Published in Long Island Business News
Much of the griping I hear from other business owners is about how the work effort of
their employees is lacking. When I hear these complaints I’ll ask, “What are you doing to train your employees?” The usual response is something like, “Well I pay them and I don’t have time to train them. They either get it or they don’t.” In this scenario, it’s the business owner who doesn’t get it.
Continual training of your team is one of my greatest takeaways from serving as a U.S. Marine. Their mission is simple: Marines are at war or training for war. It is the quality of these training programs that have made the Marine Corps so successful. Young Marines who complete basic training at Paris Island are filled with esprit de corps, motivation and confidence that serves them on and off the battlefield. As business owners you can learn to motivate your team as well – by training them.
I’ve taken this lesson into my law firm today. The members of our professional team, attorneys and support staff, are constantly training in new technology, emerging areas of the law, team building, client relations and other skills they can put to work for both their own and the firm’s benefit. I view this training as a non-negotiable part of the employee experience at our firm. The benefits clearly outweigh any of the perceived negatives:
Training increases employee engagement. Training your employees helps convey that they are valued members of your company. A recent Dale Carnegie study showed that engaged employees are enthusiastic, inspired, empowered and confident—are yours?
Increased productivity. While it may temporarily sting to sacrifice an hour or two for a training session, your employees will learn skills and tactics during that session that will increase their productivity and boost production in the future.
Increased customer satisfaction. Management must be aware of customers concerns and should conduct regular training with the staff as to how to address and correct any problems. If they aren’t, then those managers should also get training on that issue. These sessions always result in an immediate bump in client satisfaction.
With these types of benefits, I recommend that every organization – no matter how large or small – implement a formal training program. Training increases employee engagement and job satisfaction, which means lower turnover and higher profits for the business.
Who’s with me?
