How many of us have been in a situation where we are so utterly frustrated with an employee’s performance or behavior that we end up attacking the employee instead of the issue at hand? In this type of scenario, nothing gets resolved, and the emotional intensity puts the employee on guard.

One of the things I often hear from managers as they grow their departments is that they don’t have time to do ride-alongs as frequently as needed. An excellent solution exists: Hire a dedicated person to perform ride-alongs and training for your technicians.

Training means consistency, and consistency means predictable results for you and your customers. But where to begin? A good training plan consists of three things: schedule, content, and facilitation.

A business coach once told me to “always make the system the heavy” when coaching my technicians. What she meant by that was focusing on evaluating how well the tech was adhering to a sales system or process. In doing so, the discussion would remain based on facts and not my subjective opinions.

This month we’re going to continue our discussion of ride-alongs by reviewing two additional expectations that need to be set with yourself and two that should be set with the performer. By taking the time to establish these, you’ll both be in the right frame of mind to begin your ride-alongs.

Ride-alongs can be a great success in coaching your employees to higher performance, or they can be a disaster which forever spoils the abilities of the people under your leadership. The outcome is heavily based on the role you take and your commitment to stick to that role no matter what.

When you think of making an investment, what is the deciding factor on whether or not you will make a good choice? Would you agree that it’s the rate of return you receive? Now shift to the investments you’re making in training for your employees. What type of return are you getting?

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once stated, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Have you ever found this to ring true as you think back on some of your conversations with your employees?

Have you ever found yourself frustrated with trying to get your techs to implement a new process or hit performance targets? Have you thought, “I don’t know what else to do; I’ve trained them, I’ve told them, I’ve asked them, and I’ve even begged them, but they still won’t do it?” If so, keep reading; we’re going to discuss this issue.

Meetings can be very powerful forums for delivering important information and training to your team; however, if executed ineffectively, they can be a huge waste of time and money.