Aug22

What if Training and Respect Were Worth Spending Time on?

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Suppose that — as training — before being allowed to interact with anyone outside the building, every entry-level person was required to interact successfully with every department inside the company. Perhaps every middle manager was required to spend 50% time doing the same while establishing outside relationships too. What would the goals of such a program be?

    To get to know people from every department in authentic business relationships, what they do, who they are, and their personal stories.

    To establish customer relationships with those people, so that both sides of the relationship understand that they can count on each other.

    To discuss in depth the way that each job interacts and serves to make the other job easier and more productive and to establish a channel of communication that will make conversation on that subject natural.

    To practice the give-and-take equality and value of humanity that the organization wants every employee to hold for every customer.

    To make formal and visible the company’s commitment to the fact that people make the key decisions that affect the customer experience.

An employee that knew those things before he or she ever answered a phone, wrote a blog post, or went on a sales call would understand the company mission in ways that follks who read the plaque on the wall and see the branding video never will.

It’s called training and respect.

Neither of which are hard to do. They only require that the company think they are important enough to spend time on.

Liz Strauss

 

  • http://www.stoneycreekwebdesign.com David Zemens

    I think that it is still hard for companies to spend dollars on some things that are intangible and hard to measure, but I certainly agree with your comments about Training and Respect.

    Some managers are shortsighted and do not see the bigger picture, nor understand the return-on-investment, that this type of training would undoubtedly give birth to.

    Great article. Keep up the good work!

  • http://www.stoneycreekwebdesign.com David Zemens

    I think that it is still hard for companies to spend dollars on some things that are intangible and hard to measure, but I certainly agree with your comments about Training and Respect.

    Some managers are shortsighted and do not see the bigger picture, nor understand the return-on-investment, that this type of training would undoubtedly give birth to.

    Great article. Keep up the good work!

  • http://www.lettingmebe.blogspot.com Liz Strauss

    Hi David,
    I agree that many managers are short-sighted and most companies are impatient. Too often people are hired for one job and then soon enough find themselves with the responsibilities of six! I am, I fear, a fool for my imagination, for knowing the potential of what could be and how it might be so much better than what is.

    It’s the downside of wondering . . .

    Thank you for reading and for commenting. I think I’m liking living in your machine. :)

  • http://www.lettingmebe.blogspot.com Liz Strauss

    Hi David,
    I agree that many managers are short-sighted and most companies are impatient. Too often people are hired for one job and then soon enough find themselves with the responsibilities of six! I am, I fear, a fool for my imagination, for knowing the potential of what could be and how it might be so much better than what is.

    It’s the downside of wondering . . .

    Thank you for reading and for commenting. I think I’m liking living in your machine. :)

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