share something they are really good at with the institutional knowledge to make it particularly relevant to those being trained. The people being trained benefit from this, in most cases, more than they could with an outside trainer coming in for 60 minutes to try and fix they way they communicate. Or who they are as human beings.
This year, make the commitment to professional growth and development that works. Develop systems and plans within your organization that leverage the wisdom and experience of those within it. These systems can and should include occasional external trainings and conferences but those should be complementary, not primary. Focusing your professional development on your people by your people will provide opportunities that simply cannot exist when you rely exclusively on others. Instead invest in those who know you and your work best.
