(BIZTALKRADIO) SHOW 7: INVEST IN LEARNING & SKILLS - WILLIAM EASTMAN

Situational Approach to Leadership, Training, and Development

Show 6 we focus on the needs of the employee and that is critical. The approach I learned over the years, especially when the topic is training and development, is to provide what the other doesn't have and needs to be successful.

INTRODUCTION
The mindset to make you successful in the development of skills is to see yourself as a college basket ball coach (Show 5). At best they have talent for 4 years and usually the best people are gone after 2 - they have graduated to the next level. I know that is less than desirable to invest time and money, mostly time, into an employee only to have them depart for better opportunities. But let's look at the reality of the situation. Unless there is a career path inside your business people are going to leave. The only thing you don't know is for how long. I am advocating getting the most from them as quickly as I can.

Before discussing how to train them quickly to maximize return on  their paychecks, one more thought on the college basketball approach. What if you established a reputation as the 'best place to work?' Part of attracting both enough people to fully staff the operation and making it the right people is reputation. It will affect prospective employees and if we are talking the younger generations - their parents.

Here is a quick review of the progression people go through from Show 6:

• Lowest level you have - unconscious incompetence 
• Next you become aware - conscious incompetence
• Then you gain skills - conscious competence
• Finally you achieve mastery - unconscious competence 

OBJECTIVE

1. ​How do I take a new employee and quickly develop them to do the job, and how to I keep the job interesting for as long as possible?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Training & Development - A Quick and Smart Process
Pre-Hire

• Map the processes the job will cover
• Create a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) on 1 page
• Write / Upgrade the Position Description to fit the processes
• Write your employee ad based on generational needs  - BIZTALKRADIO (REAL HELP WANTED) SHOW 5: THINK LIKE A COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACH - WILLIAM EASTMAN

Screen Applicants

• Require a resume that covers just a few issues critical to being able to do the job - prevent boiler plat by making it 1 page
• Screen resumes into 2 piles - Go / No Go
• Interview the Go's, send an email to No Go thanking them, they may fit later
• Hold interviews looking for the right fit to the culture and work group

Rules of Training

• Invest in the first day and time with you, make it clear what fully competent looks like
• Second day shadow a competent employee in the same role
• Third day have them perform the job with the same employee shadowing
• Fourth day have them perform alone with several check-ins during the day
• Fifth day have them perform alone without check-ins and pay them 30 minutes overtime for a debrief on what they learned and answer remaining questions

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Short-Term

1. Lowest level you have - unconscious incompetence (excited and willing)
   1. Share Your Vision for the business
   2. Make your expectations clear
   3. Introduce them to key people and the team
   4. Have them shadow on Day 1
2. Next you become aware - conscious incompetence (not as excited and anxious - questioning their decision to take the job)
   1. Show Them How To Do It
   2. Have Them Do It Under Direct Supervision with Feedback
   3. Have Them Do It with Occasional Supervision - answer questions and prasie progress
3. Then you gain skills - conscious competence (their anxiety goes down as their confidence goes up)
   1. Have Them Do It with No Supervision
   2. Debrief after several days - finalize their knowledge
4. Finally you achieve mastery - unconscious competence 
   1. Start asking them for improvement suggestions, let them try if the risk to the business is low and debrief

Long-Term

1. Cross Train for other similar jobs
2. Cross Train on all the other jobs in the business

Summary
This process has worked for centuries, probably longer. Look at the stages an apprentice goes through to be considered a master. You are doing the same thing. This process will provide the following outcomes:

• ​New employees up to speed as fast as possible
• Feeling good about working for you - becoming competent is always a positive feeling
• Solicit input from people capable of providing it
• Increase the flexibility of the entire workforce
• Use employees to find more people like them
• Create a reputation for a great place to work and learn