How the "Future Self" Can Drive Employee Training Success

Imagine you just finished a course at work. You can feel in your body that you've uplevels your skills big time. And you can almost see yourself using these new skills to crush your performance goals in the coming months.

Pretty sweet feeling, right? (It's like having a sneak peek into the future version of you that you most want!)

When folks can vividly see the person they could become after leveling up in a meaningful way, it does something awesome to their motivation.

It's not just about suffering through boring training sessions anymore.

It's about becoming a better version of themselves, the kind of person who nails their performance objectives and feels empowered to do even more.

Here's another example...

Imagine someone taking a customer service course.

Instead of yawning through the basics of active listening, when they're instead given a vivid "future self" image of themselves turning tricky customer calls around, suddenly, those skills aren't just ideas; they're the ticket to becoming a customer service rockstar, handling calls like a pro, promotions, bonuses, recognition, leadership, and feeling fantastic about yourself.

When your people can consistently picture themselves in a specific future they love and sincerely desire:

• They suddenly get super-pumped to make it happen.
• Each time they're at work, they're itching to put what they learned into action.
• Because their brains are already living in that "badass" future, their daily work becomes their inevitable path to get there.

But wait, there's more!

This isn't just about feeling good – it's about the downstead effect of having these kinds of people on the team.

Imagine the boost in sales when customers can't stop raving about their awesome experiences. That's the kind of gift that keeps on giving—more motivation, more sales, and a stronger drive to push through challenges.

So, keep the vision of your Future Self alive throughout your training. And sprinkle in reminders of the successes waiting just around the corner.

These mini-goals keep you moving forward without getting overwhelmed by the big picture.

More pro tips:

• Use vivid stories and details to make those future wins feel real. Talk about the senses, emotions, and specifics. (It's about making that Future Self so real in your mind that your brain starts to work on making it happen right now.)
• Don't stop at training sessions. Bring this Future Self vision into everything—coaching sessions, lesson summaries, and even those weekly update emails.

Get creative with how you remind yourself and your team about the incredible potential waiting to be unlocked.

To wrap, focusing on Future Self in L&D is like a secret weapon.

It turns learning into an exciting & inspired journey towards an incredibly desirable future.

It's about seeing the real-world impact of future skills, which keeps people fired up even when it gets tough, and transforming not just themselves, but your whole organization.

So, let's move past those boring, go-nowhere trainings and start aiming for a future where we're all achieving our full potential, one skill at a time.