“We might as well put them on the programme, we’re paying for it anyway.”

Does that sound familiar?

When organising training it’s very tempting to seek better ‘value’ by filling up the cohort with the maximum number of participants – even if some don’t need it.

But beware, although you’ll bring the cost per head down, you’ll almost certainly weaken the impact of the programme for everyone else.

Even worse, you’ll end up demotivating those participants who are unable to apply their newly learnt skills and they may even look for the right opportunity elsewhere.

Any short-term ‘saving’ just isn’t worth it – focus on those who need the support now and find other ways to develop and motivate their colleagues in the meantime.