One Test Reveals if It's a Training Problem or a Motivation Problem

70% of the mistakes on your team aren't training problems; they're broken processes (and training only makes them worse). Marci Araki, Chief Learning Officer at Clearest Course Consulting, spends her days helping companies stop throwing training at problems training can't fix. In this episode, you'll learn her brutal "gun-to-your-head" test for whether someone actually needs training or just motivation, why every workaround on your team is a red flag you're ignoring, and the real reason new software and processes fail to get adopted (hint: it's almost never a knowledge gap). If you're a small business owner or CEO scaling a team, this will change how you onboard, delegate, and build systems. In This Episode, You'll Learn: - Why 70% of workplace mistakes come from the organization, not the individual- The "gun to your head" test that tells you if it's a training issue or a motivation issue- What the 3 real reasons people struggle at their job actually are (and why info is #1)- How to map a "performance gap" before you build a single piece of training- Why workarounds are a signal to fix the process — not write another policy- When training is actively harmful and destroys team trust (Marci's printing-deadline story)- Why being great at your job does NOT make you good at training people Whether you're building your first SOPs, hiring your first employees, or scaling a lean team without paid ads, this episode is a masterclass in creating systems that stick. For entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs focused on small business growth, LinkedIn outreach, and B2B lead generation, getting your training and processes right is the difference between a team that runs itself and one that runs you. This is essential listening for anyone serious about building a business that scales. 👉 Get clients from LinkedIn: https://tidycal.com/donemaker-sales/donemaker-referall-call 📚 Free Resources to build a sales pipeline: https://donemaker.vista.page/ #DoneMakerPodcast #LinkedInOutreach #B2BLeadGeneration #SmallBusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessPodcast #EmployeeTraining #TeamBuilding #ProcessImprovement #LeadershipDevelopment #SOPs #BusinessSystems --------------------------------- ABOUT DONEMAKER: Make easy business decisions by filling your sales funnel with LinkedIn Organic Outreach. No data scraping, no outreach automations, no AI messages. The entire process is done manually + weekly strategy call with a dedicated account rep. Chapters00:00 Cold Open00:56 Intro — Meet Marci Araki (Part 2)01:36 What Is Training (And What It Isn't)02:00 The "Gun to Your Head" Test02:56 Why 70% of Mistakes Aren't a Training Problem03:53 The 3 Reasons People Struggle: Info, Tools, Motivation07:40 Knowledge & Skills — The One Bucket Training Fits09:24 Why Training Won't Fix a Broken Process10:19 How Workarounds Create Inconsistency13:15 When Training Actually Helps: The Performance Gap15:40 The Payroll Example — Find the Cause Before You Train18:20 When Training Becomes Harmful18:41 Marci's Printer Story: How Bad Training Kills Trust21:37 Why Assumptions Are the Real Enemy23:43 Train the Trainers — Presenting Isn't Training26:59 What a Trainer Actually Does28:16 Fixing Passive Training: Set the Expectations31:36 When Nobody Adopts the New Tool (The Copilot Problem)35:12 Governance Without Bureaucracy38:11 Don't Document the Workaround — Fix It40:04 Final Takeaway & How to Reach Marci