It hasn’t worked for the last three guys but this new employee seems different, I’ll give it one more try. Are you a supervisor who works with this paradigm? Too many of us to do. We try the same old, tired techniques and wonder why they don’t work.
Try taking some time to develop some new processes. Give yourself 20 minutes and do a Google search on the topic that’s frustrating you. There are thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of web sites that can inspire you to try a new technique. The Internet is one of my best friends.
This morning I had a client ask about some of their proprietary training material and how I thought it would work in an international environment. It won’t! The material is dated, it has a North American bias, and, quite frankly, it’s incredibly boring. A couple years ago I had to deliver this material on behalf of the client and I very quickly realized if I was going to keep my international participants awake, let alone interested, I have to customize the material. It took a lot more work on my part but at the end of the three-day session I could look in the mirror and say I did a good job.
So, look at your tried and true methods and see if they really do work. Is it time you took the time to do a little research and find a new paradigm? If you’re anything like most of the supervisors I deal with, the answer is yes. Do a little inventory and be honest about what’s truly working in your training program. Get rid of the elements that aren’t working. That new employee will love you for it.