Proper Training
I looked at my notes and then back at the Lord. “You just talked about training for a manager, what is the best way to train employees?”
“In my famous Shema prayer- said by Jews three times a day- I reference the fact that my teachings need to be put “on” their heart. I do not mention “in” their hearts. The reason is that too many managers feel they can cram down education into their employees and illicit a change. Countless companies spend millions of dollars on training every year. This training can include comedians, online training, team building workshops, group exercises, retreats, and other strategies. The hope is that by exposing employees to novel ideas or strategies, they will internalize the message and act upon what they learn. Well, I am considered the ultimate father. I have seen billions of babies born over the years. I have seen parents try to tell a child something repeatedly in different ways. You can tell a kid not to spoil their meal by eating a snack beforehand. Yet the kid will eat the snack. I do not blame them. I love snacks, especially chocolate. Only through proper training and a willingness to internalize the message will the message sink in. Maybe after the kid has missed out on a great dinner because they were already full or were sick from eating too much will they possibly change their actions…if they are willing to change. That is what I mean, that it must be on their heart. The employee will need to want to change.”
Up on the screen popped up the video of me telling my daughter not to spoil her meal…and I was eating a desert in front of her when I was talking to her. What a poor example. I realized I had to do better.
“Sam, the Lord continued, manager and leader need to teach employee information on how the business operates. Yes, this takes time and energy, but the result is a stronger business. If employees know how money is spent and how revenue is generated, they will know the value of their work and how by saving or making a couple more dollars they benefit everyone. I took this approach when I conveyed the law to all my people. I did not just tell a couple key stakeholders I spoke to all the people. They could not handle my direct communication, so I used intermediaries, but I had my subordinates spend forty years conveying the laws, so everyone knew the laws and that way everyone was on equal footing.”
“In the same vein, Sam, managers should focus on why they are paying employees. They are paying them to get something done. Maybe the employees will build a car and they will be paid to be on the assembly line. Employers provide employee training to provide more value in the future. If an assembly line worker can be cross trained in multiple skills, they can help substitute for other employees or undertake more skilled jobs. Thus, there needs to be significant training focused on how to do a job. That can be the technical skills and the underlying criticality of the position to the overall goals of the organization.”
“While skill training is important, it is even more important to foster a culture of education. This is the desire to learn and expand rather than to just get a job done. When I had the Israelites leave Egypt my first request of them was to be a country of educators. I instructed them to be corporate historians and to repeat that message across the entire organization. Moses realized that he was not going to make a great nation by building huge monuments or statues, but by teaching the children and future generations. His first words to them after leaving slavery were not to go to the Promised Land, but to command the now free people to educate their kids about the Passover miracle. It is not about the current victory, but how to sustain the momentum for both the near term and the long term. Do you know what the best investment is over the long term?”
“Stocks and bonds.” I said. I realized quickly that was not the right answer.
“No, education. My people have survived for so many years because they are the people of the book, not people of the sword. They are winning and still surviving because they value education. That is one reason I love the Passover Seder. The Seder allows parents to use all their kids’ senses to educate them about leaving Egypt and this tradition has been going on for thousands of years. Wouldn’t that be great to have in a business a cultural mindset that can stand the test of time?”
“While I am talking about investments, another great investment is hospitality. It might seem like the little things are not significant but running to do a positive deed for another is a major element of proper training. Right after Abraham had his circumcision, he was visited on the third day by angels. He ran to get them something to eat. People might think the angels were more important, but they dwarfed in comparison to Abraham because he was able to do something they could not, do the positive commandment of honoring a guest.”
I remember how my parents kept an open house full of family and friends. My mom used to explain how opening our house to others was not just nice, but the right thing to do. She worked so hard to make sure she had enough food for everyone. It was not about the cost or the time she spent cooking, it was the love and friendship that permeated the house and set a tone for us as the go to house for a loving and caring environment. I wondered if that is one of the reasons why she made it to heaven?
My mom was not alone. I had a college professor who always had candy and positive words for her students. Her office hours were unlike those of any other professor I had ever met. It was similar to my mom’s home- a welcoming environment. I thought how many employees are scared to approach their bosses or need a reason to approach a superior and thought about the opposite environment where workplaces are so open that colleagues are closer to family members and really connected. Two extremes and I knew which one I would want.
Training employees correctly and now throwing in a hospitable environment might take some managers out of their comfort zone. But that is why training is so important for everyone in an organization. I thought training would be a very difficult and a time-consuming task. It is. There are no short-cuts. I remembered a saying that preparation is the key to success. All the Lord’s examples required significant preparation, perspective…and patience.
“Lord, I know of the four ‘Ps’ of marketing, but do we now have the three ‘Ps’ of proper employee training?”
“All three ‘Ps’ are critical, Sam. Sitting at the feet of elders and soaking up their knowledge is a valuable skill. I even included that in the Ethics of our Fathers (Avot 1:4). A great example is Caleb. He was one of the two spies, with the other being Joshua, who gave positive reports about the Promised Land. He was the first to proclaim his devotion to the land and his willingness to fight for what he believed in (Numbers 14:24). This dedication was transmitted to his son Hur, who was the first to stand up to the rebels when they built the Golden Calf. While Aaron tried to delay them, Hur tried to stop them. He paid for his objection with his life. This dedication and devotion were transmitted to the next generation as well. Hur’s son was none other than the famous artists Bezalel, who I personally anointed to build the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:2). Three generations learned from each other and enhanced a legacy forever. The family felt it was critical to train the next generation to follow and then exceed the footsteps of the prior generations. This type of training can be formal, but it can also be informal through a rich tradition handed down from one person to another, such as your mom’s famous chocolate chip cookie recipe which she got from her grandmother, and you shared it with your daughter.”
I wondered how many generations it would take for a family to reach such lofty levels. There are so many companies where they keep the business in the family. We did not have a family business, but our local pest control company has been in the same family for close to 70 years. I wondered if each generation learned from the other and if one generation surpassed the prior generation. Maybe technology changed and the newer generation had access and knowledge to technology that was not available in years past.
“Sam, that is a great thought. There is a Yiddish term ‘yichus’ which loosely translates to heritage. Often time people focus that he is the son of so and so or she is the granddaughter of this righteous person. Sometimes people use this heritage to promote how great they are because of what someone in their family has done. Maybe Aaron’s sons felt that would need to be the priests because their father was the priest. However, on the other side you had Moses, and there is no mention of his two sons having any leadership role once their father passed on. Well, the way I look at it is that heritage is a bunch of zeros. A great grandfather could be three zeros. But three zeros are not a real number. It is only when a number is inserted in front of those zeros does it become a real number. Each person has the potential to be that number. They have the potential to be the one in front of those zeros that makes it not just a number, but a high number. That one person just moved the needle from zero to a thousand. Heritage is great, but no one, and I mean no one, can rely on that heritage. They must make something of themselves to create value.”
I thought of my kids and hoped that they could learn from their grandparents…heck from everyone and be the best possible people they could be.
“Isn’t that the best possible blessing Sam?”
