Expecting employees to perform at the top of their game without providing the appropriate equipment, training, practice, experience and coaching will result in unfulfilled expectations.

Anyone who has ever tried to master a sport or a complicated task understands the need to develop a plan to acquire the necessary skills. The sports analogy is an often overworked one in business, but in this case is an appropriate metaphore for learning on the job.

Understanding the strategy of the organization is the first and most essential step. Learning a sport involves understanding how the sport works and what is expected of the player. Similarly, teaching the employee about how the company works, why it is in business and what it expects of its staff is critical to success. Sadly, many employers just hire staff and put them to work, neglecting to put their work into the larger context.

The next tool for aligning employees with the firm’s strategy is to provide training. This may involve providing learning guides, role-playing, and even a coach or mentor for the first few months on the job. A probationary period is not just a period of time until the company decides whether to keep someone; it is truly a time for learning and mastering the skills for the job.

An experienced employee can be critical in this regard, passing on a lot of information to the new person. This is the essence of mentoring. The most common form of mentoring is the apprenticeship wherein a new employee is ‘apprenticed’ to someone with full command of the job.

Understanding the bigger picture and providing training for the new employee will not necessarily create an aligned employee. An examination of the tools and equipment the employee will use in his or her job will ensure the equipment is right for the job. You wouldn’t ask someone learning tennis to use inferior equipment and turn in great performance so why would you ask an employee to use obsolete, rundown, or poorly maintained tools to do a really good job?

Supervisors also have a key role to play, sharing with employees the company’s vision and mission. The supervisor is like the coach in a sport ensuring the training is adequate and the tools and environment are supportive of quality work. It is also the supervisor’s role to empower the employee to use these resources effectively. It’s called motivation and it means the supervisor has to know his or her employees, what makes them tick and what kinds of things engage and hold their interests. It is also important to enable the employees to make informed decisions.

One good example of aligning employees with the corporation’s vision is, of course, Walt Disney World. Disney is a “first-name company,” that takes the time to celebrate special occasions for their employees and is also known as a champion of diversity.

Disney is also great at connecting employees with their product on an emotional level. Disney calls their employees “cast members” and stations real people at all the entrances to give visitors personal, warm greetings on behalf of Disney World, thus increasing the interaction of “cast members” with the customer. If you want a successful example of alignment with strategy look no further.

David Bratton is a Certified Management Consultant and president of Bratton Consulting Inc. in London. He also represents Drake Beam Morin (DBM), one of Canada’s largest career counselling and outplacement firms. He can be contacted at (519) 679-2774 or by email: dbratton@brattonconsulting.com.

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