I’m not one of those bosses that has to have all the answers. I like to empower my employees, make them feel intelligent and help them find fulfillment and purpose in their position.
Instead, I’m talking about how to handle when your employee has the answers because they are TRAINING you. There are many situations in which this could arise, and it can be a tough pill to swallow.
In my case, I am a brand new manager being trained by my employee that has been with the company for…28 years. Not a particularly ideal position to be in for a new manager. At first I simply went with it- I treated her as if she were just an objective trainer.
But she is not objective. She is critiquing how quickly I catch on, how I react to her instructions, and how I manage her answers. And the toughest part of the process is somehow maintaining authority throughout the training, because technically, she is presently the expert on the subject matter.
I can hear you already, Jobacle readers. “Better you than me!” or even “Good luck…moohahaha”. But what about when your employees head up a software initiative and have to train you on that? Or worse, they just left college and seem to have a minor in Excel spreadsheets? Going to them for help can feel demoralizing and put you in a compromising position as their superior.
So what do you do when you find yourself in this situation?
*Let them live up the moment. This is their time to shine. They know more than their boss- what is a better feeling than that?
*Give them feedback on their training. This does two things: it reminds them that you are evaluating their teaching skills and ability to communicate their knowledge, and it is an opportunity for growth and improvement for them.
*Finally, make suggestions on possible process improvements or training techniques. No, don’t point out everything they are doing WRONG (it is easier than you thought to be the critical boss, huh?). Instead, point out which parts of the current process make sense and are working, and then bring up some things that could make it even better. After all, we have to know some of the answers.
If you have been in this position before, what have you found to maintain the balance of powers? On the contrary, if you have trained your boss before, what are some things she/he did that made it a good process?
Leave a Reply