Sorry managers, but training employees is not just a necessary part of your job, it’s essential. Employees may go through corporate training programs to learn the basics of their jobs, but knowing the basics isn’t enough to succeed.
Managers often complain about how much time it takes their people to get up to speed. When I begin asking questions, inevitably it’s clear that no one is shepherding these people through what they need to learn.
I heard an example of this as recently as this week: “Paul isn’t doing what we expect in the job.” In less than a minute, I learned that no one is taking responsibility to help Paul navigate the steps that more senior people are expecting him to do.
How can the Pauls of the world succeed if managers don’t take responsibility to develop them?
Benchmark the key measures of performance for a position and educate the people who work in this position of you/your organization’s expectations. By establishing this discipline, everyone who works in that position will be evaluated by the same measures.
This creates consistency that is win-win for employees and managers alike. Managers don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time a new person begins in the job, and employees can be accountable for asking more relevant and intelligent questions.
Even if managers take as little time as an hour a week on employee development, the return on investment will be visible within a short period of time. Employees will feel more valued because you’re taking time to mentor them. Good for you, good for them, good for the company. What’s not to like?
This blog was reprinted with permission from Lisa. To learn more about Lisa and her work, visit pharosalliance.com.
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