When you're new to a process it can sometimes be overwhelming to try and keep up with the waves of information that are coming at you.
There are so many things to learn that you need to spend some time absorbing this information and try your best to keep up. Over time you learn the ropes and you find that you begin to master the process, so that you become the one at the front, the leader, who can then drive the process forward.
If you have been in this position yourself, have you ever spotted the people who just 'guess confidently'?
It is something that I continue to see on a regular basis. There may be a lack of facts behind a decision, but if the presentation is smooth and confident by the person making the statement then there is a good chance that everyone will buy into it. Everyone else is busy with their day to day work, so who is going to go and check it out?
Having properly written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) is a good way to counter this problem. If your team are able to get up to speed very quickly as to how a process works then you can prevent people from having to 'blag' their way through meetings. Acquiring facts and creating logical improvement plans then becomes an easier task.
Do your SOPs allow your new team members to get up to speed quickly?
Giles Johnston
Author of 'Visual SOPs'