I was walking to a client training session this week which was held in a massive convention center complex.  Along the way I noticed some signs for another meeting with another client’s name.  There were people streaming into a ballroom when someone I know recognized me and said ‘Hi!”.  We exchanged pleasantries and then they asked me to come with them and meet some of the senior execs who were there to kick off their regional meeting.

When I went into the room a number of DMs and Store Managers came up to me to tell me how pleased they were to have gone through our Retail Store Leadership (RSL) and Retail Multiunit Management (RMM) programs.  But what stopped me in my tracks was that each of them said they were ‘keeping it alive’ and that this meeting would include reviews of their use and results and presentations from senior leaders on how the skills learned tied to their strategic objectives.  This was very satisfying to hear.  Training is often an event where people are ‘dipped’ into some type of content.  Real behavior and then organizational change only happens if post-training the retailer grabs ahold of the training and makes it part of their every day life to keep it alive and meaningful.

When I got to my session I began to greet the participants.  Within a few minutes, one of the managers asked if we’d worked with one of her past retail employers.  We had.  She immediately went to her portfolio and took out wallet cards she’d gotten from our training 10 years ago!  She said it was the best training she’d ever gotten and still used it today.  I assured her we’ve made some updates but she was a champion even before we started.

Every retailer has goals and we’re proud of the work we do to help them achieve those goals.  We’re also proud of the thousands of participants who have embraced the skills and strategies we teach and kept it alive year after year.

Tell us how you keep your MOHR training alive by sharing thoughts here or tweeting us @mohrretail.  In retail, every day is a chance to learn. MOHR!

Posted in Editorial
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About Michael Patrick

Michael held positions in retail management, merchandising, and human resources before joining MOHR Retail’s predecessor in 1986. In 1990 he purchased the retail division of that firm to form today’s MOHR Retail. Michael holds true to his retail roots by delivering learning that changes behavior—providing both immediate and lasting business impact. In addition to facilitating MOHR Retail training programs, he offers executive-level coaching in one-on-one sessions dealing with critical strategic issues such as succession strategies and executive team development. The author of “The New Negotiation Mindset: Guarantee A Bigger Slice,” Michael is a longstanding member of NRF as well as ISA: The Association of Learning Providers. He has a B.A. from San Diego State University, completed Master’s level work at Arizona State University, and lives with his family in New Jersey.