| STRATEGIC ANALYSIS |
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| Why training, coaching and consultancy have nothing to do with EU funds... |
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"Can we get funding for this project?" "We will only implement such leadership development projects, if we can get external financing for it." "We cannot afford investments in training, unless we get money from the EU." These and many other similar remarks we hear a lot these days. In my opinion, this is becoming a very worrying situation, as it shows a shift from treating the development of people as an essential strategic investment towards "nice to have in case it's for free". This has some dramatic consequences.
Everybody knows and proclaims that people make the difference in any organisation, not the products, systems or solutions. Employees whether they are managers or not, need to feel that they are truly important for the organisation they are working in, in order to have them engaged and committed which in turn leads to higher individual and team performance. In case they feel that they are a replaceable wheel in a machine, a production unit, their performance will not excel, neither will they truly give their best.
One of the best ways to make employees feel they are important is to show that their direct manager is focused on developing a good working relationship. An important aspect is regular one-on-one meetings in which their development is discussed and followed trough. During our leadership sessions, practical instruments are explained and practiced in order to transform these one-on-one meetings in instruments that make the difference in the job of managers.
In case a manager is not motivated, not committed, or lacks the competence and instruments to build valuable relationships, we cannot expect that their subordinates will develop commitment or competence either. On the short term consequences may not be dramatic, just "normal" signs of dissatisfaction and a slight drop in performance, but on the medium term dissatisfaction grows out of hand and affects whole teams, departments and - in the end - affects the performance of the overall company in a negative way. A possible consequence can be that people leave for other jobs where they feel more valued. Other consequences that may appear in parallel: clients leave as they don't feel that their partners care for them, suppliers are not committed to create customised solutions and go for standard offers only, efficiencies are not sought for and waste (in whatever form) becomes acceptable. Especially in the current times in which customers should be pampered and served in the best way possible and in which expenses should be optimised, these effects are unwanted.
Investing in people in a strategic way, with a solid plan in mind, is essential in these times, as it assures medium and long term success. People are and remain the backbone of the organisation. Making people development dependent on external funding or co-financing would therefore be a major mistake.
What we see at several companies which applied for external financing is that the most successful projects are those in which people development is an integral part of a long term strategy. When it is a solid story, which makes good sense from all points of view, it is written in a way that shows dedication to development through training, coaching and consultancy. These are the projects that obtain most "points" in evaluations. These projects are written by people who live the dedication sustained by a system which is developing valuable working relationships and because they are sustained by their managers, and they feel valued and proud of their efforts. It makes the story true and complete.
That's why I see external financing, from whatever source I know, as a reward for the commitment of a corporation towards people development, and never as a plaster for difficult times. Training "only in case funding is available", is lacking consistency, commitment and is seldom going to bring in results.
My personal belief is that management and employee development has to be high on the agenda of any management team, as it is a strategic necessity in any company. Only if treated as a true priority, it contributes to the long term success, both on the client market as well as on the labour market. It's necessary that there is a strong commitment at all levels to increase the performance of each person through building trustful relationships and showing care. If this does not exist, there is neither commitment from employees, nor from managers, and no great results or high performance can be expected. And we see that companies showing such commitment, investing in people with the long term goal in mind, are obtaining EU funds as a reward, because they didn't put it as a condition.
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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