Getting the best from your training partner. And a shed.
If you had said to me when I moved into my new house, that a shed would be at the top of my priority list, I would have snorted in derision at your lack of insight into the importance of shoes in my life. However, I should have listened to those who had already bought a house with no garage. They knew that without a shed to place items such as bikes and paint tins; very quickly your dining room begins to look like B&Q.
My 6ft by 4ft shed arrives ready for assembly which posed no fear for one with a toolbox and an ability to read instructions. “Should take 20 minutes” the delivery man said. He proceeded to give me some top tips but fearing a deluge of misogynistic patronising and teeth sucking, I ushered him away. After all, I had instructions and common sense, what more did I need?
As it turned out, a degree in physics and four arms. It transpired that building a shed is a game for two players.
My first mistake was assuming that assembly was merely a case of putting the pieces together like a big jigsaw. Viewed individually, they seemed innocuous enough but try putting that lot together on your own. It was time consuming, strenuous, fiddly and bits didn’t fit where they should, resulting in squint walls not fit for purpose. Back to square one.
Training roll-outs are also ‘big jigsaws’ with lots of ‘pieces’ that need to come together: needs analysis, design, delivery, logistics, resourcing etc. Not putting these pieces together correctly will result in costly inefficiencies for you and your delegates. Like my shed, to get your training implementation done right, first time, with the right outcome, its best to work with a partner who has the right skills, experience and tools, no matter how simple the job initially appears.
To be fair, I would not have taken advice from the delivery man but I did from my partner. Why? Apart from the emotional consequences of not listening, when it comes to shed building I trust him. I have seen him put up structures far more complicated than a shed and liked the outcomes. So, having agreed where the shed should go and the relevant milestones and associated rewards, we got started. Well, more accurately, he did. While I was still working out which way up the instructions should go, he had already laid out the pieces and in applying a well used process and plan had identified the tricky bits.
So, while you are still grappling with the enormity of your training roll-out and getting exasperated at the detail unforeseen at the project plan level, your experienced training partner has already anticipated these, knows how to solve issues that are likely to occur and has applied the correct tools, resources and skills to implement your roll-out at every level of the organisations. Meanwhile, you can get on with running your business, trusting your training partner to do what they do best.
It is this relationship of trust that will get the job done, more so than any contract. Often in business we can get wrapped up in the details of a contractual agreement which delays the achievement of the overall objective. Indeed the shed’s twenty minute deadline was sabotaged when an argument ensued as to whether an agreed milestone had been reached thereby warranting another refreshment reward. Our interpretation of ‘walls up’ turned out to be different and ten valuable minutes were spent debating the issue. However, I had to remember that it wasn’t about the walls being up; it was about the bigger picture – a completed shed. We never resolved what ‘walls up’ meant. It didn’t matter. What mattered was working together to achieve the common overall goal. As with your training partner, it is the partnership that gets the job done, not the contract.
Ultimately my shed did get finished in 20 minutes (excluding the slight contra tent) thanks to listening to and using the experience of someone whom I trusted and had done it before, I was able to work with him to achieve the overall objective. Work with your training partner in the same way to achieve your organisations training objectives and you will save time, energy and ensure a robust solution is delivered. As for me, well the shed and my relationship are still in tact, which is just as well as my loft needs converting…
Sam Mather
Sam Mather has worked in learning and development for over fifteen years, working with blue-chip organisations both in the UK and overseas. During the last five years, she has focused on more holistic performance solutions to drive organisational change, culminating in her Masters in Training and Performance Management, gained last year.
Blog date
09 August 2007
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