The new MBA for trainers: the best way to stay alive these days is to amp up your business savvy

T+D, March, 2003 by Jennifer J. Salopek

As the U.S. and world economies continue to falter, many training and development professionals may be wondering how to recession-proof their jobs. We asked two practitioners to give some practical advice on staying alive--as well as staying current and relevant--during tough times, each from her own perspective.

Beverly Burton, consulting vice president at Right Management Consultants in Philadelphia, identified some long-range trends and issues. Marlene Ferris, director of learning at VWR Inc. of Westchester, Pennsylvania, addresses how to put some of Burton's recommendations into practice on the job. (Ferris and VWR have worked with Burton and Right through a consulting relationship.)

Here are these professionals' chief recommendations.

Become an MBA--master of business awareness. "People are focusing on development in alignment with business strategy mote than at any time in my career," says Burton. Training and development folks must be partners in their organization's strategic business focus in order to bring added value, she advises, and to do that, they must widen their own knowledge and understanding of the company and its goals.

"One of my pet peeves is that many people in training don't have a clue about business," says Ferris. Her background in operations has helped her to be "very bottom-line oriented." To become the new MBA, she suggests these techniques:

* Find someone in your organization with business strengths and pick his or her brain. Ferris says that she has benefited from working under a senior vice president of HR who also has a business and accounting background.

* Learn to understand the numbers.

* Don't be afraid to ask questions.

* Spend some time in the real business. For example, Ferris worked in a warehouse at VWR when she joined the company, getting a firsthand look at what the firm really does. "You're making a serious mistake if you don't [do things like that]," she warns.

* Read, and stay up-to-date. "Keep your feet in both worlds"--the training arena and the overall business world, Ferris recommends.

* Invite yourself along. "I try to participate in meetings in which I think I might learn something," says Ferris.

A large part of becoming the new MBA is mindset, says Ferris. "Ask yourself the right questions; that helps build your credibility in the organization." Ferris also points out that much MBA knowledge is gained through experience.

Change your mindset about your role, then change others'. Once you've gained some basic knowledge about your business, change your mindset about your role. That will also change others' perception of you. "Don't stay in alignment with your traditional role. Get out of the 'I'm a trainer' mentality;" says Burton. "Instead, think: 'I'm a performance consultant responsible for raising the bar on performance in my organization."' Redefine roles and functions based on that performance focus. Then, recognize that this sea change will take a lot of patience and persistence. Burton adds, "Not every organization is ready for r&d folks to play that role. You must step out, take risks, [and possibly] get knocked down."

"Define what matters, and translate that into your contribution," says Ferris. For example, VWR has identified leadership development and bench strength as priorities. Therefore, Ferris's primary focus is professional development as opposed to technical-skills training.

Be careful with limited resources. In order to focus on professional development priorities, Ferris had to find a way to get technical-skills training delivered. But her two-person training department serves 3200 employees in five major distribution centers in North America. Clearly, a creative solution was called for. Ferris uses generalists, managers, and HR staff to provide tech training; they volunteer their time and perform those tasks in addition to their regular jobs. Ferris provides facilitation training and measures performance against a list of mandatory criteria. She also ensures that trainers have plenty of backup, and she uses a team teaching structure to make sure all of the gaps are covered.

Find innovative ways to develop people in their jobs, Burton advises. "Use exemplars; use incumbents as coaches and mentors. Some learning can manage itself from a grassroots standpoint, but activities might need organization and oversight. Look for ways to use day-to-day pressures to develop people's skills." Burton also recommends that you look for job-related experiences tied to competencies. Use a blended approach, which could combine

* action learning, especially stretch assignments

* e-learning

* just-in-time training

* rotational assignments

* mentoring and coaching.

"The opportunity is the blend," says Burton. "Link the pieces together. Revamp and revise traditional methodologies, and connect to many other things."

Develop relationships with the organization's business leaders. Be proactive. "Invite and involve yourself," says Burton. In that way, you can understand line management's issues and concerns.