دسته سال پیش, 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. در آن زمان, آن را به اجرا در لوله های سبز طراحی شده است (e.g. عین 50 پایانه) connected to a Unix box via telnet.

My default answer to any question that starts with "Can you … " is "Yes" و این جایی است که مشکل آغاز شده.

مشتری یک شرکت شیمیایی در جنوب کالیفرنیا بود و فقط در مورد پیچیده پیاده سازی ERP بزرگ بر اساس 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. اما, من تعدادی از کلاس های آموزشی دیگر انجام شده بود و سریع روی پای من بود, so I was not too worried. Dennis, نمایش نتایج: از شماره واقعی تمام وقت مربی, had given me his training material. Looking back on it now, 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?

به چیزهای پیچیده لجستیکی, 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, رفتن به شیکاگو, meet for an hour with prospect and then continue on to California.

خوب, I got to Chicago and the sales guy on my team had made some mistake and never confirmed the meeting. پس, I showed up and the prospect wasn’t there. Awesome. I pack up and leave and continue on to CA. Somewhere during this process, پیدا کنم که مشتری در حال یادگیری کمتر از 24 hours before my arrival that "Paul Galvin" آموزش کلاس, 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 "در اوایل دادن خبر بد" philosophy. Awesome.

من در فرودگاه و برای برخی از دلیل فوق العاده احمقانه می رسند, I had checked my luggage. I made it to LAX but my luggage did not. برای من, از دست دادن توشه بسیاری مانند رفتن را از طریق هفت مرحله از غم و اندوه. Eventually I make it to the hotel, بدون توشه, خسته, گرسنه و پوشیدن من (در حال حاضر, بسیار مچاله) business suit. It takes a long time to travel from Newark — اهار — به مشتری — بازگشت به اهار — و در نهایت به LAX.

من در نهایت خودم را در اتاق هتل نشسته, خوردن نوار snickers است, 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.

بیدار شدم روز بعد, 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, او در فرد خوب بود, 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 یا 20 دانش آموزان به آرامی جمع آوری, most them still expecting Dennis.

من همیشه شروع کردن کلاس های آموزشی من با معرفی خودم, giving some background and writing my contact information on the white board. As I’m saying, "Good morning, my name is Paul Galvin", من نوشتن نام من, 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, غیره. 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, آن را شبیه به این نگاه: There is this "Paul Galvin" شخص, 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 نشانگر دائمی. What a sight!

این همه با خوشحالی به پایان رسید, اما. This was a chemical company, بعد از همه. A grizzled veteran employee pulled something off the shelf and, احتمالا در تخلف از مقررات سازمان حفاظت محیط زیست, 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, بنابراین من روز بسیار بیشتر قابل ارائه بود دو و سه.

همانطور که من در نظر گرفتن چشم قرمز بازگشت به خانه, 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, اما, این بود: همیشه یک مارکر قبل از نوشتن تست در گوشه سمت چپ پایین تر از تخته سفید, با حروف بزرگ, "پل گالوین".

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