Today I want to talk to you about when people actually want training. As a young pastor, my dad told me, “Son, you can start chopping on the tree anytime you want, but it’s better to wait until the wind is blowing in the right direction.” Now, I’ve found that advice to be applicable in many situations, including training. The reality is, people only want training when they want training. And it’s frustrating for us as leaders to figure out when that magical time and place is. But I think the five moments of need model provides a great framework for understanding why people are most receptive to training that comes just in time.
The five moments of need occur when people feel one of these five things. They need to learn something for the first time, or they are compelled to learn more about something. Number three, they need to apply something that they’ve learned. Number four, they’ve recognized that things are going completely wrong. Or number five, they’ve recognized that things are going to change and, in order to be a part of that change, they better get with the program.
This model fits very well with the core competencies and role-based skills that we’ve developed in the leadership pipeline. Each moment is an opportunity for someone to strengthen their core competencies and address weaknesses that may come up in light of their leadership development plan. You may want to consider using a mobile-first training platform like Ministry Grid that makes training available at any time, at any place, and allows people to process it at their own pace, exactly when they need it most.1
Now that you understand the five moments of need and how to train your people, what are you going to do about it?
- Con Gottfredson and Bob Mosher, Innovative Performance Support (USA: McGraw-Hill, 2011), 37-38.
