The day started normally. I was preparing some training material today. PowerPoint presentation. Yup, one of those day at work where you actually put your brain to work. This is where you ask question like, “WiLL tHey unDerStanD iF i aRranGe it ThiS waY…..or ShOuLd i Just sTand thEre anD sTarT tALkinG?“. You see, other tasks you just already know what you need to do and most of the time you’ll be rushing for it. If there are complications, you’ll figure it out somehow.
But this, oh boy this…really put your brain to work. I can of course, show them slides after slides and talk and pretend they will listen and understand. But that’s not good enough for me. I need to get their attention first. So I put my brain to work again and ask myself, “HoW do I capTuRe their ImaGiNatiOn?“. If I can do this, then they will not fall asleep and make me look like I’m rehearsing the training session alone while in the shower.
“WhAt HavE I LearNeD PreviousLy?“. I start to linger and put myself in the attendee’s seat to try and see what are the issues. I suddenly warped myself into my own training session and see myself giving the training….and I felt sleepy. So much for effective training. I thought my good looks and witty character would liven up the croud. But then it hit me. It’s the slides. They’re boring. I need to capture their creativity. I need to get them involved. I’m thinking, “HoW dO I GeT ThesE pEoPLe to TraiN tHemSeLves?“. Whoa. What a revelation. Can it be done? Has it ever been done before?
Right. So re-inventing the wHeeL will never be the smart thing to do. But I’m toying with the idea that re-introducing the wHeeL might work. So I’m not gonna redo all the presentation slides that’s already available. Because that’s the part that made me sleepy. So the slides will be like flashcards to the trainees. Giving ideas and workarounds during Q&A might spark their interest and perhaps even spur some solutions to any current issues. Hey, they are the guys that’s dealing with what they do on a daily basis. So they should know what is the best way for them to solve it. I’ve spoken to some representatives and found out that they know a wHeeL is needed to get the whole thing going. They just don’t know which type to use. But plenty in the team don’t even know that there’s a wHeeL!
The case is, they are already in bad shape. On one side, you have a guy who is supposed to get the whole team together and fix it. Coming from deep technical environment, he’s still on ReAcTiVe mode. On another side, there’s the BiG GuNs who are ready to fire. But there are no BuLLeTs. So the guys working on the floor gets the “Oh YoU KnoW wHaT“.The re-branding phase is still ongoing….apparently. The name has changed. But the mindset has not. With the reference to my post “Maturity VS Knowledge“, I start to tell myself that BoNuS is just an imaginary friend.
But I’m keen on getting the first step the right step. Things are already in bad shape. Jumping and scrambling to every single issue won’t make things any better any soon. So why not have a strategic and objevtive approach. Keyword here is, PrOaCTiVe. The guys working the floor should tell us what’s the problem. The guys should suggest to us how this can be done. Of course, I need to be involved to referee them. In the end the plan for the solution will not be ideal to everyone, but it will be the best way for now. The BiG GuNs will have the right BuLLeT to shoot at the right ‘CUSTOMER‘, for being such a, “Oh YoU KnoW wHat“.
Now which wHeeL am I going to suggest to them? Flywheel? Windmill wheel? Grinding wheel? Or merry-go-round wheel? How about The Wheel of Fortune?
