Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2014 - (Page 51)

LEADERSHIP 2.0 CHALLENGE THE OF WORKPLACE RE-ENTRY AFTER TRAINING - KE N B LANCH ARD AND S COT T BLANCHAR D In the movie "Gravity," actress Sandra Bullock plays an astronaut who must find a way back to Earth after a collision in orbit destroys her spacecraft. It's a thrilling movie with a climactic and fiery re-entry through Earth's atmosphere. We recently saw a presentation that used this metaphor to describe the re-entry many managers feel after returning from a day or two of leadership training. One slide had a space capsule with chutes applied, heading for a splashdown. The caption read, "Re-entry sucks." The training professionals watching the presentation laughed when they saw that slide - in large part because they knew it was true. Managers coming back from training face any number of obstacles including work piling up while they've been gone and feeling pressure to apply new skills. In many ways, returning to work is where the journey begins for managers whose heads are full of new ideas and strategies to implement with their people. If you are recognizing some truth in this scenario, here are a few ways you can promote a softer and safer landing. Make it easy for people to share what they've learned. One of the biggest challenges for returning managers is trying to share what they've learned with others. One way to help managers share the experience is to provide them with materials they can share with others. Besides their workbook, what else can you provide to make it easier for managers to share what they've learned? One strategy is to provide a manager's direct reports with access to specially designed online lessons so they can experience some of the same content the manager has learned. the manager has shared what they've learned with others on the team. If not, learn what's getting in the way. Ask how you can you help. Find out if they've been able to access the tools you've provided and, if so, how the tools are working. Ask for any examples of where they've had success. And, don't miss the opportunity to celebrate early wins. Provide tools that make it easier to apply what's been learned. Building new habits takes time. Tools can help with the break-in period. One key to developing a tool people will use is to make sure the tool is available and convenient at the moment it's needed so the manager has early success that they can build on later. While this can be done through paper or computer-based solutions, we're finding that mobile apps provide the best way to get information into managers' hands when they need it. The tool doesn't have to be extensive; in fact it's better if it has just enough content and functionality to fill the critical need to get a manager through the initial phase-like training wheels. RETURNING TO WORK IS WHERE THE JOURNEY BEGINS. Focus on environment. The biggest obstacle in adopting new skills is the manager's return to the old environment. Surround them with communications, campaigns, reminders, success stories and accountability programs to get the most impact for your training dollar. Ask whether TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - WINTER2014 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE The mission isn't over until everyone is back at home, building on what they've learned and putting it into action. As professionals working in the learning and development space, we put a lot of thought and effort into designing learning experiences that engage and educate. Don't underestimate the pull of old habits and environment. Re-entry is difficult under the best of circumstances. Make sure your people have the tools and support they need to navigate this critical time successfully. Scott Blanchard is a principal and executive vice president of The Ken Blanchard Companies. Ken Blanchard is the best-selling co-author of "The One Minute Manager" and 50 other books on leadership. Email Scott and Ken. 51 http://www.trainingindustry.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2014

Tracking Trends
Table of Contents
Guest Editor: Meeting Today's Learning Consumers Where They Are
Facilitating Change
How Smart Leaders Squash Employee Entitlement
The Reskilling of Design
Responsive Design and Learning Solutions
Women, Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
Key Trends for 2014: Shifting to Business-Centric Learning
The Promise of Badges for Learning and Development
The Business Leader's Bottom Line: Aligning Learning with Organizational Needs
Raising the Bar: The Impact of Sales Training on Effective Customer Engagement
The Language of Measurement: When to Assess, Evalutate and Test
Casebook: Combined Insurance: Ensuring Efficient Sales Training via Mobile Learning
The Challenge of Workplace Re-entry After Training
The Learning Shift: From Event to Process
What's Online
Company News

Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2014