I would like to begin this entry by giving a “shout out” to Dan, the Assistant Trainer at Panera on Jackson Road in Ann Arbor.  Not only did he assist me in getting a dozen very delicious hand-picked bagels for our team last Friday, he taught me something just before I left about shaping a company culture. 

I saw his name badge with his title included and I asked what he thought about training.  “You’ve got to train every day,” he said. “People may have worked here for three years and be very good at what they do, but they don’t know all the jobs—so there’s always something to learn.” 

When he said “every day” something went “ding-ding” inside me.  To shape an atmosphere—a culture—a “way” that you do things, there has to be support and reinforcement every day.  In our particular situation at MOVE, we’ve had a culture where an entrepreneurial “jump in and figure it out” attitude was valued.  We haven’t really had a prevailing culture of training—of equipping people with the preparation they need to fulfill roles that work inside a process.  We are now addressing that issue and working to develop a culture of learning—where instruction is taking place somewhere in the company each day--and every day each individual is conscious of learning as part of this approach to continuous improvement. 

One client of ours that does very well in this area is Ductz, the nation’s leader in indoor air quality.  They work regularly to build culture, especially a culture of training.  If you’re interested in finding out more, I’m certain that John Rotche and his team can give you some tips.  Also, check out ZingTrain, the Zingerman’s training and culture-building company. 

So, my thanks to Dan for his “teaching” moment—the “value added” along with my dozen Panera bagels.  And to all the rest of us, here’s to building our diverse cultures each and every day!