In Hidden Figures, Katherine Johnson and her colleagues were overlooked, underestimated, and excluded by the tests of their era — credentials, stereotypes, and assumptions about who belonged at NASA. On paper, they weren’t supposed to be the ones making mission-critical decisions.
But when John Glenn’s orbital flight depended on precise calculations, it wasn’t the engineers with the right résumés or the slickest presentations who made history. It was Katherine Johnson running the numbers by hand, proving in real time that performance is what matters.
That’s the lesson for your business. Quizzes, smile sheets, and course completions may look good in reports, but none of them prove that your people can deliver when it counts. If Samantha can’t recognize that there’s an SOP for a crisis, find it fast, and follow it accurately — then all the quiz scores in the world don’t matter.
Quiz Scores Won’t Save You
Quizzes and surveys create false confidence. A 97% “liked the training” score or a 90% quiz average may look impressive, but they don’t tell you if someone can perform in a real-world moment. Recognition isn’t mastery.
Learning scientists like Will Thalheimer have gone so far as to call these kinds of measures “inadequate.” Why? Because they don’t track what matters — whether employees can actually apply knowledge under pressure. And if they can’t do it when it counts, then all you’ve measured is wasted time.
Train for the Moment, Not the Module
Take SOP training. Most companies still walk employees through documents and tack on a quiz, or simply a tick box indicating you’ve read and agree to comply. But in reality, employees don’t need to memorize SOPs. They need to:
- Recognize when a situation is SOP-covered,
- Retrieve the right SOP immediately,
- And execute the first critical steps without hesitation.
That’s it. That’s the job.
So why aren’t we training that? Instead of quizzes, employees need realistic scenarios: “Here’s what just happened — is there an SOP for it? Where do you find it? Show me the first three steps.” That’s how you know they’re ready.
Your Role: Fuel It, Don’t Fix It
As CEO, you don’t need to design training. But you do need to fund and empower it. Training that changes behavior requires resources: time for employees to practice, tools for them to get feedback, and systems for measuring what happens in the field.
This isn’t about asking L&D for more reports. It’s about enabling them to give you the right ones — data on fewer errors, faster processes, and better client outcomes. With the right backing, L&D can turn training from a cost center into a capability engine.
John Glenn Didn’t Trust a Test Score
John Glenn didn’t put his life in Katherine Johnson’s hands because of her résumé or her test scores. He trusted her because her performance had proven she could deliver when it mattered most.
That’s exactly the standard you should set for your workforce. Don’t settle for quiz scores and smile sheets. Support your L&D team in designing training that produces observable behavior change — and you’ll have employees you can count on when the stakes are high.
Ready for Liftoff?
This is the second article in my three-part series on how learning really works inside organizations. The first showed why information is not training. This one makes the case that learning is measured through observable behavior change.
Join me here next month for the third and final installment. I’ll reveal the value that ties it all together — the one that shows how real learning translates directly into business results.
Spoiler alert: it’s the one your CFO will love.
