Making it happen and helping it to happen

As the trainee’s manager you can do quite a lot to help them get to grips with new techniques. Make sure that the trainee is not trying to ‘do’ a goal – help them to break down the outcome they’re aiming for into tasks or actions that they can carry out. They are much more likely to get started with a proper action plan.

As the trainee progresses with their new skills, remember these key points:

• Recognize that they will have to change the way they do something – this is always uncomfortable and they will find their subconscious is very effective at finding good reasons why the change is unnecessary just yet. Give them all the support you can – don’t criticize them for not getting it right. Given that it can take up to a month to establish a new habit, you may need to be extra supportive at this stage.
• Don’t wait until things start to go adrift before you step in. Have regular monitoring points to discuss progress – good or not. During the initial stages – the first three or four weeks – this might need to be weekly or even more often in the first week or so. This is not a general ‘How are you doing?’ exercise, but a specific discussion about their experiences with the new skills or knowledge.
• Catch them doing it right! Recognize their successes, tell them you’ve seen the differences that they’ve made already and they’ll try to succeed even harder. Don’t speak up only when things go wrong.
• Be constructive not critical. If things do go wrong, tackle it as a problem solving exercise. Encourage the trainee to analyze what happened themselves and to develop their own suggested solution. Don’t make sarcastic remarks or make fun of them – and don’t criticize the training they’ve received. Everyone should be allowed to make mistakes – it is only when the same mistake is repeated frequently that you need to remind people what is expected of them.

The more you get into the habit of following these steps, the higher the chance that your staff will be willing to approach you and ask for help before things become critical. Remember – you may be the manager, but you are also one of their team.