Karen May, VP of People Development at Google, in an interview with The New York Times columnist Adam Bryant, shared her views on common mistakes that companies make about training. Requiring a lot of training was the first “don’t” on her list. “If people opt in (to training), versus being required to go, you’re more likely to have better outcomes.” She suggests asking peers and managers who’ve liked a training program to nominate others who might find it beneficial.

May also cautions “Don’t use training to fix performance problems.” First, figure out the cause of the problem. “Training is the right solution only if a person doesn’t have the capability.”

May was an executive coach for many years before joining Google. Bryant asked her what broad patterns she observed among executives.  She replied “Often when people get new responsibilities, they approach their new role the same way they’ve been working and rewarded, for years. Yet the new circumstances require a different set of behaviors.”

May found that the skills new executives most lacked for a broader role were primarily interpersonal: understanding their impact on others, cultivating empathy, listening, and working collaboratively.  “You teach people capabilities around being effective with other people in the interest of getting something done.”

Read the whole interview here