Focus Magazine - Fall 2016 - 20

COVERSTORY 1. Program Relevance Of primary importance in sustaining leadership development programs is a necessity for that program to be relevant to the participants in their day-in and day-out job responsibilities. Is it meeting either a core need for a new manager or a specific need that is driven by the business unit? Without the participant finding relevance of the program to what they experience in their job responsibilities, a training professional would be hardpressed in making the program stick. From left to right: Omar McMillan, Medical Science Liaison Jeremy Smelstor, Sales Manager Cliff Spann, Sales Manager Beth Martens, Sales Manager Fred McCall, Medical Science Liaison Eric Ezell, Sales Manager Flip Williams, Sales Manager Kim Tushingham, Sales Manager Joe Penna, Associate Director, Field Sales Leadership Development Eddie Bahri, Sales Manager Matt Warren, Sales Manager Tom Hood, Deputy Director, Field Sales Leadership Development Craig Gross, Sales Manager Reed Hopkins, Associate Director, Field Sales Leadership Development 2. Setting the Stage in the Workshop Workshop should be set up and delivered in such a way that adult learning principles are regularly incorporated, including post-event action plans. It is most important to make sure that the content is "sticky" to the participants - making it relevant and memorable to them. Organize the content in chunks so participants can easily follow along and make sure to make the content transfer obvious by pointing out what's in it for them. If participants are able to make an emotional connection to the workshop contents, they are far more likely to remember and implement what they have learned. 3. Leverage the Leader One of the most under-appreciated facts about sustainment training programs, let alone leadership development programs, is the importance of the colleague's manager in sustaining the learnings. e more involved the colleague's leader is before and aer the training, the more likely it is that the colleague will take the training seriously and incorporate the key behavioral changes from the training. Consider following up with the colleague's manager before and aer a training event; giving them an overview of the program, expected behavioral change and tips on how they can coach the colleague in order to make that behavioral change stick. for sustainment. ere are any number of technology tools that allow us now to eﬀectively use pulse learning and micro-learning. Not only does this allow us to meet the learner where they are in a convenient fashion and interact with them more oen, but most systems are capable of providing powerful analytics regarding use proficiency and learning. Top row: Reed Hopkins, Associate Director, Field Sales Leadership Development Tom Hood, Deputy Director, Field Sales Leadership Development Jeremy Smelstor, Sales Manager Joe Penna, Associate Director, Field Sales Leadership Development Bottom row: Libby Howe, Sales Manager Nancy Golden, Sales Manager Adele Wildermuth, Marketing Manager 4. Pulse and Micro-Learning We mentioned earlier the importance of any of these sustainment techniques to be convenient and done oen 20 FOCUS | FALL 2016 | www.L-TEN.org http://www.L-TEN.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Fall 2016