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in a few great programs. What I am saying is that we too often arbitrarily pick a program because we think we know the business best. And yes, I just contradicted myself-you are the expert and need a say in what training occurs, but you can't make a rash decision on behalf of the end user. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to pitch a new leadership training program to our executive team. I thought I knew the business inside and out. After all, I had been advising leaders for a while and did my semi-annual visits walking the floors of our operations. Managers were comfortable sharing issues and concerns with me because I knew what was going on. So I did my research based on the assumptions from my own needs analysis, and I prepared what I thought was the best path to improving our leadership effectiveness. But I was wrong. I missed the mark completely and to make it worse, I came across disjointed from the business. As the executive team spattered me with questions and I tried to defend my position, a question came to my mind. I stopped and simply asked "what are the results of great leadership?" And there was my issue, how I defined great leadership was not how they defined it. And to compound the issue, what I thought was going to be the fix was not what they envisioned nor thought would be most effective. I then followed up to my question with "what behaviours will get us these results?" Collectively we defined the results we were looking for and were then able to focus in on what gaps we were facing. I followed this process with each level of the organization and I could have pushed through and fought for my agenda, however, the reality was, I needed to simply ask the business what they needed. Therefore, when determining the needs of your organization and what programs to implement or rollout, take the time to define what the desired results are and how you will get there. Start by going to those who hold the information and who know the business best. Next, formulate questions that will get you the answers you need and then craft your approach. 1 Who to Talk to Your approach will vary slightly, but start with your most senior-level team then move down to the front-line managers and ultimately those who hold all the information and do the work. Needs will vary from the senior team to the ground, but this will give you a holistic view of the requirements at each level and how you can tailor your approach to each group. 2 Formulate Questions The questions you ask will differ from one level to the next as perspectives change. Those at the ground level don't always see the whole playing field when they're on the field. Asking the right questions will benefit you in two ways-you will have great insight into their thoughts and sentiments and they will feel a part of the solution and more easily buy into the outcome. Here are some example questions: ANY GIVEN LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM SHOULD DO FAR MORE THAN ADD RANDOM VALUE TO THE BUSINESS, IT SHOULD GENERATE CONCRETE AND FOCUSED BUSINESS RESULTS. IT SHOULD PUSH YOUR ORGANIZATION TO ACHIEVE ITS VISION, EXECUTE ON STRATEGY, AND IMPROVE COMPETITIVENESS IN THE MARKETPLACE. Senior Leaders * What operational/business results do you expect? * What gaps are you facing? * What behaviours should employees demonstrate to achieve these results? * What are employees doing to hinder their progress? Front Line Managers * How do the most productive employees do _____? * How do employees at this level best learn new skills? * What tools/resources have been the most successful at driving results? * What tools are/are not working? General Employee Base * What would help you do your job better? * What training have you not received that will help you improve in _____? * How do you best learn job related skills? 3 Craft Your Approach Once you have interviewed the right individuals and determined their needs through asking the right questions, you will have sufficient data to craft a program that will address the needs of your workforce. This may mean you take a product off the shelf and implement it, or customize a program just for your organization. It can even mean doing nothing at all, and that's fine. What this approach does for you is help make you a more effective training professional who is in touch with and understands the business. The most effective learning and development programs begin with involving the right stakeholders and end with a positive impact on the organization's overall strategy. O Alex Andrews, CHRP is a member of the HR leadership team for one of Canada's largest agricultural and construction equipment dealership groups where he oversees the organizational development and training programs. He can be reached at aandrews@rockymtn.com. HUMAN CAPITAL | FALL 2016 | 29

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