There has been a lot of press recently about the role of training in supporting the recovery as business tries to work its way out of the economic downturn. The smart money has always been on organizations that value training and look to maintain highly skilled and talented workers regardless of the economic landscape.
It is not easy being a boss in the downturn, as the natural reaction is to look at the bottom line. However, if you look a little higher, you will see that there are plenty of opportunities still out there, if we choose to find them. Look for the blue sky, not just the clouds!
In the downturn, competition is less fierce and organizations go into survival mode. However, consumers are looking for brands to trust and organizations that will still be with them when times are good again. Now is the time for smart organizations to step up!
The first thing to do is to lock in your staff and equip them for the ride ahead. Investing in your staff in the downturn makes them confident about your business, secure in their jobs and empowered to do more with less. So, when the pendulum swings back to more prosperous economic times, you will have skilled staff who are loyal, confident and motivated to perform at a high level.
There is a quote from Charles Darwin which resonates with me at this time: "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." Let's face it, the rules have changed, the game has changed, and if we don't change our approach to business, we will be on the endangered list. Put simply, we can't do what we've always done.
Now the challenge is to have the courage to trust your blue sky when the Chicken Littles everywhere are telling you the sky is falling!
Marc Ratliffe is the CEO and founder of MRWED Training and Assessment, a private Australian registered training organization, specializing in trainer training.For more information, email mratcliffe@mrwed.com.au.
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