STOYAN DRENSKI: THE TRANSFORMATION OF CORPORATE TRAININGS

The business environment is changing so rapidly that every manager and employee struggles to remain adequate. SBC School of Business Competences provides learning programs designed to teach crucial skills – both general ones such as leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation, and tailored courses in a number of practical fields. Established almost 20 years ago, SBC has adapted its approach and curriculum with the changes of time, offering much needed help to smart businesses and managers. Stoyan Drenski, Managing Director, shares more.

How has corporate training changed in the last two decades?

Driven by technological advances, labor dynamics and dynamic business needs, companies have significantly changed the way they learn. From standard one-size-fits-all trainings, we moved to customized training programs for the needs of the specific company, problem and experts. The distance and hybrid model of learning through e-learning platforms has become massively involved. We have also seen the rise of video connection platforms guaranteeing the continuity of teaching and learning during a pandemic and social isolation. Many corporate structures have become flatter, causing soft skills and leadership to move out of the reserved zone of top management training and to be shared with lower levels in organizations. The preservation and sharing of knowledge in companies necessitated the use of LMS (learning management systems). This also led to the spread of micro-learning, characterized by focused small bites of knowledge.

Corporate cultures have placed life-long learning at their center. Trends such as gamification, real life simulation and digital onboarding of new hires have emerged to remain permanent elements of the trainings. Artificial intelligence (AI) and the increasingly realistic capabilities of virtual and mixed reality (VR and AR) are revolutionizing entire areas of corporate training right now.

What are the core competences that a manager and a team must possess in order to be successful today and tomorrow?

Just be a technical guru with a magnetic aura and a clairvoyant strategy. How to do it? In the dawn of the digital revolution rapidly transforming all areas of business, becoming and remaining a successful manager is a complex challenge. First, achieve technical excellence in your field by following industry trends, mastering technologies and tools. Mastering good project management practices is a must. Understanding how to manage project and team budgets is crucial. Second: gain the authority, empathy and charm to lead people by inspiring them to give their best and stay true to your corporate mission. Clearly communicate company goals and plans, listen and understand perspectives, resolve conflicts, guide team members. Always give constructive feedback and tolerate suggestions and mistakes. Third: strategic thinking is based on your ability to analyze data and assess logical situations. Don't lose focus on the customer's needs and stay flexible and adaptable. Approach problems innovatively.

SBC business comic

Like its manager, the team will be successful if it has and uses the technical expertise and means to deliver the desired value, if it is focused on the customer, communicates openly, monitors quality and continuously improves. A successful team withstands stress, works as a crew with clear roles and responsibilities, integrates its members.

What should good corporate training look like today to meet these needs?

It must be uniquely tailored and practically oriented to the specific problem, team and company. It is a matter of quality to be presented by experts with relevant experience. Optimally located in time and place, so as not to tear the staff away from production for a long time, but also to allow them to concentrate on the learning process. Learning materials have a significant impact on quality, especially in the asynchronous distance format. Alternating concepts with hands-on applications and real-world simulations ensures mastery. Final evaluation and mutual feedback are mandatory. Creativity, gamification and the right dose of humor are a few more ingredients for ultimate success.

How can SBC help a manager or company increase the competence of a particular team?

Our recipe for corporate training has improved over the years and the feedback of hundreds of companies and thousands of managers. We always clarify in advance the purpose of the training, the level of the participants, the needs and pain points of their company. We edit the length and content topics so that they most accurately address the identified issues and align with organizational goals. We often adapt working examples and case studies to be relevant to the client's specific industry. We actively involve the participants in the interaction with case studies, role-playing and board games, simulations and specially developed andragogic learning elements. The experts who lead our trainings always come from the industry and share real experience with the audience, and include each participant in the process. We adore to give and receive feedback at the end, which sometimes turns into long-term consulting projects. We work on educational projects with over 50 training organizations from all over Europe and learn from each other. Last but not least, we love what we do and stay true to our mission of helping companies develop their business competences.

Startup training day

Who is your EBC*L Academy aimed at?

The European Business Competence License EBC*L originates from the corporate segment in Germany and Austria and solves the problem with the missing skills of employees managing teams and projects and taking decisions based on financial documents. In addition to the recognition of the certificate and diploma in more than 30 countries, EBC*L is recommended as a good practice by the European Commission and indicated by the German Stiftung Warentest as the shortest, cheapest and only internationally recognized economic and business competence program out of 14 tested programs.

In Bulgaria, the certificate and diploma have become popular in a large number of local and international companies when developing the management team and promoting experts to management positions. Students in a private vocational high school with an entrepreneurship profile in Sofia also study the program.

Which three short trainings from your portfolio would you recommend to native entrepreneurs?

'Business Model Design and Analysis' will teach them a universal approach to construct and re-think their organization within 3 days. 'Reengineering Business Processes' will give them a practical and efficient tool to dramatically improve business processes in the company. 'Performance Planning and Analysis Applying KRAs, KPIs and OKRs' will discipline them to identify key result areas, key performance indicators and strategic objectives and key results.

Be competent!

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