No one would disagree with the virtues of the following items if they wanted to increase the efficiency of your training department:
- Calculating the return on investment of your training programs.
- Aligning your vision and objectives with the organization’s.
- Designing and facilitating courses that meet true performance needs.
- Attending important business meetings and events to be connected with your organization and be visible as well.
In addition to the list above, I have another tip that is very easy to implement yet is often overlooked. Curious to read on? I hope so!
How about treating your staff in such a manner that they could not envision working anywhere else and for anyone else? We can get so caught up in the crazy workings of this “new economy” with tighter budgets and greater expectations, that we may often overlook the wellbeing of our staff.
In my opinion, you should treat your staff as if they are more important than you. How do you do this? Place others needs and wants, within reason, before yours. Pay attention to the passions and interests of your staff both professionally and personally. Ask people how they are feeling about a certain project they are working on. Also ask how you can help make it a greater success for them. Most importantly, listen with empathy and compassion. Maybe you can’t change a particular situation but knowing you are on their side and care about their success and wellbeing is a tremendous morale booster.
Not everyone leads from both the head and the heart. Just remember, management means getting work done through others. If you want the best from your staff, take a real servant attitude which will ultimately increase the efficiency of your department.
I’ll close with a quick closing story. While managing a department for a former employer, I was taking a week’s vacation. My boss said that we always choose employee X to run the department while managers are gone. Employee X was a “dream worker” in every fashion. I thought about the feelings of others in the department who never got the opportunity to lead for a week. I told my boss I was having employee Y run the show in my absence. After the initial shock, I did some smooth talking to convince the boss to give employee Y a try. I called only once while on vacation, and the department was running fantastically. It went so well that my boss congratulated me on the decision to take such a risk.
I guess the learning opportunity here is that not only was employee Y very excited, but through my demonstration of trust, the entire department seemed more positive and committed as a team. By leading with my heart, I was able to get the entire team to rally behind me, thereby increasing the efficiency and morale of our department.
Wishing all of you much success and rich rewards!
Ron
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Hi Ron,
I can’t help but wonder about the motivation and fall-out of overlooking Employee C. If indeed this worker has gained the reputation of being a “dream worker”, how would he/she feel about the career opportunity bypassing him/her?
How does one juggle giving opportunity to one employee without dissing another deserving employee? Do objective factors help decide such as years of service or salary pecking order? If you determine there will be rotating acting/manager roles, how do you avoid giving “turns” to employees that are not suited or ready to assume the role?
Tough considerations…
Enjoyed your article, Thanks.
Suzanne