Everyone knows that training is important. We know that it can affect 60-80% of your staff if you do it RIGHT. But the question is, how do we get to the place where we can do it right? When introducing training into an organization, even those with the best intentions can find themselves floundering because of some pretty common obstacles. Here are the four most common training hurdles and how to sail right past them!

Training Hurdle 1: I don’t wanna!

Now most of your managers may not say it exactly this way, but training initiatives don’t usually start out with 100% participation. And no amount of cajoling, ordering, yelling or snipes can make them. Even if they sit through the training at your behest, you might find them resenting even the most meaningful of presentations. That won’t affect your bottom line, at least not in a good way!

One way to avoid this is to create your training around topics that will engage your managers. Enticing topics include things that will:

• Solve current issues
• Spark interesting discussions
• Make managers better at their job
• Encourage managers and employees to work smarter, not harder

Training Hurdle 2: This makes no sense

If your managers can’t make heads or tails of what the training is supposed to teach them, you’re doing it wrong. If it’s training cobbled form another industry and doesn’t hold any meaningful application, you’re doing it wrong. If the objectives are rigid and difficult to achieve, it will create discouragement and reduce participation.

Think of it this way, if you spend a week learning to hula hoop, but then never practice again, you’ll lose the skills you worked so hard to learn. It’s the same with training. Don’t offer training on something that your managers don’t do during their daily job. Of course, modern employees find that their managers often fill multiple roles and have to quickly pivot and adapt their managerial style over the course of their career in the company. In these cases, virtual, easy-to-access programs that are ready and intuitive when needed are the very best choice.

Training Hurdle 3: Training sucks

There are a lot of articles out there that will tell you that any topic can be interesting. Perhaps. But training in the very subject that your managers are already spending at least 40 hours per week on is sure to be doubly difficult to sell. Nevertheless, we’ve established that training is tremendously useful when put into practice so we MUST find a way to make topics interesting.

Content that is interactive, engaging and with elements of gamification makes it easier for managers to participate. Try to find training that keeps them “on their toes” and comes in short bursts. Experts say that 15-20 minutes is the best length. Remember, just say no to day-long training. Most busy managers don’t have time for that anyway. Plus, this helps with hurdle #2, if they can get right back into work and put their skills into practice, great!

Training Hurdle 4: I’m too busy!

This is one hurdle that can feel more difficult to overcome. After all, most of your managers ARE likely already working at their…you know…job. This is one of the reasons that cross country training workshops have declined in popularity in recent years. Now that virtual, interactive training programs exist, it’s far simpler to squeeze in a 15-20 minute session from the workplace.

Just because it’s easier doesn’t mean it will get done though! Training programs that boast high completion rates often also include tips on carving out time to take the modules AND ensure that the information is useful and actionable.

Training your managers doesn't have to be exhausting, boring or expensive. Do you face any of these hurdles when introducing training initiatives at your company? Which hurdles did I forget?

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