In any sales manager training program, the opening moments of Day One typically include a welcoming speech by the second-line leader. Most leaders think carefully about what to say to motivate their management team to pay attention and absorb the training material, but the speech itself is not what matters. What matters most in training is what happens immediately following the speech: does the leader stay or does the leader go?
On the surface it seems like such a simple choice: walk out the door or remain in the room. But it is the choice that makes or breaks training effectiveness. When leaders stay for the training, they drive and reinforce behavior change, reaping the intended benefits of the training. When they don’t stay, managers tend to fall back to their old ways of doing things, leaders fall back to asking the wrong questions, and the training rarely produces the promised
