What are you doing to identify, nurture, develop and mentor the future trainers in your organization? Are you identifying people who might be good trainers early in their career, maybe even as early as basic training? Once you identify people who have the potential to be good trainers, what are you doing to nurture and develop him or her?
When I talk about potential I don’t just mean skills in a particular area. There are plenty of skilled people who are not good teachers, trainers and coaches. Potential also includes:
- a commitment to helping others,
- a passion for learning,
- humility,
- a strong work ethic,
- good character,
- strong core values,
- respected by their peers,
- a growth mindset.
Developing great instructors should be seen as a process and a long term project. If you wait until you have an opening in your training unit then start to look around to figure out who would be good for that position you have likely waited too long.
Not all of the people you identify as potentially good instructors will end up becoming trainers. Some will decide that teaching is not their thing. Others will decide to take a different path in their careers. Some however, will stay on the path and become trainers. Even if they do not decide to become trainers the time you spend nurturing and developing them will be time well spent.
The ones who do become trainers must understand that if he or she wants to become a great trainer, it is a life long journey. As Jim Collins reminds us in Good to Great and The Social Sectors, “Greatness is inherently a dynamic process and not an end state. The moment you start to think of yourself as great, your slide to mediocrity will already have begun.”
There is always more to learn. There are always ways you can improve your training. You can always enhance your content, your delivery, your visual aides, your supporting material, your methods for collecting and utilizing feedback, your assessments of the learning and your methods of engaging the learners in your class.
While we are on the subject of continual learning and development, what are you doing to make yourself a better trainer, teacher and coach? Are you actively engaged in the dynamic process of becoming a great trainer, or has your slide to mediocrity already begun?
Here are a few simple things you can do to embrace the dynamic process of striving to be a great trainer:
- Read and / or listen to books.
- Listen to podcasts.
- Ask lots of great questions and listen to the answers.
- Solicit feedback.
- Become a member of the Excellence in Training Academy.
- Join ILEETA and take advantage of all the member benefits and start putting aside money every week into a Professional Development Investment Account so you can attend the annual ILEETA conference.
So, what are you doing?
Take care.
Brian Willis
Winning Mind Training – Dedicated to helping good trainers become great trainers and great trainers to deliver awesome training.
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