The key to sustained success lies in the art of raising skill retention. Whether you’re looking to enhance your team’s capabilities or your own, there’s a timeless secret – periodic repetition of the basics. Imagine a scenario where your workforce excels after a single training session and retains those vital skills indefinitely. Well, that doesn’t happen! As tempting as it sounds, achieving and maintaining a high level of performance demands a different approach.
I recall a conversation with a store manager who proudly declared, “We don’t need customer service training; we had that four years ago.” However, as a customer, I can attest that a refresher was indeed overdue. The truth is, that leaders and teams benefit greatly from ongoing development.
Numerous studies, including those by renowned psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, underscore the importance of regular skill reinforcement. If you learn a skill today, it’s likely that by tomorrow, you’ll have forgotten most of it. But if you relearn it tomorrow, it will take a week before it slips from your memory again. Keep up this pattern, and it will take almost a month before you lose that skill. The lesson here is clear: the more frequently you refresh your skills, the longer you retain them. (See image above.) That is why you can still ride a bicycle. And it is precisely why workforce development is a linchpin for your business’s thriving future.
5 Bullet Points for Raising Skill Retention:
- Top off your leadership skills regularly to keep them fresh and effective.
- Stay current on your teamwork skills because they are essential every day.
- Practice effective communication techniques consistently to keep them top-of-mind.
- Refresh your team by engaging in new techniques that foster stronger relationships.
- Continuously review conflict resolution skills, as they invariably come in handy.
You and your team won’t have time to stop and think when you’re on the fly. Maintaining a high level of service excellence is not a one-time effort; it’s an ongoing commitment to raising skill retention. Remember, you haven’t peaked yet!