Train ‘Em, or Lose ‘Em

Does the subject of training even come up? Do you think about it? Do you talk about it with your employees? You could use an informal or formalized system. There is no “one size fits all” approach. What they all have in common is that they are conscious about making it happen. It doesn’t have to be on your to-do list daily or even weekly. If it doesn’t show up at all, however, it probably won’t happen.

What, exactly, should you be training employees to do? You’ve probably done what you’ve done for so long that you’ve forgotten what it’s like not to know how to do it. Also,  your focus is naturally on the “big picture”. It’s easy to overlook the discrete steps a young staffer must take to become productive and profitable. Business valuation isn’t like baking a cake, obviously, where you can lay out and teach each separate step. Still, staffers might learn more quickly if the subject matter comes in smaller bites.

Who should be doing the training? The easy answer, of course, is “everyone”. But, when “everyone” is responsible, no one is responsible. Some training can be outsourced through webinars, state and national conferences, or credential-driven training. (Mitigate the cost/risk by linking your investment to employee tenure.) Nobody can train your employees in the way YOU want things to be done, though. But, does that mean it’s your job, or the job of your managers?

If it’s the job of your managers, is it in their job description? Do you discuss progress at review time? And, finally, do you give your managers the “tools” they need for the job? The manager who was poorly trained won’t become a good trainer without help.

You have lots of options when it comes to training BV staffers. If you’re not using any of them, you’re risking the substantial investment you’re making in growing your practice.