With the fishing season upon us, I thought of writing this newsletter about fishing guides. Therefore, this newsletter is not for The Boss but for you!

When you decide to hire a fishing guide, you pick a guide with years of experience and someone who knows the waters you are going to fish. She knows the various lures that you should use and will share with you some of her best techniques so you can catch that trophy fish of your dreams. As a novice angler, you are eager to learn from your guide and therefore you ask many questions about the proper rod and real, the best way to rig your line, and you are eager to learn how to read the fish locator. You are attentive and heed every word your guide says. At the end of the day, you and your fishing guide have a mutual goal, your success on the water.

Now imagine your first week at your new job. You have sought out a company in an industry you think you might like. Your goal is to do a good job and maybe advance in the company to earn a better wage than you earn today. How will you approach your new job? More than likely you will be working under The Boss who has years of experience and who knows that company and the industry well. The Boss is eager to show you some of the “tricks of the trade” sharing some techniques he has learned over the years. The Boss shows you how to run a piece of equipment and is hoping you ask a lot of questions and that you pay attention to every word he says. At the end of the day, you and The Boss have a mutual goal, your success within the company.

If you are The Boss, imagine how great it would be if every new employee approached their training with the attention they would show to a fishing guide as she shares helpful hints to catch that big one!

If you are that new employee, imagine what The Boss would think of you if you paid attention and asked questions as you would if you were on a fishing trip with an experienced guide?

In today’s economic environment, we have fewer candidates to choose from and we are seeing new employees enter our workforce from other organizations outside of our industry. The cost of training a new employee is expensive, so The Boss must assess a new hire soon in the training process. As a new employee, be engaged, ask good questions, and understand you and The Boss have a mutual goal, your success!