Some leaders get to where they are by working hard and learning the ropes. Some also seem to have an innate ability to motivate and inspire others. But a good work ethic, a charismatic personality, or powers of persuasion are not enough—to truly lead in the workplace, one must learn effective coaching techniques. Coaching is a key factor to develop your workforce, so every internal development plan should not only include coaching, but also teach your managers and supervisors how to coach effectively.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many managers and HR professionals to two important realizations. First, the importance of having a succession plan has become crystal clear, especially where jobs were cut, people fell ill, and everyone was working from home. Second, even companies that already took succession planning seriously still struggled when training for development derailed.

After one hour, learners retain less than half of the information presented. After one day, people only retain thirty percent of the training. If you don’t employ some type of training reinforcement, a percentage of your training dollars will be lost as your learners forget. It is important to explore what other elements are needed to retain and apply training information—and how those elements can be worked into existing programs.

The US ranks third in population but according to the World Health Organization, the US leads the world in ladder deaths. Each year, there are more than 164,000 emergency room-treated injuries and 300 deaths in the U.S. that are caused by falls from ladders. In honor of ladder safety awareness month, we offer a few ladder safety tips for work and home.

We all know the importance of effective and engaging employee training, and not just for compliance topics, but also for the personal and professional growth of employees. It’s so important, in fact, that many companies resist the idea to outsource employee training. Internal training teams are protective over the content and want to do it all.

Most businesses are familiar with the concept of a compliance training program. Compliance training is training that is mandated by law, or required as part of a regulation or policy. For that reason, many businesses think of compliance training programs as a schedule for those required training sessions, “checking the box” as employees complete them.