Many questions get raised when leaders and training departments are asked to “retrain” team members. Were the team members not trained properly to begin with? Were there retention efforts that were missing? Were all learning styles or adult learning requirements considered? Or did we even hire the wrong person?
The real answer could stem from any of the above or any combination. Or it could stem from something else entirely. Gapology provides a consistent method to dissect the root cause and the applicable root solution.
Although tempting to jump right back to the Knowledge Gap and attempt to leverage training to resolve the request for retraining, the real root cause of underperformance often lies in our lack of teaching, coaching, and mentorship. Or it may even be driven by the Importance or Action Gaps. As long as we’ve ensured that we’ve leveraged the Habit Ladder to complete consistent training, we typically see a disconnect to expectations, a lack of effective communications, unclear priorities, or accountability. We recommend following the Gapology process from left to right to identify where the actual gap lies.
That said, sometimes retraining, and more importantly, relentless training, is necessary. In a recent conversation with Grandmaster Gregg “Shogun” Brown, a 9th-degree Red Belt and multiple Hall-of-Fame Martial Arts expert, we learned how he accelerated his career through relentless training and focus on improving his craft. He has been training in Martial Arts his whole life, and even now, at age 60, he trains every day at his dojo, lifting weights, teaching black belt classes, and inspiring children, adults, and law enforcement in our community. He stressed that effective retraining really means continual, relentless training. And it needs to be a daily thing if it is truly important to you. It should never be a single event. It should be an ongoing, consistent effort to improve the critical skills required to be world-class.
Within the business world, we need to do the same. Build this level of focus on continuous improvement into your leadership rhythm. Seek daily improvement around the most critical skills. Look for deficiencies and address them immediately.
Here are a few tips from Gapology to bring this to life:
Continually analyze results and identify underperformers
Continually observe behaviors for consistent underperformance
Seek consistent missing knowledge or skills
Use the Habit Ladder to identify areas to focus on. Provide training to improve
Develop methods to close gaps for current and future team
Team development is the responsibility of any leader, and it should be one of their primary focuses to improve results and deliver hall-of-fame, world-class results.
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