FROM TRAINER TO PERFORMANCE CONSULTANT

FROM TRAINER TO PERFORMANCE CONSULTANT

Jean Barbazette, a train-the-trainer specialist from The Training Clinic in Seal Beach, Calif., and the author of The Trainer's Jouney to Competence (Pfeiffer, 2005), will present a Performance Consulting certificate program, June 9-11, at Training Directors' Forum, which is slated for June 11 to 14, 2006.

TDF e-Net recently spoke with Barbazette about performance consulting and its role in today's organizations.

TDF E-NET: What is a performance consultant?

BARBAZETTE: A performance consultant helps employees improve their work performance whether or not training is "the answer." A performance consultant finds the gaps in what an employee "should" be doing and what he or she is doing through a performance analysis and by looking for barriers to performing as expected. The solution to a particular issue may or may not involve a training session.

TDF E-NET: And how is he or she different than a trainer, training manager, instructional designer or other human performance professional?

BARBAZETTE: The performance consultant may function as a trainer, training manager, instructional designer or other human performance improvement professional, but generally, the role she chooses for a specific issue tends to be broader than those other roles. If a trainer's skills are helping employees develop skills, then the solution usually involves a training event.

Since some sort of assessment is appropriate, the performance consultant focuses on finding information about the deficiency, what causes it, and what solutions are most appropriate, and then helps implement the variety of solutions. A performance consultant will be most successful when helping the internal client reach a desired result and not just putting on training events.

TDF E-NET: What are some common misperceptions about performance consulting? Is it a commonly misunderstood term/practice? If so, why do you think that is?

BARBAZETTE: Some years ago, the consulting field, in general, got the reputation of all "sizzle" and no "steak" and focusing on process, rather than on substance. Process consultation is effective when it is balanced with a knowledge of the organization's core business.

TDF E-NET: Is this a job category that is growing in popularity and opportunity recently -- and if so, why?

BARBAZETTE: With the growth in certification programs for performance consulting professionals, trainers are taking a broader approach to performance issues. Many now realize that training alone is usually not "the answer" to a performance problem.

TDF E-NET: What skills does one need to become an effective performance consultant? Why are these particular skills so important to success?

BARBAZETTE: The most important skill for a performance consultant is the ability to do a thorough analysis to get to the root cause of the performance deficiency that impacts the business and then recommending appropriate solutions that can demonstrate a specific result.

TDF E-NET: What sort of value does performance consulting provide to an organization, especially with today's focus on bottom-line results and aligning training with business strategy?

BARBAZETTE: The performance consultant provides value to the organization by responding with the appropriate remedy to performance issues. The bottom line is improved because training is only done when necessary. A major part of any performance improvement plan is to align activities with the business needs.

TDF E-NET: Can you give an example of exemplary performance consulting in action? B

BARBAZETTE: One of my clients asked me for a "Time Management" course and the manager wanted his team to work "smarter, not harder." Through an informal assessment of supervisors, I learned that different people were using different project management tools and not communicating with one another, and work took twice as long as necessary as a result. Solutions involved settling on one project management tool, creating a job aid, and training the group on using that tool, AND how to pass off a partially finished project when needed. "Time Management" was not the answer. If we had just done the requested training, it would have wasted everyone's time.

TDF E-NET: If you had to convince an organization or training department to take the performance consulting route, what would you say?

BARBAZETTE: The major benefit of using a performance consulting approach is to get the best result (improved performance) by applying an appropriate solution that saves everyone time and money!

source: TDF e-Net