Let’s reflect on the training your team participated in over the last few years. Were these exercises really necessary? Could the same results that were achieved through external training have been achieved by the means of internal guidance? Could your own people provide each other with coaching that could lead to the same if not better results?
I am sure your team consists of at least a few people who could be considered experts in your workplace. They can be capable and willing to teach/coach each other. This might be more cost-, time-, and quality-efficient. My team and I have participated in a few external training events. They took place because the needed expertise was not already within the business. As a learning exercise, it was helpful, inspiring, and encouraging. At the same time, they also created more questions and frustrations when we questioned the credibility and effectiveness of their teaching methods. I have learned that the more narrow and specific your organisational niche, the more challenges you might face with training and the results that come afterwards. When judging from my own experiences and the experience of others, the majority of training exercises are pretty general, “one solution fits all.” These provide information that cannot be used/implemented because it is not applicable in a specific industry, with specific clientèle, or does not fit the budget parameters, etc.
Having experienced this first hand, in addition to being active in a very specific environment, with very specific and diverse clients, and limited budgets, stimulated my team to experiment. These experiments brought us to a conclusion: let your people learn from each other, and let your people teach each other.
Firstly, your employees can be experts in a specific field. They deal with matters that constantly test their expertise on a daily basis. They know the goals of your organisation, the specifics of its operations, values, organisational culture, clients, etc. They know what approaches and attitude the organisation needs, and can shape the content of their teaching accordingly. Secondly, they are already in house and are available on a short notice, ideally at any moment of time for a follow-up or to answer deep(er) questions. They can share real life experiences. They can see your people in action, give feedback, and work together with them while they build on-the-job experiences. Thirdly, by letting your people learn from each other, you encourage and stimulate the culture of learning, working together, coaching each other, inspiring each other. You show that you trust your people and their expertise, let them help others develop and grow. You lift them up and this is one of the ways to show your recognition of their skills. While letting them develop new skills, you can also satisfy their ambitions and intrinsic needs to coach, teach, and supervise others. It is a great way to inspire your people, both towards teaching and learning.
Another great advantage of this practice is that by letting your people teach others, you let them become even better experts. In order for them to present in front of their team members and to deliver their content, they need to develop this content clearly, reflect on what they do and better understand why they achieve high results. This makes them more reflective and conscious about their strengths, specifics of the expertise, etc. While preparing to teach others, you are learning yourself.
I am all for external training, and they are inevitable for business success. However, they are not always the most efficient way to get to desired results. Trust your people, let them learn from each other, and let them teach each other. Experiment with the idea, and compare the results.
By: Liubovi Bosenko