When you start out in business you have a vision. You want to do something exciting; something original; or just better.
You have your own personal values and beliefs which form that vision. As your business and team grow it is vital not to lose sight of that vision; not to lose the essence of your business. Obviously, over time that vision may change but it is important that your team join you in that vision and buy into the values which go it. They need to know and model the behaviours which define your vision for your business.
To do this, you need to train your team. This needs to be number one on your induction tick list, the first agenda item at the induction meeting and first off the ropes in your training programme.
However, you can’t just tell people once and expect it to sink in. You need to refer back to it regularly through their employment journey with you. It is a great idea to make it a topic of discussion at induction touch points, appraisal meetings and also to be a recurring theme in your training programme.
Training does not end with induction, it takes time for a team member to build up knowledge and expertise in all the processes of the business. On-going education is required to ensure that behaviours are adhered to long term. That on-going education should keep referring back to the business vision and values to ensure that the message does not get lost.
Training-Progress allows you to set fixed reassessment periods, so that every so often a team member will be required to reassess on a training task. You could do this with the vision and values of the business. An expected learner outcome of the task would be to ask them to consider the values of the business and give an example of when they have lived those values or exhibited the behaviours recently. This is a lovely little exercise which can focus the mind of team members through requiring a demonstration of their understanding and how they have put it into action.
For added impact, you could routinely refer back to the business values and behaviours in every business process and guideline. This relates the importance of the task to the vision of the business, so that it is not left in isolation but considered an important step in your shared vision.
If you would like more information about our training and quality management programme and how it can enable your team to realise your vision, please CLICK to request a chat.