Tweet

Cross Training - The Miracle Cure?

Guest post by: Robert Whipple

Article Overview: When I watch those infomercials on TV that claim some new pill or tonic will cure most of our physical ailments, I don't bite. No matter how convincing the cliams are, I just believe there is nothing that can fix all or most ailments just by buying a bottle and popping the pills. Life does not work that way. Likewise in leadership there is no miracle cure, although building Trust comes pretty close in my mind. Another strong medicine for organizational ailments is cross training. This article describes some of the more important benefits of a great cross training process.

Cross Training - The Miracle Cure?

Don't you love the advertisements that promise to cure all your problems just by taking a pill? They try to convince you that all ailments are related, and for only $19. 95 plus S&H you can have a full month supply of the cure - "But wait! If you order within the next 20 minutes, we'll double your order; just pay separate S&H." It is amazing that there are people who actually believe this drivel.

For organizational ailments, I believe there is a potion that really does attack many issues at the same time, and you can actually get a double dose for a very low price with no S&H (and the offer does not expire in 20 minutes). The tonic I am referring to is cross training. Let's look at some of the reasons why this is such powerful medicine.

Link Between Training and Satisfaction

Several studies over the past 50 years have established a strong link between training and satisfaction. Organizations that continuously train their people have higher motivated employees and less absenteeism. If you look at the organizations in the Top 100 companies to work for in the United States, you will see that every one of them has a strong training program in place for employees.

Improved Bench Strength

It is not rocket science to discover the benefits of having people cross trained on each other's job. Every time an employee is out for an illness or vacation, it is a simple matter of moving people around to cover the lost function. Having several back ups for each position generates the flexibility to operate efficiently in today's frenetic environment. In sports, we know that a team with great bench strength has an easier time winning than one with monolithic superstars.

Better Teamwork

When people train others on their function, a kind of personal bond is struck that is intangible but powerful. It is really a large teambuilding effort to install a cross training program in a company. People actually enjoy it and rightfully feel the additional skills have something to do with job security. Interestingly in organizations that do not cross train, many people are protective of their knowledge thinking that being the only one who knows procedures makes them indispensable. Actually the reverse is true because when large numbers of people feel that way, there is high tension and the organization fails when someone is out. Jobs are not very secure in organizations like that.

Reduction in Turn Over

An organization that focuses on cross training suffers less from employee churn. Why? Because people have more variety of work and higher self esteem. They have more fun at work and tend to stay with the organization. Also, the opportunities to learn new things adds to the equation. Basically, people operate at higher levels on Maslow's pyramid in organizations that cross train.

Leads to Higher Trust

Trust is directly related to how people feel about their development. In organizations were people have a solid training program for the future, people know management cares about them as individuals. The discussions to develop the plan are trust-building events because the topic is how the individual can improve his or her lot in life. That is refreshing and bodes well for the future.

Not Expensive

Of all the medications an organization can take for their problems, cross training is one of the least expensive. Reason: Training can be inserted during the little slack periods within an operating day or week. Training keeps people occupied in growth activities when there is nothing much else to do. So, the real cost to the organization is much lower than it appears on the surface. When compared to the benefits, the ROI is fantastic.

Keeps the Saw Sharp

We all know the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. This is because in order to explain what you are doing, you have to understand it very well. A cross training policy forces incumbent workers to have their job processes well documented and easy to communicate. Also, in the process of training someone else, there is the opportunity for the trainee to suggest better ways of approaching a task, so the process is being honed and refined all the time. That is healthy because it prevents stagnation.

If your organization does not have an active and specific cross training process, get one started today. It has so many upsides and really no significant downside. If you have a program, ask yourself if it is fresh and vital. Are you milking this technique well or giving it lip service? If the latter is true, you have a lot to gain be revitalizing your process.

Related Articles
  The Startling Secret of Eight-Figure Product Launches That Jeff Walker Never Taught You (Yes, It's Not Found in PLF2)!
  The Everyday Common Miracle
  Seeking Sales Answers - Beware The Charlatans!
  Sales Success TipGoals Will Ignite the Power Within You
  Leadership is only doing .
  What Should Your Customer Service Training Cost in Terms of Money, Time and Results?
  Ten Top Cures For The Deadly Disease of Marketing Apathy In Your Business
  Why Cross-linking Your Website is a Great Idea
  How To Attract Miracles Into Your Business And Personal Life
  The Five Minute Easter Egg Miracle
  Small Business Marketing: 8 Cross-Selling Tips to Increase Your Sales
  Tips for Leaders on Cross Cultural Communications
  Credit Alliance Group discusses the effects of Cross Collateralization
  Employee Training: A Management Perspective
  Internal Linking in your website
  Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Insurance | Health Insurance Company Guide
  7 Best Practices for Developing E-Learning Content
  Cross Selling Through Product Promotions
  GIN RUMMY, ANYONE? Warren Buffett Business Principle # 11
  Collaboration & Team Building for Sales Force Management Growth

Article Tags: Cross train, development, Leadership, trusttraining



Related Forum Posts
7 words or less for Structogram - Some "7 words or less" (more or less) for Structogram for your comments: Training to get your message across(6) Secrets to get your message across (6) Training so people will listen to you (7) Helping you get your message across (6) Training to learn to get your message across (8) Communications training for yourself and your team (7)
Re: Bad SEO techniques? - [quote="jacksonp":8b8rg2nw][quote="terriz":8b8rg2nw] re: Cross Linking, how do you define that? I thought linking to other pages on your website (that are related) was a good thing...maybe that's not what you meant.[/quote:8b8rg2nw] So my friend,Cross Linking is simply means the process of linking between two sites,Whether or not they are owned by the same person, cross linking is the process on which the Internet is built.It allows users to reference sites with content similar to that which they are already viewing, and may be of further interest to them.[/quote:8b8rg2nw] Thanks for clarifying!
Re: Bad SEO techniques? - [quote="jacksonp":1y3g8bot]that is quite true.We all should avoid these kind of techniques.I am here sharing few more points which we should take in mind..As an experienced person of SEO I want to share here some facts which should be avoided by us.I hope that these will help some of the newcomers a lot.. Choosing a title that has no relation to the content on the page Using extremely lengthy titles that are unhelpful to users Using a single title tag across all of your site’s pages or a large group of pages Stuffing unneeded keywords in your title tags Writing description meta tag that has no relation to the content on the page Multiple domains Multiple identical sites Cross Linking[/quote:1y3g8bot] re: Cross Linking, how do you define that? I thought linking to other pages on your website (that are related) was a good thing...maybe that's not what you meant.
Budget. - I believe the biggest barrier is related to budget. Training tends to be a normal practice for a big company. But I have to consider it seriously as an entrepreneur.
Re: Hello from Bangladesh - Hello Kevin, Thank you for replying back to my message. There are many business goals for this year including but not limited to: 1. Managing long term partnership contracts from more clients. 2. Cross-border expansion - open our first overseas office at New York, USA. 3. Progressing smoothly to our road to CMMI certification. 4. Introduce a new service - call center operation. Best Regards Hasnaeen


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How to Set Sales Goals that Work

How to Find a Niche and Make Money Online

Sales Courage and Resilience

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.