You had me at "investing" Darrell.... and I couldn't agree more!
Everyone recognizes and appreciates the benefits of ongoing training, but making the investment - in terms of time or cost - too often gets looked upon as another expense, or a cumbersome task that doesn't reach its rightful place on the list of business priorities.
Training actually starts at the top - with ownership. An owner who isn't leading the training vision, strategy and execution is the captain of a rudderless ship. Identifying specific visions and core objectives that ongoing training is intended to fulfill or improve is one of the cornerstones of the culture successful owners strive to build and sustain to differentiate their brand. Execution not only involves the plan and the actual training, but also the tracking and accountability for the long-term behavioral changes and intended results.
The primary investment is always in the people, not the product. What many owners learn too late is that they're spending the money either way - by creating a pathway to help their people get better, and stay ahead of the curve, or by paying for the seemingly endless turnover and churn of employees who are looking for the culture, environment, and security of working in a shop with an investment mindset.
To the extent that the cost is essentially the same - it should be easy to see which provides the greater return.
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Bob Bittner
Performance Coach
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