Page 43 - foodservice magazine September 2018

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It is very important that the person sending the staff member to training is familiar with what is being taught and is applying the skills and techniques themselves. It is impossible to appropriately follow up a training course if you are not familiar with the subject matter yourself.
or money until they have the skills that are being trained and are using them.
It is very important that the person sending the staff member to training is familiar with what is being taught and is applying the skills and techniques themselves. It is impossible to appropriately follow up a training course if you are not familiar with the subject matter yourself. This becomes very apparent when business owners send staff to training they have never done themselves.
This creates a sort of ‘Don’t do as I do; do as I say’ situation. Over the years many training course attendees have said: “I wish my boss would do this course”. The realisation that they are working for an undisciplined or unpredictable leader who is mainly going to demonstrate bad leadership can often be the trigger for seeking a change to a more professional, systemised environment.
Another issue we strike are people who are sent to training who do not have the basic literacy or numeracy to handle the subject matter. An example of this would be a numerically dyslexic chef or manager being sent to a cost control or profit improvement course; both need an ability to relate to and
deal with numbers. Similarly, a person sent with poor English language skills is unlikely to gain much from a course presented in that language – but we still get them sent to us.
The most important aspect in making training a great investment is the action taken on the job, post training. If you sit down with a staff member very soon after they return from the classroom and debrief them by asking – with an open mind: “What did you learn that you think would improve this business?” You will get a list of potential improvements that when converted to an action plan that is then followed through, will provide a beneficial cost-effective evolution of the business.
Standing back, there are many management and leadership skills that are difficult or expensive to learn by trial and error, but don’t expect that just throwing money at a training organisation you are going to negate this. Training is only one half of the formula for effective behaviour change. Training must be supported by operational briefing, follow-up and action planning before it becomes an investment, rather than a cost.
We love dealing with those businesses that approach the process of developing their staff in an organised and co-operative manner. One of the joys of this business is seeing people blossom and move to a more rewarding phase of their career – from supervision up through management – and in many cases to their own businesses. Done properly it’s a win/win – the trainee is being prepared for advancement and the business is benefiting from growth and better productivity.