A small company was struggling with completing deliverables and a growing lag in client communications. The owner was convinced: our project management software is enough to get us through this, my team just needs more training to optimize it. But training didn’t improve things. It became clear there wasn’t a skills gap, there was an absence of clear accountability or process ownership.
Training employees on tools didn’t solve the underlying issue because their issues were operational. No one was prioritizing tasks, holding themselves (or their colleagues) accountable, or utilizing metrics to track and measure progress.
When training doesn’t cut it, a fractional COO can set expectations, establish workflows, and clarify roles. Careful analysis from a trustworthy partner is critical to accurately identify and fill leadership gaps.
The Limitations of Professional Development
Professional development is ideal for individuals and teams needing to brush up on a job skill, or sharpen their understanding of a new tool. But when leadership misapplies professional development as a solution to an operations issue, things veer off course.
- Professional development doesn’t address unclear expectations or broken systems. You can train someone endlessly, but they’ll never perform consistently without a clear, effective process.
- It doesn’t replace leadership. Coaching and training can teach skills, but they don’t create clear accountability or decision-making structures.
- Training develops existing skills, it doesn’t impart them. Everyone has their own strengths. If someone has the skills that would benefit from a particular training, that’s a sound investment. If they don’t have the foundational skills that training builds on, they’re likely not in their best-fit role.
- It can’t replace real-world experience. Sometimes, we need to rise to the occasion to learn how to handle a challenge. Our teams are no different. Challenges themselves can be great catalysts for learning and growth.
Training Issue or Systems Issue?
To avoid wasting time and resources, careful analysis can reveal whether you need to fill a skills gap or adjust your operations. Here are some questions to explore, and why they matter.
- Is there a defined and clear process? Everyone in the organization should know where processes, workflows, and procedures are laid out, and which ones apply to their role/responsibilities. Without defined expectations for each person and department, and clear paths for them to take to meet those expectations, there’s no starting point for identifying and correcting issues.
- Is there a track record of success when the process is followed? There may be a process, and it may be detailed. But if it hasn’t been successful, it’s ineffectual. An honest appraisal of processes and workflows isn’t easy, but it’s essential for getting to the root of a problem.
- Is performance inconsistent between individuals, or is everyone struggling? If everyone is underperforming or confused, a systems or leadership issue is the likely cause. If some people are succeeding while others aren’t, professional development might be a good next step.
If you’re still unsure, zoom out a bit. If investing in high-quality training isn’t getting results (no matter which team member tries it), training probably isn’t the correct solution.
If teams feel blamed for problems they can’t control, or feel blocked from progress no matter how hard they work, the process is the problem. High-performers often leave when they’re unsupported, set up to fail, or working outside the scope of their role. If you’re seeing high turnover, it’s time for an operations checkup.
Better Together: Professional Development and Operational Support
You don’t have to choose between professional development and operational support. A fractional COO can build the systems, processes, and expectations needed to support sustainable growth. Professional development can then help employees step confidently into those roles, learn new tools, and grow their capacity.
If even your most talented performers aren’t delivering, they might be working in a struggling system (or without effective processes). Fractional COO services build a stronger foundation, giving teams and leaders the systems and processes they need to succeed together. Strategically applied to a supercharged system, professional development is finally an asset, not a liability.
Ready to empower yourself and your team with support tailored to your challenges? Book a call with Fraction Force Strategies to find out what’s possible.