An Excerpt from Chapter 35 of “Honesty Works!”, by Steven Gaffney:

Albert Einstein reportedly said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” People tend to do exactly that. When they don’t like something, they fall back on the same old strategies that have not worked in the past, hoping things will be different this time. Of course, they usually get the same lackluster results and wonder why.

After years of working with people, I truly believe that many people are not honest with themselves about how habitual their problem-solving methods are. If they really stand back, self-observe, and become truly aware, they can think about how successful — or unsuccessful — those methods have been for them.

If you are having issues or challenges, honestly look at your methods for trying to resolve them. If they are not producing the results you want, try something different. You may not have all the answers, or you may not know the right answer. But by trying something different, at least you have a chance of breaking through and solving the issue you are wrestling with.

Consider this: there are currently more than six billion people in the world. Add to that the billions of people who have lived before us. With all of those individuals living their lives, the chances are great that someone has experienced exactly what we are experiencing and has found a solution. The trick is to find the answer.

It is arrogant and egotistical to say and believe that we have tried everything. The truth is that we may have tried everything we can think of, but we have certainly not tried everything there is to try. Someone out there has probably experienced our problem, has been in an identical or nearly identical situation, and has found the answer. Chances are great that someone out there has a co-worker, boss, husband, wife, child, or relative who has experienced a very similar problem and found a resolution.

This may be hard to see when you’re examining your own life, but think about how often you have watched friends or co-workers ignore an obvious solution. They live in the world called “nothing can help me.” No matter what you suggest, they reject everything. So, when you feel stuck and don’t see any answers, take a look at the bigger picture. If you believe there is an answer out there, you will most likely find one. Belief drives actions; actions don’t drive beliefs. People often say, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” The problem is they can’t see it, if they don’t believe it.

What if you ran your life by the motto: failure is not an option. How determined would you be to find and implement the answer you’re looking for? What if there was a million dollars riding on it? How likely would you be to find the answer?

Here is an easy tip to help you find the answers for just about any situation — simply ask ten people for advice. If they don’t have the answer, they probably know someone who does. When you receive the advice, be open, receptive, and truly listen to what they have to say.

Sometimes people say that there may be answers out there but that they don’t have much control over the situation. That may be so, but you can concentrate on the part you can control and see what happens. You may only control 5 percent of the situation, but that can make all the difference. After all, even someone in a kayak with limited control can navigate water rapids successfully.

If you are committed to changing a situation, stop doing things that don’t work. When you’re tempted to think you have tried everything, remember you haven’t. Don’t allow failure to be an option — and don’t let yourself give up. The odds are someone in the world has gone through the same experience and figured out the answer. Go find it!

Copyright 2011, Steven Gaffney Company, All Rights Reserved. To duplicate this newsletter in any format please contact our office at 703-241-7796 or info@stevengaffney.com

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Real-World Solutions to the Top 4 Problems with Any Training or Coaching

“Oh no. Not another seminar!.” If we haven’t had the thought ourselves, we have certainly overheard the sentiment expressed in the hallways. Failed seminars, wasted offsite meetings, complicated training sessions, and pointless conferences have conditioned us to resent the time these activities demand.

Just think of a time you attended a seminar or coaching session that seemed interesting at the time, but when you woke up the next day you realized you could not remember a thing you learned, much less how to apply it. Or worse, you may remember a time you walked out of a seminar and immediately knew it was a waste of your time.

That is the very outcome that everyone – from leaders to meeting planners to participants – desperately wants to avoid. And yes, the good news is that such outcomes are avoidable!

While some companies still believe that employees should arrive already trained and job-ready, great companies offer effective training for employee development. There is no denying that training is necessary for growth and progress, but not just any training. It takes the right kind of training.

In my nearly twenty years experience conducting seminars, workshops, and executive coaching with senior leaders down to entry level employees, I have learned the necessary techniques to make training “stick.” In speaking with my Fortune 500 and government clients about their training experiences, I have heard firsthand the top mistakes common to all ineffective training. I have also heard the most frequent complaints from seminar or training participants. Avoiding these common problems could be the difference between wasted time and resources and a productive seminar – one that resonates with participants and produces a high return on investment of your training dollars.

Problem #1: Past the Expiration Date
No one likes biting into stale potato chips or taking a swig of spoiled milk. The same is true for participating in training or attending offsite seminars with stale content. Such training only leaves a bad taste in participants’ mouths.

Training sessions or seminars must have new ideas and a fresh perspective to capture and hold participants’ attention. Otherwise, the content will go in one ear and out the other.

Organizations tend to repeatedly bring in the same experts as everyone else in their particular industry. Although industry experts bring industry knowledge, they often bring industry blind spots and preconceived notions into their training sessions … and that could limit your participants’ problem-solving skills.

Worse yet, if your organization continually brings in the same type of industry experts, participants may approach training sessions thinking, “Well, I bet we have heard all of this before.” They will check out and disengage.

Another warning sign that you are relying too heavily on what has always been done in the past is hearing people say, “That will never work here.” An attitude like that may signal that it is time to shift to a different approach to training.

One way to avoid stale training, whether it is being provided by internal resources or an external expert, is to bring in best practices from outside your organization and industry. Doing so eliminates inbred thinking. It opens your eyes to possible solutions from other markets and will likely generate some out-of-the-box strategies.

As a friend once said, “You cannot see the big picture if you are in the picture.” If you are in the government contracting industry, are you willing to look at best practices from the hospitality industry? If you are in the insurance industry, are you willing to look at best practices from the financial industry? That kind of cross-pollination may bring just the creativity and fresh ideas you need.

Problem #2: One Size Fits All
No two companies, agencies, or organizations are exactly alike. Each has its own set of challenges and goals. Therefore, training and seminars must be customized to meet your organization’s unique objectives and overcome your audience’s particular obstacles. When it comes to training, one size does not fit all.

Generic training produces generic results. For example, consider leadership development programs. A common complaint we hear is that organizations tend to offer the same supervisory training for all employees regardless of each employee’s particular learning style, goals, challenges, personal weaknesses, strengths, and so forth. Conducting “cookie cutter” training sessions that are exactly the same for everyone will not produce the results you want. Generic strategies or solutions are easy to forget and difficult for participants to implement since they do not apply to their specific needs.

Many companies have their own approach to avoiding the “one size fits all” mistake. For example, our company utilizes our “Inside-outside Customization Approach™” to discover participants’ unique challenges, weaknesses, and goals prior to delivering the seminar. Whatever your process, get to know the audience and participants beforehand in order to adapt the seminar or coaching to effectively address the group dynamics and obstacles. That way, examples are pertinent to the audience’s world, making them relatable and memorable. This leads to an engaged audience and a seminar that comes to life.

Problem #3: Muddy Waters
Confusing information causes delay or, worse, inactivity, as well as ineffective results. And what causes confusion? Too many broad concepts, vague ideas, or overcomplicated tactics and techniques thrown at you at once. All the information begins to muddy the waters, making it difficult to gain clarity or take action.

No matter how interesting a seminar may be, if participants do not leave with a clear understanding of how to implement the strategies learned, the seminar was a waste of time and resources. If tactics are not easy to remember and use, then participants will not use it because they do not have the time to figure it out on their own. For example, consider traditional training on identifying and analyzing different personality traits. It may be useful, insightful, and interesting, but people may leave the session unsure how to effectively analyze on the fly. For that reason, they may not use what they learned.

For effective training, simplify content and provide specific, tactical strategies that are easy to understand and execute. Training must be easy for participants to apply to their particular jobs. When that happens, participants leave seeing the value in what they learned and equipped with new skills to take on challenges they were previously unprepared to combat.

There are many techniques we have used or witnessed that help clear the waters so training is easy to implement in the workplace. One technique that is easiest to implement is to structure training in such a way that allows participants to choose the case study rather than having the presenter, speaker, trainer, or coach provide a case study. When participants select a case study they can relate to and are properly guided through it, they can then see exactly how to apply it in their world.

Another simple technique for providing clarity is to implement what we call the “Teach Back” technique. At the close of a longer session, participants should form small groups and teach back the main highlights from the seminar. This allows them to review their notes to ensure they clearly understand the key messages and how to execute the techniques or strategies.

When information from training, seminars, or coaching is easy to implement, participants can begin practicing their new skills immediately and frequently, allowing those new skills to quickly become habits.

Problem #4: It’s Over When It’s Over
Too often, training ends when the seminar ends. There is no follow-up from presenters to see how things are going or to address any needs or questions that may have come up after the seminar. Likewise, participants are not held accountable to implementing and developing the new skills. Lack of accountability – for presenters as well as participants – can severely reduce the effectiveness of the seminar.

Think of it this way: one training session without reinforcement or accountability is equivalent to being trained on gym equipment and then never going back to use it. It is a step in the right direction, but there will be no results unless there is reinforcement to make it a habit.

To make matters worse, research shows that when people are stressed (which many are in the workplace), they tend to fall back on old, sometimes bad, habits. This makes reinforcement and accountability even more important for new training to be successfully embraced, implemented, and sustained.

Many systems and techniques exist to enforce accountability, such as our own specialized coaching and accountability programs. Whatever your approach, ensure follow-up coaching allows participants to privately discuss personal challenges because some may not feel comfortable having that discussion in a group setting. Also, follow-up coaching sends the message that participants are expected to use what was learned in the session. If participants are proactively seeking further coaching, that’s even better!

A well-trained workforce is a workforce ready to meet challenges with creative and effective solutions. Providing education and training is valuable, but simply providing it is not enough. The seminar needs to be tailored and clear so all participants can make the best use of it and so you can reap a full return on your training dollars. Avoid these common training problems and you and your organization will ensure that your training, seminar, or coaching is useful and effective. That kind of valuable training is the right fertilizer for the growth and progress your organization seeks.

Steven Gaffney is a leading expert on honest, interpersonal communication, team performance, leadership, and change management. He has worked with numerous Fortune 500 organizations to increase revenue and drive profit, as well as with many governmental agencies to better allocate resources and taxpayer dollars. Thousands credit Gaffney’s seminars, media appearances, books, and products with making immediate and lasting changes in both their organizations and personal lives. He is the author of two groundbreaking books, Just Be Honest and Honesty Works, and the co-author of Honesty Sells. For more information, please visit www.StevenGaffney.com.

This article is the property of Steven Gaffney Company. Please e-mail info@stevengaffney.com or call 703-241-7796 for permission to reprint this article in any format. Copyright 2011, www.stevengaffney.com.