No one will talk bad about employee training and development but the real issue is: Will you actually do it? The other problem is that too many companies make training way too complicated. Once you start to write a training program or develop criteria, it can all become endless. Companies must take care to implement a training program that is practical and realistic.

For years, I have used learning to bowl as an example of how employee expectations and development work. If you wanted to learn to bowl, you might go to the local bowling alley and ask a pro to give you lessons. Your expectations would be high as you are eager to learn and have found someone to teach you. After some instruction, you now move into the accountability phase of learning. The pro gives you a bowling ball and you try to knock down some pins. Suppose a large sheet is suspended between you and the pins-the ball goes through the sheet and you hear the clatter of pins falling. Now you have entered the final phase of the learning process, feedback. What if you were then told that it would be an entire year before you learned how many pins fell-at your annual review? I doubt you would be very motivated to go to the bowling alley each week. Employee training and development works much the same way. The best training programs are cultural and part of the daily process. So let's discuss some practical steps you can take to provide realistic training: