Easily one of the most critical pieces of leading a tech team is having a process in place to effectively train new team members. Having great equipment is meaningless without a properly trained team to run it.
However, for many of us, our schedules are already so packed with responsibilities that the idea of taking out time each week to train others becomes a back-burner task that we hope we can someday get to. We know it’s important, but there are so many other things competing for our attention that we end up short-circuiting the process.
Here are a couple of common traps that can pop up during the development process and keep us from finding an effective way to develop new team members:
1-Trial by fire
As someone who is definitely guilty of this one, I can speak from firsthand experience how ineffective this process is.
Often, our overloaded schedules won’t allow us to set aside time to properly teach and train others so their confidence and competence can be developed. Instead, we do a quick, cursory run-through of the high points and throw them right into the service, hoping that they’ll pick up on things as they go.
However, this greatly expands the risk of failure, and any time mistakes are made, they just erode the confidence of the trainee, increasing the chance that they feel like they’re not suited for the role and should just quit. Plus, repeated failure while training can give a trainee a negative reputation in the eyes of leadership and can actually harm their ability to develop into different roles.
2-Mentoring
On the surface, this actually seems like a good way to train, and why not? Pair up a rookie with one of your seasoned veterans … should be a win, right?
Without a clear-cut system by which to train, a mentoring process can become completely personality-dependent.
Not necessarily. Without a clear-cut system by which to train, a mentoring process can become completely personality-dependent. Trainees simply learn to replicate whatever behaviors or processes their mentor models, which means that different mentors can create different trainees. That can impact the ability to create consistency across the team, in both culture and performance.
3-Service observation
Again, another process that on the surface seems like a good idea: bring in a newbie to allow him or her to be a fly on the wall and observe what goes on so they develop an understanding of the roles and expectations.
Without someone to explain nuances, answer questions, and provide context and explanation to tasks being completed and processes being followed, an observer simply has to fill in the gaps for themselves.
But, if an observer is just left to himself, this process can create more questions than answers. Without someone to explain nuances, answer questions, and provide context and explanation to tasks being completed and processes being followed, an observer simply has to fill in the gaps for themselves. Plus, without someone dedicated to provide coaching, an observer can feel disconnected from the team and could even develop a sense of being an outsider who doesn’t have the freedom to engage or ask questions.
So, while intentions may be good for each of these three circumstances, it’s possible that following any of these tracks can end up being more harmful than beneficial. This then underscores the importance of having a clearly defined training process that is worthy of a consistent and intentional investment of time by myself and other leaders on the team.
And as a way of avoiding making these common mistakes, here are three key thoughts to always consider when working to develop an effective training process:
1-Set clear expectations
If the goal is to have a well-developed team member, there needs to be a clearly-defined path of how to get there. I should have a clear set of guidelines that explain exactly what a trainee will learn, how they’ll learn it, and how long it should take.
This can be done by writing out clear training documents or procedural guides, or even by shooting simple videos on my phone that show what needs to be done while I explain the process via voice-over.
Clarity provides several benefits. First, by clearly spelling out the process, I allow a trainee to know exactly what requirements they’ll need to fulfill and what steps will come at each part of the process. Secondly, by setting out a formal process, I have a single set of standards that my trainers or mentors can use as guidelines if I bring others into the process. Having that clarity eliminates the possibility of personality-based training and can help ensure that my team is being trained consistently, regardless of who, where, and when the training occurs.
2-Evaluate progress
There’s a faulty line of thinking that says that practice makes perfect.
Not true.
Doing something a thousand times doesn’t make me an expert, because I could have been doing it incorrectly the entire time. All that has done is just ingrain a bad habit.
Doing something a thousand times doesn’t make me an expert, because I could have been doing it incorrectly the entire time.
However, evaluated practice can “make perfect.”
It’s critical to have someone come alongside me at every step of a developmental progress to provide coaching and correcting as needed. So, instead of just throwing someone into the fire and hoping they figure it out, I have to commit to walking the path alongside them.
Also, sometimes in ministry we feel bad giving critical or negative feedback to others, wrongly thinking that if we’re supposed to love everyone that must mean that we can never say anything bad.
Wrong.
Loving someone and helping them succeed often involves providing correction, and sometimes the truth hurts. If I’m really concerned with helping someone grow and develop, I must be willing to have those tough conversations about their growth points instead of just generically saying “great job!” every week because I’m afraid of hurting their feelings. Otherwise, I’m a selfish leader who’s less concerned with others’ development than I am with my own feelings of discomfort that may arise from a difficult conversation.
3-Gather feedback
This is a critical piece of the process that’s often overlooked.
Normally we see a training process as being designed to develop or benefit the trainee. But that’s only part of the story.
Hopefully there will be plenty more trainees coming through the pipeline in the future, and the current person is just one of many that I will be training for the team over time.
During and after the training process, I should constantly be seeking input and feedback from trainees.
So, just like I must be providing feedback for a trainee in order for him or her to grow, I should also be soliciting feedback about the training process in general so that it can continue to improve, as well. If it’s an ineffective or mistake-filled process, I don’t want to keep repeating those steps for everyone else down the road. I should always be on a process of self-examination and improvement. Plus, the longer I continue an ineffective process, the greater the chance that it produces ineffective people who aren’t able to serve consistently at a high level.
During and after the training process, I should constantly be seeking input and feedback from trainees. Often, they’ll get excited to share their thoughts, knowing that they are helping to shape the direction of the team. And doing this while they’re in training (or freshly out of it) allows them to easily share specific examples of what’s working and what needs improvement.
And, by surveying them again after they’ve been serving for a few weeks, I’m able to get real-time feedback about whether they were fully prepared to serve or if there are areas where they wish they’d gotten more training.
Constantly asking these questions allows me to keep tweaking the process to make consistent improvements. And allowing trainees (and even veteran team members) to speak into the process will create a stronger sense of ownership for them, knowing that anyone can provide feedback to help improve the team, regardless of how long they’ve been around.
We’re all called by Jesus to replicate ourselves and always be working to make disciples. But just like He gave His disciples a playbook and coaching, we should also have the same plan in place for our teams.
Having a clear picture of the process and the end goal will ensure having a healthy training process in hand, which, in turn, will guarantee our ability to produce healthy, effective team members.
