Training Matters…

There are a number of factors one must address to ensure an employee has the best onboarding experience. Unfortunately, most onboarding has more to do with paperwork and rules than creating success for your people. The following steps are what must be established in order to build a successful team from day 1 on.

1. Have a clear understanding of what each employee actually does. This is accomplished by working with supervisors to get a clear picture of the expectations in their work areas. When you dig into where the majority of their time is spent, you get an idea of what is working and what isn’t working. Create a roadmap of the outcomes they are expected to produce as well as the resources (people and equipment) they are given charge of to accomplish those tasks.
2. Have a clear understanding of the skills required of each employee for them to effectively carry out their job. Look at their outcomes, then dig into the processes involved in accomplishing those outcomes. By looking closely at the processes involved in their jobs, you gain a clear perspective on the training required to ensure their success.
3. Identify who your top performers are in each of the areas and with each of the skills. Who is it that does the best work while causing the least amount of stress? Once you know who your subject matter experts are in each area, create an “ideal process map” based on the manner in which they do the work.
4. Build a skills development program based on each of those areas. Depending on the learning management system you have, you should be able to create a written outline of the skills being mastered, backed by a recorded or narrated video of each of the processes. By having this in place, employees are equipped to study and learn the information.
5. Build a coaching and mastery assessment program based on the learning models. It is ideal to have a skills development checklist that can be used to actively coach employees as they carry out their jobs. By having the checklist, along with clear expectations for your SMEs, you can help you people learn through action.
6. Build out a tracking system to ensure both the SME and the employee agree on the mastery of each of the skills. This positions the employee for success and ensures accountability systems for the organization.
7. Connect your annual employee evaluation system to the skills mastery systems. This would help to ensure the SMEs stay focused on the development of people, the managers support the process, and the employees have the training and tools to succeed.

By following the seven steps and having this system professionally built, you prepare the next generation of employees for success. Stay focused on how to serve your people and build their capacity rather than on simply pushing them to do what they are supposed to do.