- 21 Apr, 2025
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- 4 Mins Read
The Importance of Continuous Skills Development for Business Agility
Imagine you’re a small business owner in Lagos, selling fancy rubber footwears of various sorts for both male and female but particularly female. A few years ago, maybe even two decades ago, everyone wanted rubber footwear because they were really affordable, fancy and easy to maintain in some way. You stocked up and business was good. But suddenly, trends change and people want more trendy, Western-style footwear. Quality Italian leather is the new look.
If you and your staff only know how to source and sell rubber footwear, you’ll probably struggle. Your business might even “break” because you can’t keep up with what people want, trends and changing demands.
But what if you and your team were always learning? Maybe you attended short workshops on understanding new trends. You and your team knew how to listen to your customers “new” and subtle requests. You monitored the flow of revenue and noticed it just wasn’t what it used to be and did your research on why. Perhaps your salesperson(s) learned how to market different styles. If you were constantly learning and adapting, you could easily switch to stocking and selling the new styles and your business would “bend” with the changes instead of breaking.
That’s what business agility is all about – the ability of your company to change and adapt quickly to whatever comes its way. And just like you and your team learning about new fashion, continuous learning and development is how your whole business stays flexible and strong.
Think about these points…
New Technology: As far back as 2005/2006, the only way to get cash in Nigeria was through the bank. If you don’t get to the bank, you don’t get cash. Then came ATM, all you needed was your ATM Card to access your money via the machine. Afterwards, POS came into light and now you don’t even have to get to the ATM to get cash. There is a POS stand close to you in every 2 minutes walking distance. These innovations have in one way or the other improved the process of payment for Nigerians.
Imagine you and your staff had not been evolving with all of these technology shifts, you’ll be stuck, business will be slow, people will eventually leave to go to where payment is easier. All this because you couldn’t bend to the evolving technology while your competitors zoom ahead. Continuous learning helps your team use new tech to work smarter.
Customer Changing Needs: Remember when everyone used to send letters? Now it’s all WhatsApp and email. Facebook came and dominated, then Instagram, twitter, snapchat, tiktok, etc. Businesses that didn’t learn to use these new communication methods probably struggled. Continuous learning helps your team understand and meet changing customer needs and communication preferences.
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Unexpected Problems: Imagine a sudden fuel scarcity makes deliveries difficult. If your team has been learning about different logistics options and problem-solving, they’ll be better equipped to find new ways to get your products to customers.
Social Media: Nigeria is a highly unpredictable place and things can change quickly. New government policies, economic ups and downs and even just new popular trends can impact how you do business, especially social media trends. Sometimes these trends originate from Twitter and Instagram so if your business or team aren’t on these platforms you would be behind on the scheme of things and miss out on a trend that could have been an opportunity for your business to be on the limelight. If your team is always learning and growing, your business can handle these changes much better.
Here are some simple examples of continuous learning in action:
- For a small restaurant: Training staff on new recipes or how to use online delivery platforms. Encouraging your staff to take training courses that will help them think differently and see things from a different perspective when relating to customers.
- For a tech startup: Teaching developers new coding languages or cybersecurity best practices. Letting your team study up on data ethics.
- For a manufacturing company: Training workers in how to use new machinery or improve safety procedures. Encouraging them to take safety classes on best mode of behavior around machinery. Organising first aid classes so the workers know the immediate treatment to give to injured victims. Giving the latest and most sturdy work fit, durable head gear, sturdy shoes, durable glasses, etc..
- For a customer service team: Regular workshops on how to handle customer complaints effectively and with patience.
How Does Retrain Nigeria Help Your Business Stay Cutting Edge
At ReTrain Nigeria, we’re like your partner in making sure your business can “bend” and not “break.” We offer different flavours of skills development that help your team learn new skills and stay up to date. We work with you to figure out what your business needs to be more adaptable and successful in Nigeria’s fast-paced environment.
Think of continuous learning not as a one-time thing, but as a regular exercise for your business. Just like regular exercise keeps your body healthy and strong, continuous learning keeps your business agile and ready for anything.
Ready to make your business more adaptable? Talk to a ReTrain Nigeria consultant today and see how our training can help your team learn, grow and keep your business strong for the future.