Training expectations

Training is one of the highest-leverage activities. If a 1-hour time investment to train 4 workers improves their productivity by 0.1%, it already pays itself after less than two months. And it might keep generating dividends for the rest of the career of the workers.

Training might or might not be performed by the manager. If some specific competences are required, he might call a specialist instead. However, it is paramount that the manager sets the expectations for the training.

This step is necessary for many reasons, such as clarifying what the workers should learn. More importantly, the manager publicly setting expectations provides cover to the workers if their other tasks get delayed. It ensures that everyone participates, and does so with his full attention.

Just as we saw in the post on Core Values, training is an activity with long-term benefits and short-term costs. Workers might be afraid that they are held responsible for the inevitable short-term drop in productivity. The manager setting expectations prevents this.

Moreover, the manager taking his precious time to set expectations is a costly signal that he really believes that trainings are an investment whose time and energy costs are to be paid enthusiastically.

I talk more in detail about setting expectations in my “Best Practices For Operational Excellence” and in my “Teams Are Adaptive Systems”.