It’s so interesting to me that themes seem to appear over a number of weeks. It’s like the Universe gives us a nudge and says “Pay Attention”.

A couple of weeks ago I was interviewing team members and reviewing systems and processes for a client. A couple of the team members mentioned the importance of taking notes when being trained and when training people.

I agree and I also know that organisations have options for documenting procedures so employees can continue to refer to them.

By documenting, I mean recording the information in a format that suits the business, the workers and the process. It doesn’t always have to be a written procedure. It can be a video or audio recording, a checklist, a diagram or a workflow as examples.

As I lay on the bed this week, listening to the doctor train the nurse in how to administer laser treatment to my face (which felt like someone flicking me in the face numerous times with their fingers), I couldn’t help but share some tips.

The nurse didn’t appear to be taking any notes.

The doctor was sharing complex and detailed information about the settings on the machine and how to apply it to my face.

“Are you familiar with Loom.com?” I asked, doing my best to take my mind off my discomfort.

“No, what’s that they asked.”

“It’s a screen capture program that can be downloaded to your phone and you can video your training and then share the link with people so they can watch it over and over again”, I replied. It would be really helpful for you to be recording your training now so that you and others can refer to it again and again.

They seemed interested, however they didn’t take note of the application. I’m trusting they have a good memory.  

“You need a Gmail account and Chrome browser”, I continued.

“And you can then get it transcribed using Otter.ai.”

“Oh, do you use this in your business?” the doctor asked.

“It is my business”, I answered. “I work with small business owners and their teams to streamline their operations and document their processes as well as provide leadership and communication training.”

Still no notes.

You gotta make notes.

Only about 7% of the population are auditory learners. Sixty five percent are visual and 28% are kinaesthetic (learn by doing).

When I say, “You gotta make notes”, I mean you have to record the information in some format.

Why?

Because it takes the pressure off having to remember everything in the first pass of training. It also enables others to be trained in a consistent manner to a specific standard and it allows you to hold people accountable to following the policy, procedure and standard.

It doesn’t matter what format you choose to use, as long as you document or record your policies and procedures in some way.

As I headed home for a bag of ice for my face, I was troubled, thinking about the number of people who get trained by “show and tell” methods and who don’t take notes (or record it in some way) and how many times the trainers have to train the same information over and over again.

Recording your policies and procedures actually gives you more time because you only have to do it once.

Your task this week is to document/record at least one procedure. Give it a go. Try Loom.com and Otter.ai. You can set up a free account. I trust it will inspire you to keep going.

Next week, I’ll share a funny little story about our assessment for the final session of our 9 week online masterclass series – The Loyal Lieutenant.

Regards Shirley

P.S. Our signature Leading Yourself and Leading Others Experience starts Friday 3^rd February 2023. Early bird discount ends 31^st December 2022. Click on the link for more information. https://shirleydalton.com/leading-yourself-leading-others-may2020/

P.P.S. The Loyal Lieutenant book is now available on Amazon. Click on the link bit.ly/TLLebook

Yesterday I was coaching with one of my legendary clients and we were discussing how the brain works; how habitual it is.

Have you ever moved house and gone out and driven home only to find yourself parked outside the old house?  I did this a few weeks ago.

Our brains create super highways in the neural networks so it doesn’t have to think. The neurons bounce along the highway time after time.

This is why it can appear like it is hard to change a habit.

I want to dispel that belief.

Late last week Ross and I left early to run the Leading Yourself and Leading Others Experience. We got a little way down the road and I realised I had left my phone at home.

We circled back and I rushed to exit the front passenger seat of the car.

Without realising what had happened, I found myself sprawled out between the grass and the cement in the driveway. I had literally fallen out of the car.

I knelt on the cement dumbfounded and dazed for a few minutes. What had just happened?

As Ross came to my aid he said, “I saw your bag following you out the door and I thought, this can’t be good”.

It wasn’t good.

I had placed my handbag on the floor next to my feet. The handbag has a long shoulder strap on it. In my haste to exit the car, my foot got tangled in the strap, which resisted as I went to get out.

Bang! Onto the cement I went.

I was telling this story to my client to emphasise a point.

It’s not always difficult to change a habit.

That will never happen again.

I will never place my bag on the floor if I’m a passenger in a car.

That habit has been well and truly changed and in an instant.

So, if you’re of the belief that it’s hard to change a habit, maybe you might want to rethink that.

Can you remember a time when something happened and it affected you so quickly that in an instant you made a decision to change?

If so, that’s more evidence that it doesn’t have to take a long time to change a habit.

One of the mantras I teach my clients regarding changing beliefs (and it’s a belief, that it takes a long time to change a habit) is to say, “But that may not be true”.

Regarding all beliefs, they are decisions we’ve made at some point in time and they are not fact. If they’re not fact, they’re not true. So next time you find yourself limiting yourself, question your decision, “But that may not be true”.

I can assure you, I will never again place my bag on the floor in a car when I’m sitting in the seat.

That habit changed in an instant.

P.S. Create a good habit. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thoughts delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/weekly-thoughts.

P.S.S. Our next Leading Yourself and Leading Others Experience starts in February 2023. We’re still working out the days. Early bird discount will end on 31^st December 2022.

I love it when I teach participants in the Leading Yourself and Leading Others experience how to Actively Listen and they practise with me.

It’s so great for me to be on the receiving end and this week that’s exactly what happened.

As much as I confess I am not a guru, nor perfect, there seems to be this expectation that Shirley has it all together. It’s really interesting for me when participants see for themselves that I too, have my own spaghetti and that I get triggered too.

I had a real life example we could use.

I have people wanting to enrol in the next Loyal Lieutenant Masterclass Series and I’ve been procrastinating on picking a date.

During the active listening demonstration, I became aware of a limiting belief I was carrying that people do not want training in December or January and that these months should not be offered.

During an earlier conversation, one potential client mentioned that January is actually a really good month for them because it’s quiet for them with clients and gives them the opportunity to work on systems and do training.   Well that busted that limiting belief.

And yet, here I was during our practise listening session still not wanting to pick a date. I was still resisting. How come?

I was scared.

Scared of what?

Scared to reach out and make the call. Scared that I would be seen as being “pushy”. Scared I might not have enough people for the class.

This was silly, as most limiting beliefs are.  Limiting beliefs are decisions we make at some point in time. The good news is, that we know how to make decisions, so we can simply make another one and as David Bayer says, the moment of transformation occurs when we see our unintelligent thinking as unintelligent.

During our listening practice demonstration, I decided to create a survey and send this to those whom had expressed interest. They can tell me the best days and months for their business and team members, that way I can make sure I’m serving them.

Making a decision usually requires us to take action. Taking action provides us the opportunity for feedback. Are we on course or off course?

Once we have clarity, we generally only have to take a little bit of focussed action.

So here’s the link to the survey. If you’re interested to join the next Loyal Lieutenant Masterclass Series, click on the link and let me know your preferences for days, time and month to start.

TLL Masterclass Session Preferences

The masterclass series is a 9 week online training facilitated by me. We meet once a week for 90 minutes. Every other week I provide training on a topic e.g. how to create a workflow diagram, how to create a special type of job description showing Key Performance Indicators and Key Behaviour Indicators, which make it so much easier to supervise staff plus they know exactly what they have to do to succeed in the role and the right way to write procedures.

Participants have homework on each of the topics and then we debrief the following week. This interactive format has proven to be extremely successful. Participants love the short sessions as opposed to a day’s training. They also report that they love hearing and seeing the feedback on each person’s homework. They learn so much because they are doing the work. Accountability is built into the masterclass series. What they produce for homework is practical, usable and relevant to their work.

So rather than just picking a date and hoping for the best, here’s the survey if you’re interested in registering for the next masterclass series. Click on the link and let me know your preferences.

TLL Masterclass Session Preferences

Regards Shirley

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thoughts delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/weekly-thoughts.

P.S.S. Click on the link to choose your preferences for the next Loyal Lieutenant Masterclass Series.  TLL Masterclass Session Preferences