In the Marines, we refer to many activities as training when they aren’t. We spent much time in the artillery, maintaining vehicles, communications equipment, and howitzers. Then, we had mandatory classes on topics that were more education than training; there is a difference.
Training is more specific and focused, while education is broader and covers a more comprehensive range of topics. Training is usually shorter, while education can last many years. Education provides students with theoretical knowledge, while training provides practical skills. Training should have a direct link to the performance of your job.
On Recruiting duty, our Station would conduct monthly training on focused topics. Sometimes, it was new information or skills, and sometimes refresher training, but always to improve our performance. We never skipped a month. There was remedial training for recruiters who had difficulties, and there was always on-site training by the leaders in their rounds of the sub-stations. Other Stations didn’t train as well as we did and weren’t as successful. We always made time for training. When I returned to the artillery, I took this a step further. I emphasized that we needed to train daily, so every leader should have a plan to train something mission-related daily, even when maintenance was the focus of effort for the day. I knew from experience that some artillery batteries only trained their tactical tasks when they were in the field, which meant the first few days of a field exercise were a refresher. As a Battalion Commander during operations in Iraq, we gathered leaders weekly to wargame or assess actions during missions so everyone benefited from another’s experience. We made time to train, and it made us better.
So this week, consider how training will help your people and organization to improve. How can you institute training daily?
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Remember, “all things are possible through prayer and heavy deadlifts.”™
