Since we love education at the RHBA – the opportunity to expand our minds… we thought we would share this with you. Let’s face it. How many of you have gone to a great seminar or education program – or even a motivational talk, and been so pumped up only to let all that knowledge and enthusiasm waste away? Here’s some advice from Dennis DuRoff. (Visit him at www.dennisduroff.com )
Education – Maximize your ROI
Over the past decade and a half, I have had the privilege of coaching and working with some of this country’s best and brightest small business owners. Whether large companies or small, these entrepreneurs share a common commitment to education. They seek constant improvement in themselves and their companies.
Unfortunately, many who attend expensive out-of-town seminars and workshops learn new strategies but fail to execute them. Enthusiasm is not the problem. During the seminars, attendees harvest new ideas and can’t wait to put them into action. But, upon their return, they are swept-up by the daily grind and their best-laid plans begin to fade.
In failing to execute their plans, dollars and valuable time are lost.
Here are several strategies I use with clients to help insure they maximize their educational R.O.I.
Commit to your staff before the seminar— The purpose of this step is to make a public commitment to a course of action. Promises to ourselves are easily broken. Promise to others and the likelihood of keeping our word increases.
Before you leave town, let the staff know that you plan to conduct a “debrief” for them upon your return. Tell them you will review what you learned and exchange ideas on how to implement the new strategies into the business.
Create a list of campaign candidates— While at the conference, at the end of each day, invest a few minutes and review your notes. Highlight the key points and begin a list of strategies and ideas that would add value to your business.
Prioritize your list—If you breeze through airport security on your way home, invest the dead time to prioritize your list of topics. This can be done on the flight home as well. The object is to identify and commit to a list of campaigns before you get back to the office.
Pick your top three candidates—Go through your list and think “implementation”. You may have a long list of great ideas that you just can’t wait to implement. Don’t let your enthusiasm sabotage your results. It is better to get one system in place than it is to start ten that do not get executed. Limit yourself to three top systems and commit to put them in action.
Debrief your staff—As promised, hold a meeting and share your enthusiasm for what you learned and what you’ve committed to implement. If you have a great plan of attack, share it with your staff. A better strategy might be to ask staff what would be the best possible way to put this strategy into action in your business. When employees take part in system creation, buy-in becomes much easier.
Follow up—Don’t stop now! Once your ideas are implemented, make sure they are producing the desired result and continue to innovate them to improve performance.
The time and energy you invest in education can only be justified by the results produced in your business. Put these strategies in place to maximize your education R.O.I.
Warmest regards,
Dennis DuRoff
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