'N klomp jare gelede, my boss asked me to train some users on a product called Results. Results is an end user reporting tool. It’s roughly analogous to SQL Server Reporting Service or Crystal. Op die oomblik, dit is ontwerp om te hardloop op groen buise (bijv. Wyse 50 terminale) connected to a Unix box via telnet.

My default answer to any question that starts with "Can you … " is "Yes" en dit is waar al die moeilikheid begin.

Die kliënt is 'n chemiese maatskappy in die suide van Kalifornië en het net oor toegedraai 'n groot ERP implementering gebaseer op QAD se MFG/PRO. The implementation plan now called for training power end users on the Results product.

I wasn’t a big user of this tool and had certainly never trained anyone before. Egter, Ek het het 'n aantal ander opleiding klasse en was vinnig op my voete, so I was not too worried. Dennis, die werklike voltydse Resultate instrukteur, had given me his training material. As ons terugkyk op dit nou, it’s really quite absurd. I didn’t know the product well, had never been formally trained on it and had certainly never taught it. What business did I have training anyone on it?

Dinge om logistieke bemoeilik, I was asked to go and meet someone in Chicago as part of a pre-sales engagement along the way. The plan was to fly out of New Jersey, gaan na Chicago, meet for an hour with prospect and then continue on to California.

Wel, I got to Chicago and the sales guy on my team had made some mistake and never confirmed the meeting. So, I showed up and the prospect wasn’t there. Awesome. I pack up and leave and continue on to CA. Somewhere during this process, Ek vind dat die kliënt is minder as die leer 24 hours before my arrival that "Paul Galvin" word die onderrig van die klas, not Dennis. The client loves Dennis. They want to know "who is this Paul Galvin person?" "Why should we trust him?" "Why should we pay for him?" Dennis obviously didn’t subscribe to my "gee slegte nuus vroeg" philosophy. Awesome.

Ek kom op die lughawe en vir 'n paar ongelooflik dom rede, I had checked my luggage. I made it to LAX but my luggage did not. Vir my, verloor bagasie is 'n baie soos om deur die sewe stadiums van rou. Eventually I make it to the hotel, met geen bagasie, moeg, honger en die dra van my (deur die nou, baie opgefrommel) business suit. It takes a long time to travel from Newark — to O’Hare — aan 'n kliënt — terug na O'Hare — en uiteindelik na LAX.

Ek het uiteindelik vind myself sit in die hotel kamer, munching op 'n Snickers bar, exhausted and trying to drum up the energy to scan through the training material again so that I won’t look like a complete ass in front of the class. This was a bit of a low point for me at the time.

Ek wakker word die volgende dag, did my best to smooth out my suit so that I didn’t look like Willy Loman on a bad day and headed on over to the client. As is so often the case, in persoon sy was mooi, polite and very pleasant. This stood in stark contrast to her extremely angry emails/voicemails from the previous day. She leads me about 3 miles through building after building to a sectioned off area in a giant chemical warehouse where we will conduct the class for the next three days. Die 15 of 20 studente stadig vergader, most them still expecting Dennis.

Ek het altyd begin my opleiding klasse deur die instelling van myself, giving some background and writing my contact information on the white board. As I’m saying, "Good morning, my name is Paul Galvin", Ek skryf my naam, email and phone number up on the white board in big letters so that everyone can see it clearly. I address the fact that I’m replacing Dennis and I assure them that I am a suitable replacement, ens.. I have everyone briefly tell me their name and what they want to achieve out of the class so that I can tailor things to their specific requirements as I go along. The usual stuff.

We wrap that up and fire up the projector. I go to erase my contact info and … I had written it in permanent marker. I was so embarrassed. In my mind’s eye, dit lyk soos hierdie: There is this "Paul Galvin" persoon, last minute replacement for our beloved Dennis. He’s wearing a crumpled up business suit and unshaven. He has just written his name huge letters on our white board in permanente merker. What a sight!

Dit het alles geëindig gelukkig, egter. This was a chemical company, na al. A grizzled veteran employee pulled something off the shelf and, waarskynlik in die skending van die EPA regulasies, cleared the board. I managed to stay 1/2 day ahead of the class throughout the course and they gave me a good review in the end. This cemented my "pinch hitter" reputation at my company. My luggage arrived the first day, so ek was baie meer aanvaarbaar dae twee en drie.

Soos ek is die neem van die rooi oë terug by die huis, I was contemplating "lessons learned". There was plenty to contemplate. Communication is key. Tell clients about changes in plan. Don’t ever check your luggage at the airport if you can possibly avoid it. Bring spare "stuff" in case you do check your luggage and it doens’t make it. I think the most important lesson I learned, egter, was dit: altyd die toets van 'n merker in die onderste linkerhoek van 'n wit bord voor te skryf, in groot letters, "Paul Galvin".

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