Training Is Not Capability

Training Is Not Capability

A friend once told me that golf is a jealous sport.

Stop playing for a while, and it makes you pay for your absence. I know that firsthand.

You still know how to hold the club. You remember your stance, your grip, and how a proper swing should feel.

You haven’t forgotten the instructions.

Yet somehow, the ball refuses to cooperate.

And the frustrating part?

You used to be good at it.

That made me think about how we approach training in organizations.

We teach someone how to perform a task. We explain the reasons behind each step. We observe them doing it correctly.

Then we check a box.

Trained. Qualified. Certified.

Six months later, we assume the capability is still there.

But is it?

Knowledge is not understanding.

Understanding is not capability.

And capability, once developed, is not necessarily permanent.

Training may help someone acquire a skill.

Practice develops it.

Continued use, feedback, and reinforcement help preserve it.

Perhaps we should stop asking only whether someone has been trained.

And start asking whether they can still do what we trained them to do.

Because a training record tells us what happened in the past. Not necessarily what someone can do today.