Training and development programs vary from organization to organization. A key strategy to successful leadership includes a successful execution of coaching and skill development programs to empower employees and be updated while new business models are being constantly introduced

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The 4th HREA 2018 highlighted a challenge in most organization faced by the HR sector. Adopting training and development programs is now becoming a reality but its importance also varies from industries. A group of panelists included Navneet Bansal, CEO, JSE Global Business Solutions, Madhav Das, Senior Director – Human Resources, Zzet, Ruben Selvadoray, CHRO, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurances, K S Prashant, MD, Ideas Revenue Solutions, Rajesh Kamath, Founder, Chanakya Consulting Innights & co-founder, MTHR Global CxO Forum. 

“Training and development programs have become a necessity in organizations today. Initiatives like Skill India and Startup India has made it necessary to install incubation sectors within companies and other institutions. For entrepreneurs with ideas to create new businesses for the company’s growth, there are programs that help them be heard amongst higher authorities. In universities, students are provided with lab facilities along with good mentors and best minds of the country. The S.P.P.U. University, Pune hosts a majority of such programs to help get messages across and they have inspired many corporates in the city," said Rajesh Kamath.

Navneet Bansal, CEO, JSW Business Solutions elaborated on JSW’s plans in inculcating successful training and development programs in his organization. A shift in a company’s legacies to a service-oriented industry requires development programs to upgrade employee’s talents. 

“We at JSW are expecting 70-80% of the staff to transform from a manufacturing industry to a service industry. A bigger challenge we face is to align the young generation workforce to work with traditional mindsets of the organization. Then came a time where we initiated skill developments programs to empower employees with more knowledge and expansion plans. Today we are moving swiftly from a legacy mindset to a service-oriented mindset.”

Providing a different view on training and development programs, Ruben Selvadoray stated that talent today has upgraded and are smart enough to learn on the job. These learnings can be adapted into various coaching programs and can become a reality if used during the time of execution. 

“There is a dearth of talent in most organizations. We are in a hyper-connected world and people expect jobs to be sold to them but they are humble enough to self-learn and adapt to different working models. If you want to adopt learning for HR’s then we need to theorize learnings on the job and implement them into coaching. If training & development programs are available during the moment of truth, then learnings become a reality.” 

Prakash Iyer, Author/Speaker/Leadership Coach said, “True leadership is defined by a person who takes care and spreads thoughts of other people across. Leaders attribute success with who trust their dreams. Some leaders will back talent while some leaders entrust talent in their teams. There is a dearth of CEO’s taking talent ahead but most importantly what great leaders do is understand the talent that works for them. We pay lip service in the idea of hiring new talent and training/development programs become an interruption in an organization. Hence, we need to take a leap in believing the potential of the current workforce. Know your people, invest in your people and care for your people.”

A keynote by Prakash Iyer energized the audience for the night of the HR Excellence Awards which saw over 10 awardees in different categories. The event summed up with key learnings on developing skills to become successful leaders, lead successful teams by entrusting them and empowering them with skills and training to evolve workforces with new business models and industry shifts.