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