My favorite Christmas story is A Christmas Carol. I’ve read the book numerous times going back to when I was just a kid and I have seen so many different versions of the movie countless times. From Fred March to George C. Scott to Scrooge McDuck, the transition of Ebenezer Scrooge from miser (well, scrooge) to good person is heavily assisted by the three ghosts (four if you count Mr. Marley).
These three ghosts show Ebenezer where he came from, what he’s missing, and where he is headed if he doesn’t change his way. What would our three apparition friends say about how we approach how we run our businesses or more specifically, how we approach training? Here’s what I think!
Ghost of Training Past
The Ghost of Training Past would most likely show that the issues that you had in the past are continuing today. Whether it is not following procedures, allowing negative influences, or a lack of sales skills, this ghost would show you all of the struggles that you had in prior years. When looking back with this ghost, chances are you’d be a little frustrated with your former self. If only in the past you had picked up the mantle on that training; present you would be in a much better position! The Ghost of Training Past would point out that past you has no focus on the future and is stuck in the age old issue of working in the business instead of on the business.
Ghost of Training Present
The Ghost of Training Present would show that a lack of training in the past has left us with the same issues today as to what we saw when visited by the Ghost of Training Past. In the present, we are always reflective of what we should’ve done in the past to put us in a better position today. If only we started going to the gym 6 months ago. If only we had done that home improvement project last year. If only we had given our staff training in the spring. It is easy to look back and say we should’ve done something differently. The key is to remember that today’s present is tomorrow’s past. By executing a training program today, you will make your future self very happy!
Ghost of Training Future
The Ghost of Christmas Future in most of the versions of A Christmas Carol was pretty scary and often represented by death. A lack of training focus in the present can have the same effect on a business. At the very least, the future of your insurance agency does not improve without a focus on training today.
What it really comes down to is that you cannot change the past. But you can change the future by changing the present. The irony is that the present is a result of the past but we often don’t recognize it is also a cause of the future. We often do not move forward with training because of issues going on in the present. However, looking back, we almost always regret not moving forward with the training. Move forward with the training your teams needs today. Your future self will thank you!
