Everyone is in too big of a hurry. We are in the age of wanting everything right now. Do you get upset when someone does not answer their cell phone? Are you always trying to find a faster lane on the highway so you can get to your destination a few minutes sooner?
I was driving home from work and was sitting in traffic at an intersection and witnessed an accident. The person was trying to time the green light and take a right hand turn as soon as the light changed. The problem was that the car in front of him was not timing the light. He hit him from behind when the front car did not move soon enough. This ended up costing the guy time and money for his impatience. He could have used some patience.
You can apply the same philosophy in the work place as well. Think back about the training programs that you have participated in over your career. Were there set schedules and routines that were followed? What happened if someone did not learn at the same pace as others? I have witnessed a wide spectrum when it comes to training staff. These philosophies can be applied to training hourly staff and salaried managers alike.
Be thorough
Do not shortcut due to being short staffed
Adapt the pace based on the trainee
Follow up, follow up, follow up
Be thorough in your training. Do not assume that someone can read your mind about the expectations in the position. If there are certain standards, then make them known and train the person how to achieve them.
Do not shortcut due to being short staffed. Too often we need someone to fill a position immediately and give them an abreviated training program. The problem does not arise because of getting them started in the position. The problem is that they do not get all of the training needed. In this case, we need to continue to train during the next days/weeks until they have all of the tools to be successful. You will have to work the training time around their work schedule and time restrictions, but it needs to be completed.
Adapt the pace based on the trainee. Not everyone learns at the same speed so why do we expect them to all come out of a set training schedule with the same amount of knowledge? Have a system in place for continual refresher training for those that need it until they meet your standards for the position.
Follow up, follow up, follow up. This is probably the biggest mistake that managers make. They wonder why you are not doing everything right a month or two out of training and can not figure out why you did not have 100% retention of all of the training materials. You need to follow up in the first few weeks and months out of training with a refresher of the information. By then, they will not be so overwhelmed and will be able to absorb the information better.
By not having the patience to train properly, you will have the high cost of loss of productivity. You will have a higher turnover rate which costs you the hiring and training costs of another employee. It all comes down to patience. Be aware of your patience level in all aspects of your life. What are you impatient about and what can you do to improve?
