Orange, the colour of energy.
Orange, the colour of energy.
Yes, let’s get this going! Feeling ready to take things on often starts in our mind when the “thing” considers our jobs. We know what to do, when to do it and often how to do it. Let’s take a classic example from the world of IT-adoption: the training and let’s say it a…basic Microsoft Teams training, yes that will do. So…
You know what to do right? Prep-time first: Start discussing the type of training, the length, the amount of hands-on. Determine which content of the basics will come in handy for your target group(s), make some nice presentation, create a workable demo-environment, set-up a handy booking system…And of course communicate the freak out of it so everyone in the company will come join your nice Microsoft Teams basics training cause they know what’s in it for them.
With that set up, you’ll easily know the when. It’s in your agenda, it’s in your bookings, you’re experienced enough to arrive half an hour prior so you can prepare your space and training, maybe even take a coffee or tea.
And as to how to do it, well you’re an adoption consultant, a trainer, a digi-buddy, a give-it-a-name…But it is part of your job to train people and you love it. So you know the how.
You know that even if you’ve had a bad night, a bad week or are just plain tired for whatever reason, you just show up with a smile on your face and a bit of pep in your voice. You know what type of energy has to be deployed to certain audiences in order to let the content of that training sink in.
Here it is: Energy.
As a Speaker on events, I often underline the following:
“Take adoption serious as it is an art on its own, a job on its own”
I don’t say that cause it’s my job. I don’t say it cause I want companies to hire only external consultants or trainers. I say it, because I love the spreading of knowledge, because I would want everyone to experience some type of advantage with the systems they need to work with. And yes, also because I don’t want people to grid their teeth in company hours or even their part-time day while sitting still as their being tormented with a torrent of monotonous murmurings about some computer program they don’t even know the benefits of for their work-processes.
Cause I’ve seen it happen, employees that are even kind enough to sacrifice their free time cause they have to attend an obligatory Microsoft Teams training and they can’t seem to fit that into their normal work hours.
That doesn’t mean that the obligatory part is wrong. That just means that either the company isn’t made aware that implementing new systems or hardware requires giving people time to learn, adapt and adopt. But no matter what the circumstances, it is a vital part of adoption to give some good energy in return and that starts with the mindset.
If it is part of your job to educate or train people, you undoubtedly will give it a 100% every time. Even on days you’ve got 70%, you’ll still give that 70% and thus give a 100.
But what if it wasn’t your job? What if your just the SharePoint or Teams administrator? Or even better the person that’s been told “you work in the IT-department, so now you’re gonna go stand for this group of colleagues and you’re gonna make sure that in 1.5 hours they know everything about Teams and you’re gonna do that 4 times a day for the upcoming 3 weeks, let’s go IT-guy”.
Sounds silly? Sounds like reality to me.
And once more, I don’t say that cause it’s my job. I just know from experience that by randomly appointing people within your company that lack the skills of teaching, of training, that lack the knowledge to engage with people or even worse, the exact knowledge of the system’s benefits that will entice people…you will lack the drive and the energy that a good and successful training needs. Thus, you will be more bound to fail in implementing your change.
Just please, for the love of, realise and acknowledge that it takes a special kind of skill, of energy and a tad of crazy to face a group of people and try and explain things to them. To tackle and navigate around the emotions, the insecurities of people like we’ve briefly explored in my previous blog. You will be tormenting not just the reluctant guy you’ve put in front of the group, but also each and every employee that has to sit through a class led by his or her misery monologue. Cause that’s what it will often turn into without prior knowledge or skills about teaching, presenting, engaging with groups.
There’s a reason aspiring teachers will have to go through 4 years of college in order to become a teacher.
Imagine we just pluck you away from that desk of yours and say: you’re gonna teach this group of 15 people some karate now. Or, on the line of thought of the “train-the-trainer” principle…I’m gonna show you some kata and kumite with 5 types of kobujutsu weapons, you’re gonna pay attention yes, and then I’m gonna leave you some notes in a nice PowerPoint and you’re gonna instruct the next class.
That could work!…Probably…Safely?…Will the content of that training stick with people? Something will probably get stuck, yes, but I have the feeling it won’t be the intended thing in the intended place if we take that approach right? That doesn’t mean this train-the-trainer thing is doomed to fail, but you can guess above scenario would work out better you (or any other appointed colleague) had prior experience with the things required.
It would work even better if we hadn’t plucked just plucked you away from the desk, but have asked for your assistance beforehand, explaining what we needed, why you’re the perfect fit, how we are going to give our support and even better…
If you liked the task that was given to you.
Cause honestly, that’s the thing that gives the best energy. Either for some basic Microsoft Teams training, or sparring with your martial arts partners, figuring out what new combinations might work for you. If you look forward to doing things, you will just shine. And shining people tend to engage better with people, they will fluctuate their tone of voice, they will try and try again patiently to explain the things that might be simple to them, but difficult for others, just because they themselves get energy from sharing knowledge.
Hell, I wouldn’t be writing any blogs if I didn’t like writing or sharing knowledge, let alone if I didn’t get any energy from my karate or kobujutsu. So yeah, a lot of good energy starts with the mindset.
But let’s flip this around for a second.
Everyone knows these days when you’re just not “into it”. You drag your feet towards the thing you’re either obligated to do, or feel obligated to do. Sometimes you’re just low on energy. Does that automatically mean you’re gonna give a bad training, or that you’re karate practice sucks that day?
Surprisingly, no.
I’ve often experienced that even on some low-energy days, I’ve had good practice. And so I wondered, if it doesn’t start with your mindset (cause yes, I’ve been dragging my rice slippers to the dojo on more than one day) where does this energy come from?
When thought, it might come from my own Sensei, their love for martial arts, the particular kata or that specific weapon or just purely from the amount knowledge they exude and the level of skill they demonstrate. It inspires me, energizes me. Same goes for a good (spar)partner, or maybe just even a great joke cracked between the clashing of weapons that gets me in the mood again.
I think this also can be applied to the classic training, or even on the broader field of change management.
You don’t have to give all that energy by yourself. You’ve got a great team surrounding you, people in your ‘class’ that may assist you without even realising it themselves, purely by showing enthusiasm themselves or by pointing out some benefits of the change on their own cause they discovered that connection.
Use that energy of others to (re)ignite your own flame and set that training of your ablaze with enthusiasm.
And no, that doesn’t mean everything has to be one big and wild crazy thing. Cause just like in Martial Arts, Adoption requires harmony to grow.
It so happens, the colour that represents growth and harmony is green, so you can guess the topic of my next blog.
Thanks once more for reading.
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