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You Can’t Run with the Big Dogs if You Stay on the Porch: An Account of a Trainer Getting a Seat at the Executive Table (Part 1)

Like many of us, Theresa Hummel-Krallinger wanted to be a member of the executive team at her company.  Theresa accepted a training position in a newly created department headed by Jim Yoakum, a company vice-president.  Having managed a corporate training area for the last several years, a recent restructuring left Theresa in need of a job – and Jim’s new department had an opening for a trainer.  Through the grapevine she heard Jim had a negative view of training.  Though reluctant, she accepted the role at the urging of a colleague.  Thus began Theresa’s journey to be viewed as a leader and to get a seat at the executive management table!

In the end, Theresa succeeded and Jim did an about face about his view of training. He ultimately became a strong advocate for training and its place at his executive table.  Theresa and Jim wanted to share this very personal and rewarding experience with you of how a trainer can become a corporate leader by getting a seat at the executive table.  (Note: while this experience belongs to a trainer, the principles or lessons learned can be applied to all professions.)  Here’s how:

Early Expectations of this New Assignment

Theresa knew it was going to be a challenge, if not impossible, to get her arms around the needs for this new department.  She was the only training professional (often referred to by other training departments as a “rogue trainer”) in a department with nine locations throughout the country.  New people were being recruited who had varied backgrounds and experience in either audit or insurance operations.  Those with audit background needed to learn about the business – and those with business knowledge needed to learn audit fundamentals.  Theresa was expected to have everyone up and running almost immediately.  For several months, folks were just treading water.

Theresa’s other challenge was building credibility with Jim.  Jim was an “up-in-comer” — quickly moving up the ranks as a respected leader, known for his quick decisions and ability to get results.  His philosophy was much like the Nike slogan “Just Do It!”  He didn’t like to spend a lot of time discussing, plotting, planning, analyzing.  Often he felt he knew exactly what was needed, and would be the one giving the orders.  There was a lot to accomplish and things had to get done . . . NOW.

In their first real one-on-one meeting, Jim didn’t beat around the bush.  He made it quite clear that he had little respect for training or the human resource function in general.  He had hired Theresa to train … people were asking for training, so it was her job to do just that.  Do nothing more, nothing less – just train. Theresa, though, wanted to conduct a thorough needs assessment, build a competency model, and work with individuals to create customized professional development plans.  But Jim said, “NO!   Plan a 5-day training conference and get everyone trained – and do it within the next 2 months.”

Theresa had to resort to begging, like the lead character in Oliver Twist, “Please, sir, may I have some more?”  She was adamant that in order for Jim to accomplish his objectives, he really needed to lay a foundation before showering people with one-size-fits-all training.  Theresa wore him down; Jim finally lamented, “Oh, I don’t care what you do – just deliver that 5-day training conference!”

So now, as a one-person training machine, Theresa set about doing a full-blown needs assessment, building a competency model, conducting 60 one-on-one interviews for development plans — and, oh yes, planning a 5-day conference!

Jim’s Views of Training

It is probably fair to say that Jim’s views of training were very negative.  While he had some limited positive experience with technical training, his very bad experiences with soft skills training caused him to have an overall very unfavorable view of training.  Jim was only willing to conduct a training program because his department was “new” and most of the staff was clamoring for training.  But he wanted it done with the expenditure of minimum resources and done quickly, so he could get on to the real job of the business.

Why such a negative view?

Having worked in a very technical field (corporate tax law and accounting) for the first 15 years of Jim’s career, most of his exposure was to technical training.  While he understood the need for it, the actual training itself to him was basically boring.  It was generally taught by technicians or experts in the field.  They tended to have no formal training in speaking or presenting, so most likely participants were asleep five minutes into the presentations.  He would take the written materials and study them on his own time.  He didn’t place much importance on the face-to-face interaction of a training program.  As Jim went into management, he was introduced to soft skills training and had even more negative experiences.  While these were generally taught by training experts (and therefore, were not so boring), they were “an event.”  Jim went to training programs and then never heard about it again—there was no follow-up, consequences to or results from the training.  It always seemed that training was just done so someone could check off a box that training was completed.  Eventually, computer based training came into existence and it most often seemed like it was only a means to get the check in the box.   Bottom line was that Jim viewed training, at best–a necessary evil, at worst–a big waste of time.

Theresa Plans to Overcome Jim’s Negative Views

Theresa found that Jim’s actual views on training, no doubt, lived up to his reputation.  She knew she had a big obstacle facing her.   The thing that saved her was that she did not have a huge ego.  Had she been ego-driven, she would have certainly posted for another job!   Instead, her focus was on making Jim look good and getting his new department on track.  She was not thinking at that point about getting a seat at the table.

Though it seems rather simple, by focusing on making Jim look good and getting the members of the department what they needed — it forced her to do the right things.  The individual meetings, though time-consuming and exhausting, enabled her to:

• Gather information on training needs
• Identify core competencies for risk management professionals
• Help individuals come up with customized plans for development (IDPs)
• Build relationships and credibility with every person in the department

Theresa used the information from the individual meetings to create a preliminary competency model for the department – and built the conference topics around those competencies.  Because she had made a connection with each person before the conference, she had a good sense for what was on their mind and what their expectations were.  They were also more willing to help her, since through their discussions they believed she had their best interests at heart.

Theresa needed a short term win in order to achieve long term results.  The 5-day training conference was the key to her gaining credibility.  Like mountain climbing — the resulting success would be exhilarating . . . but one slip, and it would all be over.  Fortunately the conference was a big success!

Getting the Big Win!

As it turned out the conference was a success, for Theresa, for Jim, and for the team.  It had the perfect blend of training, business topics, group discussion, and motivation.  With that short term win, Theresa finally had Jim’s attention – and she could now focus on “Getting a Seat at the Table.”  To do that, it involved really getting involved in the business of the department.  She had to win over not only Jim, but all of his direct reports as well.  It was a tough crowd!

Given Theresa’s perseverance and the requirement to “check the box” for management, Jim had agreed to another training program.  He found that the program was different than those he had experienced in the past.  First, each training session was designed as part of an overall continuous process.  Second, each session had objectives which they measured and used to determine success and impact.  Third, there was follow-up to all programs.  The program was measured to see that it was having the desired impact on daily work and discussion about that happened at all management meetings.  Bottom line: it worked and the evidence to that was there.

What Happened Next?

The IDPs were a feather in Theresa’s cap.  The company’s human resources function decided to push for IDPs throughout the organization that year.  Jim’s new department was luckily, ahead of the curve.  Also by pushing accountability for development down to the individual level, it took the burden off senior management – who had previously been seen as the ones who decided who got what training.

Theresa’s work with senior leaders, human resources, communications, and the staff to develop and implement comprehensive “people strategies” to insure the successful achievement of the organization’s business objectives was key.  She was no longer viewed as “training” – but rather as a problem solver.  That’s what got her a seat at the table.

Jim tells the story like this:  “I went to a senior human resource meeting and was instructed to obtain IDPs for our entire staff.  I could proudly report that we already had them and have been using them for quite some time.  I came away from that meeting looking like a real leader”.  This clearly raised Theresa’s credibility with Jim and with all the positive results from all her efforts, she was earning herself a seat at the table. Ultimately, training results were built into the overall objectives of the business, and where appropriate into employees’ individual objectives.  Eventually, the impact of the training conference was seen in the business and the day-to-day attitudes of the staff.  Reaction was positive, very positive and business results improved.  As a result, Jim was more willing to listen to her as a business partner and not just a trainer.   She had made it to the table!

Why Theresa Got a Seat at the Table

There’s a huge factor that separates someone who’s “just a trainer” from that of a problem solver, a business partner.  It all boils down to results.  Theresa had to be a deliverer of results; not a deliverer of activity.  When working with Jim and his senior leaders, she had to ensure that any effort expended would have a return on investment.  Sometimes it was measurable — improved results on the employee opinion survey, improved productivity, better selection and retention.  Other times it was intangible – less whining, improved morale, better cross-site team work.  But nothing could be done just for the sake of doing it – or to just “check off a box” to say they’d done it.  In order to be credible, whatever we did had to have an impact.  Everything Theresa did had to address a business objective, solve a business problem and move the organization forward.

None of this could have been accomplished without Jim being onboard.  His leadership was essential.  Ultimately, the top guy/gal has to be an advocate.  Jim was training’s biggest sponsor – many times kicking off workshops with an “executive greeting” or sending notes before/after sessions to express his support for the training.  Nothing gives people initiatives more teeth than having senior executives truly support the effort.

Theresa remembers Jim kicking off a workshop on the importance of IDPs and professional development.  (That was ironic, since a year or so before he was dead set against them!)  Not only did Jim state how important they were, he also shared his personal IDP with the class.  He kept a copy in his planner, and referred to it often to be sure he was on track. Participants were engaged – the IDP was more than just a form to complete.  It was a key to success!

A big part of what Jim and Theresa did was to provide the staff with food for thought.  They would get the staff off the merry-go-round of day-to-day meetings and just pull them into a conference room or to an offsite meeting place to think.  Sometimes it was a facilitated team discussion around a particular topic.  Other times they went to hear a thought leader speak – like Ken Blanchard or Tom Peters.  Theresa made sure that everyone had a break to recharge and reflect.  Even the function’s administrative assistants could count on a two-day retreat each fall.

The Turning Points

There were several turning points.  The first was the 5-day conference – that was fondly referred to as “Bootcamp.”  Throughout the week people were amazed that it was not a “total waste of time” as many had thought.  In fact, many were enjoying the information and training.  Jim and his direct reports looked good.  Mission accomplished.

Clearly, Jim’s meeting on IDPs was another significant turning point. And a final turning point was really an over-riding acceptance by senior leaders that they needed to have an effective “people strategy” in order to succeed.  Fortunately, with Jim’s support, Theresa had built the credibility necessary to lead that effort.

Measurements of Success

A first success, at least for Theresa, was just being listened to.  Having a feeling that her experience and knowledge were being used to help the organization move forward – that was success for her.

In the five years that Theresa worked in Jim’s department, so much was accomplished through training and other interventions:

• Improved selection and retention – due to competency models, behavioral questions and panel interviews
• Improved morale – due to IDPs, recognition (informal/formal), and improved communications (newsletters, breakfasts, etc.)
• Improved performance management – better coaching/feedback, appraisals
• Improved interpersonal communications – through DISC training, structured dialogue at conferences/meetings
• Well-rounded approach to professional development – including self-study, membership in professional organizations, conference attendance, mentor-relationships, and more.

None of this would have been possible if Jim and his direct reports weren’t onboard – supporting these efforts and enforcing strong people management directives.

How Theresa Garnered Success

Two attributes can be attributed to her success:  First and foremost, patience; secondly, perseverance.  Jim, no doubt, was a tough nut to crack.  His initial direction to Theresa was for her to just get it done and don’t bother him otherwise — the “necessary evil” view.  But she kept forging ahead by identifying objectives and problems and then designing solutions.  She did this with a lot of hard work and by listening and learning from others–both staff and management.  Her solutions were not limited to training but included other activities.  She did not train for the sake of training.  But instead she created solutions (which training might be part of) to address real business objectives and issues.  Ultimately, the impact was seen—business results and the business environment improved.  The improvement could be tied directly to Theresa’s initiatives.

Is Theresa at Jim’s Table Today?

“Most certainly,” says Jim. “Her presence is always required at the table.  Theresa is an invaluable resource.  She is more than a trainer.  She is valued and highly respected member of the team—the management team.  The solutions she designs significantly contribute to our ability to succeed and to succeed up-front; that is, prevent issues before they become problems.”   Training today is part of the overall objectives of Jim’s business and his own individual development process.

Gaining credibility with senior business leaders is no walk in the park.  And, you quickly learn, that you’re never done earning respect.  Every day is another test of your ability to make things happen – to create results.  It’s certainly not for the faint of heart!

Jim was such a tough nut to crack.  By having to win him over, it pushed Theresa to be a true performance professional.  Jim made her think like a business person.  She learned to use an entire spectrum of performance solutions … not just training.  She learned to take risks and how to navigate the difficult, if not impossible, waters of senior level office politics.

A quote comes to Theresa’s mind that summarizes how she got a seat at the table.  “You can’t run with the big dogs if you stay on the porch.”

Theresa and Jim’s Six Tips for Getting a Seat at the Table

1. Be a deliverer of results; not a deliverer of activity.
2. Measure what matters: Ask yourself, “Does this generate revenue or cut costs?”  Be a profit generator.
3. Be a business person first and a trainer second.
4. Be resourceful:  Think outside the “training” box.
5. Take action.
6. Make your boss/executive and the team look good.

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