Whether you’re implementing a new process, workflow, or a new software system, you MUST train your staff. And…they must attend without distraction.

Attentive engagement conveys clear expectations and provides a valuable forum for addressing concerns, complaints and for making improvements.

Without training, and active participation, your lovely, funny and highly talented team turns into whiners, tormentors, or escape artists.

Addressing issues and making adjustments shows you have a system that is built for the agency – meaning your colleagues – rather than one individual’s desire to exert control or torture colleagues.

There will be haters. They exist everywhere and usually feel they are being subjected to something they don’t deserve. Nobody is special. Sometimes it just comes down to: Do the work because I said so.

The reality is that your workplace is just not a democracy. Employees have to do certain boring (and seemingly irrelevant) administrative stuff so management can tell how much money they’re making. That’s so they can shower everyone with the extra oodles of cash coming in from increased productivity.

Something else about training: I have been a trainer, and I have held positions from production artist to designer to project manager. Training on software is one thing – where to click, what to fill-in.

But training that is tailored to your structure, culture, and specific processes, is essential for the software to make sense to your organization.

Software training within your unique context is simply more effective. It has traces of familiarity – because it was customized to your needs; solves the issues that have been the root of chaos; and is relevant to your agency.

Changes can turn an agency or in-house department upside-down. But it doesn’t have to.

Make the solution your own – and ensure training to get your people on board.

Trust me, it won’t feel like torture. And they may even love you for making life just a little easier.

This is saying you’re indispensable. It's either laziness or arrogance, and it’s a recipe for disaster if something happens to you.

I have been, and will always be, a proponent of a system to document, track and manage jobs that is shared agency-wide. Creating a central location for all of your relevant information is essential to reduce errors, track work, manage budgets, and allow everyone to be ‘in the loop’. Further, a system that provides access for everyone to contribute key data (and they should) will provide a real-time snapshot of all projects.

No more searching for the person who knows what’s going on because they have it all in their head.

Whether you use a simple system on your server (read: centrally located where others can access it), Google Docs, or a comprehensive software system, your agency will run more efficiently.

I can guarantee that if you do not have a central repository of client/job information, schedule or budget, your colleagues have some sort of ‘system’ on their computers that they devised (or downloaded) to track their work. Everyone needs a little structure because the alternative is chaos.

So if you’re keeping it in your head, your colleagues are wasting their time also managing work – in their own way.

And a couple other points: put a process in place – basic rules for everyone to follow as to structure and expectations of your centralized system. Email was not made for managing work. Don’t keep project-pertinent information on your laptop and think that is OK.

Think collaboration. Everyone will work better, smarter and faster when information is shared.