Michaels & Associates

Training projects often begin with a simple request. Someone needs training on a new system, a policy change, or a leadership topic. The next step usually feels obvious: start building the course.Slides are drafted. Modules are outlined. Development...

In many organizations, a simple request for training can quickly turn into a surprisingly complicated conversation about cost and time. What starts as an attempt to solve a problem becomes a negotiation.A project manager says, “We need training.”...

Why does a simple request for training so often turn into a debate about cost and time? Because learning and leadership often speak two different languages. When L&D talks about engagement and design, executives are thinking about risk, speed, and results. If the conversation stays focused on logistics, training feels like an expense. When it shifts to performance impact, it becomes a business solution. If you want stronger executive support for learning initiatives, the answer may not be to change the training; it may be to change the conversation. This article includes tables showing what is said, what is heard, and how to say it correctly to get projects moving. https://lnkd.in/gEBsrnYu

If your training projects feel reactive, rushed, or disconnected from business results, this checklist will reset your standard. Our ADDIE Model Tasks Checklist breaks down every phase—Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate—into concrete, executable tasks and defined deliverables. From clarifying organizational goals and verifying true performance gaps to piloting programs, implementing transfer strategies, and reporting measurable results, it lays out the full roadmap for disciplined, business-aligned learning development. This isn’t theory—it’s operational rigor. If you’re committed to building training that stands up to executive scrutiny and delivers measurable impact, this is the checklist to keep at your desk. And we provided a handy .pdf to download here: https://lnkd.in/gQ5FZgPg.

Consider this…A team rolls out a new training program. Attendance is high. The slides are polished. Feedback is positive. A few months later, very little has changed.If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. Many organizations do a great job of...

Your training isn’t failing. Your expectations are. If people attend, pass, and “like” the training but performance doesn’t change, you’re not building capability. You’re distributing information. This article challenges leaders to stop creating or funding check-the-box activity and start investing in learning that drives behavior, execution, and results. Good investments in training change how work gets done. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gkTARY5t . Then talk with Michaels & Associates about turning learning into measurable business performance.

“We need training!” It’s often the first response to a performance problem, and just as often, the wrong one. Not every issue is a skills gap. Sometimes people already know what to do but are blocked by unclear expectations, broken processes, poor systems, or lack of reinforcement. In those cases, training wastes time, budget, and credibility. This article cuts through the noise and offers a practical way to diagnose the real problem before you build another course. It clearly distinguishes when training is the right answer, when job aids, coaching, communication, or system fixes are the better option, and why getting this decision right upfront saves months of effort and real dollars. Before you greenlight your next program, ask the smarter question: Is this actually a training problem or a performance issue? Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gv3Ms8RR

Have you ever stopped to notice what sparks a request for training?When processes start to break down and results feel less consistent, it becomes clear that something isn’t working, and eventually, the conversation turns to training.That response...

When performance slips, training is often the default response—but it might the wrong one. This article makes a sharp point: errors and inconsistency are symptoms, not root causes. Sometimes people need new skills. Just as often, broken workflows, unclear expectations, or poor system design are getting in the way of applying what they already know. When teams slow down to diagnose the real problem before building training, solutions get simpler, faster, and far more effective. Better questions lead to better results, and training finally does what it’s meant to do.

Training doesn’t fail because people aren’t motivated. It fails because learning shows up after the moment that matters or too far ahead of it. This piece cuts straight to the truth: performance improves when learning is embedded into real work, not bolted on around it. When reminders, guidance, and coaching appear at the exact point of need (before a decision, during a task, or right after action) skills stick, confidence builds faster, and errors drop. The real shift isn’t more training; it’s better timing. When learning supports work as it happens, it stops being an event and starts driving corporate goals every single day. https://lnkd.in/gR8A_3mA.