Comments on: Why Corporate America Can’t Build a Training Program Worth Squat

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[...] Jason Seiden’s observation on Why Corporate America Can’t Build a Training Program Worth Squat. [...]

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Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:08:30 +0000

[...] Seiden shows Why Corporate America Can’t Build a Training Program Worth Squat – it’s because we’re not very good at eating our vegetables, and good training programs are [...]

By: Jason Seiden

Jason Seiden — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:43:00 +0000

@Susan—I wonder what would happen if we gave up the ghost on measurement altogether? There’s no good way to measure education, yet how many people would opt to NOT send their kids to college? (No, I’m not buying that grades measure education… grades measure a narrow sliver of intelligence, and are not standard across institutions or profs… and are a poor proxy for effectiveness later in life.) Maybe we should put education in a category with things like trust, love, and respect… critical yet immeasurable?

@Kambui—As part of my training programs, I often do a “Skill & Will Assessment” for exactly that reason. The challenge is, can you imagine a room full of “low will” execs? Would you train them? Or fire the lot of them?

By: Kambui

Kambui — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:52:45 +0000

Too many leadership training programs assume the participants have the same level of “motivation” and “skill” to be effective leaders. This is a big mistake, particularly when you consider how some leaders chose to sit in the Big Chair because that was where the bigger paycheck was located.

For example, “high-skill low-will” leaders have a different set of training and coaching needs from “high-skill high will” leaders. Delivery of training programs should reflect these differences…

song currently stuck in my head: “calling” – kenny garrett

By: Susan Crandall

Susan Crandall — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:16:36 +0000

A starting point: we need to measure training managers and executives using the same criteria. If both are measured based on whether the problem is resolved (or more realistically, improved) and performance changes, we can get HR and management on the same page, working collaboratively to implement the appropriate solution that targets the root cause (which is not always training). While it’s not always possible to implement all 4 levels of Kirkpatrick, we can certainly move beyond smiley sheets.

By: Jason Seiden

Jason Seiden — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:03:34 +0000

@DebExo—You’re dead on. Filling every minute is good for the presenter, not the learner. Even immersion programs need ample “dead time” for participants to absorb the message!

@Scott—touche. Exec MBA programs are run the same way: same info, in digest format, at twice the cost, in half the time.

@Ken—So true on all accounts. Still, there are times when the message won’t—or can’t—be sugar coated… plus, I have my doubts that people actually use Kirkpatrick feedback levels as intended.

By: Ken Moir

Ken Moir — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:01:41 +0000

As with so much else, preparation and presentation are crucial factors. Even the pickiest kids will eat all kinds of veggies if you invest some imagination and skill in how they appear on the plate, and on how you package the experience (i.e., “broccoli” = yuck, “little trees” = yummy!). Season judiciously, serve with a tasty sauce, and you’re good to go.

On the other hand, if you’re spooning up bland, pre-packaged, gray/green mush from the steam tables, then even your hardcore vegans will resist — and rightly so. It takes more than insistence on nutritional content to get buy-in; you need to make the menu appetizing, and you need to deliver on the promise. That means fresh local ingredients cooked to order whenever possible, a willingness to try new techniques, and a passion for mastering the craft. All easier said than done. And you get what you pay for, to some extent (e.g., Velveeta vs. artisanal cheddar).

Level 1 smile sheets can be useful — but only to the training/presentation team, to refine their prezo chops and hone their skills in formatting materials. Level 2 (knowledge transfer) and level 3 (behavior change) are readily measurable if you’ve designed good course objectives, but level 4 (business results) can be tough to pin down in every context except sales.

By: scott carbonara

scott carbonara — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:07:42 +0000

Based on my experience, I disagree with “You know the difference between executive training and manager training? Nothing.” The muckity-mucks insist that, since they make more money and have more profound ADHD than their lowly front line management, they receive an executive overview session that crams in the same content in 1/10th the time. Other than that, dead on. Sadly.

By: DebExo

DebExo — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:45:58 +0000

Yeah! Underscore 10Xs “grow a spine!” and “use the data, your observations, and your professional judgment to steer them to the proper course of action”! And I would add “less is more” – 3 day sessions are NOT a given and ongoing and systemic “performance support” is more powerful than smiley sheets and feel good training moments.