Business mentor: Learning to get the very best out of your staff

Q. I run a business with a small team. I know investing in training is important but sending people on courses can mean a significant cost in time and resources.

How can I best ensure a return on my investment?

Small business sector specialist Sarah Trotman asked Sharon Feltham from Excellerate, a performance improvement company, for some advice.

A. In our attempts to develop staff we will often turn to training, but we can overlook key factors that can drive bottom-line improvements. Before dispatching staff on courses invest time in:

* Communicating expectations. This is the No 1 cause of inadequate performance. Communicate your expectations clearly. Clarify your employee's understanding of job requirements, outputs, timeframes, quality standards and acceptable behaviours.

* Giving feedback. Inadequate feedback runs a close second to unclear expectations. Corrective feedback tells employees where they are off-target. Confirming feedback tells them they are doing the job right.

* Eliminating obstacles. Identify and eliminate barriers to performing the job. Ensure your employees have adequate resources, equipment and information. Streamline procedures and simplify workflows.

These three actions often produce an immediate improvement in performance - at minimal cost compared with training.

However, when you decide training is necessary there are steps you can take to increase your rate of return.

Review and select courses that most closely match your needs to ensure they target specific job requirements. Explain to staff the reasons for attendance, your expectations and then follow up.

When we return renewed and enthused from a course, it's easy to lose focus as work takes priority. We may also experience difficulty applying new concepts and skills in the "real world".

Follow up with your staff. Review their action plans. Identify where they need help. Check on progress. And be patient.

Performance coaching after training can help staff implement new ideas, overcome barriers and accelerate the consolidation of skills while rapidly building confidence.

Where possible select courses that include follow-up support such as practical assignments, 1-1, email or telecoaching. It's this support that translates learning into performance.

Short courses with loads of content need to be considered realistically. They are an attractive option but you need to be confident they can produce real results.

If staffing levels, hours of work or your location makes course attendance difficult consider flexible learning options such as:

* Distance courses combined with coaching.

* Teleclasses or courses that include a combination of online, email lessons and telecoaching.

These approaches are time efficient and deliver progressive learning. A little and often compared with information overload.

Look for "free stuff". You can find a wide range of high-quality learning resources in your local library and free courses on the internet.

Finally, recognise that training is only part of the solution. Performance is the result of skill, will and opportunity. Provide all three and you'll see more real results from your training investment.