Is your business harboring un-broke horses?

I have often been shocked when I hear of people who put a young child on an un-broke horse’s back. With much dismay, they tell the story of how the horse bucked and threw the child to the ground. Horses aren’t born wanting people to ride on their backs. They don’t know that when someone pulls the reins they are supposed to stop. These skills have to be learned.

This analogy also applies to the business world. The skilled accountants or production line workers who are promoted to a supervisory position may not have learned the skills to manage. The person hired to accept payments may also need customer service training. They perform their jobs well, but they need to learn new skills. These employees need training.

But don’t train just to train. Training should be based on goals. Where do you want your company to be in five years? Do the employees have the skills to get it there? What are the employees’ current skills and what skills will they need?

When you have determined where the gaps are between the employees current skills and required skills, it is also important to determine who should be trained. The ability of the employee to learn the material and use it effectively is critical to the success of the training program and to the success of the organization. Make sure the right person is being trained for the right job.

Don’t let your employees be hay burners. Employees who do not have the skills to perform their jobs are a waste of money like an un-broke horse grazing in the field. Poor managers cause their good staff to leave. Poor customer service providers cause your customers to leave. An investment was made to obtain them, why not make the investment to keep them?

Julia Brandt
Training Coordinator, Business Institute

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