“Training for the Future”
by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist
There’s lots of good reasons to continue training your team: to learn new skills, to get better every day, to maintain safe practices. The list goes on and on. But I heard one today that goes a little deeper into our concept of training, and it goes deeper into our understanding of team psychology.
What do I think, as an employee, when my management team invests resources into making me a more valuable team member? I’m not talking about the (seemingly endless) compliance and “check-the-box” training we’ve all been exposed to, that never really adds anything to the individual, but instead takes care of some “higher-order” function in a clean, fluorescent-lit office somewhere, but doesn’t really give me any tools to do my job. I’m talking about adding to a person’s skills and abilities in order to do their current job better, or maybe even do a job that requires more refinement or carries with it greater responsibility. Maybe it means training in people skills for a person who doesn’t yet have any direct reports. What does this type of “value-added” training say to me?
It says on the part of management, “We value what you do for the team and we value you as a person and a team member, to the extent that we want to invest resources in you to make you even more valuable.” It says, “We also value you for what you mean to this team going forward into the future. You are a valuable team-mate today, but we envision you being a leader and an even greater asset to the team tomorrow.” And finally, it says, “We are going to be here tomorrow, we are investing in our future, we want our team to grow and get better for where we’re going tomorrow, and we want you to be a part of that future.”
This type of continual investment in people, and the messages it sends, both overt and subliminal or even unintentional, is what builds and earns long-term loyalty on the part of the people who do the work and make the whole team successful. The rewards of continual training are evident, no matter where you look for them.