You are still reading because you want to manage in a way that really makes a difference—for your employees and for your organization. We have spent a lot of time talking about how you can cultivate the positive relationships that will enhance your understanding of people and your ability to influence their performance, engagement, and retention. Now we are going to get really practical about specific ways you can push people's growth further and faster.

Begin at the beginning—on an employee's first day with you. That is your first opportunity to influence and accelerate growth. Are you making the most of it?

Here is the alternative. First, think about why you selected Shirley as the trainer.

• Because she was simply available at the time?
• Because she is the best performer on your team?
• Because she is the highest seniority person?

None of these are good reasons. To decide who should teach and coach this new employee, choose the best teacher and coach. This sounds obvious. But if it were obvious, nobody would be using the Follow Shirley method. As you go about choosing your best teacher and coach, remember that the best performer is often not the best teacher. Doing something well and teaching others how to do it are two entirely different endeavors, and they require different talents.

How can you tell who is the best teacher and coach? First, choose someone who has a strong, positive attitude. A negative trainer will poison new employees from day one. Next, pay attention to which employees are teaching and coaching others spontaneously, even though it is not their job. They can't not do it, and they will love having the responsibility of doing it with new people.

Help your trainer by preparing a checklist of learning goals. This checklist should answer the following question: “What should a new employee know and be able to do in order to perform in this role up to my standards?” Don't create a big, honking training manual. Just make a list. This accomplishes a couple of important goals. First, it creates consistency. Every trainer uses the same list. Furthermore, there will be items on that list that will not come up in a normal day of following Shirley. For example, what should you do in the case of a fire?