Make Business Training More Like Athlete Training
Historic triple axels, front double tens out of the side hit into a backside double cork (aka, a lot of spinning on a snowboard), sledding 90 mph down an icy tube, these are just some of the incredible feats of athleticism performed by the world’s best during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. And every four years, the Olympics remind us what training can accomplish. Just imagine if businesses approached training their employees with the same commitment of Olympic athletes.
Katie Couric’s inspiring athlete profile stories share one consistent theme, a dedication to training. Olympians have natural talent, pride in representing their country and motivation to wear a gold medal, but it’s the years of continued training that they give credit to getting them to the medal podium. If businesses were able to get the same talent, pride and motivation from their employees, they would still require an equal investment in training to perform at a high level. The truth is that most employees do start out with the talent and motivation to become superstar workers — but are let down by lackluster and outdated training.
Just like in athletics, talent alone won’t show results. It’s not enough for businesses to rely on hiring “smart, motivated individuals” and hope that they fit into a culture to make their company more successful or profitable. It takes dedication and innovative training that goes beyond the initial onboarding and training manuals given to new hires. Training can engage workers and be a part of the routine of your workforce, even veteran employees who think they know it all. Ongoing and creative training allows employees to improve and perform at the best of their abilities in ways that may go beyond their job description.
Olympic athletes dedicate years, a lifetime, of training for a three minute luge run. How much time does your business commit to training employees who interact with customers every day?
