Mistakes are a coaching opportunity...

New employees must be trained and allowed to make mistakes. That becomes a coaching opportunity. That’s how they learn.

 

·      Hire for attitude

·      Then train for skills.

·      Allow new hires to practice

·      And learn from their mistakes.

·      And improve their chance to succeed.

 

Many companies, however, don’t provide effective new hire training. Here’s an example. They often buddy the new employee up with a current employee, one who may not fully understand what and how to train. If you’re going to use buddies, train them to be trainers so they really understand how to perform in that role effectively. Give them a checklist of every task they need to teach, complete with what each is, why it’s done, and how it’s done – give the new hire the chance to practice, make mistakes, practice some more, and understand the proper way to do things. And give the buddies the time to do the training – not while they’re working a full shift: reduce their workload so they can really be effective. And when they complete the assignment, give those training buddies some recognition and rewards – put your money where your mouth is. This gives your new hires a chance to be successful. More importantly, it shows you care enough to invest in their success. Training new employees improves their performance and retention. That’s a good lesson for you to learn today. 

 

Phoebe Mary Waller-Bridge (born 1985): English actress and writer.