'Put Down Books on Adult Learning Theory, Pick Up Your Strategic Plan'

This is the first entry in Interviews with Learning Leaders, a series of interviews with veterans of the learning and development industry. New entries will be posted weekly on Tuesdays.

Terrence Donahue is the corporate director of learning for Emerson Electric, a 125-year-old global technology solutions company headquartered in St. Louis. His career also includes time with National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, JohnsonDiversey, McDonald’s, Scandinavian Airlines, Nike, Citibank Europe, and Chick-fil-A. He has personally trained over 30,000 trainers, performance consultants, instructional designers, and training managers on five continents. He is a contributor to 10 Steps to Successful Teams and The Art of Modern Sales Management: Driving Performance in a Connected World.

When working with business leaders, what is your approach?

L&D folks need to get out of the learning business and into the business of learning. A shocking study once published in Training magazine still troubles me:

• 95% of training managers have never met with a “C-level” stakeholder.
• 85% of training managers/Directors have never read a copy of their organization’s strategic plan.
• Only 7% of training departments measure the bottom-line effectiveness of their training programs.
• Less than 50% of all Fortune 500 companies integrate training and development into their strategic planning process.

The learning function really exists for one reason—to help a company meet its business goals by providing employees with the needed knowledge and skill in a cost-effective and instructionally efficient manner. Put down your books on adult learning theory and gamification and devour your company’s strategic plan.

How do people get out of that trainer role and into a performance partner role?

Ask a business leader what makes them hit the steering wheel on the way home from work. Or ask, “What is your biggest business challenge or opportunity, and how can I help?” Many of these issues will be performance issues of the employees or their managers. Be seen as a performance improvement resource, rather than just a program peddler.

Is there anything specific you want executives to understand about the learning profession?

Help them to understand three things: 1) the cost of training, 2) the cost of not training, and 3) the cost of training that was provided that has not been applied back on the job—where learning has not transferred from the workshop to the workplace. We need to reduce “learning scrap” and focus as much on the implementation of the skills as we do the acquisition of the skills.

What do you see as the toughest challenges facing training professionals today, and what advice would you give for dealing with those challenges?

There will forever be competition for investment dollars. Executives do not want to hear about “cognitive learning theory.” They want to know how we will successfully give employees the necessary knowledge and performance to bring the company to where it needs to be.

How did you get into the learning and development field?

Like all trainers do…through the “Law of Punishment for Good Performance.” I was always an exemplary performer wherever I went to work. My managers wanted me to reproduce my performance and attitude in others, so they asked me train others.

You’ve trained over 30,000 people on five continents over your career. What advice do you have for people presenting and facilitating groups?

I recommend that people who love the limelight and want to be the center of attention get out of training and join the motivational speaker industry. The focus of training should be on the learner, not on the trainer.

Do you have any advice for people in the talent development field?

I’m convinced our real value will come not in the things we say, but in the questions we ask. Learn the art of asking great questions. Learning this skill has completely changed my career.