Are you Untrainable?

In today’s market there are so many tools and so many ways to find the support and help to do the right thing when searching for a job and the things we need to do to be a great employee once we get that job.   Some of us have years of experience and training and we just know what the right things to do is, we also have something very important in today’s business world and that is a high E.Q.  . Some of us however, are just getting started and need a little help learning. This is when I ask… are you trainable? I have said in the past that I really enjoy helping others and giving people a chance. I recently hired a part time assistant for the office knowing she had very little experience. I was very willing to train and made sure she understood my expectations for the office. She was thrilled to be offered the job and started working. I began to notice certain habits that were not acceptable.   There is such a thing as common sense, and there is a time and a place for everything.   After a few conversations, a few verbal delicate warnings and my giving advice, it was clear that the attitude was that of “I like it my way”. Although I truly became the mentor and coach, explaining how this will help in the future for their career, it was not possible to get through. I soon realized that some people are untrainable. When we refuse to accept constructive criticism, accept advice, and try to be coachable, we are choosing not to grow. On the other hand when we try to teach, and advise too much we can also become the nagger. It’s such a fine line between the two that it can sometimes cause tremendous battles in relationships; business ones and personal ones. We must ask ourselves two things and be completely honest with the answer... How bad do I want it, and am I willing to listen. If something is going wrong and you can’t figure out what it is, ask someone who has more experience than you in the matter. Listen clearly and don’t set it aside. Work at the changes you want to make, and make the changes to better yourself as a person. 

Let me tell you folks, we can all make changes. There is always something to learn, something we can do better.  There is always room for improvement, but you must want it.   Remember, that to become a better employee, a better supervisor, a better recruiter, a better person overall… we must ask, do I need it? If the answer is no….. well, that answer in itself needs examining.