The skills gap

“Hey Francis, why should I spend a lot of money training my people to only losing them to the competition?”

“Hey Francis, training involves a lot of money. It is an expense we cannot afford.”

“Hey Francis, rather than having my people plucked out of their work and doing nothing but sitting on their chairs doing nothing, I would rather have them on the sales floor or in the field doing selling. These trainings just do not mean anything to me.”

“Hey Francis, we have our own programs. We know how to train our own people.”

This is a compilation of different statements from business people I have encountered in the past. And you need to believe me when I say they are the polite one. And then there are the cynics with their cynical tones.

“Training? I don’t believe in it. If these so called experts are any good then they would have been busy doing business and earning a lot more money than holding a microphone and settle on being a talking head.”

“What can they teach us that we do not already know?”

These were the statements of the last century. When business was easy and change was incremental.

Many of the people who used to view training as unnecessary yesterday are my valued clients today and many still are trying to be.

Why is this so? I have a two-word explanation for the sudden shift in mindset.

It’s called the SKILLS GAP.

Many business leaders have reported deficiencies in both “hard” and “soft” skills among current and prospective workers. Shortages are reported in four key areas:

• Basic skills – The “three Rs” (reading, writing, and arithmetic), customer service, communications, basic business acumen

• Technical and professional skills – computer/technology skills, plus skills for specialized industries (e.g., automotive or construction)

• Management and leadership – skills covering areas such as supervision, team-building, goal-setting, planning, motivation, decision making, and ethical judgment

• Emotional intelligence – skills such as self-awareness, self-discipline, persistence, and empathy

Many businesses today realize that they just do not know enough about everything to be able to train their people and fill up these gaps that are crucial to their business survival. And so they get third party intervention.

You know your organization is facing a crucial skills gap situation if you see the four signs:

1. There is a mismatch between the skills the organization needs (current and future) and the capabilities of the workforce.

2. The organization did not train employees during hard times and is struggling to catch up.

3. The number of high skilled, specialized jobs needed to take the organization forward is increasing.

4. There is a high percentage of baby boomers in the workforce that are or will be leaving soon.

5. Your succession plan is not in place.

These are warning signs.

You need to get a seasoned HR practitioner. You need to get a good trainer. You need to expose your key people to training and you need to get trained yourself.

Business life was very simple during the last century. When I lost my good people my assets remained with me. My assets were my factory, facilities, machines, raw materials etc. Today when you lose your good people they bring your assets with them.

Human capital is the asset you want to keep and you want to build.

If you train your people hard, not only will they become tough, they will become hard to beat. –Francis J. Kong (The Philippine Star)

(Francis Kong will be the lead trainer for the Dr. John Maxwell’s ‘Developing the Leader Within You’ leadership program this September 29-30 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries contact Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. 632-6872614 OR 09178511115)