I was at a local coffee house the other day to buy a pound of coffee. I stood at the counter until a young man in his twenties with blonde hair came over.
"Hi, can I help you with something?" he said with a smile.
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I answered, "Sure, I just need a pound of French Roast whole bean."
He replied,"Well it is my second day so if you'll bear with me, I'll get right on it."
He went and found his manager and told her what I wanted. She explained, "Get a bag, label it, weigh it and ring it up." He looked up at her as she walked away, mouthing her instructions then repeating them aloud. He struggled but finally figured out what to do.
She gave him the "catch-up" training. It is shorthand, Cliff's Notes, a couple-second summary of what should have taken several minutes. It robs the employee of the "why" you do something in your business.
Have you ever started a movie alone and your significant other joined you halfway through the picture?
"Can you catch me up?" they say.
"Sure," as you pause the DVD. "the guy over there loves the girl on the right. The father, the guy with the cane - he does too and is planning to kill the young guy. Oh yeah and there's some girlfriend who's a vampire, but she's not important. Got it?"
"Yeah, start the DVD."
Meanwhile, why the father plans to kill the guy, how they fell in love, who the vampire was are all missing. "Catch-up" is not the movie; there was a whole hour prior to the pause. This is similar to the way many people train.
Training, like a movie, is a series of images filled with details important to the whole picture. "Catch-up" is a poor summary. What I'm seeing in restaurants, service industries and retailers both big and small, is that no one has the patience to teach a whole movie. Everything seems to be a copy of a "catch-up."
When training, you need to create scenes through games and role-playing that stick with trainees to make sure they understand and see the whole picture. That way, the trainee can be comfortable knowing the "why" of your efforts, not just the "because I said so," directive. No one wants to be someone's gopher. And if that is the way you are training your employees, I'll guarantee you'll have higher turnover.
Take time to write out exactly what you want taught every step of the way. An example I like is showing someone how to sweep a floor on their first day.
"I'm sure you've done this before but I want you to understand my definition of clean. As soon as you clock-in, review the dining area and if it needs to be cleaned, go in back and get the broom and dustpan; if it is full, empty it. Next select an area free of customers. We move the table and chairs and pickup any large trash. Next, we sweep the floor until there is no dust, no crumbs, nothing - that is my definition of clean."
I would take the time to complete the training but you get the idea. With a "catch-up" their instruction would be, "Get the broom and sweep over there." Does it matter they know any more than that? YES! Otherwise you will constantly have to tell them when to sweep and to do it again.
Here are 5 common training points most businesses use with their common "catch-ups". Think how you handle these simple tasks:
How to answer the phone - "Say your name and take a message."
How to handle a special order - "Call the manager."
How to clean the floor - "Get the vacuum."
How to count the drawer - "Count the drawer."
How to handle complaints - "Get the owner."
If you don't see one you like, take one process in your store or business and write down how you train it. Then take it apart and see what you could add to make a full movie. You'll find most often the part we leave out is the "why."
Giving a full movie of training is what is required, not cutting corners. It is the culture you create in your store that will bring people back, not a discount, not a flier you did in Publisher, not a register coupon. It is the care you give to hiring, training and empowering your employees that makes it possible for you to compete. Don't hit the pause button when you may need to rewind until they see the whole scene.
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