By David Bakke
If you’ve recently delved into the world of entrepreneurship, congratulations! Your venture eventually could lead to a consistent stream of income, and a new way of life. While much has been written about starting a small business, marketing your organization, and even ways to save money in the process, not much has been covered in the way of training. If you’re going to be successful, it’s essential that you understand the right and wrong ways to train your employees. Here are some tips on how to tackle this important piece of small business ownership.
- Explain your goals. You’re never going to get your employees performing at the desired level unless you clearly explain your business’ goals. Whether it’s mastering a new software product or tips on how and when you want things done, you must always clearly outline what you expect from your team members.
- Explain the process completely and in simple terms. When training your staff, treat them as if they know little to nothing about the projects they must tackle. Although this may seem patronizing, it can be an effective training tool because you’re giving them the opportunity to explain to you what they already know. Once you delve into things a little bit, you can adjust the training process as you see fit. By starting at a more elementary level, employees no longer feel timid about asking questions they think are silly. You want to make training simple yet complete, and always encourage employee feedback.
- Communicate constantly. Always be there for your staff members and work developing effective workplace communication skills. If they have any questions along the way, be sure that they’re answered in a sufficient and timely fashion. Also, make sure your staff knows that you promote an open environment where they can ask you anything. The last thing you want is for your team to feel intimidated about asking questions.
- Provide respectful but direct feedback. If an employee isn’t measuring up, provide feedback in a direct and timely fashion. Neither you nor your employee is going to benefit from any sugarcoating. Be direct, but respectful with your criticism. And if your staff members grasp the training quickly, praise them—positive reinforcement is a powerful tool.
- Learn how to deal with experienced employees. You may experience some resistance or backlash in your attempts to train employees older than you, but there are some basic solutions. Be respectful, and take the extra time whenever needed to explain new concepts. Older employees may need a little bit more care, but the expertise they can provide your business makes it well worth the effort. By devoting a little more of your time to them, your company can benefit from their years of experience in the workplace.
Final Thoughts
A great companion strategy to your training efforts is to institute a formalized review process. Make it simple and easy for your employee to complete, and encourage dialogue. Performance reviews present an excellent forum for gauging the level of achievement of your employees in terms of the concepts and strategies you’ve taught them, so don’t miss out on that opportunity. Training your employees is great, but effectively communicating where they stand on a timely basis is even better.
David Bakke is a small business owner and contributor for Money Crashers Personal Finance, where he gives tips related to entrepreneurship, money management, and personal development.
