How to Train Your Staff to Level Up Internally

Employee growth is good for everyone. Skilled team members can contribute to your business in new and productive ways, and they’ll feel accomplished and driven when they can continue taking on new challenges. Conversely, when an employee finds themselves spinning round and round on the boredom wheel, they’ll either become dead weight or decide to pack it up and leave for a new job. Neither of which helps your organization grow.

Because turnover is expensive and a drain on resources, training your employees to level up internally offers them an incentive to stay and gives everyone (your organization included) a chance to be successful.

What Training Does for Employee Development

Instilling confidence and new skills in staff members boosts morale and improves engagement. In turn, you’re likely to have happier and more productive employees. An effective training program paired with a hiring philosophy grounded in hiring for attitude can lead you to a rockstar team.

Where to Start with Training

Whether it’s a new hire or an employee ready for a new challenge, encourage growth – not frustration – by breaking things into manageable chunks. For the most part, training will happen alongside an employee’s day-to-day duties so it can’t be so overwhelming that it takes away from what they’re already getting paid to do. Here are a few key things to keep in mind when developing a staff training program:

• Engage – We all learn differently. Regardless of the topic, be sure your training offers different ways of helping your employee learn. Some learn better by doing; others by watching or listening. One thing’s for sure, lengthy training periods without any kind of engagement are bound to bore. You might also consider pairing up the employee with a senior team member who can serve as a mentor or trainer.

• Ask – It’s always important to have regular check-ins with your staff. These meetings offer an opportunity to learn about which skills your employee would like to further develop. Don’t assume they want to grow linearly. Maybe they’re interested in exploring a different area entirely. Listen and then take action to help those goals become a reality.

• Compensate accordingly – After an employee truly levels up within your organization, it’s time to pay them accordingly. If you don’t, they’ll head right back out the door – with new skills in hand!

Part of your job as a business leader is helping your staff become leaders in their own right. An effective training program that encourages internal mobility and growth is one of the best ways to do so.