Learning Without Application is Just Entertainment by Marc LeVine

“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.”

— Herbert Spencer

We’ve all been here before.?If some of you haven’t yet experienced this – you eventually will.

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Your boss approves a training day for you to learn new ways to improve a set of results and help the company grow.?You attend the training and soak up some amazing new ideas to restructure some ineffective or inefficient process. You can’t wait to get back to work and share such valuable information with your boss.

The next morning your boss welcomes you back, asks if you enjoyed your training and then, proceeds to recite from a list of pressing items awaiting your attention.?The matter of planning to meet for a post training debriefing never comes up. ?

Pssssssssss…is the sound of the air rapidly going out of your excitement and exuberance regarding the training you just completed.

Your once promising training event seems to have devolved into little more than an unnecessary day out of the office.?While you realize your newly acquired knowledge may benefit you somewhere and someday, you lament that it may not be put to good use at your present job anytime soon. That's too bad, because your subsequent performance appraisals may never reflect the value your new insights may have brought to light.

This could easily be a post about poor leadership on the part of your boss, which it most certainly is.? His or her role is to help motivate team members and show interest in their ongoing professional development. But, that is a different post for a different day.

Today's installment is written just for all the “jilted learners,” who have ever embraced a learning opportunity only to be met by indifference from their managers. ?The soothsayers are not wrong when they say, “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” ?It’s much worse when those minds are our own own.?

So, what can we do when situations like these develop?

1.??????Be Sure to Ask Your Manager What Are the Learning Objectives??If you did not select the class/course, yourself, it is important to know WHY the training was recommended and approved for you. Be sure to inquire HOW this training may apply to current and future company goals and objectives.

2.??????Reserve a Time for Debriefing with Your Manager.?The sooner you debrief after training the better.?It is good to have a little breathing room to digest and reflect on what has been learned, but a too long delay between training and debriefing may be less helpful to your memory and the impact of what was learned. Setting a date for a debriefing underlines the level of seriousness that should accompany all newly acquired knowledge (through training), so as to determine what value exists in actually applying it.

3.??????Keep Practical Notes. ?It is important to debrief with comprehensive notes in front of you. ?They will help keep your memory on track as you discuss the training you received.?It is a good idea to edit your notes between the conclusion of the training and your debriefing session.?Thoughts and feelings may change as we further reflect on them. Your latest and well-thought-out impressions should be included in your debrief discussions.

4.??????Be Assertive.?Without being disrespectful of your manager’s time, do your best to insist that the debriefing meeting and its results are important to you and company goals.?

5.??????Follow-through.?Once the debriefing session has concluded, be sure to adapt to its conclusions.?Hopefully, you’ve made some good points. Perhaps, you also had to defend some other ideas you embraced that were disagreed with.?Those items rejected by management, must be accepted by you as currently off-the-table and dispensed with. Meanwhile, those items that were accepted require actions on your part (and by others) to see them through.?Be sure to keep all involved parties informed as you work through whatever is required by the planning.

Sometimes the fate of learning is left in our own hands to deal with. It is our responsibility to feed and nurture that which we have learned to someday grown into making a positive difference for all. So, don't let knowledge die on the vine. Be assertive in helping your manager understand that it is important to debrief after completing approved training.

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The Author

Listen to Marc's latest interview on The AutomationBlog Podcast with Shawn Tierney.

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021. His prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ