I could have been in Bay Watch!

Charlotte Butler

I could have been in Bay Watch! Not now, but in my youth, certainly. Would I have been as good as any of the actors on screen – yes, I say in all humility. Would I have looked as good as Pamela Anderson in a red bikini? – definitely!  NOT! But with some expensive panel beating, I would have given her a good run for her money (in fact it would have taken all her money to make me look as good!) And that is precisely why they cast her in the first place – she was perfect for that part.

The point, you ask, rolling your eyes? Well, I often sit in boardrooms taking a brief on what the staff need training in. Listening to what sounds like sheer incompetence by the employees, I am astounded that these people have jobs at all! This will eventually lead me to ask: “Why were they employed in the first place?!!” There are usually 2 answers:

1. We inherited the person or 
2. A shrug of the shoulders

Neither of these answers bode well for a successful training outcome. Why? It indicates to me that these unproductive, non-proactive, downright useless individuals might well be in the wrong job! Yes, you can and will have to spend a lot of time, effort and money to panel beat these employees into shape and I will happily assist you in doing so. But you and I may both come to the same conclusion in the end – you should just have employed Pamela Anderson or any other person who was right for the job!

Will all forms of training and coaching therefore become redundant if we employ the right people for the right job? Absolutely not. No matter how good we look in a little red costume, we still have to go to the gym to maintain that look and also stay off the chocolates and coke.

Training is there to unleash the hidden potential and sharpen the skills of the greatest of employees, but not to beat people into what they are not! Cast right in the first place and you’ll have a smash hit business on your hands! An enviable problem!