I spent 2 hours this week in training classes for my dog. I never thought of myself as needing training to train my dog, but I hit an obstacle with him that I couldn’t overcome. I’m well aware that if you want different results, you’ve got to do something different. But sometimes, you can’t easily identify which behavior is going wrong. And sometimes, you aren’t doing anything wrong, but instead, a step or technique is missing.
The trainer helped me get over my obstacle. I learned quickly trainer that what I needed to do differently would appear when I started to think differently. If I change my thinking, I change my behavior, I then get different results. I am really experiencing two different classes in one. My dog is being trained, and so am I.
More training is needed in the workplace to teach managers and leaders how to be better managers and leaders. Managers get upset with employee behavior, but they keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting the results with the employee to change.
I’ve often said in my seminars & speeches “When you don’t know what to do, you won’t until learn something new.” Are managers willing to admit to themselves that they don’t know what to do? Do they blame the employee for not changing when it’s the manager’s behavior or attitude that needs to change? If their employee has a bad attitude, is it the manager’s that the employee is modeling?
Often, the person promoted into management was the best “technician” (i.e. the best sales person, trainer, engineer, writer, carpenter, etc.). That doesn’t mean that the person has the skills to be an effective manager and/or leader.
Companies need to supply good managers because of the trickle down affect. The better the manager, the better the staff that reports to the manager. Keep improving the manager’s skills, the employee’s skills will improve. This is a triple crown: the company wins, the manager wins, and the employees win.
