The Training Trap

Why does "we need training" show up as the answer to almost every organizational problem — even when the real issue is a broken process, an unclear policy, or a leadership decision nobody wants to name? In the second episode of her seven-part series on the Kirkpatrick Model, Vanessa Milara Alzate names what she calls the training trap: the reflex to reach for the most familiar solution instead of diagnosing what's actually broken. Using the Greek myth of Sisyphus and a real-world CRM rollout that failed for reasons no training could fix, Vanessa walks through the five whys — a simple root-cause tool that gets past the obvious answer to the actual one — and introduces the performance environment: the systems, resources, culture, and support that determine whether any solution, training included, has a chance to work. Takeaways: why the most familiar solution isn't always the right one, how to run the five whys on a real problem, what the performance environment is and why it has to be assessed before you design anything, the questions to ask before recommending training, and why triangulating stakeholder interviews, surveys, and existing data beats guessing every time. This episode continues a seven-part series on the Kirkpatrick Model — and it's a good week to pick up Building a Culture of Evaluation and get ready for Vanessa's live Book Club discussion this fall. Learn more at kirkpatrickpartners.com. ### **Enterprise Performance Intelligence (EPI) Maturity Assessment** Think your organization is measuring impact? Most aren't. The EPI Maturity Assessment helps you quickly identify where you stand—and what's needed to better connect learning to performance and results. 👉 Take the assessment and get clarity on your next step. ### **Building a Culture of Evaluation** Order the book behind the Culture of Evaluation framework and updated Kirkpatrick Model. The book comes with a Companion Guide to help support you on the journey. 👉 Order the book now 👉 Join the Book Club **Kirkpatrick Learning and Performance Center of Excellence** Certification builds capability. Accreditation builds systems. The Kirkpatrick Certified Organization accreditation recognizes organizations that have embedded the Kirkpatrick Four Levels® into how they actually operate — through governance, SOPs, feedback loops, and cross-functional accountability. If your evaluation capability would disappear when a key person leaves, this is the credential designed to fix that. Founding Organization status is now open — first year of annual maintenance waived for inaugural cohort members. 👉 Learn more and apply **Not ready to apply yet because you need to build the systems? Grab the SOPs.** We're building a library of Kirkpatrick-standard SOPs — governance frameworks, evaluation procedures for all four levels, planning templates, and implementation guides — so you can build your infrastructure before you apply. 👉 Learn more ### **Kirkpatrick Collective** If you're ready to move beyond activity and start driving real performance, the Kirkpatrick Collective brings together leaders focused on applying evaluation in the real world. Get practical tools, shared insight, and the structure to make better, evidence-based decisions. 👉 Join the Collective and start building evaluation as a capability—not just an activity. Learn more about the Kirkpatrick Model Watch the Show on YouTube! Submit your Questions/Stories: Do you have a question you would like us to answer on the Kirkpatrick Podcast? Have a story about how the Kirkpatrick Podcast or other Kirkpatrick events/programs have positively impacted your career? We would love to hear from you! Follow this link to submit your questions and/or stories, and we may just share them on the next episode of the Kirkpatrick Podcast. **#KirkpatrickPodcast #LearningImpact #PerformanceImprovement #TrainingEvaluation #CultureOfEvaluation #KirkpatrickModel**