Have you recently left corporate life and dream of having those training opportunities to maintain peak performance and your wellbeing?
or
Have you always run your business and been some what envious of the opportunity to learn something / have time away from ‘the office’ to allow you to recuperate and give to the clarity for the next thing?
In my experience when it comes to small businesses, people suddenly realise the value or the pound / dollar (or whatever your currency) and really look at what is going to add the most value. Some totally dismiss the whole idea of training as its classed as an expensive day out, means to catch up with their colleagues without feeling guilty and or at worse painful as there is an expectation to keep the ‘car on the road’ (i.e. keep things going).
Training or learning comes in many disguises. For many of you reading this (thank you for getting so far…tips are to follow) training will conjurer up face to face classroom learning with the odd breakout, getting content pushed at you while you are at your desk or in a training room and having stuff that you have to do rather than what you are motivated to do but it gets you time away from your desk.
Some of you will have created your own paths of learning through asking questions reading, writing, finding the odd mentor to guide you and sneaking your way on to free events so you can have a broader perspective on what you are doing. But are you embracing this a a clear means to gain edge in what you do and running your business?
I recently had conversations with a very successful business (150+ people) who was proudly managing its people and business data sources carefully and so, like athletes, adjustments could be made as programs unfolded. Having tried training in the last 2 years and seen no tangible benefit the very idea for paying for training had been dismissed totally. I regularly hear a similar story.
There is also an underlying belief, by some (probably not the business owner and or budget holder), that a training event makes you feel valued, adds to your wellbeing and gives you a different perspective on things. The problem lies in the only ‘loosely’ associated business gain associated with the investment.
So as a small business or solopreneur what investment will give you the most value?
In my experience its by keeping it focused and deliberate that you get the most value.
A global law firm provides training for its shortly to be partners. It has a blended approach and although the foundations of the principles are ‘useful’ its the 1:1 coaching that gets the best vote from the business and participants. Why I asked? because its focused to individual needs and the participants are held accountable from one conversation to the next reducing wriggle room and increasing the chance of the desired behaviours.
Where to start?
1. Define your output — for example:
- Maintain peak performance
- Build habits of successful business leaders / owners
- Maintain wellbeing
- Build super teams
- Build individual strengths
- Build robust / resilient leaders
- Manage successful business outputs
- Maintain performance as a new leader
2. Recognise that training or learning comes in many disguises. Identify the best intervention for you, the desired time to get results and your desired outcome
This may include:
a. Work with a trained business coach that can support your precise needs and build momentum quickly (based on your high commitment to succeed)
b. Build a network of mentors who you can call on for different needs at different stages of your business life cycle
c. Utilise high energy facilitators who will guide and support you build strategies, frameworks and infrastructures away from the politics and or your attachment to you business ‘baby’. Whether on your own or with members of your organisation or two separate events these can really help you to take a step back.
d. Learn by writing blogs they say the best way to see how much you know is by sharing what you do. This is also a great way to share what you are doing for your business and give some thing for a potential new client.
e. Create short videos that support internal networks, ideas and shows off the subject matter experts which can be shared to new staff or when needed.
f. Build into your diary time on your business rather than just for your business. By the very nature it will be time to reflect and therefore learn and take things to a new level.
g. Find time to stop or move away, ideally daily, to go for a walk, meditate, think with a brew, walk by the sea or in the hills or whatever your favourite time out pastime to all ow your brain to decompress. Giving yourself time to think allows for further creativity, ideas, unconscious thoughts and much needed to do tasks to come to the surface.
h. Find a free breakfast or lunch event to get out of your own space, talk to like minded business or professionals and build a supportive network through which you can potentially building business partnering opportunities, new ideas,
3. Create a development plan alongside your business plan / strategy
Make learning a seamless event part of daily habits and processes so it becomes habit and unconscious but the benefits are seen by your business outcomes and maintenance of peak performance.
Training has been used as a tool for better business performance for years but the correlation between great training and business impact has been limited. We are now in an era where, with technology and regular business data feedback the people aspect of business success is even more closely scrutinised and the link with the right interventions more obvious (when the right one is chosen).
Whether you are a one man band or a medium sized business there are many options that you can participate in that will give you the leap to enhance business / personal success.
With this in mind what do you do to keep you ahead of the game?
How do you keep your business head on whilst so attached to your business ‘baby’?
What are you doing with your employees to show they are valued and feel they are gaining skills?
Would be great to hear your thoughts and also carry on the conversation.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch lizzie@rhodesjames.co.uk
Lizzie is passionate about establishing and maintaining peak performance through bringing together the ingredients that will support leaders and their teams achieve their success. Lizzie learnt her graft as a leader in high pressure environments in both corporate and military settings. Being a robust leader means building on your own strengths as well of those you serve. Having studied the intricacies of how to achieve human performance and the interventions that will achieve business success. She is on a quest to support others make sustainable progress.
