Peak Focus - Endurance Training

1. and customer and employee loyalty,
it becomes increasingly clear that the
knowledge, capability and skills of
your team members will either be a
limiting factor or source of unlimited
opportunities.
Experience has demonstrated that
well designed and executed employee
training programs will strengthen
employee recruiting programs,
increase productivity, improve quality,
reduce employee turnover, increase
efficiencies resulting in superior
profitability and minimize the need for
direct supervision or micro managing.
In fact, when employees have the
capabilities to perform their best, the
company performs at its best.
When you hire new employees are
they capable of hitting the ground
running or does it take longer than you
would like for them to be significant
contributors? Are your experienced
employees continuously enhancing
Endurance Training their skills or have they stopped
The Fuel for Your Company’s Growth & Development growing professionally and becoming a
drain on your organization. Companies
By Jerry Scher, Peak Focus LLC can gain a competitive advantage
through their employees’ capabilities;
Business got you down? they are your link to your clients. Don’t
you like doing business with competent
Wondering what you can do to protect and expand your business people? So do your clients.
while the industry is sputtering along? Are you struggling to
enhance your company’s ability to adopt and use technology A systematic program of training
advances? Are you attempting to strengthen your company’s should be developed for your
competitive position by building a more effective and highly organization so that you can provide
motivated team? Are you frustrated by the lack of knowledge skilled, competent staff; they are
and skills your employees demonstrate? Are your experienced essential to building a strong and
employees not meeting your expectations and contributing profitable company. Programs for
enough to your company’s expansion? Are you struggling with new hires should be well planned
recruiting and hiring new employees? If you have answered yes and customized to meet the specific
to any of these questions, what are YOU DOING about it? needs of your new team members.
The emotional impact of participating
Perhaps you should take advantage of the current business slow in a well-designed training program,
down to stockpile the fuel that drives your business’s growth and starting on their first day, can do
performance, as well as the knowledge, skills and capabilities of wonders for employee morale. As
the people that work with your organization a result of participation in ongoing
training programs, employees will
Training Overview become emotionally committed to
As your business transitions through the different stages of solving new challenges that continually
maturity, dependence on more skilled and knowledgeable people arise. Everyone in the organization
becomes essential to your success. As you become focused on needs training if you are going to
increasing productivity, efficiency, business expansion, profitability be able to build your organization’s

2. capabilities. You must ask what kind of performance
do I want to improve at each level and build In an industry struggling with the challenges
programs that will continuously move your team of continuous change, experienced employees
members and your organization forward. must stay current with changing technologies,
methodologies and processes. Your investment
If you agree that providing training to employees in their continuous improvement will reap an
at all levels of experience (not just new employees) abundance of benefits. Studies have shown that
is an essential ingredient to building a successful employees that participate in continuous personal
organization then you must bear in mind the development are more loyal, productive and long-
principles, content and process necessary to term contributors to their company’s success.
design an effective training program. Planning and
preparation is crucial to the success of any training Consider the following steps to designing a
effort. systematic program of training.
▲▲ Review your organizational objectives and
New Employees determine the skills that your employees
What’s it like for new employees the first day on the require to do their jobs effectively.
job at your company? Who is responsible for their ▲▲ Assess the skills of current employees and all
orientation and what information is covered? new employees to determine their strengths
and weaknesses.
When it comes to new employees, it is crucial that
their orientation be carefully planned. They must ▲▲ Establish training objectives for each group of
be prepared to do the work they were hired to do as employees.
well as learn how to work within your organization. ▲▲ Select the employees that will participate in
The trainers must carefully communicate your specific training programs.
organization’s expectations and facilitate the ▲▲ Select the training methods and modalities
initiation of critical relationships as well as mentoring that will be utilized (i.e., on the job training,
opportunities. Frequently, new employees will classroom, role playing and simulation,
select one company over another based upon the audiovisual media).
training they will receive and the personal growth
opportunities your organization can provide. ▲▲ Select the trainers for your programs and be
sure they are your most effective teachers.
Carefully determine the skill level of your new Go outside your organization, if necessary, to
employees. Observe their work performance, ensure that your training programs will be well
interview them about their strengths and presented.
weaknesses and focus on the types of questions ▲▲ Administer the training to the selected
they ask. Interview their more experienced employees (i.e., location, facilities, resources,
colleagues about what training they require and timing).
provide customized training opportunities as well ▲▲ Design an evaluation process for each training
as the standard programs you provide to all new program utilizing both pre and post- tests.
employees. If you want to maximize your return
on investment, you must leverage every training ▲▲ Appraise the curriculum and modify and revise
opportunity with new employees. The sooner they as needed.
develop the required skills, the sooner they will be
productive contributors to your organization. Who should do the training?
You must identify people within your organization
Experienced Employees that have the required knowledge and skills and
Seasoned, experienced employees require have demonstrated the expertise to train others.
continuous education to maintain their knowledge, These people should participate in train-the-trainer
skill level and capabilities. Training programs can programs so they can learn the skills necessary to
communicate your organization’s focus as well as become effective teachers. If you don’t currently
promote the need for personal development. During have people on staff, look outside your organization.
training sessions you can identify the wants and Take advantage of programs offered by industry and
needs of your employees and identify those people trade associations, as well as services provided by
who can become your future supervisors, managers your valued suppliers.
and leaders.

3. If you carefully design a well thought-out systematic About the Author
training program for all aspects of your organization,
the training resources are not difficult to identify. Jerry Scher - Founder and Principal at Peak Focus, LLC
During the current business slow down, develop your Jerry is well known as a business builder,
people and your organization. Focus your attention on
c-level executive, conference speaker,
what you can control, not on what you can’t control.
Build your team for the future. Invest in the training trainer, facilitator, coach, entrepreneur,
of your employees to get a higher return on your and mentor. Regardless of the title, the
investment. end result is the same–Jerry makes the
people around him significantly more
successful through his ability to simplify the complex, ask
the right questions, and develop appropriate solutions to
keep businesses and individuals moving forward.
About Peak Focus, LLC
People. Performance. Profitability.
Peak Focus gives you the tools to grow, develop and
strengthen your team. With a mix of resources that we’ve
created ourselves, as well as several powerful tools we’ve
carefully assessed and believe in, we combine our passion
and experience to guide companies and individuals
toward optimized performance. Select your team
members with confidence, help your key players develop
their soft skills, and learn how to coach your entire team
more effectively by engaging the experts at Peak Focus.
For more information and access to free resources, please
visit our website at www.peakfocuscoach.com
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