Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2018 - 15

BUILDING LEADERS
SAM SHRIVER & MARSHALL GOLDSMITH

LEADERSHIP, TRAINING &
THE WAVES OF CHANGE

Consider the notion that if it wasn't for
change, people would care a whole lot
less about leadership. Simply stated,
leaders "get" change. They not only
recognize its disruptive potential,
they are acutely aware of its inevitable
presence.
And,
while
frequently
recognized for their ability to "chart the
course," it is really a leader's capacity to
effectively "navigate unforeseen reality"
that merits distinction.
That's nice, but you may be wondering
what any of that has to do with
training. On the basis of our combined
experience over the years, we would
suggest - quite a bit!
In the November/December 2017 issue
of Training Industry Magazine, we coauthored an article entitled "Training is
Who We Are." In essence, it identified a
number of companies that leverage the
reputations of their training functions as
viable sources of competitive advantage:
Why should you come to work at this
organization? Because you will receive
world-class training that (at a minimum)
will position you for any number of
important and exciting career options.
So how do "world-class training
functions" establish and maintain those
reputations? Among other things, they
consistently help the organizations
they support identify and respond to
"unforeseen realities" (i.e., change).
Stated differently: The training function
can be a built-in source of reality testing
for organizations to gauge the viability
of their mission, stated objectives and
departmental priorities.

IDENTIFY
At some level and in some capacity,
the training department is responsible
for conducting effective discovery.
Traditionally, those discovery efforts
consisted of comparatively simplistic
needs assessments distributed to a
defined target audience that informed
the design and development of
instructor-led events. Suffice it to say
discovery in the realm of the training
function has expanded exponentially.
It currently targets any number of nontraditional stakeholders (like the nextlevel managers of those participating
in training) and addresses pressing,
emergent and highly complicated
challenges
(e.g.,
the
electronic
dissemination of information to a global
audience in a world besieged by threats
related to cybersecurity).
There are also the often overlooked
opportunities the training department
has on an ongoing basis in order to gather
valuable information. For example, it is
not uncommon for a leadership training
program to begin by asking learners to
identify their most pressing leadership
challenges. In real time, answers to those
questions, especially if there is thematic
consistency, can be leading indicators of
noteworthy trends that may signal the
need for a course correction.
RESPOND
When you view change through the
lens of leadership what you see is
regression. By its very nature, change
disrupts. It takes focus and alters it. It
takes commitment and challenges it. It

takes routine and dismantles it. In some
cases, it can take experience and render
it irrelevant.
On the other side of all that commotion
is the need to learn new things.
Consider the training function as a
"first responder" of sorts in service of
that need. In that regard, it is difficult
to imagine a true change initiative that
somehow didn't also include a visible

BY ITS VERY NATURE,
CHANGE DISRUPTS.
component of "retooling." That retooling
had better be relevant. It had better
teach employees what they need to
know and how they need to practice
what they just learned in a manner
that will accelerate development of an
updated skill set. That retooling had also
better be engaging. The training needs
to be delivered or experienced in a
manner that simultaneously builds both
learner confidence and commitment.
So, we suppose you could say that
without change, there would be far
less of a premium placed on leadership.
And, without proactive and responsive
support from training, leaders would be
drowning in the waves of change.
Marshall Goldsmith is the world authority
in helping successful leaders get even better.
Sam Shriver is the senior vice president
of commercial operations and product
development at The Center for Leadership
Studies. Email Marshall and Sam.

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MA GAZ INE - LEAD THE CHANGE 20 18 I WWW. T RAININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2018