Blog - Excel

The Signs That Your Business Needs a New Learning Plan

Written by Alex Dinnadge | Nov 4, 2022 4:15:17 PM

Building a learning plan is incredibly exciting!

You are drawing up a roadmap for your people, teams and business, defining the routes each need to take in order to arrive at the desired location.

Success for all!

 

Unfortunately though, there is every chance that your learning plan may be falling short.

Leading everyone down blind alleyways and dead ends, instead of clearly guiding the way to all-round improvement and exceptional levels of development.

 

If you are unaware that your learning plan is not optimal currently, then we have some signs and indicators here that would suggest that it could be time to upgrade it.

 

Look below!

 

Underwhelming Business Performance

Let’s begin with the obvious.

If you are noticing that your people, teams, and business is underperforming in relation to their targets, then we need to take action before the situation deepens.

 

Logical steps from this realisation would be to begin to investigate the areas of which each element of your business could be developed to achieve the targets you set out.

This can be daunting, because of course, there is so much that could be causing these performance issues.

 

This is definitely where some external expertise can prove incredibly valuable… like booking time with a learning consultant at Excel Communications.

 

Shameless plugging.

 

Poor Morale and Low Motivation

Imagine…

You work within a business that regularly runs relevant workshops and programmes.

You’re regularly being challenged to improve your skills and develop yourself to perform at a higher level, and you are excited in the immediate changes you are seeing in your everyday tasks.

As a result, you smash your targets and continue to set your sights on what is next for you to achieve within the business.

That is motivating!

 

Let’s look at the flip side though.

Without a learning plan, or one that will be effective, there can appear to be a lack of vision as to how the company and the people within can continue to grow and improve.

It could also be seen as a lack of ambition, as it could seem as though what is happening today is good enough, and there is no need to seek ways to increase performance.

An acceptance that the business and everyone connected are already all that they will ever be. 

This is incredible demoralising.

 

Low Retention

If every time you are waving hello, you are soon waving goodbye, then we need to look at what is causing people to move on elsewhere.

Why is the grass greener everywhere else?

 

There could be a whole host of reasons as to why people are not sticking around, however one of the most popular is the feeling of stagnation and being underutilised.

If your people do not feel as though they are being invested in, then it is incredibly likely that they will not feel valued, increasing their urge to leave.

 

The lack of continuity that a consistent turnover of staff provides makes it incredibly tough for a business to succeed.

 

Noticeable Skill Gap

How well equipped are your people to take on the requirements of their roles?

Each job is likely to come with a learning curve in which an individual grows into the position. So, it’s  important that they are inducted effectively.

Additionally, their development needs to continue being invested in, so that they grow beyond the minimum requirement and can adjust to the everchanging landscape around them.

 

Not prioritising this can create a skill gap that unfortunately could continue to widen with time.

 

 

Poor Team Cohesion

A team which is struggling to perform will become increasingly strained.

Frustration will be a mutual feeling amongst each individual, and the way forward will become increasingly unclear.

Fingers of blame could also begin flying around.

 

Bringing your team together to learn new skills which they can use to create positive change is not only great for building bonds between members, but it creates well needed buzz and enthusiasm.

As previously mentioned too, if these trainings are covering relevant areas that need addressing, crucially you are highly likely to see your team’s performance improve too.

 

If you want to know even more about building the best possible learning plan for your people, teams and business. Check out our comprehensive guide here - https://www.excel-communications.com/how-to-create-a-highly-effective-learning-and-development-plan/

 

You can also grab our downloadable checklist here!

 

Thanks,

Alex & The Excel Team

P.S. If you would like to discuss any of your learning & development challenges for 2022, call us on +44(0) 1628488 854. 

About Excel Communications     

Excel Communications is a learning and development consultancy based near London in the U.K. For more than 30 years; we have been collaborating with clients across the globe. Partnering with Excel empowers you to evolve your people and business by fuelling a love for learning. We work with you to create unforgettably, customised learning experiences to achieve your vision of success and growth, with tangible results. View our case studies here.  We have a team of expert trainers delivering programmes across five continents in multiple languages. Call us now on +44 (0) 1628 488 854.   

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