For what am I training…
Have you ever considered what you are training for? Are we not all training for something every day? Bear with me for a moment.
About two years ago I started weight training. To be honest I didn't have a plan. It was a benefit that was extended by an employer, and I took advantage of it (this is a topic for another blog). I didn't have an end game. However, I did realize as I age several things are necessary to do so gracefully (whatever that means). 1) Cardio, 2) Weight Training, and 3) Stretching.
I am training for a healthier and ultimately happier senior season of life. I run 3-5 times a week and lift weights 3 times a week. All to remain healthy.
What else am I training for? Recently, I realized that higher education is changing more quickly than I suspected and so I am training for a new role in helping the next generation of employees learn and grow. I realize for most individuals it will NOT be four-plus years at an institute of higher learning. It will either be a shorter time at a career or technical school, or possibly even a job with a great employer who provides on-the-job training.
Part of this has to do with the increased cost of college. In 1989, my junior year at K-State tuition was $730.60 for unlimited credits. In 2023 the cost was $5,471.00 for 15 credits. This is a 649% increase in the cost of higher education. Sure, a four-year degree can still be had for $44,000, but this is not within the reach of many individuals.
Therefore, the training will have to change, AND employers will have to expect and offer something different.
Even if an individual gets that four-year degree, they may not be prepared to be successful day one. i.e. my daughter has a degree in economics and graduated summa cum laude (a.k.a. 4.0 of 4.0 in all classes). However, when she started with the FDIC she had three additional years of training. If higher education is a solution, why the need for an additional three years of training?
We have to learn to train for a career in new and better ways.
I am seeing it with college students who are not prepared for the work world and with managers who are not prepared to lead despite numerous years of experience. Both college graduates and seasoned managers need training. Training for the work world that is coming at us even faster than we would like at times.
According to Buckminster Fuller, information doubled every 100 years in 1900 and every 25 years at the end of WWII. Today information is doubling every 13 months, and this is quickly headed to doubling every 12 hours.
A four-year degree learned from books that were written before stepping onto a college campus will not be sufficient. We have to train for the future.
We must be prepared to learn-to-learn. When information is coming at us as fast as it is, we must be training to embrace the future. This will require us to learn differently and train differently.
If your team is not achieving K.P.I. performance or desired R.O.I. then maybe it is time to consider not only what you and your team are training for, but how they are training. Just as cardio training is not sufficient and weight training is necessary, I will need to add stretching to age gracefully. I must NOT rely on the training I did when I was 18. I must do it differently and continuously embrace the future.
In conclusion, b3 Remarkable:
Know what you want to achieve.
Prepare to train you and your team to meet those goals.
Consider who might be best to lead such training.
