When we were in school our syllabus used to change almost every year. There was a constant need to learn the advance methods in each subject as lessons would become outdated at the blink of an eye. It is the similar case with our skills at our jobs. There is a constant need to get yourself trained and upgrade your skills to keep in pace with the rapidly changing world irrespective of your hierarchy.
Most top level employees forget that it is the top management that provides direction and support to the entire organization and think they don’t need to undergo any training sessions. As it is important for junior and middle level employees to hone their skills it is of utmost important for top level managers to know the latest trends.
“For the junior level managers training related to soft skills are given importance, especially trainings like team work, leadership, trust building because they are the future of the company. It is not also important for the CEO or high level management to get trained with the latest for a better future. The trainings for various levels are different in terms of their depth, for example, middle level managers need to be trained in how to build and maintain trust. At the same time high level managers can be given trainings on maintaining integrity and dealing with failures and probably corporate governance. The trainers face more challenges in training high level managers as they are already experts in their fields. The trainer needs to have a human touch, should be extremely well read and most importantly - be able to deal with all sorts of questions. The trainer needs to be ahead of the change. Identifying training needs also holds a challenging aspect for a trainer. No matter which profession upgrading of skills is a must. On a lighter note even home makers have to upgrade their skills while cooking else kids would be fed up of eating the same food regularly,” advises a Sr. HR Manager, Training and Development.
“I keep myself abreast by reading newspapers, journals, technical papers, interacting with customers and their seniors and knowledgeable personnel, attending seminars and conferences and networking. At my level meeting Leaders in the chosen field in various forums and interacting with them is of utmost importance. Trainings on topics which provide a broader perspective in the chosen field, trainings on aspects of the Business, other than the core competency areas are something that senior professionals should look out for. According to me the best way to train senior professionals is on the job exposure to various new areas and by throwing them directly into the pool”, says the Asst. VP of a company.
Unlike yester years today top level managers have less time for training. They prefer it to be crisp, meaningful and relevant to them and their work if they are taking out time from their busy schedules. At the same time constant up gradation and lessons are becoming more and more necessary as the shelf life of information shortens further.
- Ekta Bhatnagar (views expressed in the article are that of the author)
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