Lack of Training Can Hurt Your Business

This morning I went for my annual mammogram. The technician was amazing! She knew exactly how to get me into the right position with the least amount of effort.

I was thinking about how precise she was as she gently and in short but clear sentences gave me directions. I wondered how she knew exactly how many steps were required to have me stand at exactly the right place before the machine or where she learned how to position the patient accurately in such a quick fashion.

It is a privilege to watch someone who knows how to do their job well. No matter what the occupation, when you watch someone who has great skill and comfort it is like watching a beautiful dance.

I have also, however, seen people who have not had good training. They are usually awkward, unsure and can leave the client with a lack of trust.

Perhaps there are things that you could learn and practice so that your clients think the same about you. When you take a course or study under a mentor, you have the opportunity to learn specific detailed steps to do a specific procedure with ease and competence. Usually the person who is doing the teaching has done the same thing that you are learning over and over again. They may have taken the basics and then added little tweaks and flourishes so that everything is even more refined and easier for the client.

You see, there are some things that you can try to learn on your own. You may develop expertise without outside help but, when you are studying with another master, there is always some little special technique that will help you. Sometimes, when I sign up to learn a process from another professional, I have moments where I think "That's amazing. Why didn't I think of that?" I immediately adopt that idea into my practice and see good results. At other times, what I learn can be adapted or incorporated into the way that I already am doing that aspect of the procedure. And, yes, sometimes I don't use many of the things that the other person is promoting.

You see, as a business person you need to constantly be examining the things that you do and adding or improving things to improve your work. This can easily be done through specific training on a topic of interest or through supervised practice with a mentee. Be open to training opportunities. Even one little idea can make a significant difference to you and to your client. Get so good at doing things that you feel like you are in the middle of a beautiful dance.