You Don't Need Another Process, You Need Results

Personal/professional development programs are abundant; results vary. Here's how to choose your program wisely and keep it working for you after the facilitator goes home.

Written Jul 08, 2008, read 329 times since then.

Why do businesses hire motivational speakers?
Because their people aren't motivated.

Why do they keep hiring them?
Because their people still aren't motivated.

Imagine: you sign up for a computer course. The teacher tells you that Microsoft Word is the ultimate productivity solution. You see a slide show of all the beautiful documents you can create with this program. Your expert instructor tells you about all the great jobs she's gotten and all the accolades she has received as a result of mastering this software. She certainly looks happy and successful. Since this is a hands-on course, she has you try the software yourself, in simple, short exercises. By course's end, you are all fired up...but you haven't actually learned how to use Word. Sure, you have a manual, but...back at the office, it doesn't look as easy as it did during the course, and it's not nearly as exciting. Soon you're in need of another course. Maybe you'll get it this time.

Of course, no one would attend a computer course like this, and yet this is what we do with team-building seminars and EQ programs in business all the time. This is no joke; it's a reality that makes motivational speakers and self-help gurus wealthy, and has little or no ROI for you and your business.

Nevertheless, there's a never-ending parade of professional development programs marching through companies large and small these days. And here's what happens: the parade comes to town; we applaud the band, we're entertained by the dancers, we admire the floats and the banners...we watch and we wave. Soon there's no more music, no more excitement...until the next parade marches by. We get jazzed by the big brass bands of processes, and then it's over...because we have not mastered an instrument ourselves.

It's safe to say that all skill-building processes work if you use them, just like all diets and exercise regimens work when you follow them. A good teacher, facilitator, or motivational speaker will leave you with a substantial experience, along with homework to reinforce the tools of the process. A good process will provide you and your employees with the keys to its mastery. Otherwise, you have only received a commencement speech and a diploma and you're on your own.

How can you tell if a motivational program will be worth your time and money? There are no guarantees, but here are some things to look for:

Track record. Don't rely solely on testimonials for a particular speaker or teacher. Research the process' success ratio in business. If there is no data, find out all you can about the process and the instructor. Ask for references, and for a demonstration. If possible, sit in on the facilitator's workshop or get a private consultation.

Curriculum and support. What exactly will the facilitator present? What tools are provided to ensure ongoing success? Are resources readily available for your employees? In what format and at what cost? Are follow-up sessions simply review or do they build upon the material covered?

Your culture. Determine whether the process -- and the facilitator -- is a good match for your corporation and your people. No chemistry = no results.

Willingness. Don't even think about spending thousands of dollars on a training program unless there is commitment across the organization. Will your employees participate? Will top management support the program and its follow-up, financially and by example?

In summary: processes and promises are abundant, but they don't all deliver. If you want jazz, hire a band; but if you want results, look for something more: expert facilitation, tools you can and will use, and commitment.

Learn more about the author, Carol Skolnick.

Comment on this article

Posted by Briana Barrett, Seattle, Washington | Jul 09, 2008

This is so true! I have been asked too many times how I've achieved the happiness and success I have in my life, and as I told my story/guessed at my process, I could feel that it's just a story - just my process, how it happened FOR ME... not necessarily for anyone else!

I've been told that my story inspired and uplifted - that it made a big difference in a stranger's life, that they're psyched to apply the tool/perspective/process I used in their own daily life... and I have to let go of believing or not believing that. I could trust that coincidence/law of attraction/whatever actually brought me together with people who like to approach things the same way I do... but in all honesty, I feel that if they really wanted and were ready for a tool, they would have made their own.

When I started asking people what works for them, what was most fun about today/this year, what the most important lesson tis that they've learned in life, what they're doing when they feel free, I get to hear and find the pattern in what other people are doing right - in ways that are only right and fun for them!!!

That's why I don't call myself a life coach or a career consultant - I have tools, but they're for me.

I'm a self-image consultant, plain and simple: I ask clients affirmative questions, my client tells me about him/herself in the most raw, real way they know themselves, I admire them silently and reflect back/ask questions to help them find and draw on the functional creative process recognizable in all of their successes. Clients focus on becoming aware of themselves as perfectly powerful. No tools, no gimmics.

Clients and friends taught me that. Living in integrity is the result, for everyone involved. Nowadays, when I accidentally slip back into storytelling, advising (i.e. asking a friend or a stranger whether they've tried xyz yet -- guru complex) I immediately feel icky and stop myself while I'm able to take it all back and stay present to what's important: honoring and trusting the integrity, creativity, and resourcefulness I'm about to see - and out it comes: the insight!

I am going to edit my profile next week, and really admire your pointed article. Thanks for inspiring and empowering by not claiming that any secret powers of yours are actually transferable.
It's all the more obvious you have them. And you know that all we need to findi t in ourselves is good chemistry with good company.

cudos! ~Briana
Posted by Hsuan-Hua Chang, PCC, MS, Seattle, Washington | Jul 09, 2008

From my experience, one-time deal processes that work the best are the ones connecting people. Have you heard about Challenging Day for middle schools kids? It opens teens’ hearts to accept each other in one visit.

For big organizations, process connects people has its value. Result might not be obvious and people do tend to work better together after a team building meeting.

Personal growth is a continuous process. One-time deal might be an eye-opening experience. Results come from follow-up work to deepen the learning.

Coaches help clients to see what is important for them, what works for them, what motivates them and what their learning experience is. It's about empowerment - teaching clients to learn fishing instead of giving them fish. :)
Posted by Krista Dunk, Olympia, Washington | Jul 15, 2008

Nice Carol!

This was my favorite sentence: "A good teacher, facilitator, or motivational speaker will leave you with a substantial experience, along with homework to reinforce the tools of the process."

As I've found to be true, momentary inspiration rarely leads to lasting change.

And besides, it's hard to motivate people who are only doing their J-O-B for a paycheck. Where there is no vision... the people perish, and possibly the business too if the leader is not leading with a strong "why".

NWweddingplace.com

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You Don't Need Another Process, You Need Results

Personal/professional development programs are abundant; results vary. Here's how to choose your program wisely and keep it working for you after the facilitator goes home.

Comment on this article

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