Key Flags, Tips, And Important Employee Feedback

Picture the scenario. The organization schedules in-house training to equip employees with the inclusive leadership skills necessary to thrive. However, after training and the buzz has vanished, concerns remain that there’s much more to conquering the exclusion beast lurking in office environments. Yes, many make that discovery and realize that there’s a lot more involved in winning at inclusion, and if not careful, inadequate training can open up even more questions and concerns than bargained for. A Deloitte report says it’s imperative to build a future-ready workforce equipped for future challenges.

SOME FLAGS ORGANIZATIONS CAN WATCH FOR REGARDING TRAINING

Human Element:

The team is human, and that means it’s likely that unaddressed biases exist. Meaning involved people selecting the training could have unaddressed issues with all the inclusion hoopla or, worse, be apathetic to progress, and so therefore, those biases impact desired outcomes. An example is the selection of safe training that cursorily meets the training requirements and feels the least intrusive to the organization. Additionally, accountability for implementing new skills may be lacking.

Bandaids:

Companies who invest in providing leadership training to staff are commendable. Understanding inclusion complexities can take many iterations of training to build skills. Therefore one-off, once-a-year focus on learning can be a stopgap for exclusionary practices. And while that’s a good, no great effort, it’s just the start of a long journey towards creating an INCLUSIVE workplace that shows up to meet the ever-changing needs of the organizational makeup.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE TRAINING

1. Take time to do due diligence when implementing training. Remember, inclusive leadership is a skill that needs nurturing and education to adapt to ongoing cultural shifts and requirements. Therefore, executive leadership teams are not-exempt and need support to address individual and collective hidden spots when supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion vision commitments.
2. Look for gaps in education. For example, managers may need additional support to gain expected results and foster inclusion when managing the growing diversity of teams.
3. Consider the frequency and delivery of new skills to every person in the organization. Be sure to prioritize training efforts with the understanding that the benefits of diverse teams will yield improved organizational results.
4. Be truthful with training partners to allow insights into training customization. Hiring the right partners to deliver expertise is vital to minimize providing training that doesn’t empower leaders and staff to do their part to remain committed to fostering an inclusive workplace.
5. Invest in building a relationship with the inclusive leadership expert chosen. Ask questions. Be bold and courageous in embracing non-traditional training experiences. Win/Win trusted partnerships provide dividends for the inclusive leadership journey.

EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK IS NECESSARY

1. Be sure to get feedback from staff and leaders, delving into questions about training impacts and challenges. Ask about the integration experience paying attention to commentary about behavioral shifts. Pay particular attention to what additional support is needed. Limeade, Qualtrics, or SurveyMonkey are tools to explore to capture feedback information.
2. Capture verbal and written feedback. Consider delivering focus groups to gain additional feedback to integrate into an updated learning and development strategy.
3. Review and determine which actions to proceed with. Make modifications to training so that it’s working. Be proactive with decisions (even if unpopular).