Train Employees to Succeed
If you are a business owner or manager, your number one job is to make it possible for your employees to succeed so they will produce results.
How do you do that? By creating a clear path for action and making sure they know what they are doing. Don’t take someone who is clueless about your business and turn’em loose. That’s not only dumb, it’s dangerous.
I was 14 when my boss left me alone at the controls of his little Dairy Queen. I had worked there a month. When I closed shop, I accidentally left the hot dog cooker on. Thankfully it only shorted itself out and didn’t burn the building down. He was furious with me the next day, and even at that age I knew he was partly at fault. There had been no training for closing shop. There was no checklist. There was no one I could call.
Have you done that? Have you left someone in charge assuming that they know what you know? How did that work for you? Think about how you want your operation to run. What do you expect to happenon a daily basis. Have you set up checklists, desk manuals, training programs? Most small operations have not taken those simple steps.
How do you create those? Start by noticing what comes naturally to you. What do you do daily, weekly, monthly? Write it down and share it with trusted employees.
Remember, you can’t ever take common sense for granted. We have different movies in our heads about what makes sense and what doesn’t. Their logic differs because their experience and exposure differs.
Take the time to list what you do and how you want it done. Pay attention to details, to the idiosyncrasies of your business. Notice if a particular routine creates the greatest efficiencies. Note if there are outside contacts that may be able to help (eg: the company CPA or attorney.)
If you have a special way of filing, or a special need for a particular type of information, note that. Your employees need to understand that you are collecting this data because, for instance, it is required on a Federal Report.
If they understand that, they know how to think about the data. Create a “desk manual” for repetitive tasks and keep it updated. Your spouse can’t read your mind; why should your employee have to try?
So now you have the desk manual, the checklist, the systems in place. Are you done?
Maybe, maybe not. Each new employee and situation will bring up new issues. The best way to to gauge training needs is to ask.
Don’t assume just because your new employee is trained in your industry, they know how you conduct your business. Their knowledge is a good start, but assuming it is the same is a ticket to disaster.
Ask how they did it elsewhere Ask what they would like to learn in your business. Ask where they feel they need help. Ask how they learn (some are great with ‘buddies,’ some need manuals, some need to learn by doing, some need a training session or a tutor.)
There is a bonus for you beyond the immediate benefit of having them know how to help you. A trained employee feels useful; benefits emotionally and intellectually from a job well done; and is more likely to be enthusiastic about you and your company.
You are more productive when your employees are productive. A company makes more money when everyone wants to work and is loyal to the operation. It is in your best interest and theirs to take the time to do the training.
When your employees succeed, you succeed! Remember – training is a lifetime process. You are careful to take care of your machinery. Make sure you take care of the person who runs it.
Beth
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Beth Terry, CSP is a Professional Speaker, Management Trainer, and Author.
© 1996-2007 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. Excerpted from Beth’s book 101 Ways to Make Your Life Easier, published 2001, Lezard Press.
