Kick the Canned Approach!

CEOWORLD Magazine recently reported that “… Focusing on employees’ learning styles is great for them and great for your business… An overwhelming majority of workers say that they would stay with their company longer if the company invested in their career.”

What’s not to like about that? As hard as it is to find outstanding talent today, why take a chance on losing them because you didn’t invest in their further development?

To best do that, it’s important to understand that learning styles generally fall into four categories: Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing and Kinesthetic (physical activities/touch/movement). For the greatest ROI it’s imperative to dial in to these different styles of learning for the people in your organization. At Training for Winners, our upskilling and coaching does that.

Let’s get together and go to work for your team now!

When it comes to you and your organization, we take our responsibility very seriously

Many customers tell us that canned training programs fall short of being useful in the long-term to their organizations. Ultimately, the generalized one size fits all approach just doesn’t seem to have staying power. It doesn’t really stick to the ribs. That’s why we’ve never taken that approach.

It makes us wonder — If your organization paid for that type of standardized approach in the past, what was your true ROI? Here at Training for Winners we take our responsibility with your organization very seriously. After all, you’ll be entrusting us with your team members and their future impact on the success of your organization. That’s a big deal to us. There is a lot riding on the re-skilling, upskilling and sharpening of the tools, especially in today’s business landscape.

The customized approach accomplishes many things — It enriches peoples’ lives, energizes them, helps them wonder and ask questions, challenges them, and — referencing the report at the top of the page — ideally increases loyalty to your organization.

The most useful training offers practical skills critical to the current stage of your team/organization’s development. We present learning in direct, easy-to-understand ways, essential to peoples’ job performance in the immediate future.

Here’s why our learning “sticks” — The SCORE Method

Since we’re not about generic training programs, we don’t make their big promises to fix all of your challenges. We keep it real because life and business don’t always offer perfect scenarios. Shift happens, and we recognize that honest, effective coaching should include examining and practicing those times when quick-thinking and creative actions are the best call.

We coach for those what-ifs and real-world scenarios that happen with customers and in the workplace: Your issues. Your bottlenecks. Your “oops” moments. Your desired outcomes. We’ll include important attributes such as conversational and emotional intelligence, plus self-awareness and critical thinking skills.

Gary developed a model of coaching success that has been serving groups and individuals since 1995. His model is based on the word SCORE:

S — Situation analysis: Due diligence to fully understand our clients’ mission, goals and desired outcomes

C — Customized design of the program/workshops for each specific client

O — On-site learning / Virtual / One-on-one delivery; Interactive, immersive and fun

R — Reinforcement and re-direction of learning tools as they are put into practice

E — Evaluate performances and elevate the long-term value of the program through one-on-one follow-up coaching

Through our extensive due diligence, we will customize our interactive programs for you and your team because that’s the best way to do it — our clients tell us so. We’ll often do pre-interviews of team members to get a better idea of the dynamics in play. That way, we can inspire your people with real tools that they can put into immediate practice and begin creating quantifiable results right away.

What do our training workshops typically look like?

In short, they are vibrant, serious when they need to be, extremely interactive, and fun. Learning should be fun. Participants often put all kinds of learning notes on the walls and solve dilemmas in small teams. They develop their own action plans and are constantly sharing ideas and bonding with each other. We get out and stretch and do some friendly competition games to drive certain points home. Ask us about our plastic sales funnels, construction cones and buckets.

We use a combination of learning methods in our deliveries: Individual and group exercises, team challenges, deep-dive discussions, role plays, situational analysis, presentations and fun contests that make the learning enjoyable and experiential. We’ll build your program around a theme that makes sense for the mission at hand.

We can also stay with the process if you choose by coaching people beyond the initial workshops. We know that people learn at different speeds, and our clients have seen terrific results in our follow-up one-on-one coaching programs.

Our Associates Team can be your go-to experts, too

For owners and entrepreneurs starting up or running your own businesses, Gary and his Associates Team provide solid small-business coaching and consulting, too.  After all, it can be overwhelming, right? Do you often feel like you are on a treadmill, running faster but getting no further ahead? Do you feel like you are making decisions in a vacuum? Do you tell yourself the issue will get better when you find more time to address it?

Gary’s been there. He started his own business in 1995 and faced these same uphill challenges. For larger projects, Gary and his Associates Team can work shoulder-to-shoulder with owners and operators on the things you don’t have the time (or bandwidth) to do. These areas could include: Social media make-overs, branding, working with 1099 contractors, marketing plans, public relations, SEO, P & Ls, prospecting, team training, sales, etc.

We know that there is extra pressure on businesses everywhere as we re-awaken from the fallout of the pandemic. Owners and operators are trying to get back on their feet again and re-claim their customers. It’s a lot to handle, and our talented Associates Team can offer lifelines and valuable help built on decades of solid business experience. Our work is available via virtual, hybrid and in-person deliveries.

Please click on the “TEAM” page for more details.

So, when is that “right time” to enlist training & coaching help for your team?

“We’re too busy.” We’re too slow.” “Does it cost a lot?” “We just did an online training course a few years ago.” We’ve heard all these excuses and more from owners and managers about when is the right time to invest in upskilling and coaching of one’s team.

Does your competition throw up the same hurdles to learning, or are they developing their bench strength now?

Let’s look at it another way: Is there ever a wrong time to build on peoples’ skills and abilities, to make them better or more productive? Is it ever the wrong time to sharpen peoples’ tools in order to take on your competition?

This is an investment in your people that will pay off in big dividends for them and your business. There is no wrong time to do this. Indeed, as the quote goes: “Education will never be as expensive as ignorance.”

We believe that our customers speak best for us, and we’d love for you to discuss our results with them. We would be happy to put you in touch with them.

Testimonials