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Training and Education

My company sent me to a training program, and when I returned I was going to implement some new techniques about managing different personality types. When I told my manager, he reacted very negatively and said there is no time for any of that. I think I can be more effective if I at least try to apply what I learned. How should I go about doing this?



Since you went to a seminar that dealt with personality types at work, you should have applied some of what you learned when you approached your manager. After all, it sounds like he could score well above average when it comes to being hostile-aggressive, over-controlling, insecure, or rigid.

One of the real problems with many training programs goes back to a buzzword called "transference." A training program may be regarded as excellent by all educational standards, but unless it truly fits into the trainee's organization, the program is doomed to failure. Your manager is a roadblock that is preventing everything you learned from transferring into your job.

However, it does not have to be this way. Part of the problem is that you approached him with a "done deal." A better approach is to meet with him, share your newly-acquired expertise with him, and then discuss the ways that both of you can implement some of the new strategies, at least on a trial basis.

The one caveat behind all of this is that you should be careful about locking personality labels on those around you. People are complex, and by labeling them, you may find that there can be some unflattering labels pasted on you.




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