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Boss who boasts making learning difficult is good
Posted by: Devan
Date: 12/27/2006 11:47:15 PM
My boss has stated that making it tough to learn helps you learn and retain better. I am having a difficult time with him. It seems as soon as he sees I am confused, he gives an answer in the most difficult way he can think of. I have been told to use resources that are not accurate under certain circumstances and told not to clarify them (Put comments in a excel worksheet to clarify etc.) I recently was sat down with HR and given what I consider a warning that I have to do better. I was told I would have 18 months of traing and I am 9 months in. Comments and suggestions?
| Reply from: |
emarie |
| Date: |
12/28/2006 10:29:00 PM |
| Reply: |
Ouch! You are going to have to adjust to the learning curve and management style or be ousted. Scary stuff. I used to tell my students that when it got most confusing and they were straining the hardest to understand, THAT was when they were going to learn the most because the process of puzzling it through made learning an active versus a passive process. Tell your boss you know that is a very accepted precept of learning theory but is it o.k. if when you get too lost you come back for some concrete redirection? What was that Pacino movie where he says in court all the time "Tell me like I'm a three year old" or something like that. Tell your boss that you WILL adapt to his learning curve and will learn to even enjoy it but until you adjust to his style if he could apply the KISS rule to you (Keep it simple, stupid) uyou'd be grateful. Always make sure he sees you are eager to learn and intend to master this job because you love a good challenge and will be one of his best workers when you get there, but to work with you on this. Good luck, and remember, his inability to explain clearly may only mean he is a bad communicator, not that you are slow. (just don't say that.) |
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| Reply from: |
emarie |
| Date: |
1/1/2007 11:01:00 PM |
| Reply: |
Devan:
emarie again. Would you go to the Employee loyalty link, read the comments, and please comment on the attitude of that guy...people here are NOT talking about "warm fuzzie" being needed. It's just like Aretha says:
R E S P E C T
Tell your other friends here to go to that site, too. He is ridiculing us for not being true professionals about our "business transaction" and basically calling everyone here a big baby. I think he's due for a smackdown. He's entitled to his views but he represent corporations, and sucking up to them is his livelihood. No compoassion for what people here have gone through. |
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| Reply from: |
Karra |
| Date: |
1/5/2007 9:28:00 PM |
| Reply: |
Devan why not go to coworkers for clarification or help? Don't rely on your boss to show you how to do everything. Think it through yourself, wean yourself off him. Many things could be going on here. He may be busy and impatient, he may not know the work and not want to admit it, or he may be expecting you to pick things up more yourself. Or he may just not be good at training. He needs to break it down for you. He may not know how. Don't ask him everything at once. Focus on one thing at a time, so you're not feeling completely overwhelmed. Feeling overwhelmed will keep you from learning! Is the work interesting to you? As emaire points out, it's important to actively want to learn. |
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| Reply from: |
Karra |
| Date: |
1/5/2007 9:49:00 PM |
| Reply: |
Hey emarie, I read the links and think you may be overreacting. Just my opinion so don't be mad at me! I was in a very frustrating job situation too a year ago - and real jumpy. Been there. Things will get better for you, if you stay cool and proactively work on options. No one represents corporations and everyone feels abused by them and trapped. They exist only in our minds really. The reality is you do have to play the game and thus suck up to them. The trick is to keep personal life and business separate. Coworkers are not there to be buds or validate us. Bosses are not surrogate parents. The way I see it if others slack off, miss their deadlines, act like jerks, leave early, spend all day on the phone or sleep with each other - their problem. If you're in an abusive situation, look for other work. You can't win them all, and there ARE some real screwballs out there. Not your fault. |
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| Reply from: |
emarie |
| Date: |
1/22/2007 2:07:00 PM |
| Reply: |
Hi, Karra:
I am not sure what are the posts to which you refer, but I would feel bad if youthought what I said to Devan was in some way hurtful. I think your advice is good as well. I am not mad at you for disagreeing. That's not MY thing. In fact, perhaps your suggestions to Devon would resolve the solution sooner, because I DO think if a teacher (or boss) is losing the person they are training, then it is that boss's shortcoming, and responsibility to either train in a way that is more effective or appoint someone to do so. I just know how Devon must feeel: like if she doesn't learn it well and fsast she's out of work but if she admits that she isn't able to keep up or doesn't understand something she may just get the old "it's good to make learning difficult" line. If this person is SUPPOSED to be training her, then she simly HAS to find a way to work with him, even if his training style is not effective. So I simply suggested a little self effacement IF she has to work with him for training. If there are other ways to get the same info I'm sure she has tried or now will thanks to your suggestions. Finally, I agree that the workplace is not just one big scene from the coffee shop on Friends. These are our colleagues, NOT our friends. But collegiality requires recognition of people's feelings and needs. I think you have Devon good advice. |
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