Does Training Really Equal Job Success?

I recently sat through a webinar that featured Shawn Anchor, the Harvard researcher and author of the book entitled "The Happiness Advantage".  What I learned was that only 25% of a person's success in his or her job was directly related to IQ-the other 75% was related to the person's EQ, or emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence often describes someone's ability to connect within a company's three existing informal networks of a) communications webs (individuals who are talked to most), b) expertise webs (individuals to whom you turn for technical advice), and c) trust networks (individuals in whom you can confide with sensitive information).

As a training professional, I started to wonder, "Is training really necessary in order for someone to be successful in his or her position?"  Like the bumper sticker I recently saw that posed the thought-provoking comment, "Maybe the hokey pokey IS what it's all about", I began to think...maybe relationships are what it's all about.

While EQ does get a person far in life (and apparently in his or her career also), one certainly can't expect to jump into a position without proper training and credentials by simply having a relationship with the hiring manager.  Simply put, education (both informal and formal) opens doors that sometimes even the most connected person finds locked. 

If You Build It, They Will Come

How many of us have created training courses, both face-to-face and online, that we were sure would be successful, yet very few (if any) attendees actually took advantage of the materials into which education developers poured their hearts and souls?  It is a common problem--someone has a great idea to create training that will surely solve whatever problem needs to be solved, without any real concrete evidence as to what is actually needed.

For me, the ADDIE model (Analysis phase, Design phase, Development phase, Implementation phase, and Evaluation phase) is a tried and true method that works well for instructional designers and training developers.  While all of these phases are important, I believe the most important is the Analysis phase--how else are you going to know where you are going if you don't have a road map?

Some important questions to consider during this phase are:

• What are the business needs driving this training project?
• What are the goals and objectives for this training project?
• How will you define success for both the learner and the project?
• How will you measure that success?
• Who is the intended training audience?
• What do the members of the learning audience already know?
• What do they need to learn?
• What resources are already available?

While this method may or may not increase attendance in training and education classes that you or your organization is offering, it will provide you with the much-needed framework to begin to develop relevent and timely needs-based education.

Face-to-face vs. Online Learning "Face Off"

We've all heard it before--training is moving away from face-to-face learning and online is the way to go.  While offering online training can be very cost-effective due to the savings on travel, expenses, and time away from the core business, it also has its disadvantages.

I recently taught a day-long "Train the Trainer" course and had the pleasure of getting to know the participants in the class.  Since I will be working with these instructors as part of my company's grassroots education initiative, it is very beneficial for me to be able to connect with each of them and "put a face with the name" as more than likely our interactions moving forward will be over the phone or through email communication--not very personal!