I read a quote recently that contained the statement, “Don’t confuse fame with success.” It struck me that some trainers make the mistake of confusing the two. They think success is about who knows your name, what awards you have received, who you have had your picture taken with, and who you are ‘friends’ with on social media sites. It is difficult to have a conversation with these people without them dropping the name of some well known trainer and inferring they are close friends.
If you have received awards for your work as a trainer then I am very happy for you. Too many trainers fail to get any recognition for the critical work they do. Awards however, should not be your goal as a trainer. As a trainer most of the work you do will seem to go unnoticed. Understand that he best feedback you can receive as a trainer is not an award, it is an officer calling to say that what you taught them saved his or her life, or an officer letting you know that they became a trainer because of your inspiration.
Success as a trainer is not about fame. You are successful when you provide the people you have the honor and the privilege to train with the best possible training. Training is about them, not about you. Success is instilling competence, confidence, integrity and professionalism in your officers through training. Success is teaching officers to make decisions and solve problems. Success is teaching officers the art of articulation so they can not only do what is reasonable, but explain it to others. Success is getting officers to wear their seat belts, watch their speed, wear their body armour, be diligent not complacent and instil in them an understanding of how to apply Life’s Most Powerful Question – What’s Important Now?
In order to achieve success as a trainer you must make a personal commitment to always be better tomorrow than you are today. You must continually strive to improve your skills, abilities and knowledge as a trainer. You must be constantly evaluating both the content and delivery of your programs to ensure your officers are receiving the best possible training experience every time they are in your class. And, you must be willing to do all this without awards, accolades and public recognition.
If you can do that you will be successful as a trainer, but you will likely never be famous. Some of the greatest trainers in our countries, like many of the greatest coaches are people most of us have never heard of. They are not household names however they take their responsibility as a trainer and a coach seriously. As a result they impact lives, change lives and save lives.
If you do get ‘famous’ as a trainer then be prepared it may comes with at a cost. That cost too often is backlash from people within your organization who are jealous of the attention and accolades you receive. Some of them will try to undermine you and make your life miserable. Sadly, it comes with the territory. So, if you are seeking fame, be careful of what you wish for.
Take care.
Brian Willis,
Thought Leader, Catalyst for Change, Speaker, Author and a Man With Many Questions
Winning Mind Training – Leading the fight against mediocrity through Life’s Most Powerful Question – What’s Important Now?
To book Brian to speak at your event or to your officers contact him at winningmind@mac.com.
Excellence in Training is a philosophy as well as a professional development course focused on helping good trainers become great trainers and great trainers deliver exceptional training. Go to www.winningmindtraining.com and check out the dates and locations for upcoming seminars and courses.
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