Jackie Rybka knows how to get employees excited about training: cookies.
“That used to be the standard fare at every training session,” jokes the human resources performance and development manager at 2,400-employee Westfield Group. “But it’s only good for so long.”
The initial lure of free sweets will quickly disappear, so build a training program that’s ingrained into your company’s culture.
“What I think helps support learning in our organization is the fact you’ll hear our leadership talk about their own developmental needs,” Rybka says. “So it kind of creates an environment where people know that there’s an expectation that we’re trying to better ourselves and that it’s OK to admit that you’re not perfect.”
Emphasize how training can contribute to your company’s growth, as the means to an end rather than training for the sake of training.
“If you look at it as a training department and an investment in a training department, [that’s the] wrong way to look at it,” says Bob Joyce, chairman and CEO of the insurance, banking and financial services firm that posted 2008 revenue of $1.64 billion. “The training department has to be a business partner with the businesspeople. And it has to be the business process that drives the training process — and not vice versa.”
So take your training beyond a plate of cookies by developing solutions around your corporate goals, packing each session with interaction and reinforcing the material with follow-up information.
(See related story: Teaching leaders)
