Courageous Training

This book is divided into two main sections. The first sets out the authors' theories and approaches, while the second is made up of four substantial case studies that illustrate the points made earlier on.

Chapter One has the catchy title: "The Hole We're In and How We Can Stop Digging." It introduces the idea of courageous training – which starts with admitting that things are bad. This chapter also explains that there are two elements to the authors' idea of "Courageous Training." The first element is what the authors call the Four Pillars, which are the tools and strategies developed by successful training leaders. The second is what they call the Courageous Training Code, which contains seven principles.

For many readers this may sound too schematized. The language here is stiff and dry, and there's an unfortunate tendency toward phrases that sound like jargon, such as "misdirecting metrics" or "a second category of measures." We advise you to move on, because the Four Pillars are much better explained from Chapter Three onward, when the language becomes more friendly and "Courageous Training" consequently becomes a better read.

Chapter Two addresses the question "What Is Courageous Training?" with an example, by looking at the courageous action of a training leader called Pat Willis. While the description of Pat's experience is very logical, it's not especially accessible. You may want to skim this chapter and come back to the example later on, when some of the main points and tools it refers to have been explained.

Chapter Three begins with the history of the bulldog, which is a surprise, but the point of this becomes clear fairly quickly. The idea is that the bulldog exemplifies values that are essential for courageous trainers, such as not being afraid to go after big things, tenacity, and focus. However, in parts of this chapter the authors make simple things sound more complicated than they are, and they take several sentences to describe something – such as what they call The Logic of Training – when one or two phrases would do.

Readers may prefer to go straight to the summary, which is clear and useful. Here, we learn that the first pillar of "Courageous Training" is about understanding: understanding what is really being asked for in requests for training; how training impacts different parts of company operations; the need for dialog before training, to build commitment for shared goals; and the need to explain performance expectations. All of these should be clear before training starts.

In Chapter Four, we see how important the support and involvement of management is in a successful training initiative. Titled "Build Whole-Organization Responsibility for Training Impact," this chapter insists that – because learning is at its most vulnerable when it's brand new – every part of your organization must be involved in backing up the process.

It begins with a helpful example of two similar trainees from financial advice companies, Sal and Lynn, who had very different experiences of the same training program. Six weeks after training, Sal had increased his cold-call success by fifteen percent, while in the same time period, Lynn had given up trying to practice the techniques she'd been taught and was wondering whether she was in the right job.

Twelve weeks after training, Sal was booking as many appointments as the company's top 20% of sales advisers, while by that time Lynn had left her company for a new job. Yet the difference was not in the training or in the ability of the trainees. The difference was that Sal's Regional Vice President had helped devise the goals of the training initiative, while Lynn's was not interested in the training program.

This helpful example opens the door for the authors to communicate what steps are needed for training to have an impact. This is where we learn that training is – as the authors say – about the process and not the event.

You might think that the training workshop is the most powerful component of any training program, but the authors maintain that this isn't the case. For them, the main driver of change and improvement is the preparation and planning done beforehand. They argue that a strategic and needs-based approach to training is essential, with other smaller factors also playing an important part, such as when employees are enrolled in the training.

Further, the authors stress that senior leaders should hold managers accountable for the success of any training. Managers, for their part, must appreciate that the training can't have any impact unless they're involved. And they must make sure they're training the right people.

Again, the summary at the end of the chapter is excellent – it's hard-hitting, convincing, and clear. By now, the book "Courageous Training" has got into its stride.

Chapter Five is called "Win the Hearts and Minds of the Make-Or-Break Partners" and it's about being brave enough to break the mold. Courageous trainers have to get away from what the authors call "training speak," because this trainer-focused way of doing and saying things often undermines the training leader's role as a business partner.

The chapter dares us to rock the boat. For example, it suggests that trainers shouldn't see themselves as subordinate, merely delivering training packages. In fact, the courageous trainer needs to be on par, or at least on a very good footing, with senior executives, as trainers need these managers for what the book jokily calls "air cover."

On top of this, courageous training is about changing mindsets and not settling for second best – or what others might see as "good enough." This is what the authors refer to throughout the book as raising expectations.

Chapter Six urges readers to "Tell It Like It Is with Truthful Measurement and Evaluation." It explores traditional methods of assessing the value and effectiveness of training, and exposes some of them as "false gods" – for example, the idea of "Return on Investment." The authors say trainers shouldn't expect to get credit for what they've achieved, and says the courageous trainer actually steps back from the spotlight.

This chapter uses several tables of figures to underline its main points, and this method works well because it gives visual impact to the authors' messages. One of these is extremely poignant, listing eleven Common Causes for Training Failure. These range from employees being sent to training that wasn't needed for their actual job performance, to a lack of opportunity to apply the training.

If you need any further help on how to get these messages through to leaders who aren't playing their part in making training effective, the authors provide an entertaining example which you can pass on. In it, some district managers of sales reps didn't bother to conduct recommended preparation meetings before a two-week training workshop. On arrival at the workshop location, the reps were asked if their district managers had held the required meetings with them. Those who said no weren't admitted to the program, and were bussed back to the airport. After this, the managers paid attention.

Next, the authors move on to the importance of asking the right questions when analyzing existing training programs, and why the answers should be broken down using relevant sub-questions. As they sought to explain earlier – in the section on "The Logic of Training" – the question "Why is a company training?" needs to come before "How is a company training?"

The authors insist that people evaluating training sessions should start by asking "Is the Training Being Used?" Within this, the relevant questions are: "Who is using it and who is not?" And "Which parts are being used and which are not?"

We're encouraged to ask: "When the training is being used, what good does it do?" And within this, it's important to ask two further questions: "Which of the results achieved are worthwhile to the business?" and "What are the consequences of the training not being used?"

The third step in this series of useful questions is: "What would it take to get more from the training?" This leads thoughtful trainers to ask: "What is helping people to use the training?" and also: "What is getting in people's way to stop them using it?" And – moving one step further – "Who would have to do what to get more good results from the training?"

The seventh chapter explores the Code – or philosophy – of courageous training, which contains seven principles. The first is that a courageous trainer must decide to be a pioneer. This means recognizing dissatisfaction and stepping outside the safe boundaries of what's been done before. Another principle urges us to raise customer expectations and not settle for "good enough." Still another is about being flexible enough to negotiate tactics without selling out on your values.

This is also where we find out why we should embrace resistance instead of avoiding it, a theme that's discussed further in one of the case studies at the end of the book. The authors argue, convincingly, that anyone who pioneers change through courageous training is bound to encounter resistance. In fact, if you don't get resistance, you're probably not pressing the right buttons. You have to stick to your guns and resist the temptation to take the easy way out.

The eighth chapter introduces the four courageous training leaders who appear in the case studies later in the book. This section comes close to being an advertisement for Advantage Performance Group, a training solutions provider which author Brinkerhoff developed, and of which co- author Mooney is currently Vice President. This is an unfortunate distraction from the powerful illustrations that the case study approach provides.

Chapter Nine looks at an organization called Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. In it, training leader Larry writes about his experiences in diary form. Along with his intelligent observations, this format helps to make this the most appealing of the case studies.

Chapter Ten is about the "So What? Factor," focusing on the management of a school district. Jeff is the training leader here, and his challenge is to overcome profound inertia in a huge organization that's growing fast. While his actions bring about a success story in the face of daunting circumstances, it's more fun to read about Lisa's "concrete results" in Chapter Eleven. Lively and enthused, this is an inspiring read about how to make change happen.

Lisa builds surprise into her strategy, and asks hard-hitting business-related questions when staff are expecting something different. She deals with resistance by having the managers participate first-hand, rather than trying to explain things in words. Her approach is a great example of the need to be flexible, while not losing sight of the focus, or principle, of the training. And Lisa's advice at the end of the chapter is one of the high points of the book.

The last chapter is by Julie, whose challenge is getting her company to change its mindset, from selling training to being a solutions provider. Eventually, after a long period of time, she finds an opportunity to make a stand, involves the company president, and has the courage to take action when she encounters a manager who's not ready to make the shift. The book's main thesis – that "active executive involvement" is the most important ingredient in effective training – comes across clearly here. Julie explains to her team: "We have to stop wanting for the business what they do not yet want for themselves."

The book's final chapter starts by stating that change should start small. It also notes that the rut training is in has been formed over several decades. A few tips lead to the conclusion that trainers can't have all the answers, but need to learn as they go. Ultimately, despite the need for flexibility, the Courageous Training Code is what will see trainers through, the authors say.

"Courageous Training" is a brave book that confronts a major challenge in the business and leadership worlds. Training has a poor success rate and many people don't believe it can be effective. This book could be better structured and more feisty at the beginning, to guarantee a more enthusiastic readership. But even with its rather dry start, it identifies issues, challenges established ideas, and points toward long-term solutions that are both inspired and make a lot of sense. It communicates a business ethic relevant to the present day and is a motivational book within its genre.

"Courageous Training: Bold Actions for Business Results," by Tim Mooney and Robert O. Brinkerhoff, is published in paperback by Berrett-Koehler.

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