Navigating the Training Process – Part One

Twenty Steps to Stellar Professional Development Results

When it comes to training, set your sights on your destination, map out the route and pay the toll.  Clear a path for training to become a rock solid contributor to your culture, efficiencies and bottom line.

Everyone invested in your financial institution hopes that the staff - from top to bottom - is well-trained.  Are you using hope and luck as your strategies for making training a priority or do you enjoy the comfort that comes with needs assessment, goals and a plan?  I am sure you would agree you need to rely on more than hope when it comes to people knowing how to do their job so that the company can build a well-earned reputation for excellence among clients, regulators, peer, investors and the community.

Training is about preventing problems, solving problems, enhancing confidence and building collective and individual intelligence.

It's interesting that there is a mandate for a financial institution to have a disaster recovery plan but not a plan for training and developing the staff.  Maybe now is the time to issue that mandate and ensure training and professional development become a top priority at your company.  How do you do that?

1. What is the track record of training?
2. Is learning a part of the culture?
3. Who should own training?
4. Who is responsible for training success?
5. How many dollars does it take?
6. How do you know who needs what?
7. How do you put a stop to defending, complaining and blaming??
8. What are the potential derailments training faces?
9. How do you keep training effective, on target and current?
10. How do you organize and monitor training?

Training directors, their assistants, human resource personnel, and
others who want to learn how to better assess training needs, produce
cost effective materials, and develop targeted programs that meet - even exceed - the organization's goals.

Honey Shelton brings the best of both worlds to her speaking and training engagements. She has 25 years of experience as a training and quality improvement consultant for banks and banking associations across the country. Her banking background includes spending three years as Executive Vice President/Chief Retail Banking Officer with First Victoria National Bank.

Nationally recognized as an outstanding speaker, over a half million bankers have participated in programs Honey has presented. Her depth of knowledge, enthusiasm, and compelling personality has left her lasting mark on InterAction Training, the firm she founded in 1983.

As a graduate of the School of Bank Marketing from the University of Colorado, she realizes the value of quality education. Honey invests time as a faculty member for banking schools around the country. She is a repeat presenter for most of the state banking associations.

Honey continues in her own personal pursuit of excellence and is a member of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD). Currently she is pursuing a self study program on Six Sigma. She has obtained certification in Reality Therapy from the William Glasser Institute as well as certification from the Training and Development Program at Texas A &M.