”Training is a thing of the past, today we learn by obtaining experience and by giving meaning to it” – this is a sentence that can be read from a management coach’s (riinavarts.ee 01.05.2018) web page.

Isn’t the acquisition of experience and giving meaning to it training and learning any more? Is coaching the only development activity? Interesting, what do mentors, supervisors, training providers, and consultants think about it? Are they also a thing of the past?

For the sake of the sale of her ideas the coach disparages the term of training. It is the disparaged term and the sale of her term suitable for everyone we are talking about. I believe that this coach is actually not opposed to training, but tries to highlight only one method. Coaching as a method can also be used for counselling. Today training and counselling are integrated in the development of organisations and adults. Training is mainly directed to the development and changing of the knowledge, attitudes and skills. Counselling mainly provides ideas and approaches. Coaching is not and cannot be the only way of development and management. Making a fetish of one method or approach does not hinder development or cause harm to the contracting entity.

On the same web page you can read that the number of contracting entities is not small. Why is it so then? Is the profession of adult educators not popular any more? Does showing off with one training method sell better?

The lack of going deeper into the subject matter leads to populism. Attractively sounding foreign terms address people better. In sale the use of such terms may be justified. But depricating practical themes like training is just unethical.

(Training is a thing of the past. Today we learn by obtaining experience and by giving meaning to it. 4 years as a management coach I believe in the effectiveness of coaching because I have personally experienced that before starting to learn. As leaders we are often alone and need someone to talk to in order to get feedback and support.
I deal with organisations and teams, I work with people who lead, develop and empower others. I develop leaders and leadership. My clients include leaders from the private, public  and tertiary sectors including for example Elisa, LHV, Transferwise, BigBank, FCR Meedia, Skeleton, Go-Track, EBS, Praxis, Bank of Estonia, Tax and Customs Board,  Police and Border guard Board, Social Insurance Board, Government Office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Defence, Chancellery of the Riigikogu, Cancer Society, etc.)

Source: riinavarts.ee 01.05.2018

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Kaido Vestberg is a consultant and andragogue. In 1981-1986 studied in Tartu University in the department of economic cybernetics, graduated with MA degree. In 2006 he stated his Doctor’s studies in Tallinn Technical University in the department of Business management. In 1986-1990 Kaido Vestberg was engaged in research work, training and counselling in the Estonian Business Management Institute. Since 1990 he works in an international training and counselling organisation Mercuri International. In 2010-2013 Kaido Vestberg was the CEO of the Mercuri International Eesti AS and after the division of the company, since 2013, the leading partner of Mercuri International Eesti OÜ. As a volunteer Kaido Vestberg is the chairperson of the Association of Training and Counselling Companies and the member of the management board of the Association of the Friends of Hiiumaa.