Now that you have an A-Team, it’s time to train your team like a pro. The success of your A-team lies in the hands of the training. When a professional sports team fails, who do they blame, and who do they get rid of first? The answer is the managers and coaches. That is because it is the responsibility of the people at the top to train their team to the best of their ability. There are four levels of training that are critical for peak performance. If you train your team using levels 1-4, you put yourself and your team in the best position to succeed.
Level 1: Be clear with people about what their responsibilities are. This first level of training is aimed at making sure that everyone on your team understands what they need to do. This level is where most training ends, but it shouldn’t. Just because your team members know what they need to do doesn’t mean they can follow through and implement their training.
Level 2: Provide feedback as people walk through their responsibilities. This second level of training is aimed at actively making adjustments as team members demonstrate what they think they are supposed to do at a slow speed. At this point in the training, you should be reminding your team what the goals are and providing team members with constructive criticism.
Level 3: Build intensity into the training while continuing to provide feedback. This third level of training is aimed at actively making adjustments as team members perform the tasks they need to complete at half speed. This increase in intensity allows team members to gain a better understanding of what they will be doing on the job and gives people time for things to click. If your team messes up in this stage of training, it is ok because they still have a chance to fix what they are doing and gain a better understanding of their responsibilities. As a coach or leader, you should be inspecting what you expect and communicating with your team to make improvements.
Level 4: Turn the dial up and go full speed. This fourth level of training is aimed at teaching the team to go from half speed to full speed. The first time your team goes full speed it won’t be perfect, but with practice and repetition, it will eventually become natural. Allow communication to be a two-way street where coaches help with adjustments and the team asks questions. Make adjustments that allow the team to work better as a whole and will eliminate future mistakes. If you notice weaknesses, adjust the way the team is working to work through them. Practice at full speed repeatedly until everyone on the team can maneuver where they need to go and what they need to do without thinking about it.
Now that you have an A-Team, it’s time to train your team like a pro. You will know your team is ready when they are responding and reacting without thought. Once things become automatic, your team is prepared for the real thing, but not until then. Allow your team to master their tasks in practice. If you slow down your training and train your team like pros, you will set your team up to succeed. See what training your team like a pro can do for you, your team, and your goals.
