Training’s greatest challenge: creating behavioural changes that stick

Have you noticed the contradiction between what I do and what I say when I’m doing it?

With its major focus on the concepts of behaviour description interviewing, the theme of my Interview Right to Hire Right workshop is that, “past performance is the best predictor of future performance.”

Some reject this premise. Rather than accepting that an individual will usually approach a work task in the same way they have done in the past, they ask, “Can’t I just train them to do what I want them to do?”

As someone who has spent more than 20 years training leaders from all types of non-profit, public and private sector organizations, I would like to respond, “Of course, you can do that.” After all, the purpose of training is to change behaviour—how participants will approach tasks associated with their jobs following the training—with a resulting improvement in results. In the case of Interview Right to Hiring Right, that would mean that managers and supervisor would always hire the right person and eliminate bad hiring decisions.

During Interview Right to Hire Right, participants are exposed to tips, tools and techniques to enable them to change their behaviour, and to now incorporate “past performance is the best predictor of future performance” into their hiring practices. Change your behaviour to take advantage of the knowledge that people tend not to change their behaviours.

But I am enough of a realist to realize that this won’t always be the case. Even when participants are committed to change, beginning to do tasks differently is difficult. It is so easy to revert to asking the same questions in the same way as before attending the Interview Right to Hire Right workshop. It’s further proof that, “past performance is the best predictor of future performance.”

You may ask, what does this mean? Is all training a waste of time and money? Hopefully not, but careful preparation is needed to avoid this being the case.

This begins with an understanding that training is not just what happens during the time set aside for the training session. What happens before and after influences the impact of the training. Will the training result in desired changes in behaviour, or will training just be a break from the day-to-day routine with a day’s worth of work-related tasks left undone?

There are actions that trainers, those who request training, and participants in the training can take that will increase the likelihood that the training will stick. In my next blog posting, I will describe strategies I have developed to improve the impact of training.

National Boss’s Day reminds us that recognition should occur up and down the hierarchy

In Thanks! GREAT Job! I wrote that:

“Staff recognition is frequently thought of as if it was water, that can only trickle down the managerial hierarchy. This doesn’t have to be—and shouldn’t be—the case. Everyone needs recognition, including supervisors, managers and executives. These are the people who are often overlooked when we talk about staff recognition. Take time to let your boss know that you appreciate her for what she does.”

National Boss’s Day—observed annually on October 16 (or on the nearest work day) — provides an opportunity to express that appreciation. Boss’s Day originated in the United States in 1958 and is now observed in several countries, including Canada. It really arrived as a date to be celebrated in 1979, when Hallmark introduced its first Boss’s Day cards.

The purpose of Boss’s Day is to thank managers and supervisors for their fairness, hard work, dedication and loyalty, and to strengthen the relationship between bosses and their staff.

Start planning today

Providing recognition to your boss can be tricky at times, especially if doing so is not part of the corporate culture. Tread carefully. Here are a few cautionary notes:

• It’s a couple of weeks away, but now would be a good time to begin planning how you might observe Boss’s Day. Planning that is rushed may result in activities that have a last-minute feel to them.

• It’s better to work as a group. When only one or two individuals acknowledge the boss, it could easily be misinterpreted. The boss may wonder what you are expecting in return. Co-workers may believe you are trying to get into the boss’s good books or question the nature of your relationship with the boss. Proceed only if everyone—or almost everyone—is on board. If others aren’t interested in doing anything special, back off. You can still observe Boss’s Day, but keep it low key, such as saying, “Happy Boss’s Day” when you see the boss that day.

• Ensure that what you do is Appropriate for your boss. Check out this article for suggestions of questions to ask to discover ways to provide recognition that is Appropriate to the recipient. Recognition that is not Appropriate may be seen as insincere.

• Gifts should be small. You don’t want to dig too deeply into your colleagues’ pockets. It’s the gesture, not its value, that’s important. Choose the gift carefully, so that it reflects what’s important to the boss, such as a book related to his hobby or favourite pastime, an opportunity to do something with the family, tickets to a sporting or theatre event, or a gift card to the boss’s favourite restaurant.

• Check out the rules for gift-giving in your organization. Some companies and government agencies have policies the prohibit staff from accepting gifts.

Ways to observe Boss’s Day

In an article a year ago, I provided at least nine ways to acknowledge your boss on Boss’s Day. Here are a few more ideas for your consideration as you plan for October 16:

• Nominate your boss as an Everyday Staff-Recognition Hero.

• Pass the hat among your co-workers to collect money to purchase a small gift for the boss. Select a gift that reflects what’s important to the boss.

• Invite colleagues to complete the phrase, “What I appreciate most about [insert boss’s name here] . . .” Type their comments (keep them anonymous if you wish), frame them and present them to the boss.

• Purchase a travel mug for the boss. Fill it with a package of the boss’s favourite tea or coffee, or a gift card to his/her favourite coffee shop. Have the mug engraved with a message of appreciation or an inspiring quotation.

• Initiate a standing ovation for the boss when he or she arrives for work or enters the department on October 16.

• Welcome the boss with a sign that proclaims, “Happy Boss’s Day!” signed by staff members, who may wish to add their own words of appreciation.

• Meet the boss for breakfast before work or go out for lunch.

• Encourage your colleagues to fill the boss’s inbox with positive email messages.

• Tweet positives about the boss.