Stop Playing Hide-and-Seek with Managers After Training
So far in this quick tip series, we have looked at two prime opportunities to gain manager involvement in your training initiatives:
2. Program kickoff
This week, we discuss another key time in the life cycle of an initiative — after the formal training program.
Read on to learn how to engage managers in your post-program accountability and support efforts.
Since this is a quick tip, we will not go into detail other than to say that training alone is not sufficient to create enough Level 3 on-the-job application to yield much in the way of Level 4 Results.
What is required for mission-critical programs, in particular, is a purposeful and deliberate training follow-up package with a variety of post-training, targeted accountability and support actions.
This is where program sponsors, supervisors and managers should come into play, but often are nowhere to be found. Stop playing hide-and-seek with them after training, and running to them to ask for more of their time and effort than they had originally anticipated.
Secure their cooperation upfront to enhance their involvement at this critical time with these four actions:
1. Talk with them, particularly line managers, to determine what types of actions will best compel and inspire their employees to employ what they learned. Like so many other things, this should be done prior to training so that you can build their recommendations into your post-training package. Don’t wait until after the program to think about this.
2. Tactfully tell them that they, the managers, sponsors and strong influencers, can do more than anyone else to encourage and insist on application. This is the best way we have found to secure their active participation.
3. Ask them to publicly support the program in what they say, write and do.
4. Elicit their active participation in encouraging and challenging training grads who are underperforming, and personally recognizing those who are performing well.
Read the rest of this series for all the tips to getting a seat at the table
Part 1 – 5 Steps to Maximize Manager Involvement During Initial Program Scoping
Part 2 – 3 Tips for Strengthening Your Initiative with a Program Kickoff Champion
Part 4 – Learn the Most-Ignored Tip in the Training Industry for Maximizing Manager Involvement
Join the Discussion
Have you been playing hide-and-seek with managers? Let us know about your challenges and successes in engaging managers after the formal training program.
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Additional Resources
Kirkpatrick Four Levels® Evaluation Certification Program – Bronze Level
Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Evaluation