once understood and internalized by employees, magically closes perfor- mance gaps. The cold fact is that for things to get done, someone must do them. And some- one must hold someone accountable. Managers would do well to remember that “leadership” (such as motivating by communicating purpose) is a skill that resides in what’s called the “directing function of management.” The five functions of management are usually identified as planning, organiz- ing, controlling, directing, and staffing. Leadership has found its way to the forefront as a default intervention in the same way that training has. My intention is not to devalue the im- portance of leadership. My intention is to point out that leadership (as import- ant as it is) exists as an element in one of five management functions. At the end of the day, effective management demands attention to much more than leadership competencies. CONCLUSION Company training programs, espe- cially in high-risk industries like tree care, need to align with program goals in both spirit and practice. In practice, programs oen fall victim to goal dis- placement, appeals to tradition, or re- liance on best practices, while losing sight of all that training can do for an organization. Adherence to tradition and best prac- tices may yield a minimum standard of performance but may also prevent an organization from achieving excellence. Tradition may prevent organizations from using all the resources available or even blind them to their existence. Sometimes, it’s beneficial to discard convention and look for new approach- es. Finally, training is not the only intervention for closing performance gaps. Effective tools exist within all five management functions and an effective manager will draw from them all.
Ken Palmer, CEO of Arbormasters, leads a chainsaw safety presentation during ArborEXPO '22.
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