Posted: 6/3/2015 6:31:12 AM EDT
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a little back story.
I have ~ 2 years of trade school and 4 years experience in trade 1 I have a formal apprenticeship in trade 2 total experience ~6 years about a year ago I got a job working trade 1 again(with the same company I have 6 years of trade 2 experience with). I have been tasked to help train guys in a new process. The guys I am tasked with training see me as having less than 1 year experience in this trade. Many see me as a threat of taking the promotions they deserve because they have been in the trade longer or dont think I should be training them because I am a tradesman of trade 2 and dont have a clue about trade 1. I know that a year or two down the line it will be easier, but how do I gain their respect now and get them to listen to the tips and tricks I have to share. How do I grow myself as a mentor and develop into a manager over the next few years? |
| This is a great book. While some concepts are rooted in business, the same principles apply to all walks of life. |
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Its a double edged sword.
I was in the same situation and didnt worry much about what others thought. Im pretty oblivious to other peoples feelings. I just focused on being the best i could and helping others be the best they could be. If you focus on that everything will be fine. Dont like it? Dont work for me. Everyone is replaceable, including myself. My mistake (the double edged part of it) was moving too quickly through the ranks. I ran a crew after 9 months, managed a store after 18 months and became a partner at 24 months. I work in the industrial mechanical/construction industry. We closed 1 location and before i moved i decided to pursue some offers before i moved to run another location. My phone was blowing up with companies wanting to interview me. Huge conglomerates, big plants, all sorts of calls. Turns out that i make more than im worth, dont have enough formal education, and not enough field experience. I never got one single offer. Some of the large companies couldnt even get a education waiver from hr to interview me. I guess im saying focus on doing what you do well and dont box yourself into a corner. Remember all it takes is someone getting promoted that sees you as a threat or thinks you are a cheesedick to cost you 6 or 12 months of your career. You can read some books and improve. Im never against that but a lot of leadership comes from within. Some people dont have it. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. |
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Are they saying these things to your face? Are they refusing to do as instructed?
If so then discuss the insubordination with your supervisor. They should be able to help guide you to the best route to handle it (ignore it, verbal warning, write up, etc.). Any backtalk should be directed to HR or the person that gave you the assignment to deal with - you were given the position and they weren't and there is probably a good reason for it but you didn't make that decision and are only doing what is being asked so don't go on the defensive. If they are saying it indirectly / through other channels then just ignore it and do your job. Unless they are interfering with you successfully completing your goals then you shouldn't be concerned. |
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So even through you have 4 years of Trade 1 prior they are only taking into consideration the one year at the current company?
I was hired as a Project Manager straight out of grad school with zero days of professional working days, other than internships, because I came up with a new finance principle that the company wanted to explore further. Because it was my theory, I was the expert. Not one single person on my team, no matter how many years of experience they had, knew my concepts. On my first day I had 7 experienced accountants/finance people averaging 10 years each .I stepped in on day one, explained my principles and told them that anyone not open to exploring it could leave the team. After about a month, there was still some dissension so an administrative move had to be made. I got selected the one that seemed to be the ringleader and dismissed him from the team. From day one I documented every time he argued with me, every time assignments were late, etc Once I flexed my power and got rid of the agitator, the rest of the team fell in line. |
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Yeah, for whatever reason some people think life starts when you get into this company, with the exception of a few of the competing companies. But for the most part the people who think this way are people who have spent their whole career at this company in the same position.
It was a good week, a few different issues came up. I stayed quiet until my superiors asked me to speak and they supported what I had to say. After that most everyone on the team came to me and asked how to resolve other issues and were more open to suggestion. Still having trouble with 1 guy but he is paying out enough rope to hang himself a dozen times. |
| Just document everything. At the end of every day sit down and take 15 minutes to document what happened that day. Include good and bad. Just keep in like a journal if need be. This specific documentation will be valuable later if action is needed. It also helps to justify rewards for the superstars on your team when warranted. |