I have always seemed to rise to the top in my careers. I have been involved with training and instruction on a professional level since 1990.
My first real job was for Uncle Sam. I quickly became one of the top employees in my unit. My job knowledge and camaraderie with my peers made it easy to move into training positions. I started out by sharing "Best Practices" during unit meetings. I then transitioned to an On The Job Training Coach. Here I helped new employees that were fresh out of classroom instruction.
I was asked to apply for an instructor position. I was accepted and received classroom instruction on Adult Learners. Teaching adults is different than children. Adults already have life experiences to build from. They are also on different learning levels and instruction must be tailored "on the fly" to each student. At the end of this training, I had to give a videotaped presentation. This was then critiqued by the instructors to learn where I could improve. Doing this also let you see how you look to your audience.
These skills moved me into Backup Team Leader, Team Leader and then Supervisor positions.
My next job sent me to a quasi Uncle Sam job. More like a little something invented by Benjamin Franklin way back in the day.
Here again, I became an On The Job Coach and Moved up to a Team Leader position. And, like they say, "With knowledge comes great power!" I was once again asked if I would be interested in becoming an instructor. I loved the change of pace and the challenge of working with new employees. I moved naturally into this Instructor role. Some of my students went on to work in my office and received On The Job Instruction from me too. I worked very closely with the Salt Lake City District Offices for Training and Marketing. This experience brought me a new opportunity. Although I was one of the most junior instructors in the cadre, I was asked to become the Master Classroom Instructor for the District. My mentor was selected for the Master On The Job Coaching Instructor.
A new Nationwide Training Program was being implemented for a new computer system. As the Masters, we were sent to the National Training Center in Oklahoma for training. This training was for teams from every District. Approximately 300 instructors attended the Train the Trainer seminar. We were taught how to teach this new program to the Instructor Cadre in our respective districts. I personally brought this knowledge back to teach the dozen or so Instructors and about 100 Coaches in our district. Not only did we have to train OUR trainers, we also needed to roll out this new system to the employees in the district. I cannot tell you how many classes I taught or how long the program was...maybe about 18-20 months of new training? This was done in stages where each city would receive training on the new computer system, receive the new system, then be coached on the use of the system.
I was also instrumental in setting up a new training site for the district with 4 new classrooms including all the equipment and supplies necessary for training. It was maybe one of the first times I had to think of everything from the clocks on the wall to the trash cans on the floor and everything in between!
After 20 years with Uncle Sam, I moved into the private sector. Once again (must be my suave and debonair demeanor), I was so skilled at my job that I became a Sales Coach, then Supervisor. While working with this high profile company, I was selected to become licensed in all 50 states as an Insurance Agent for Life, Health, Property and Casualty. I still have a binder with the certificates from every state!
My sales skills became so sharp that I moved once again into a different job with a new company. Here I have chosen to stay out of management and just be a worker bee. Even though I just work now, I am still sharing Best Practices and we have many meetings where we brainstorm and share ideas and solutions. I have also transitioned more to Marketing - not as a job requirement but having fun promoting businesses via social media, blog posts and other SEO tools. My skills have also led me to become a spokesperson for my company!
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Enough about me... Please leave any questions or comments below.
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