|
Copyright © of R.G. Srinivasan
Today’s manager lives in a world
where change has attained Mach speeds. What holds good when you go home
may not apply when you return in the morning to work place. Such a
tremendous pace of change takes a heavy toll in terms of a dispirited and
de energized workforce.
World class products and services can only
be produced by workforce which is highly energized. And a high level of
energy is derived by a skilled and knowledgeable workforce with the right
attitude.
In this scenario
keeping pace with the knowledge and skills for himself and of his people
is the key to managerial success. An ongoing training is the answer.
Each manager must ensure the up gradation of knowledge and skills at his
level rather than wait for the elaborate process of need identification,
evaluation and availability of trainer and schedules before any training
can be implemented. Basic training skills are an essential repertoire of
a successful manager.
So how does one get
started?
The first step in any
training process is your own Need Analysis.
Who better than you as
a manager of your department or team to identify the needs and plug the
gaps. The needs analysis can broadly focus on three areas.
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Attitudes
Make a list of what is
urgently required in any of the three areas listed above by your direct
reports. The check list can clearly tell you what can be handled quickly
at your end and what requires more specialized training by external
sources.
Identify major gaps in
skills and knowledge that can be handled by you without outside help.
Attitudinal areas may be more difficult to handle at your end and more
specialized intervention might be required. Skill areas may be tackled
easily by yourself or one of your team members who are skilled in the
desired area.
Your job is not to
become a trainer full time. Look at problems which need immediate
correction and focus only on them. For the more complex and long term
change requirements go to your training department.
Prepare a short one or
two hours a week training program to correct the gaps.
That is all it
requires. You are on as a trainer.
A manager as a trainer
has the distinct advantage of not having to wait for the elaborate process
of identifying training needs, setting up a training calendar and
selecting the trainer etc.
A quick intervention at
your level can make a major difference to your productivity levels. Above
all a good leader needs to be a good teacher.
However training is not
just lecturing. The process of knowledge transfer and inducing certain
behavioral change is much more complex. So we will see in the next
article how we are going to do some quick training to our direct reports
on an ongoing basis
|
