When managers decide to train their employees, they are sometimes disappointed when their efforts fail. This happens because managers don’t always train employees on the skills that are most essential for moving the company forward.

The terms,

training and development, often are used interchangeably, but they are actually two very different concepts. When you train employees, you help them work with their existing skill set so they can better perform their current job. But when you develop employees, you provide them the opportunity to broaden a skill set that will take them to the next level of employment with the company.

Unfortunately, many managers neglect to train employees. It frequently happens when an employee gets promoted into a new position and is expected to automatically have the skills to be successful. Think about a manufacturing plant, for example, where a fantastic third-shift employee gives 100 percent to the company. When his supervisor retires, management sees this wonderful front-line employee who does his job better than anyone else, so they promote him. The problem is that what he’ll do in his new job is not what he has done in the past, so he may not have the skill set needed to perform successfully. He needs training!

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