It’s too expensive. I’ll lose valuable time. My staff aren’t really interested. In almost two decades developing people I’ve seen many reasons for skimping on staff training, especially management training. In the current economic climate, businesses are more likely than ever to sacrifice training for the sake of the bottom line. Most of the reasons I hear for not training new managers are based on myth, not fact. There are five myths in particular that I come across most often.

Myth #1: I can’t afford to train my management staff

You can’t afford not to. Good management training has a trickle-down effect, and well-trained management will be better equipped to train the teams they lead. Well-trained teams have been found to be more motivated, more productive and more valuable to a business, and investing in training is one of the best ways to increase your bottom line.

Myth #2: Mentorship isn’t practical

One-on-one mentorship in the traditional sense of the word certainly isn’t practical in today’s business world. Group mentorship, though, is a very useful way of giving a team of trainees in a large company regular contact with a member of senior management. This contact gives mentees the benefit of learning from their mentor as well as from other mentees’ experience, and eliminates the expense of a trainer.

Myth #3: E-learning is only for distance learners

E-learning is a well-known affordable training method, but it’s often thought that it’s designed for distance learning only. This isn’t the case. Digital training is a cost-effective solution for many types of businesses, and it’s an especially good idea in the case of businesses with a high staff turnover where repeated training can become a very big expense that could be avoided. It’s also very versatile – it can be delivered via the web, audio or DVD – and trainees can learn in their own time.

Myth #4: Weekend workshops work

They don’t. There is only so much the human brain can absorb in a set amount of time. In fact, educational psychologists say that if you want to remember what you study it’s better to study for one hour over a few days than to study for a few hours in one day. Weekend workshops, where employees often spend hours at a time trying to absorb and retain reams of new information, simply aren’t very effective.

Myth #5: I’ll lose time

No matter how you decide to train your staff, any time lost will be worth it as you’ll profit in the long run. If you really don’t want to lose time, consider group mentorship, where meetings are held only a few times a week, or e-learning, where employees study in their own time. Even if you choose classroom training, remember: every hour you invest in management training is an hour invested in a well-managed business.