Learning in COVID Times with Bill Leahy

Welcome Bill to the Podcast.

He has held different talks and training sessions around leadership, change management, PMs and many others.

Our topic today is training during the COVD-19 pandemic. Some companies have minimized training while others have taken advantage of the downtime period to invest in training. What do you think about these two options?

Having spent time in developing the materials for virtual training and transitioning from traditional delivery, it is evident that the pros of continued training outweigh the cons.

The virtual training has brought people from different backgrounds, business units, and sites of the same company to talk about asset management. These cross-sectional teams share different insights about tools used in reliability such as the RCA.

The cross-sectional team creates a comprehensive environment to learn from. Also, instructors have noticed in the feedback that retention of the content is higher as compared to in-person training.

The instructor has to bring on board different learning styles to have an effective blended learning. This requires the instructor to learn different delivery skills.

 

What about feedback to the trainees during training sessions?
Human interaction is essential in guiding trainees as they work through problems and receive feedback. There are also a lot of asynchronous material in the uploaded content and it needs guidance during delivery. The materials have to be coherently organized. This can be done in virtual training.

 

Should companies be investing in training during COVID-19 pandemic?

Absolutely.  Traditional classroom training experiences a lot of distractions whereas at home there is less of it. Accountability is high since the trainee determines their own learning environment. In addition, those yearning to get back to work also find a valuable way to spend their time.

Organizations that are struggling with different aspects such as labor and machinery can spend this time improving the skills in their workforce.

The time spent in training has also reduced yet content retention has significantly improved. This can be attributed to the instructors being needed to cut the fluff and focus on the important aspects only.

 

What are some of the topics that are being grasped quicker than before?

The delivery of the RCA concept has appeared to be easier in virtual training than doing it in person. Definition and separation of the 5 levels of RCA has been clearer than before. The trainees on the other hand, have time to try out these concepts in their own facilities.

 

How will training be after the pandemic?

Trainees will expect the extended hours in classroom training yet the content will be shorter and more concise. The transition will not be as seamless as we would want it to be given the different concentration spans in virtual and classroom training.

 

What should people be looking for when they need training?

The pandemic has eliminated some of the challenges that we used to face such as room size and scheduling limitations. The instructors should, therefore, not limit the number of people they onboard for training.

Trainees on the other hand ought to evaluate their trainers rigorously. Audit them on such issues as the asynchronous and synchronous training they possess, their delivery etc.

 

What topics have you been training on?

RCAs, work management, introduction to EAM.

 

Which topic has been the easiest to deliver in virtual training?

The RCA concept has been the easiest.

People need to realize that some of these concepts can be delivered virtually not just in-person. As long as the instructor is concise in delivery.

 

What is next for asset management training?

There will be an extension of the virtual training such that we will see virtual study halls from across the globe. Also, there might be a combination of both virtual and in-person training. Some of the clients have shown disinclination to virtual training and prefer in-person classrooms.

 

What makes a good instructor?

A good instructor has to be well-versed on technology.

They must have back up plans in case their pieces of equipment or transmission fails.

The instructors have to structure their delivery well enough to fit a short period and ensure high retention.

 

Where can people find you Bill?

Linkedin is best place to look

 

Eruditio Links:

• Eruditio
• HP Reliability
• James Kovacevic’s LinkedIn
• Reliability Report

Bill Leahy Links:

• Bill Leahy LinkedIn
• Laws of Leadership with Bill Leahy
• Book: Failure Modes to Failure Codes
• Past Bill Leahy Episodes

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