Learning and development (L&D) programs ensure your staff remains competitive and productive. By becoming a learning-oriented organization, you have the ability to close skill gaps, embrace emerging technologies more effectively, and even differentiate yourself from the competition.
Effective learning doesn’t happen by accident. Instead, a well-defined plan is a necessity if you want to keep your training organized and relevant to your current needs. Additionally, a focus on engagement is a must, as the educational approaches of yesteryear may not yield the desired result.
If you are developing your training plan for the new year, here are some tips to make sure you send it in the right direction.
Encourage Personal Mastery
Skill proficiency has a significant impact on your organization. After all, an employee that qualifies as an expert in a particular area will typically outperform a counterpart who is currently a novice.
When you encourage personal mastery, you don’t just elevate the skill level of the worker. Instead, you lift the average skill level of the entire company. Plus, an expert-level staff member is an asset beyond the performance of their duties. They can also assist teammates and coworkers in that niche, helping them learn and grow as well.
As you develop your training plan, look for opportunities to extend past the basics. While promoting a high level of expertise can take additional time and attention, the effort usually pays off. A well-trained professional is often more productive and, if you make L&D a priority, access to the program can even improve retention.
Consider Team Learning
Many L&D programs focus on individuals. The learning platforms are designed to be completed alone, having each person work through a module on their computer or smartphone and pass the required assessments.
However, team learning can increase everyone’s knowledge on a topic while also providing other benefits. For example, collaboration, group problem-solving, innovative-thinking, and other soft skills can also increase as everyone learns to work together.
Team learning also gives you a unique opportunity to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your team when working as a group. You can easily identify leaders and contributors, discover who excels at verbal communication and who struggles, and see who is willing to go the extra mile and which employees are happy to let others shoulder the burden.
Ultimately, team learning can be incredibly effective and enlightening when used properly, so consider making it a part of your training program this year.
Are You Ready to Become a Learning Organization?
If you are evaluating your training plan for the new year and need skilled L&D professionals to help you navigate the process, the team at Clarity Consultants can help. Clarity has nearly a quarter-century of expertise in the field, giving you access to skilled professionals quickly and easily. Contact us to learn more about our services and see how our L&D knowledge can benefit you.
