In his recent webinar for Tortal Training’s Breakthrough Ideas in Training, Mark Sanborn commented that, “There are only two ways to grow a business today. One is to grow yourself, the other is to grow your team. Creativity, productivity, operational excellence, great service and effective selling all start with making your skill set, and that of your team, better and better.”
Here are some of Mark’s principles for encouraging that kind of learning in your organization.
Remember that Creating a Culture of Learning Starts with You
- Schedule 15 minutes a day for your own deep, uninterrupted thinking about important issues. “To be thoughtful, you need space,” Mark says. “If you’re moving too fast, you don’t become extraordinary.” He recommends leaving your computer and smartphone behind and going somewhere quiet to think about big issues like, “What is the most important thing that we are not doing?” and, “What do I really not understand about our most important customer?” Block out that time on your schedule, just as you would for an important meeting.
- Don’t confuse busyness with effectiveness. “The most important question leaders should be asking is `What am I accomplishing,” Mark says, “not `How busy is my day?’” The fact that you are working long hours doesn’t mean you are getting the right things done or growing your company.
Next, Encourage others in Your Organization to Train and Learn
“Learning should never be an option for the people in your organization,” Mark says, “it is the one way to keep growing your value proposition.”
- Begin talking about training and learning early, when you are interviewing job candidates. Interviews are your first opportunity to set the tone and let people know you value learning and expect them to continue training after they come on board.
- Encourage people to schedule time every day to think about bigger issues and needs. You are doing that as a leader or supervisor – leading by example – so make it clear that you expect people to invest time every day to think about bigger issues and ideas.
- Identify what you most need people to learn, and put it at the center of your training. Mark recommends tackling “the low-hanging fruit” first by addressing the skills that will quickly produce the greatest benefits and putting them in the center of your training efforts. Example: If you want your team members to build closer relationships with key customers, offer training on how to do that instead of just expecting it to happen.
- Don’t make training an “option.” It should not be something that is “available” to people in your company, it should be something that they are expected to engage in. But for that to work well, follow this next step too . . .
- Make training as engaging and enjoyable as possible. You need trainers who are enthusiastic and good at making learning engaging. “If you can do that, it will be much easier to get people involved,” Mark says.
An Opportunity to Learn More . . .
If you missed Mark Sanborn’s webinar in Tortal’s Breakthrough Ideas in Training webinar series, you can download all the webinars and add them to your professional library. To learn how, click here.
