February, 2009

Company Action Form

When it comes to knowledge, you either use it or lose it. Here are 5 tips to maximize your training investment.

By Tom Fife

How many times have you filed a “great idea” you found in a place for safe keeping never to see it again? Research tells us that 90% of what you learn in a class or seminar you will lose within 24 hours unless you implement it or at least talk about it in lieu of acting immediately. It is a true statement that you “use it or lose it.” Think back to all of those great changes you thought were wonderful ideas that just seemed never to get off the starting block. Is there a better way to maximize your training dollars? Yes, there are many; and I would like to share a simple but very effective one with you.

I have the privilege of interacting with many front line people in my capacity as a trainer and consultant. Often I am the first professional speaker they have ever had the chance to hear. Attendees are fired up and enthusiastic while they are learning new ways to address the many challenges they face. However, at some point these new enthusiasts wonder how they are going to get the folks back home to “buy in” to doing things in a new way. Often they will agree there is a better way of running their operation but are stymied by how to go about implementing it upon their return to work. The key is sharing the new ideas quickly before they are lost or forgotten among the many “fires” we deal with on a daily basis.

With this in mind, I developed the Company Action Form. “How do I get management/ownership to listen to me?”

Here is how to make this tool work for all your training follow ups:

1. Develop a standard form that each of your people can take with them to each educational outing. It should include a place for the date, class or seminar attended attendees name and company, and a place for the immediate supervisor or manager’s name. The sheet should have four lines each under these headings:

• Indicate the top four things you learned from the class.
• What ideas will you take back and use at your job?
• What suggestions would you have for your employer on implementing what you learned today?

2. Make it mandatory to fill it out, return it, and go over it with the person. Be diligent in scheduling a time to sit down with the employee. I believe that a time set before the class works best for both the employee and the company as it puts new expectations and perspectives on the training. Knowing that a time for feedback is scheduled helps to prioritize the experience for them and the company.

3. Have them share the new valuable information with their people in a meeting that is appropriate. A salesperson would use a sales meeting; a frontline person would use a production or operations meeting. Perhaps a group leaders/supervisors/managers meeting is the best. You make the call.

4. Follow through. Implement the new and better way of doing things. If it cannot be done immediately, then pick a target date to get started. Remember, enthusiasm will wane if no action is taken or scheduled.

5. Stay the course for the long haul. If you make it a standard operating procedure for learning, you and the entire company will reap the benefits.

Let us face it—spending money on training and education is seldom your first thought when looking to improve your bottom line and employee morale. So when you spend it, make it count. Implementation is the key!

Learning never stops for the successful person, and it should never stop for the successful business. Training and education are what takes us to the next level, and enable expansion physically, emotionally, intellectually and in profitability.

I can help. Just holler.

TOM FIFE is a 20-year veteran of the construction supply business and president of Unionville, Ind.-based Challenges Inc., a speaking, training and consulting firm. Seminar topics include employee motivation and retention, customer service, management skills and yard foreman skills. For additional information, call at 812.330.1640, e-mail tom@tomfife.com, or visit www.tomfife.com.