Training & Development - A Career in Itself

The first mistake I see in training in many companies is that they simply do not do it. And this does not happen only in small companies. I have been hired more than once only to be thrown into the position and left to figure it out for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I received training.

Day One – This is where we keep our coats, the kitchen is here on the left and the bathroom is down the hall, now let me show you the rest of the office and introduce you to everyone.

Day Two – Remember where the coffee is? The coat closet and the bathroom? Today I want you to work with Bob. Bob is in charge of a different department but since you will be working together, I thought it was important for the two of you to get off on the right foot…

Day Three – Hang up your coat, we don’t have time for coffee. Today I want you to work with Mildred. Mildred is in charge of a different department but since you will be working together, I thought…

Day Four – Go and find Roger. His office is over there. Roger is in charge of…

Day Five – Well what do you think? One week of training under your belt. Are you settled into your office? Anything you need?

Yes. I could use some training…

Many business owners and executives make hiring decisions on the assumption that you already know how to do your job. After all they interviewed you, tested you and checked your references. “Thank god that problem is solved.” I believe most employees know how to do “the job”, but what they don’t know is how I expect them to do the job (my expectations!). This critical difference must be addressed from the moment the new employee joins your staff.

For most of you, labor is your biggest non-fixed expense. And yet you have more systems in place to watch the inventory or the lobby than systems for making sure that your new employee succeeds. And the longer the employee works for you, the less training they receive. It only gets worse as time goes on. My experience has shown me that most employees who are fired for “not doing the job” aren’t “not doing the job” because they don’t want to; they were not taught the proper expectations from the moment they were hired. As you will see direct communication is an integral part of making every new hire a long term success.

Training is not a program. Training is not a department. Training is a part of your job description. If you have a single employee working for you, their success or failure is your responsibility.

Many years ago I was fortunate to meet Norm Schaub. Norm was a Store Manager. I was a rookie, “wet behind the ears” District Manager. Technically Norm worked for me, but I promise you I learned more from Norm than he ever learned from me. You see Norm was on the downside of his career. He was in his sixties, had moved to Florida earlier anticipating retirement and took the job as a Convenience Store manager to keep busy. But he made a lasting impression on me.

When I first met Norm he immediately started going through his pockets almost as if he were having a spasm.

Norm what are you doing?

“I am looking for my notes. I always put them in my pocket. When I have a question, I write it down.”

And then he said the following words to me for the first time. I’ll never forget them.

“Paper remembers so I can forget.”

I’ll tell you why that is so important to me a little later.

During another visit a few months later he said something to me that was so profound I can still hear him explaining it to me 25 years later. I was complaining about an employee who had failed to do what I expected of them when he said,

“I have yet to meet the employee who woke up, came into work and said today is the day I plan on screwing up! If an employee is not doing what you want them to do, the fastest way to identify the problem is to look in the mirror.”

In essence, an employee that doesn’t do the job I want and to my satisfaction, is my fault.

Remember earlier when I said there are only two reasons to fire an employee – theft and basically not doing the job the company way? It is your job to teach the employee “the company way”. If you have failed to do this, their failure is your fault.

Training and developing employees, when done properly, never ends.

Training is not a department, it is everyone’s job.

Training is three parts.

 Education
 Motivation
 Behavior Modification

Next we will tackle the differences in these three areas and why it is important to recognize the importance of each one as you train and develop your employees.

Ironically, most companies get the first week or two right. They have a structured program to get employees off to a strong start. Heaven help you though once you have finished the structured part.