Visty Banaji
Draining the (training) swamp HR often gets sucked into the quicksand of following one training fad after another. Here are a few commonsensical ways to facilitate learning that contributes to performance and growth
The road less travelled
A
few months back I came across an ad for a training program doing the rounds of HR groups. I quote verbatim lest I be accused of exaggerating: "Learn leadership skill from Horses (horses reflect your communication skills immediately). No prior experience required … Certified trainer from Germany." Is it any wonder that HR practitioners in general and our training brethren in particular are the butts of derision and ridicule from line managers? And have no doubts that when CEOs crib about wasteful and pointless expenses, training (of the equine or asinine variety) frequently tops the list.1 There are three fundamental flaws that vitiate much of the training HR proudly offers to employees currently: • Superficiality • Softness • Shaky foundations
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A few years back, among the most common train| AUGUST 2020
Future capability-building demands can emerge from career planning discussions and assessment centers ing programs (outside of the ubiquitous 'soft' skills training which we will deal with in the next section) were those whose target audiences were supposedly uninitiated lay-managers. 'Finance for Non-Finance Executives' was a perennial evergreen, as was the trusty mule, 'Labor Laws for Line Managers', which could be trotted out whenever there
was a blank in the training calendar. These one-day stands, which continue to be prevalent today (albeit with far snazzier titles), are symptomatic of a larger trend to fill training schedules with the simplest of offerings, which require the least design time and can be crammed down the throats of the maximum number of employees. Even