I ran across Mr. Rogers’s quote this morning, and it made me laugh out loud! Once I gathered myself I got to thinking about how true this statement really is. As the leader of a training company you might imagine that I’m obsessed with how people learn. To that end, we are always trying to figure out the best ways to teach, motivate, and inspire ourselves and others.
Some folks, as Will Rogers suggests, only need to read the information. Others need to watch what needs to be done. But I will go so far as to say that until you “do it” (pee on the electric fence), you don’t know that YOU can do the job at hand. You have no belief about what will work because you have no experience. Once you do it for yourself, you have a TON of information about the outcome.
In our company we laugh at each another (I hope), because we know that sometimes it feels like we (I’ve), shoved our own team members into the deep end of the pool. (Please know that I am standing on the side of the pool with a life vest, and will jump into the pool with them if need be.)
The reality is that your team members can only perform when you let them. They do need training. I would say that you need to teach through documentation, observation, hands on training, and then allow them to “sink or swim” as you shove them into the pool. Maybe you will be kinder than me and allow them to wade in the shallow water first! Regardless, you have to let them do the job.
I encourage you to take a “training” break today. Think about what you do to get someone on your team fully up to speed. Are you providing ongoing training? Are you checking in to see who could assume more responsibility? How is your turnover? You know high turnover could be a symptom of inefficiency in training–which results in a lack of confidence and comfort for your employees.
I hope you have a great week. If you are looking to smile, you might look up anything Will Rogers has ever said. It was a great break for me today and inspired me to communicate with you! As always, I would love to hear your feedback, share your thoughts about today’s article.
