On The Fly

July Customer Service All Star “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” I was reminded of this recently while learning a new job in the Electrical department of Home Depot. After almost 30 years of working in the jewelry industry, I found myself overwhelmed this summer with: new training materials, employee names, technical terms, acronyms, advice, procedures, passwords, and of all things - locker combinations. Developing a readiness to learn is the art that all good teachers practice. I’m afraid people tend to forget what it’s like to be a beginner. I know I do at times. Let’s face it, you tend to take for granted the things you do by habit. In hindsight, it’s easy to explain experiences based on your level of knowledge and understanding, rather than a student’s level of mental preparedness. There’s the key - mental preparedness. Learning a new job is not just having the right attitude towards the job; it’s being able to process the information and DO ...