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Here is the situation. Your organization continues to have safety incidents, even though you have preached often about how important safety is. So. you instruct your Safety Director to scrap the old safety training course and spend a bunch of time, energy and money developing a "new improved" safety training course.

Every employee completes the "new improved" training. The result? Safety incidents don't decline. In fact accidents become more frequent and some are more severe.

How could this happen? Simple. Lack of skill is NOT the problem.

Meanwhile... Two of your employees have repeatedly treated customers with disrespect resulting in ongoing customer complaints. Over the past year you have had numerous "talks" with the two employees and told them countless times that they must improve. You've sent these two employees to a half dozen people skills seminars and workshops. Yet, they continue to treat customers poorly.

You are frustrated and starting to get mad about this situation. You ask your human resources manager to find a "heavy hitting" interpersonal skills course to send them to. Obviously the seminars and workshops didn't take, so you are going to get their attention this time by sending them away for an intensive (and expensive) two week course, complete with an in depth analysis by a behavioral psychologist.

At the end of the two weeks, they return to work and you can't believe it! All of that time and money; and they haven't changed a bit! In fact, they are both exhibiting behaviors that are WORSE than before!

How could this happen? Simple. Lack of skill is NOT the problem.

No amount of training will ever solve these two scenarios because in each one lack of skill is NOT the problem.

What do you believe is the problem? And what would you do about it? I look forward to hearing your take on this!