Whether you’re implementing formal or informal mentoring programs, setting up a cross-training system, or balancing personal and industry-specific skills growth, training creates an opportunity to strengthen employees’ expertise and their feeling of connection to the company. Creating that connection can involve:

• Promoting two-way communication. For example, during the annual review process, instead of just having your employees complete a self-evaluation, initiate a conversation about what they’d like to learn in the coming year. Look for ways to tie the interests they’ve expressed to upcoming projects that create openings for them to make use of the skills they’re developing.
• Fostering a strong commitment to the business and a feeling of investment in its future. As a role model, you can set the tone for shared appreciation of and pride in individual and collective accomplishments.
• Using team-building technology to enhance the bond. Team-building activities integrate an element of technology. Check out, for example, Teambonding’s GoTek High-Tech Scaventures and American Outback’s smartphone, team-based Code Break activity app.

Bottom line: it’s critical to nurture a sense of allegiance to colleagues and the team as a whole.

Read the second in our series of Connections to Growth: Team guides, Tactics and Tech That Engage Your Team, to learn how you can position your team for success.