Corrections_Today_May_June_2020_Vol.82_No.3

Professional Development

Professional Development Update

Unreasonable expectations and how to get past them

By Danny Norris

W hat expectations do you have for a training when you sign up? Are those expectations based on the course title, word of mouth, synopsis or a com- bination of each? What about when you arrive to the training site? Do you envision what the classroom will

look like or how the tables and chairs will be arranged? Do you plan where you’ll sit and with whom? Do you try to imagine how the instructors will sound? And, probably most impor- tantly, where will you eat lunch? We all have some sort of expec- tations about a training before we

arrive. Sometimes, however, unreal- istic expectations creep in and begin constructing a wall between our- selves and the opportunity to learn from the training. Here are three unrealistic expectations that come to mind: “Training changes everything” Occasionally, training can be like the band aid everyone has to wear when only one person gets cut. For example, an employee improperly reports time on their timesheet. A week later, a memo emerges that mandates all employees to attend an hour long, “How to Properly Report Time” training module. I can hear you cringe now. About a year later, supervisors continue to have issues with staff completing their timesheets correctly, except this time, timesheets are simplified and a new hour-long training session called “Time Reporting Procedures” manifests, and everyone must attend. Training can help you learn new things and make you feel comfort- able to embrace new procedures.

Photo courtesy Lovestruck Images

122 — May/June 2020 Corrections Today