Training Blog...

Did anyone read the news online, receive a live news feed on your mobile devise, or listen to your local news on your commute home yesterday?  If so, you probably heard about the unveiling of the new Apple iPad.  We talked about it in the office yesterday.  What are they going to call it?  How much will it be?  What is Steve Jobs going to be wearing during his keynote?  It even got to the point that a coworker and I had a bet on this.  She said that Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple for those that may not know who I am referring to, would give his presentation in a black turtleneck and jeans….that’s his “brand”.  I thought he might spice it up a little and wear a black shirt of some kind (maybe not a turtleneck) with an Apple logo with jeans.  Well, I was wrong.  He did have on a plain old black turtleneck with jeans.  Very similar to Batman…same outfit different day of the week!

Branding.  This seems to be the new buzzword.  There are many blogs, forums, websites, and articles etc. that are focusing their campaign on helping you brand yourself and/or your company. It is a marketing strategy.  The focus isn’t to get your target market to choose you over your competitors, but to have your target market think that you are the ONLY solution to their needs.  About.com posted an article, by Laura Lake, stating the objectives that a good brand will achieve are:

• Delivering the message clearly
• Confirming your credibility
• Connecting emotionally with your target market
• Motivate your buyer
• User loyalty

Wow!  That is exactly what Steve Jobs does time after time.  If we think outside the box of “having to be in the marketing department to do this”, you can apply these points to just about anything.  Your job, your social life, your role as a parent and the list goes on.  Think about how you, or your leaders, are branding the training or learning within your company.  Is there a clear message about the expectations of training?  Is there follow through with the training to confirm credibility?  Does your company provide training that the learners can connect with emotionally?  Is there motivation to learn?  Are the learners loyal?  You may find that all 5 items are covered, but if not, how can you help?

I work at TTN corporate headquarters located in Minneapolis. Here in Minnesota, each season we have a lovely winter tradition known as THE WINTER WEATHER TRAFFIC ADVISORY (insert scared shudder here).

When Mother Nature decides to throw her worst with inches of snow, freezing rain, and black ice onto the highways, the morning and evening commute can become a waiting game of stand still traffic, and trying not to spin out into a ditch.

When I first started working for TTN (a recent graduate from college) I laughed when people mentioned their bad weather blues. “How bad could a little snow be?” I thought. “They’re just tiny flakes! They can’t make that much of a difference.”

I quickly changed my tune after my first snowy commute, which consisted of me sitting in my car for 2 ½ hours (a drive that usually took me 30 minutes).  Since then I have begun trying to find ways to avoid, and perhaps even enjoy these tenuous traffic tides. Heres a list of some of the ideas that I’ve found helpful.

Check the weather the night before: Knowing what’s coming before it hits is always a good idea. Depending on what the meteorologist says, you can adjust what time you leave… instead of madly scrambling out the door.

Know your back roads: On really snowy days I try to take the road less traveled. Taking back roads and alternate routes can sometimes help with your time, and your nerves.

Keep it cool… not cold: Sometimes no matter how much you plan, slow moving traffic happens. It’s always better to be take things slow then ending up on the side of the road, late to work and a car to repair.

If you have some good ideas or tips on traffic I would love to hear it! I’m sure I could use your ideas for the next winter storm.

What are you really trying to say?

Compare these sentences:

I didn’t steal that car.

I didn’t steal that car.

I didn’t steal that car.

I didn’t steal that car.

I didn’t steal that car.

If you read them carefully, they all have different meaning by putting emphasis on different words within the exact same sentence.

We all sat through 8^th grade English right?  Who thought then what we were learning was going to be so important now?  One of the biggest struggles in business is proper etiquette through email.  How do we know what the sender meant if we can’t hear their voice or read their body language?  We rely so much on technology that our face to face communication is less and less.  Sales, customer service, IT….most departments within your company rely heavily on email to communicate with internal and external customers.  How are you as an individual preparing yourself and/or your employees to communicate this way?  I can tell you that if you are “assuming” or “expecting” that someone already knows “the rules”, you may be sadly mistaken.  Right now a lot of companies are experiencing 4 generations in the workplace and this means that they are dealing with 4 different types of communication styles.  This is going to continue on as the baby boomers retire and generation Z enters the workforce.  Emails may start to look more like this:

LOL!  Sry I missed ur call.  I wuz OTL.  I gthrd some 411 4 u.  Pls CMB when u have a min.

Ok, maybe that’s a bit extreme.  My point is that one word, or lack of, can make or break a sales transaction, a customer relationship, or giving instructions to your team.  TTN offers e-learning courses covering this topic and there are many helpful websites available that you can reference or direct people to.  By providing the right tools, you are setting others up for success.  Email is your voice, what are you really trying to say?

One of our most popular courses (and one of my personal favorites) is  “The Platinum Rule”  by Dr. Tony Allesandra.

I’m sure we’re all familar with the golden rule and “treating others as we want to be treated.” However, as Dr. Allesandra explains in his course, each day we interact with a variety of personalities that are different then our own. Rather then working from our perspective we should “treat others as they want to be treated.”  Pretty smart idea for business when you think about it…

I was researching some support materials to go with this course and found a free online assesment that supports Dr. Allesandra’s Platinum Rule, and determines what personality type you are. I took the assessment and got my personality results… which were very accurate!

Part of succeeding in business is the ability to identify who you are, and what you bring. Try using this assessment with a group training intiative, or on your own.

http://www.platinumrule.com/free-assessment.asp

New year, new goals, new attitudes…….right?  Not always.  Has this ever happened to you?

It’s Monday morning; the sun is bright and you have an extra spring in your step.  You grab your coffee, get into your car and find that traffic is surprisingly lighter then normal.  You plan your day in your head.  You are going to tackle your “To Do” list one item at a time.  Staff meeting, conference call and your department training needs to be done this week.  Then your brain just stops.  The dreaded training.  You ask yourself, “How in the world am I going to get Howard to do the training?  I can’t get Howard to anything without complaining and bringing the whole team down.”

Ok, maybe it hasn’t happened like that exactly or in that order, but many managers struggle with a “Howard” on their team.  It doesn’t matter how you approach them or how exciting you try to make things, they are always going to find something to complain about.  The glass is always half empty.

If you Google the topic of “dealing with difficult people”, you will find many articles, tips, and training programs attached to people and companies that claim to have all the answers.  In the many years that I have been in Customer Service, I can tell you one thing….no one program or one article is going to give you all the answers.  This is an ongoing issue that managers of companies deal with every day.  Here are some small things that I have heard work from some of the people that I talk to throughout the day:

• Be aware of their personality style.  Communication with anyone goes a lot smoother if you are aware of the way the different personalities respond and react.
• Ask for their input or assistance in the areas that they have skills.  This will build trust and respect between both parties.
• Give them victories where you can.
• Involve them in a leadership role when possible.  For example, training, ask them to either lead the session or the discussion on the topic at hand.  This may open the minds of the others in the group as well as engage your “Howard” in the training that they really need.

If you try any or all of these will it always work?  I wish!  My hope would be that if you are aware and stay consistent you may start to see some small successes.  Your “Negative Nellie” may just turn into a “Happy Howard”!