Managers-as-Trainers
Facilitating Skills Clinics helps directors and managers in a time constrained environment to hear and understand what’s going on with our people.
—Co-Director of Food & Nutrition Services
Skill Clinics develop managers
Maybe the most innovative element of Skill Clinics is its use of local managers and directors as trainers rather than outside consultants or internal staff. You may begin with the idea that managers-as-trainers saves money, but you will leave with a new view of performance management and the role of the manager.
Managers-as-trainers
Developing managers-as-trainers is not new to us at Customer Focus. In many industries, we’ve used our GIFTed Trainer® program to train thousands of hospitality, call center, retail, and technical managers to conduct 1-hour skills- and technical-workshops for over tens of thousands of employees. We’ve developed thousands of managers who are proud to say they are GIFTed Trainers of their people.
We offered our 70 directors (who conduct the Skill Clinics) extra staff trainers. Some directors had ten or more groups. All of them said, “No thanks, we can take it from here”.
—Chief Nursing Officer
It actually saves managers’ time?
So we built-in what worked for other industries into our Skill Clinics for hospitals. For the last few years, we’ve trained hospital directors to conduct our Skill Clinics using our Leader Certification Process. The effort, the skill, and the caring of these managers-as-trainers is inspiring:
- The directors stepped out of their comfort zone, and said “We’ll take it from here”
- Although some worried about the time commitment, all felt it saved time in the end (see video interviews)
- The employees thirsted for real-world skill practice and team-building led by their directors
- The directors brought unexpected touches to each Clinic and themes in the workplace
- Every employee practiced and documented the standards between Clinics
- The directors gained confidence and took pride in their Clinics and their people
- Not one director would relinquish their role as Clinic Leader, even when offered
Caution using managers-as-trainers
Don’t hand managers a set of slides or handouts and tell them to “train” their people or you will fail your managers and employees. Managers-as-trainers works with Skill Clinics because they:
- Use high-quality, original content that managers are proud of
- Use tightly designed, engaging, and even fun learning activities
- Are tested until proven to work with all hospital employees
- Use GIFTed Trainer techniques to certify Leaders-as-trainers
- Use proprietary materials that guarantee quality sessions
Skill Clinics develop Leaders
Skill Clinics change what matters most to patients — the care provided by your employees. But the greatest transformation may just be with your managers and how they learn to manage not by confronting but by being a role-model and an advocate. Not by dictating but by facilitating problem-solving and self-discovery. And not by pointing out errors and mistakes but by leading with a shared vision of patient-centered, collaborative healthcare. You just might never pay for a management consultant again.
Our Master-Leader Certification of your directors is a proven method for you to internalize Skill Clinic expertise, improve receptivity, localize learning, and eliminate future external consulting costs.
