The Value of Training

Almost everyone has marveled at the success story of Costco. Who would have thought that a warehouse could become so popular? Yet a few gentlemen had a vision, and one of those was Jim Sinegal. My favorite quote from him is, “If you are not training 90 percent of your day, then you are not doing your job.”

This is even more relevant in times of financial challenges. What a lot of companies have done in this recession is cut back on their training budgets. But if you look at what has happened to so many businesses that have failed lately, it’s due to the leader (the CEO, president, etc.) focusing only on the bottom line instead of working with the troops.

In successful businesses, leaders take care of employees, employees take care of customers and customers magically take care of the bottom line. Sinegal’s leadership and business approach are models for success.

The Leadership Coach is Peter Burwash, president of Peter Burwash International, which manages tennis instruction programs worldwide. His books are available through the Media Zone. He can be reached at leadershipcoach@schneiderpublishing.com