A recent conversation between a regional manager and a training manager at corporate HQ:
Regional Manager: Could you come down here and run a few days training for us?
Training Manager: Sure. What do you need?
Regional Manager: Something on how to behave appropriately at work…., erm, with particular emphasis on dress-codes.
Training Manager: Rrrright……. How has this arisen?
Regional Manager: Some of our graduate trainees have started coming to work in jeans.
Training Manager: Well, couldn’t you just tell them not to?
Regional Manager: (sounding very disappointed) Oh…. erm…. yes, I suppose so.
It’s that old get-out option again. Need to give someone a difficult message? Don’t sweat about it. Send them on a training course instead.
Flip Chart Fairy Tales 
Sigh – yes.
Don’t want to actually manage your employees? Call HR! They will do it for you. Bleh. No thanks.
Sadly, I have an even more disturbing story. I offer training on individual and organization development (amongst other things) and this was a recent conversation I experienced with someone:
Manager: Can you provide a one-day training for my team?
Me: Depends, what are the issues you would like to cover?
Manager: I don’t know…we just need to have one day of outside training accoring to my boss….so whatever you have is fine!
Brilliant!
oh dear, oh dear, oh dear 😦
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