| FROM OUR EXPERIENCE |
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| No more training in 2009... |
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Training sessions need to be able to show tangible outcomes, increased measurable performance or a concrete higher level of efficiency. Certainly, training will become much more matchmaking between target group, needs and specialised and customised training sessions, rather than "one training course for all".
2009 promises to become a very interesting year; a year full of challenges and full of surprises. A year perhaps more focused just on continuity, rather than on increasing market share, optimising growth or maximising profit. That means that 2009 will be year of careful evaluation of expenses, as well as cautious decision making on investments. Investments that do not show a remarkable return on investment on the short or medium term, will be triple checked. Many companies consider training such an investment, if the results are not obvious.
What we saw in recent years was a massive investment in general subjects like Time Management, Communication Skills and Customer Service. For sure, the overall outcome on performance of these training sessions is positive, although its efficiency can be questioned in many cases. We had people in our open courses on Time Management (Priorities Matter!™ - one of the leading courses on this subject since 1999!) who do routine jobs, people who have no possibility of prioritising anything in their own job. We were asked to do Customer Service sessions with frontline personnel, without involving their direct supervisors, those who are responsible for maintaining the smile on the faces of frontline people! These and many other examples make clear that investments in people development were not always well focused neither followed-up internally. That time is over now.
That's why we believe that 2009 is the year in which the training industry has to prove its true added value. Training suppliers should become (if they aren't yet) true partners on solving critical issues in a company's performance through people development. This means that training shall be an integrated process in the strategy of the company and not an add-on or an accessory. We expect that 2009 will show a drastic selection throughout the training industry. We will see that many training companies will disappear and only those companies will survive which can show results and true added value. Those training companies are strategic partners for their clients and no longer "session suppliers"
Perhaps it's also time for integration. Time where single training companies need to think of broadening their offer, if they want to provide their clients real solutions. But also time for consultancy companies and for coaches to start strategic partnerships. Consultancy companies also need, besides the process redesigning, capacity on people development. And coaches should also raise their services above the level of "sponsored coffee drinking", as one international coach described the Romanian situation very sharply.
I see two possibilities to enhance services for training companies. One is to become a specialist, focused on a very specific solution offering, which is called in directly by clients to solve well-defined issues. These specialists will also be involved by consultancy companies to work on specific issues for their clients and act as sub-contractors. Together with individual coaches the full process can be assured. Another strategy is to offer fully integrated solutions by the training company itself, meaning incorporating consultancy (the needs identification and training process design) and coaching services (follow-up and enhancing impact of training sessions) into the portfolio that is offered.
We at Human Invest call ourselves a training company, though we offer much more than just training. We extensively sit together with our clients to identify the true needs and design and customise the solutions we offer. Because we work only with internationally licensed solutions, we offer the highest international standards possible, verified thoroughly by our international partners. These solutions are customised to the Romanian circumstances (we adapted our case studies, our exercises and our role-plays to make them match finely with the participants environment), and are also customised further to our clients' situation. Our solutions match well together and are modularly integrated in processes with tangible outcomes. After the training sessions we focus on follow-up, and we provide our clients with many tools and opportunities to enhance the learning internally. We believe that much of the follow-up should be done internally, in order to show the commitment towards people by the management itself!
As said before, 2009 promises to be interesting and challenging both for you and for us. Finding the right partner with whom you can capitalise on your key people is a major issue for many companies throughout the country. Nobody wants to lose its key people in these times, as they are the people that will help you through the crisis and make all the difference when times get better. Investing in their development will make the difference for them and assures therewith the continuation of their loyalty and of your business. Leadership development is critical in these times, as it is the backbone of any organisation, and should continue to be treated as a top priority. A broader management development approach is a fully integrated managerial education program like NEXTEP, where besides leadership you also have many other essential skills that are presented, discussed and experienced.
There is still much to do in 2009. To be strategic partners we want to be close to our customers. That's why we at Human Invest make regular visits to all our main clients in order to discuss and re-discuss their real issues and their true priorities. Only this way we can fully understand their circumstances and customise our solutions in the best way possible in order to achieve the desired results.
Richard Reese
Managing Partner |
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Human Invest is a Premier League company in the arena of training and organizational development consultancy services, present on the Romanian market since 1998.
We are recognized for conceiving and implementing programs which offer managers an authentic experience towards improving their leadership performances, and thus we support companies in becoming more and more engaged in delivering excellent services for their clients.
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