How Do You Evaluate Effectiveness?

As the summer begins its march to fall, we’re all getting back in the game, and if history is any indication, projects will soon begin to multiply.

Which means hiring will be on the upswing, as well. As we all know, hiring is an expensive and extensive process. In fact, by the time you’ve advertised for, interviewed, hired and on-boarded a new employee there’s an incredible allocation of resources already invested.

Do you stop there? Or do you train and evaluate?

With the cost of new employees so high, retention and engagement are critical. So too, is helping your employees to maximize their contribution to your organization.

Training is one way to achieve maximum contribution.

In some organizations, training is seen as a must-have. In others, training is less likely offered, and often, less effective at changing the behavior or attitude of those attending.

There are very few times that I meet someone knowledgeable and skilful in everything. Mostly, people have their strengths and weaknesses. Myself, included. If I want to become better at a skill, there are several components necessary to the process:

1) Awareness: I first need to understand and be aware of my shortcomings in a particular area. Occasionally, as the leader, you may need to help with an employee’s awareness.

2) Willingness: Am I willing to learn a new skill? My underlying motivation will impact my willingness to learn and practice until mastery.

3) Initial Evaluation: Against my peers or against my previously measured skillset, where exactly am I, right now. It’s very difficult to assess the value of the outcome, if I don’t know where I started.

4) Training Design: Is the training designed to teach me new skills, or just tell me? Are there practice modules and a skilled facilitator? I may spend less time away from work if I’m offered an online program, but it’s likely to be less effective.

5) Post Training Evaluation: After a pre-determined passage of time, my new skill should be once again evaluated, to determine effectiveness of training. Building in a feedback loop from start to finish will help you to measure not only the effectiveness of the training expenditure, but more importantly, to calculate an expected ROI on the employee.

In the final analysis, only you know which metric is the right one for your organization. Whether you evaluate based on bottom line contribution, expanded knowledge base or skill set, or some other metric, it’s important to have those metrics for evaluation in place prior to any training you offer.

Of course, Boxer Advisors, LLC would love to be your “go-to” source for all of your training, coaching and consulting needs! Be sure to check out our resources in our online training center and remember that we customize all of our programs to help you get from where you are now to where you want to go.

Boxer Advisors, LLC, is a full-service consulting, training and coaching firm with more than 50 professional consultants, facilitators, and coaches and carefully selected partners providing services to Federal agencies and Fortune 1000 companies since 1996.

Contact us today to learn more.

I*Photo credit: http://benstroup.com/