Most training fails: 4 ways to implement learning for maximum impact

I think it’s absolutely fantastic when companies want to train and develop their leaders; however, what I see most often is that they simply want to throw money at the problem without defining success, without giving space and mentoring for experiential learning, and without considering a structure for long-term continued learning and maintenance. 

McKinsey reports that we only retain 10% of what we learn in a classroom setting (and of that 10%, we don’t know how much is put into action). Additionally, learning and development isn’t solely HR’s responsibility; leaders have reported that the skill they are least confident in is developing talent. If you want your training and development to have the highest ROI (return on investment) and value for the organization, here are 4 strategies. 

📌 Strategy #1: Think about how the person learns best and offer training modalities accordingly. One of the learning frameworks the Association for Talent Development recommends is a 33-33-33 model: 33% informal (coaching, mentoring, articles, podcasts, shadowing), 33% social (learning from others-blogs, discussion, masterminds), and 33% formal (classroom training, e-learning, workshops, conferences, performance reviews). 

📌 Strategy #2: Define success and ongoing progress checks. Do you want the person to gain new knowledge or will behavior change mean this was successful? What behaviors would the person be exhibiting that would make this a success? Who is checking progress and how often? Pro tip: communicate all of this up front with the person! 

📌 Strategy #3: Avoid one-and-done trainings; new knowledge and behaviors require ongoing consistency to implement. You should have a structure in place for this. 

📌 Strategy #4: Think about this holistically: often, it’s not just about learning something new, it’s about the person’s beliefs (conscious or unconscious), insecurities, social conditioning, conditioning from past (dysfunctional) work experiences, thought patterns, biases, etc. Most of the time, it’s about unlearning and relearning something. Old habits and beliefs can be tough to deconstruct. 

How do high-potential leaders prefer to learn? DDI reports: 85% want coaching (internally and externally), 71% want instructor-led training to strengthen leadership skills, and 56% want assessments to diagnose strengths and areas for improvement (like a 360° Multi-Rater Assessment). 

The benefit to using professional coaching as a learning and development tool is that the coach uses their expertise and judgment on what learning method the person needs at that time and tailors appropriately. Here are a few learning methods that I employ when developing high-performing leaders: 

🔎 Experiential learning: learn by doing

🔎 Awareness-raising by asking open-ended questions

🔎 Role playing

🔎 Action based on insights: what was learned and how will you handle it next time?

🔎 The use of case studies to expand perspectives

🔎 Help the person hear themselves and feel heard 

🔎 My belief that the person is wholly capable and resourceful 

Keep in mind that the person is more likely to be committed to the process if they have a say in their development choices and modalities. 

Cheers to making your learning and development activities count for your team or organization. Be sure that this gets added to your list of achievements and that your boss knows!