Кучу гадоў таму, 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. At the time, ён быў распрацаваны для працы на зялёнай трубы (e.g. Wyse 50 тэрмінал) connected to a Unix box via telnet.

My default answer to any question that starts with "Can you … " is "Yes" а вось дзе ўсе непрыемнасці пачаліся.

Кліент быў хімічная кампанія ў паўднёвай Каліфорніі і было прыкладна загорнуты маштабнае ўкараненне ERP на аснове Кампаніі QAD 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. Аднак, Я правёў шэраг іншых навучальных класах і быў хуткі на нагах, so I was not too worried. Dennis, рэальны поўны працоўны дзень Вынікі інструктара, had given me his training material. Азіраючыся на гэта цяпер, 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?

Усё ўскладняецца тэхнічна, 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, еду ў Чыкага, meet for an hour with prospect and then continue on to California.

Добра, I got to Chicago and the sales guy on my team had made some mistake and never confirmed the meeting. Так, I showed up and the prospect wasn’t there. Awesome. I pack up and leave and continue on to CA. Somewhere during this process, Я даведаўся, што кліент вучыцца менш 24 hours before my arrival that "Paul Galvin" вучыць класа, 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 "даюць дрэнныя навіны рана" philosophy. Awesome.

Я прыязджаю ў аэрапорт і па некаторых прычынах неверагодна дурное, I had checked my luggage. I made it to LAX but my luggage did not. Для мяне, страты багажу вельмі шмат, як перажывае сем стадый гора. Eventually I make it to the hotel, без багажу, які стаміўся, галодныя і насіць маю (да гэтага часу, вельмі скамечаны) business suit. It takes a long time to travel from Newark — to O’Hare — кліенту — Вярнуцца да О'Хейру — і, нарэшце, LAX.

Я, нарэшце, знайсці сябе седзячы ў гасцінічным нумары, жавалі бар Snickers, 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.

Я прачнуўся на наступны дзень, 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, асабіста яна была добрая, 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. The 15 або 20 студэнты павольна збірацца, most them still expecting Dennis.

Я заўсёды пачынаю з майго навучальныя класы, уводзячы сябе, giving some background and writing my contact information on the white board. As I’m saying, "Good morning, my name is Paul Galvin", Я пішу маё імя, 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, і г.д.. 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, гэта выглядала так: There is this "Paul Galvin" чалавек, 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 перманентны маркер. What a sight!

Усё скончылася шчасліва, аднак. This was a chemical company, у рэшце рэшт. A grizzled veteran employee pulled something off the shelf and, верагодна, у парушэнне правілаў па ахове навакольнага асяроддзя, 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, так што я быў нашмат больш прэзентабельна другі і трэці дні.

Паколькі я браў чырвоных вачэй дадому, 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, аднак, гэта было: заўсёды правяраць маркер ў левым ніжнім куце дошкі, перш чым пісаць, вялізнымі літарамі, "Paul Galvin".

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