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Are you a one-person training department? Well, not any longer! Training is a partnership. Think of it as a 3-legged stool, where one leg is the training department, one leg is the management team, and one leg is the learners. Just like the legs on the stool offer support, all three groups must work in sync to contribute to a well-supported training department.
For this partnership to be successful, you need a strong foundation. To build this foundation, you must cultivate your relationships with the other groups (step 1) and then assign responsibilities (step 2). After all, learning is a shared responsibility!
Identify who will be on your “team.” It’s important to build relationships with members from all levels within the organization to ensure you have top-down support as well as bottom-up support.
Identify what’s at stake. Getting buy-in from all levels within the organization is imperative to success. The tricky part is identifying what is important at each level. The executive team will have a very different “What’s in It for Me?” than the front-line employees and vice-versa.
Collaborate with your new partners. Use their knowledge and skills as a resource. By involving them throughout the whole process, they’ll feel like their “voices” are being heard and this will lead to their current and future buy-in and support.
Express gratitude! A simple “thank you” can take you a long way when cultivating relationships.
Do not forget this key area! Make sure you include everyone in this step, even the managers of your partners.
Now, go out there and start cultivating those relationships! Once they are established, you can start assigning responsibilities to your new “team.” With this partnership in place, your one-person training department will have support, buy-in, and shared responsibilities. You’ll no longer be on a solo mission!
If you are a trainer who needs to analyze, design, develop, deliver, and evaluate training, and can only attend one workshop, we have you covered: Certified Training Generalist, Training 101, and New Trainer’s Survival Skills. Learn all the basics that will help you not just survive but thrive!
