MARKETING AFRICA MAL 18/17 mal 18:17 online | Page 26

social, technological, legal and
environmental landscape in years to
come and to be ready for them before
they come.
Organizations need to also develop
well defined training outcomes and
not the academic things that many
do today. Many say they want a better
performing team. The question is that
is there a united understanding of
the definition of better performing?
Organizations say that they want
their troops to work as a team. Is
there a united definition of what
a team is? The assumption that
everyone has the same definition for
words is a fallacy that has greatly
reduced the return on training
investments.
There must therefore be an aligning
session where the simplest of words
are defined within the context of the
corporate expectation. Remember
that the return on training investment
in the army is that the enemy is
defeated, the army advances and
the empire grows. To achieve this
in the corporate space trainings
have to be SMART – Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Relevant
and Time-bound.
Abraham had a smart objective. It
was specific because the outcome
was well defined and understood by
all and this was the pursuing of the
enemy that had captured his nephew
and rescuing his nephew. It was
measurable because success was not
left to ambiguity. It was either they
rescued Lot or they did not. It was
attainable. It was not a lofty plan in
the sky. Abraham had experience. He
had trained them before the kidnap
of Lot happened. All he did at this
point was to arm them. He knew that
with the kind of training he gave his
troops, they would be able to succeed
in their mission.
It was relevant. For that particular
period, rescuing Lot was the most
relevant action they could embark
on. It affected Abraham personally
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and Abraham was their l eader. They
could not afford for the leader to
be hit personally like this. It would
ultimately affect the team if the
leader is down and so this was a very
relevant issue. It was time-bound
because if they did not act swiftly,
over a certain period of time anything
could happen. The life of Lot
depended on swiftness of the action.
Make your organizations return on
training investment SMART. Make
it specific by ensuring that there is
a well-defined and tangible goal.
The definitions must be aligned and
everyone must be on the same page
concerning the definitions. It must
be measurable in that the before and
after must be so clearly defined. If
the objective is a more cohesive team,
after defining what you mean by
more cohesive, identify the attributes
of a more cohesive team and also be
aligned that you all have the same
definition for those attributes.
The expectation from training should
be made attainable by ensuring that
they are prepared for things that are
never likely to happen. For instance
planes are subjected to wind tests
with winds at speeds that are never
likely to happen. They are tested with
turbulence simulation for turbulence
levels that the plane is likely never
to have to deal with. As such when
turbulence happens, the plane may
be tossed around but it was built
for worse.
The training should be relevant to the
needs and growth trajectory of the
company and not just a traditional
and academic thing. Too many team
buildings occur just because there
is a budget for it. This is why those
team building sessions never produce
teams. They all go out in some resort
and play games over the weekend but
return to the very same demons they
left in the office when they get back.
Training expectations should be
time bound. At different levels of
education in school there are different
expectations. At one level, it is
expected that the child will be able to
read. At another level it is expected
that the child will be able to recite
the multiplication tables. At another
level the child is expected to be able
to apply the multiplication tables to
certain real problems.
Similarly every training program
should have performance timelines. If
it is a training for the sales team for
instance it should be well defined that
the training is to deliver X percent
increase in sales by X time. If the
training is to kill silos, then what
are the effects of silos? What are the
manifestations? What are the direct
and indirect consequences of small
picture groups versus big picture
teams? If these consequences are
removed what do we expect to see and
by what time?
The true test of what a person is
made of or their capacity is found
in pressure. It is found in how they
handled failure and unfavourable
outcomes. What comes out of a
person in times of adversity is their
true value. The greatest credentials of
a great person are expressed in their
victory over adversity. If you want to
know what people you consider your
friends think about you wait until you
hit turbulence. That is when the truth
in their hearts concerning you will
come out.
There are people that you may think
are friends today that are going to
surprise you when the turbulence
comes. With this understanding, you
need to navigate life in such a way
that you work with people but you do
not hinge your happiness on them.
Relate with people but never see them
as your source. The day you make man
the source in your life, you are being
set up for disaster.
Build your capacity in the day of
peace. Increase your tolerance when
there is no provocation. Work on
your humility when it is easy to stay
humble. Learn to withdraw and enjoy