Covid has taught business owners many things, one being that the strong and the smart survive. Those same business owners have likely been put into a spot to become very hands on and have been able to see both the strengths and the weaknesses their leaders bring to the table.
Now that things are starting to open back up those same managers and owners are starting to hire and re-hire staff. Hiring experienced leaders is not enough. Hiring leaders that desire to learn and grow is key to separating yourself in a competitive marketplace. One of the first questions I personally ask leaders when I was interviewing them was, what have you done in the last year to improve yourself? If the answer to that question was, uhhhh I read a book, then I knew I needed to find another candidate. As a certified Human Resources professional I was and am still thankful that my certifications included continuing education requirements to push and require me to never stop learning, ensuring that I made the effort to learn and grow and keep up with the latest trends. For me that learning has been an engrained habit, one I will take with me to the grave. When you stop learning you die. And I don’t mean actual death, I mean career death.
So are you surrounded by a group of walking retired managers that say; “just another day in paradise”, or “living the dream” each day when they are asked how they are doing? You are not alone. it’s just not talked about. People become complacent, it’s human nature. As managers get older and more comfortable in their roles and start to understand where their careers will likely plateau you see that many of them take their learning hats off and simply cruise into retirement happy with where they are in life and many will tell you when asked, I don’t have time for training or learning anything else. It shows in the way they communicate with and develop their own groups.
Leadership training is not a once and done situation. Smart and effective leaders and business owners understand that training is ongoing and to get good at skills you need to learn them, practice them, make changes, relearn and be open to new ideas, share and mentor others, and start the process all over again as new technology and changes in the marketplace occur.
Here are 13 ways that a leadership training program can help improve your leadership team, and move your organization in a positive direction:
- Leadership training programs teach communication skills and help to insure that information flows up and down your leadership structure.
Some many organizations struggle to communicate and there is a big disconnect between what actuals occurs where the work gets done and the executive offices. I’ve worked for organizations where the owners do have an idea about what is going on but only because they went out and looked for themselves. Organizations that utilize technology to complete 360 reviews and even complete employee surveys but that information has to be looked at in a different context than face-to-face actual employee conversations and watching the work occur.
- Effective leadership training programs incorporate team building and build relationships within your leadership team that help with everything from problem solving to employee morale.
Ensure that your trainers understand you want to maximize team building opportunities and include time for exercise so your people can get to know each other and start to understand the issues they have in common and how they can help each other.
Teaching Your Employees to be Leaders. Learn More:
- Leadership training programs create positive competition and introspection amongst the participants on how they need to improve.
When your leaders come together and start to understand their strengths and areas for improvement it will at times light a fire for learning and development not only at Company provided events but may get the participants to go for outside education and to start mentor/mentee relationships with others in the group.
- Leadership training programs build skills to help your leaders remain positive in tough times and to help others when they are struggling.
One of the biggest unexpected gains that I hear from owners and General Managers who hire DHRS to complete leadership training programs with their people is that they can see and hear the caring and concern that others have for their peers that didn’t exist before, especially between different shifts and business units. As their comrades start to grow you’ll get results.
Great Leaders Know How To Stay Positive. Learn More:
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/leaders-are-always-positive-2275805
- Leadership training programs help participants to understand the vision not only of the Company, but the personal vision of the owner/General Manager
A good consultant will take the time to understand the goals and areas that must be emphasized. At Dozer Human Resource Solutions we like to go onto the production floors, sit down with the owners/GMs/Managers and get an idea of what things are like before we walk into start training. Is it possible to walk right in and hit a home run without understanding what people are experiencing and what the real problems areas are? Sure it is. It all depends where you want to end up and how impactful you want your training to be. If you can’t take the time to see and know what is going on firsthand then you better bring from industry “cred” in the door with you or the training will be an uphill fight.
- Leadership training give participants new ideas and information. There are so many schools of thought on Management, Performance Management, Performance Improvement, and Managing Others that it can be confusing and intimidating outside a leadership training program.
If you think about how people were managed just 20 years ago, or worse yet 50 years ago compared to today you can understand that some of the people managing your Company’s most valuable resource may not be managing to a standard that is needed to keep and let people be successful today. As demographics continue to change and things that 5-10-15 years ago were accepted and today are not you need to ensure that you are covering your bases and educating your leaders on Diversity & Inclusion, Sexual Harassment, ADA, FMLA, confidentiality, and more. Keeping your leaders up-to-date in these areas will not only keep you out of lawsuits and trouble but separate you from your competition.
Why Do Diversity and Inclusion Training? Learn More:
https://hbr.org/2019/07/does-diversity-training-work-the-way-its-supposed-to
- Leadership training programs show your leaders than you value them and want to make an investment in them and their future with your organization
Many companies do not take the time or make the investment into their people that’s a fact. I talk training all the time and it’s surprising how many managerial level people I talk to that never get training on anything other than safety and few compliance issues. Why? Training is not free, it takes time and a monetary investment. You can separate yourself as an owner/GM by being proactive and getting your people the skills they need to take your organization to the next level.
If you’d like to talk about customizing a leadership training program for your organization don’t hesitate to reach out and ask questions we’d love to help.
I appreciate you reading my article, and better yet checking out DHRS.
Stay strong, stay positive, and watch where you step in the field!
Derek Dozer, SPHR-SCP, SHRM
Chief Human Resources Strategist, Dozer HR Solutions
We all want to get to what we love and to love what we do. I’m doing it. Dozer Human Resource Solutions is our Training and HR Consulting business. We live in Central Ohio and serve the Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Wheeling, Charleston WV, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Lexington KY, Dayton, Newark, Cambridge, Zanesville, Marietta, New Philadelphia, Canton, Akron, Toledo, Parkersburg, and surrounding areas.
The author Derek is a senior HR professional who has worked in HR over 25 years. He has extensive experience in the automotive, industrial, foundry, metals, food service, and government sectors. He’s been involved in heavy negotiations with America’s largest unions, including USW and UAW negotiations in periods of economic difficulty.
Experience in:
- Operations
- Recruiting
- Labor relations
- Conflict resolution and mediation
- Safety
- Talent management
- Organizational development (OD)
- Teambuilding
Derek is a certified trainer for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® (HBDI®), and Development Dimensions International (DDI.)
Education
- Master of Business Administration (MBA), Business Administration and Management, Franklin University, 1997
- Bachelor of Science (BS) in Human Resources and Business Management, Urbana University, 1993
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