Management Musing v1.7 - Learning Without Scars

Manager is a hyphenated word – Man Ager. I am sorry that is not gender neutral but I am sure you know what I mean. Aging a person is from having to depend on others. Aging is from waiting for others to “get it” especially if you think that you have it. What is terribly wrong with this is that by following old fashioned styles of management the manager is the limit to the capacity of the group. That is right isn’t it? Can you see that and understand that?

Well I don’t like being a limit to anything. There really should never be limits to anything. The limit that might be acceptable is our inability to get it done. We simply are not capable. No schooling, or fitness programs, or special pharmaceuticals will solve the mystery of each of our limitations. Just reconcile yourself to the fact that you have limits and move on. The joy of management is you will be able to find and attract and hire and retain people who don’t have the same limitations that you do and watch them succeed in areas that were not possible for you to succeed. This is a wondrous thing.

Last time I talked about mentoring as a method to develop new talent and new employees. This is something different isn’t it? You have hired talent and they are on the job. Control oriented top down structures are toxic to creativity. Innovation, particularly of the disruptive sort, is unlikely to flourish when a few key executives have the choke hold on resource allocation. (Clayton Christenden). What the employees need today is freedom and responsibility. You need to allow them to fail but not in such a way that they hurt themselves or your group. That is where you the manager come on to the field of play. You are the conductor ensuring that everything works together in harmony. And yes that accelerates the aging process. But just imagine the joy you have watching your children succeed at something. This new reality allows you to experience that joy at work too. The time is now.

NTDA Announces Partnership with Learning Without Scars to Provide Online Parts, Service, Sales Training

The National Trailer Dealers Association (NTDA) Board of Directors voted at its April 11, 2022 meeting to partner with Learning Without Scars (LWS) to provide online parts, service, sales and marketing training for members. LWS is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training.

INDIVIDUAL SKILLS ASSESSMENTS

The NTDA will work with LWS to develop trailer-specific content for members in the future. The site, learningwithoutscars.org, provides comprehensive online learning programs for dealer employees starting with individualized skills assessments. The assessments allow the Learning Without Scars staff to create a personalized employee development program.

Based on assessed skills, the employee is asked to select from classes designed for their skill level, allowing them to address gaps in their knowledge level. This allows employees to move through four progressive categories of learning: Developing, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced.

Classes are designed to offer both employees and employers something that matters: continuous improvement to the benefit of each. Too often, we hear employees talk about wanting to have a career path, but not being sure where they fit in their profession. Learning on-demand classes build and develop the professional skills an individual needs to continue to grow and make progress with your company and your industry.

Managers/supervisors have access to employee skills assessments and employee training scores. There are 108 online classes available in 12 languages. Online assessments and courses are available for $125 per each.

DEALER-SPECIFIC COURSES

Courses can be taken on a PC, a Mac, a tablet, or a smartphone. A student requires an Internet connection to access all course materials. Supplemental reading for each class is available as a .pdf, so a .pdf reader such as Acrobat is recommended any device on which students are taking courses. Students will need access to speakers for video clips and audio tracks (these are optional).

Classes are categorized by department, job function, and skill level to ensure employees are able to target the right skills. Learning on- demand programs cover Parts, Service, as well as Selling and Marketing of Product Support.

NTDA Members can sign up for LWS' free e-newsletter at https:// learningwithoutscars.org/signup, or take advantage of free blogs, podcasts, and audio learning opportunities.

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