EMBED EVERY CHANGE
There's a dirty little secret known by every consulting firm: training without embedding activity doesn't create sustainable change.
Unfortunately, it is common for companies to under-invest in embedding because of cost concerns and the idea that their managers should be able to drive the new behaviours people have learned.
It's the right idea, but managers need training and coaching to make it happen. Managers need more than the right messages to pass along - they also need to adjust their behaviours to make it work.
Without this careful attention to follow-up, the investment in training doesn't pay off, and the result is increased cynicism: Forget the schoolroom stuff – it never works in the real world.
Later on, the next 'flavor of the month' is rolled out and the process repeats itself. Add up the total cost - venue, travel, meals, materials, and the opportunity cost of lost work - and you can understand why our clients appreciate this approach:
1/3 classroom training - essential at the beginning of a project and at key stages along the way.
2/3 embedding activities - bespoke, adjusted to how and where people work, scalable to your needs, e.g.:
On site mini-sessions for 1-2 hours, layered with on-the-job application
Peer review groups dedicated to continuous improvement
Face-to-face and virtual meetings with key players that support their capacity for self-coaching
Three-way coaching: coaching the manager to sustain new attitudes and behaviours
A dedicated web site with follow-up materials developed for your people's use
An online forum for your sales force to share their progress, as well as raise questions to which we personally respond
Specialised training for all managers and executives in how to manage transformationally
Fundamental to all embedding is the development of personal responsibility and self-coaching. You can use our AWARE™ coaching model, or we can adapt its technology to your existing management system.
Embedding is how you make sure that your investment in training pays off.
