What does art have to do with a performance gap in the organization? Well, for a recent banking client of mine in Switzerland , a great deal.

They brought 150 bankers in from all over Europe for a special weekend conference that I presented at. Among the topics "How to Read a Painting," "Understanding Art Through Impressionism," "Cross Cultural Communications," "The Art of Social Conversation," "The History of Piano Music in One Hour," etc.

Not the sort of topics you'd find in the average training program. But consider that these bankers work with people who typically might have personal accounts of over a million dollars, who are located all over the world, who consider art an investment – one which can be handled by this bank, and who are easier to connect with at social functions such as openings of showings at art galleries, etc., and it begins to make sense.

These bankers need to be able to understand and communicate on their client's level, even though their financial standing may not be the same. They need to be able to fit into social situations that may present themselves, not merely by getting by, but by handling the social situation with ease and confidence. Training is a great fit as part of the solution.

So, how do we apply this to our own organizations? It would be easy to say, "Well, that's Europe and this is the United States." But do we really understand the challenges that face those people in our organizations that connect with our outside customers? What are those customers like? What are their needs and interests? Are we only interested in a transaction-based relationship or are we interested in a relationship that builds loyalty and longevity? Do we even know the answers to these questions? Do we know who to ask?

If we are to build the value of the training function, we have to understand the organization, its goals, and those of our clients as well. It starts by doing our homework.

In my case it was looking at my client's annual report and doing a search on the internet. It also involved researching the countries my clients did business in and the differences that there might be from country to country with respect to how business is done, how time is valued, social obligations, etc. And that was the tip of the iceberg.

When we do our homework, though, we become problem solvers and consultants, rather than just content providers. We move from providing commodity to value added. It also becomes easier to demonstrate the value of what we're doing.

Let's lift our heads up and take a broader look at the organization. It's the first step to insuring that we continue to add value. It's also the first step from being reactive to proactive.