For years, training was the default answer to every performance problem.
New strategy? Training.
Skills gap? Training.
Manager issues? Training.
Growth slowing down? Definitely more training.
And yet, most leaders know something uncomfortable is true:
Very little of it actually sticks.
This is not because people do not want to learn. It is because the way we design learning has not kept up with the way work actually happens.
Training Is Not Broken Because People Are Lazy
Let’s be clear. Employees are not disengaged because they do not care. They are overwhelmed.
Work today is faster, more ambiguous, and more cross-functional than ever. Decisions are made in Slack, Zoom, decks, docs, and hallway conversations. Context shifts constantly. Priorities change weekly.
Traditional training assumes:
- People can pause their work to learn
- Skills can be absorbed in isolation
- Behavior will change later, on its own
None of that matches reality.
So people attend a workshop, nod along, maybe even feel inspired, and then return to the same systems, incentives, and expectations they had before. The work pulls them back immediately.
Nothing reinforces the change.
The Real Problem Is Not Skills. It Is Transfer.
Most organizations do not have a learning problem. They have a transfer problem.
They invest in content, courses, frameworks, and platforms. But they do not design for the moment when someone has to:
- Apply judgment under pressure
- Have a difficult conversation
- Make a recommendation without perfect information
- Lead when the answer is unclear
That is where learning breaks down.
If capability does not show up inside real work, it disappears.
Why Workshops and Courses Are Losing Their Power
Workshops are not useless. But they are no longer sufficient on their own.
They fail when:
- Managers are not involved in reinforcement
- The learning lives outside the flow of work
- There is no expectation of practice
- Success is measured by completion, not behavior
In many organizations, training has become a checkbox instead of a system.
And the cost is real. You see it in stalled growth, inconsistent performance, frustrated managers, and teams who feel like they are constantly being told to change without being supported to do so.
What High-Performing Teams Do Differently
Teams that actually build capability approach learning differently.
They design for work, not away from it.
That means:
- Learning shows up where decisions are made
- Managers are equipped to coach and reinforce
- Practice is built into real projects
- Feedback is expected, not optional
- Success is defined by changed behavior, not attendance
In these environments, learning is not an event. It is part of how work gets done.
People do not ask, “When is the training?”
They ask, “How do we do this better next time?”
The Shift Leaders Need to Make Right Now
The question leaders should be asking is not, “What training do we need?”
It is:
- Where does work break down?
- What decisions are people struggling to make?
- What behaviors matter most for results?
- What do managers need to support those behaviors?
Capability is built when learning is designed alongside real work, real constraints, and real expectations.
How Smith & Beta Approaches This
At Smith & Beta, we start with how work actually happens.
We focus on:
- Clarifying what good looks like in practice
- Designing learning that fits inside the job
- Supporting managers as the primary drivers of growth
- Reinforcing behavior through practice, feedback, and reflection
The goal is not more content.
The goal is confidence, judgment, and momentum.
Because when learning lives inside the work, performance follows.
