| There are many roles a business leader must | | | | adopted home town of Columbia, MO had a |
| play. One very important role is the role of | | | | fledgling operation at a time when the demand for |
| "Trainer". At every level in every organization | | | | five gallon bottled water service was about to |
| there are goals to be met and processes to | | | | take off in smaller markets and "outstate" regions. |
| complete. You could say every step that is taken | | | | I showed how my sales system worked and |
| to reach every goal requires a certain behavior or | | | | boosted their business. I acted as trainer for the |
| set of behaviors. To put this simply, an | | | | route drivers, the sales rep I hired and for the |
| organization has to do a lot of the right things at | | | | entire organization as we created the best bottled |
| the right time to be successful. This means each | | | | water franchise in the whole Culligan system. We |
| person has to do enough right things in the right | | | | had the highest concentration of bottle cooler |
| timeframe. This requires a trainer at every level. | | | | rentals per capita than any dealer in the 900 plus |
| Someone has to figure out what needs to get | | | | dealer network. Because of this success, other |
| done to achieve every step along the way. | | | | bottled water companies looked to me to help as |
| Someone has to figure out how to teach people | | | | their trainer. I shared my system and they saw |
| to recognize when to do what. And someone has | | | | their businesses boom, too. The success of the |
| to train people how to do each thing and how to | | | | bottled water division was one of the big reasons |
| know when it is done right. So the business leader | | | | that Culligan was able to sell at such a respectable |
| must work as a trainer at a very personal and | | | | multiple when The Vivendi Group took over the |
| individual level. At the same time a business leader | | | | company. One of the threads you notice in this |
| is the trainer of an entire organization. In order to | | | | story of "Tron the Trainer" is the value that good |
| approach an organization in a manageable manner, | | | | training brings. This is particularly true when the |
| you should see your organization as a living, | | | | training involves selling better, creating friendlier |
| breathing, feeling thing that has tendencies, | | | | customer service models and creating profitable |
| direction, momentum, drives, fears and | | | | enterprises. None of these things happen without |
| motivations. Wherever you are in the chain of | | | | a good eye for training, a good system for |
| command or in the network of talented individuals, | | | | training, people who are trainable and people who |
| you are responsible for being the trainer of the | | | | can be the trainer. So how do you master the |
| people who you depend on. This includes the | | | | training aspect? First of all, it doesn't matter |
| people who report to you, the people you report | | | | whether your training subject is a single individual, |
| to and the people you collaborate with. It is not | | | | a department or an entire corporation. Allow me |
| always easy to train people, is it? For some | | | | to use dog training as an analogy. How do you |
| reason, I have always been a trainer. There was | | | | think you get a dog to jump over a hurdle, pick |
| a time I was called "Tron the Trainer". My early | | | | up an object, bring it back to its handler and sit in |
| interest in life was music. I was so interested in | | | | front to present the object? First your dog has |
| pursuing music that my guitar teacher began | | | | to have the right temperament. In this sense, |
| giving me his youngest and most inexperienced | | | | Temperament is a combination of brightness, |
| students to teach. I was a freshman in High | | | | courage, handle-ability, spirit and drive. If your dog |
| School who was a trainer of new musicians. This | | | | has no desire to work or to work with a handler, |
| situation worked out great for everyone. I knew | | | | you can forget the whole enterprise. If your dog |
| enough about training beginning guitar players, | | | | is too sensitive to take a correction or to handle |
| because my teacher had given me a good | | | | frustration, you can also forget it. If your dog |
| system to work with. I taught a group of songs | | | | cannot get over and forget a bad experience, |
| that involved certain chord changes, rhythms, | | | | forget it. If your dog doesn't like to carry things |
| strums, figure picking patterns and solo lines that | | | | or chase things, again you can forget it. My point |
| were designed to cover all the basics. By the time | | | | here is that you have to have the right dog for |
| the students started getting so good that I was | | | | the exercise you are teaching, or make sure you |
| no longer qualified to take them to the next level, | | | | are teaching an appropriate exercise for what |
| my teacher took over their lessons. This was a | | | | suits the dog's temperament. OK. Let's assume |
| great arrangement. My teacher got to take over | | | | your dog likes you and you like it. It likes to chase |
| a steady stream of students who were already | | | | and carry toys. It likes to interact with you and |
| committed and playing at an intermediate level. | | | | forgets bad experiences. For example, the other |
| This allowed him to have some fun and make | | | | day you accidentally stepped on its toe with all |
| some great progress with his students. I got to | | | | your weight and made it yelp. Half an hour later |
| make a great income as a guitar teacher. Most of | | | | you stepped on its toe by accident again, but this |
| my friends were working as stock boys and | | | | time with very little weight and the dog did not |
| grocery delivery boys making next to nothing. My | | | | even react. First you have to teach the |
| students got some great basic training, because I | | | | components of the exercise. This exercise |
| was motivated to be a great trainer of musicians | | | | involves: 1. Sit by your side and stay in spite of |
| and build my little music business. A year or so | | | | interesting distractions happening 2. chase an |
| later I met my brother's neighbor who was a | | | | object 3. jump over an obstacle going away from |
| trainer of protection dogs and police dogs. I had | | | | you 4. pick up an object without playing with it or |
| always been fascinated by German Shepherds. I | | | | rolling it around in its mouth 5. bring the object |
| guess Rin Tin Tin had made a mark on me as a | | | | back to you quickly 6. jump over an obstacle |
| child. I had also seen a working German Shepherd | | | | coming back to you 7. sit in front of you when |
| dog trial in East Germany on a family vacation | | | | you call it to you 8. sit in front of you holding an |
| when I was 11 or 12. I was mesmerized. I know; | | | | object calmly 9. releasing the object when you tell |
| who takes their family to communist East | | | | it 10. returning to a "ready position", sitting at your |
| Germany for a family vacation? Well the | | | | side and staying If you think you can just toss |
| Jordheims would. My mom had grown up in the | | | | out an object and say "fetch it" and the whole |
| area that became East Germany and we went | | | | thing just happens, you need to stop drinking so |
| back to see old friends and the old family home. | | | | much alcohol on your lunch break. Each one of |
| This is a whole other story for another time. | | | | these components has to be taught as a |
| Anyway I know wanted to become a dog trainer. | | | | separate exercise. It has to be repeated and |
| And that's what I did. I found anyone who could | | | | refined. It has to be taught correctly and |
| teach me. It was a good time for my pursuit. | | | | consistently. It has to be exactly clear to the dog |
| There were many German Shepherd enthusiasts | | | | how and when to do each component. This can |
| trying to establish the German working dog sport | | | | take months to get the components working well. |
| called Schutzhund in the U.S. Local dog clubs would | | | | Then you have to begin to mix components so |
| bring over trainers and trial judges from Germany | | | | the mixture flows well in the dog's brain. The |
| for seminars and working dog tests. I went to | | | | connections have to be clear and you have to |
| every one I could. I soon realized I needed to | | | | help the dog every step of the way. You are |
| speak German to get the real story from the | | | | giving corrections and making adjustments. You |
| experts, because many of the translators who I | | | | are giving encouragement and trying to keep it |
| encountered did not know dogs or dog training | | | | fun. You have to celebrate the small successes. |
| and much was lost in the translation. I knew a | | | | You have to know when to stop training and |
| little bit of German from my mother and got | | | | relax. You have to know when to play. Some |
| serious about it. I studied it in evening courses and | | | | days you work on tying all the pieces together. |
| made it my minor in college. I traveled to | | | | Some days you work on individual components |
| Germany to seek out the experts I had met and | | | | trying to perfect them. You have to recognize |
| met many more. It wasn't long before I spoke | | | | when your dog is being lazy and either motivate it |
| and understood German well enough to pass for | | | | or force it into action. You have to recognize |
| a native. I became a favored apprentice to a few | | | | when you are being a poor dog handler and giving |
| old masters and became the translator of choice | | | | mixed signals, weak cues and confusing body |
| for dog clubs in the U.S. who wanted to bring | | | | language. You have to know when you just need |
| over the old masters and the new innovators of | | | | to take a day off and do something else, or do |
| dog training from Germany for seminars. I had a | | | | nothing. You need to spend a lot of time thinking |
| blast. At the same time I became sought after as | | | | about training and only a short time doing actual |
| a trainer in my own right. I trained many people | | | | training. You need to examine every training |
| how to train their dogs and helped many dog | | | | session and see what you can learn from it. You |
| clubs develop top notch training programs. I | | | | also need to set up the conditions under which |
| helped people with many, many breeds of dogs | | | | the training has to take place. Then you have to |
| gain Shutzhund titles and I was on the training | | | | train under those conditions. The result is |
| team of the 1981 US National Schutzhund | | | | something like this: when you walk your dog out |
| Champion. I was selected as the Team Captain to | | | | onto a grassy area and have it sit 10 or 15 feet |
| lead the U.S. team at the 1982 European | | | | back from a hurdle, the dog knows exactly what |
| Schutzhund Championship in Salzburg, Austria. We | | | | is coming. It sits by your side until you say "Fetch" |
| had a very respectable finish. I had a great time. | | | | and then it runs through the whole routine. It |
| As you know, one thing leads to another and | | | | looks easy to the spectators. All they see is the |
| before long I was using my trainer skills in the | | | | whole picture. They see it in one fleeting motion |
| world of B to B sales. I had taken a job with the | | | | and think they can duplicate it. This is why well run |
| Great Bear Spring Water company in New York | | | | businesses are hard to duplicate by competitors. |
| City after college and quickly learned some great | | | | This is also why people who are sloppy and lazy |
| selling systems and methods from my | | | | dog trainers get terrible scores when trial day |
| supervisors and co-workers. Since I thought like a | | | | comes. They thought it would be easy, but in the |
| trainer, I revamped the system and ultimately | | | | end the dog was only confused and frustrated. |
| taught my system to others in the company. We | | | | So the dog tips the hurdle going over, plays with |
| had great successes with it. Ask the people at | | | | the object before picking it up, goes around the |
| Beatrice and KKR. These were two companies | | | | hurdle coming back to its handler and then drops |
| that profited greatly from our work. I later found | | | | the object at the handler's feet and starts sniffing |
| a use for my trainer skills with Culligan Bottled | | | | the grass. Which kind of organization would you |
| Water. I saw that the local Culligan dealer in my | | | | prefer? |