The Lessons - The Test

Over the last year, we have been subjected to tests of our preparation more than ever in this segment of the globe where we live. Sure we've seen all kinds of things on the news and various other programs, but nothing is quite like when it comes to your own doorstep.

Global pandemic, volcanic activity, hurricanes, flooding, massive death tolls; they all seemed to be happening all at once. This is like bad news on steroids. Sure we've had situations before, but they seem to pale in comparison to what we're experiencing and perhaps, what we are yet to experience. 

For some reason, though we have advanced in our "standards for living" we still seem to have at the same time regressed. What do I mean?

• Fibre optics promising greater speeds, yet we can't keep them powered when the electricity goes off like we did with the old copper technology. 
• When electricity goes, so does communications, water, ability to process payments, and perhaps some other things that are not readily coming to mind. 
• There are more formally educated people and less thinkers that actually come up with sound solutions. 
• There are too many hauling around cliches like "you have to spend money to make money", and other such like fancy sayings with unsatisfactory results.  
• Too many people think that you must have origins within a metropolitan country to truly make it big and successful. 

One of the things that defeats us as a people is our lack of discipline. The willingness to stay the course doing seemingly mundane things. We want to be creative and complicate things. Yet those who keep it simple are the ones who tend to do way better. 

Why is it that when we are put to the test we choke. 

We need to be prepared so that we can function under pressure. Like clean ups and restorations. They can take a toll on the crews. Long hours, demanding timelines, with entire groups of people awaiting the positive outcomes; we need to really know our work so that we can function flawlessly under pressure. 

Life will test us! The thing is, how will we cope? 

Whose fault is it?

I'm often amazed that when preparing for training, the leadership of the organization are always saying what problems they have with the staff / support personnel of the said organization. We get to hear all the "leaks" in the organization that's hindering the progress of the entity at the rate that was previously determined. [There have been times when the organization didn't have their progress way-points clearly defined.]

As a trainer, it is necessary to constantly draw on one's experience and not go in with any slant / biases based on the "management meetings"; should you take that approach you will be in for a rude awakening.

When in sessions with the team, we then are exposed to the ground level reasons why certain objectives aren't realized. Thing is, these team members have been constantly ignored. Only to have their feedback put into to the reports which management then adopts. So here are a couple lessons:

• Your own people never listen to you. This is the fault of both management and line staff. 
• The contributors to the organization need to learn how to be friendly without being familiar. There's no need to be hostile / indifferent to staff / management. 
• Everyone should be on the same page trying to grow the business; which is difficult enough as it is without the internal resistance / negative dynamics. 
• It is necessary, more than ever, to function as a team to ensure sustainability of the entity. 
• Create the environment that everyone would want to associate within. 
• Stop passing blame, begin accepting responsibility. 

If you function well within your organization, it can be the best training you ever receive. You will move from job security to employment security. Everyone will want to hire you once they have been exposed to your positive side within the work place  and these attributes override your negative tendencies. 

I hope that within the near future, we can move from "Whose fault's this?" to "Who's responsible for this excellent work?". 

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