By Jerry Marfut

When it comes to training and scheduling, I have learned some very painful lessons. I missed opportunities in who I trained on what, and who I scheduled when and with whom.

In my early years of business, I thought that if the person did not fit the particular mold I was looking for, it was time to get rid of them and find somebody new. The painful lesson I learned was when I would run into that person later on and they were excelling at their new position. I noticed that they were filling a role I could have used, and doing very well at it.

I was trying to get them into a position that was not the right fit for them. It reminded me of the old adage, “You can’t fit a round peg in a square hole.”

As I have grown, I have realized that employees are truly like a family. And just like when we go on a family trip, I want my whole family in the car, but what is the correct seat for each person to be in? If I have my children in the passenger sear reading the map, we just might end up veering off course. Even more, it is not safe for them to be sitting in the front should we get into an accident.

This is the same thought process I apply to my employees.

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