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 Its been interesting walking down the road of growth. It seems like every turn that I take opens up a new set of paths that one has to explore. Too bad there isn't a simple map that a business owner could set down with a cup of Joe and just follow the landmarks to success the first time. By the way, if anyone has that map, I want it!
The last time I wrote I raised a few questions that everyone asks. How do I fund growth? Where do I find good people? How does a company structure a reward package that really brings value and is motivating to its employees? This last week my business partner and I have made some good progress in the area of training and retaining quality talent. Lets walk through three things the Thrive team has come to conclusions on in the Journey of growth!
1- Solid training reduces frustration for the employee and the employer. I recently talked to a friend who retired from a long career with a national company and decided to try something that gave her a change of pace. The company that she settled on is a reputable company, a leader in their industry. She shared that after two months with the company her biggest frustration is that she still doesn't really know the product that shes offering. Over lunch one afternoon she was sharing her thoughts and I asked her what the training program was like. She promptly left the table, went to her car and brought to the table a mammoth three ring binder with HUNDREDS of pages in it. She shared that she had been through a week of training in which her manager had sat with her and read through countless pages and showed her dozens of pictures of products then ran a few appointments to demonstrate the process to her. It wasn't a week and a half into the process that the managers excitement gave way to the pressures of production and she was thrust into the ocean of sales with a foam noodle! Sink or swim baby!
I talked to her recently after six months in the position and her frustration has increased and her productivity is slow in coming not to mention her managers expectations are increasing with each day on the job! Fast-forward, do you think she'll stay in the position long term? My bet is on her moving on to greener pastures!
It's a sad story. My friend is a talented, loyal professional. Anyone would be pleased to have her on the team. The organization has strong incentives, a good reputation and a great product and yet there is the huge chasm of training that will most likely lead to both parties being disillusioned with their relationship.
more to come..... |
