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Train The Trainer

by Mark McClanahan

A long time ago I heard the phrase “The only way to beat the competition is to out-behave the competition.” In the competitive world of residential remodeling, this statement has great significance. I’m sure the same applies to any other service industry. Staying in front of the competition requires continual improvements and training. So, how does a leader or a manager keep his or her team ahead?

First is to know what areas need improvement. These areas bubble up when the market demands better performance in order to remain competitive. Once you’ve identified an area, you know what needs to be changed. This is usually followed by training.  

Since no one has endless training budgets, many times you have to create a trainer within your organization, and many times that trainer is you. This has happened to me often, and I find myself developing training programs for our team. To train myself to be the trainer, I spend time researching the topic. Google is great for this. I look for articles or books related to my goals. Then I immerse myself in the subject.

During this process I start sketching an outline to be used for the training plan. I use PowerPoint to deliver the lesson. I then practice my presentation, speaking it aloud.  At some points I make modifications until I feel completely comfortable with the content. A tip I would recommend is actually scheduling the training session with your team before training yourself. This is an awesome motivator for you to dig in and prepare.

In the end, this all has three positive outcomes: You improve, your team improves, and you out-behave the competition.

Mark McClanahan (mmcclanahan@callmosby.com or 314.909.1800) is the chief operating officer at Mosby Building Arts.
Submitted 8 years 244 days ago
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