TRAINING ETHOS
All of Sylvia’s programmes embrace a powerful training ethos which puts individuals at the centre. People is what Objectives Training is about. Enabling people to achieve their potential in a sustainable way is what drew Sylvia into training and development in the first place. Good training is not a ‘stand and deliver’ function it is an interactive and dynamic one. In training we hold a mirror up to both the person and the organisation so they can reflect upon their behaviour, use their new learning to assess what is effective and develop new and wiser ways of working where required. Below are some of Sylvia’s thoughts on the principles which underpin her dynamic training ethos.
WHY TRAIN?
In times of financial constraint it is always easy to cut the training budget and see the development of the so-called “soft skills” as an unnecessary investment. However, it is these skills which help us to become more resilient and enable us to motivate ourselves and our teams and develop towards achieving our true potential.
Take a moment to consider the following:
What if we could harness more of the potential of our team without “burning out” our prime team members?
What if we could optimise how our people use their energy? Could we hit our targets with less stress and wastage?
What if everyone was more motivated, engaged and satisfied in their work? How would that feel? How would our customers benefit?
What if we could find wiser ways of working without increasing our present resources?
This is what good training does.
Investing in training increases the productivity and effectiveness of our teams whilst also encouraging them to develop strategies for preserving their energy for the long haul. Let’s not burn out at the first hurdle. Let’s pace ourselves a little. When you and your teams are stressed ask yourself:
“What will happen if I/we continue to work in this way?
When you ask this question you are starting to develop wiser working strategies. Good training will help you to find the best way to do things, help you to identify what really works and invest your energies in the important stuff.
Good training is always a good investment
WHAT IS GOOD TRAINING?
Good training is not about constantly imposing new ideas on people; often what people need is already there, we just need to tap into the right behaviour. It’s a bit like using a tool, we may have all of the attachments, but we need the right attachment for the job, use the wrong one and we are just wasting our energy. It’s the same with behaviour, we can get into the habit of using the wrong one; ineffective and unsustainable behaviours can become habitual. Good training helps us to hold a mirror up to these habits so that we can recognize them and their impact on our effectiveness and that of those around us. We can then decide whether to change and, if so, in what way? What new techniques and skills can help us? What theories and ideas can support our learning? What can we learn from those around us and those who know about and have researched these things? Behavioural change is not easy, but working with unsustainable behaviours can be devastating to both the individual and the organisation in the long term.
Assuming we have identified what is not working for us what then can we do about it? Fortunately we have a helping hand and a myriad of practical tools and choices, many people have spent time and energy exploring what works and developing ideas, theories and models which can help us explore options and make changes to improve our effectiveness and satisfaction. This new found energy will filter out from our working day to have a positive impact on our whole lives.
Good training is about providing a space and time for people to reflect upon their practice and identify and develop new strategies and behaviours. Good training results in demonstrable behavioural change; learning reflected in action. Training is not a passive activity, it is not something we consume, it provides a forum for exploration and discovery followed by direct and positive action.
Good Training results in Wiser Working
WHAT IS A SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOUR?
A sustainable behaviour is any behaviour which can stand the test of time. It is a behaviour which takes account of and uses the resources available effectively without drawing on our reserves. Sustainable behaviours can be both individual and corporate.
If people develop behaviours which are sustainable and focus their energies towards clear objectives, an environment for success will be created. Life, both individual and corporate, is a marathon and not a hundred meters and investing in good training for good people is a truly profitable enterprise for all parties in the long term. The training and development programmes I design and deliver focus on enabling teams and individuals to achieve their potential in a positive and enlightening way. This is achieved through developing their personal and interpersonal skills and encouraging them to both recognise their unsustainable behaviours and, if necessary, to develop positive practices and strategies to overcome them.
Below are some examples of sustainable and unsustainable behaviours, this is certainly not a finite list:
| Unsustainable:
Perfectionism |
Sustainable:
Giving and receiving feedback Being adult and professional Delegating Managing stress Positive thinking |
Many of the above unsustainable behaviours exist at a corporate or team level as well as at an individual level. Some may become habitual and need to be brought into the conscious zone through discussion and exploration. Training is not just about learning, it is about recognising the things we need to change and being empowered and inspired to do so.
Some of the above may be behaviours used by leaders and managers, which may have a direct, often negative, impact on the performance of their teams. Management training can help managers to hold the mirror up to their behaviour and see the impact of their chosen behaviours and management style on those around them. As a result of this knowledge managers can learn to change or adapt their behaviours by developing wiser working practices and a few keys skills. Examples may be developing their personal skills, conducting one-to-one coaching sessions with their team, delegating effectively or revamping their team meetings.
An unsustainable behaviour is not necessarily a ‘bad’ behaviour, just as a sustainable behaviour is not necessarily a ‘good’ one. Behaviour is all about context and choice, this is why it is more useful to explore behaviour than personality in the workplace. It is our behaviour that enables us to achieve wiser working. Also, sometimes it is OK to “waste energy” as long at the process is conscious and the risk appropriately assessed. It’s a bit like going on a shopping spree, when we get the bill it would be a bit strange if we said to our bank manager “but I didn’t know what I was doing!” in defence of getting overdrawn. Yet we constantly do this with our behaviour, seeing it as fixed and not chosen. In effect we can become ‘victims’ (willing or otherwise) of our behaviour. We often use different behaviours in different contexts so why do we assume our behaviour is fixed? It may help to think of our personality as the wardrobe and our behaviour as the outfit – we choose the outfit to suit the occasion, unfortunately, not always wisely. Good training is about bringing behaviours into the conscious zone, putting them under the spotlight of our scrutiny and finding new and more effective ways of doing things, in effect, wiser working.
Good training is not a “quick fix”, good training develops sustainable behaviours.
A FINAL NOTE FROM SYLVIA
All of my training programmes incorporate the principles of wiser working and developing sustainable behaviours to ensure resilience and well-being. My training embraces Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety at Work and any other policies specific to the working environment I am employed within. It is the trainer’s responsibility to work closely with the principles and procedures of the organisation and to understand the support mechanisms offered to employees. These principles are central to my work, whether on an Away Day, coaching an individual, running a training course or having a chat in the corridor.
I would like to thank all the participants on my courses, in the past and the future, for helping me to learn my art and enabling me to use this experience to complement the inspiring learning of theories, principles and methods I have discovered along the way. The process is a dynamic one in which I am always the learner and holding that mirror up to myself to make new discoveries. I am presently working on a book incorporating many of the ideas included in this website. Training is always a privilege and the trainer is always the learner.
In my spare time I am a keen outdoor swimmer, potter, writer and poet.