Training drivers is no mean feat and even a success rate of 10% is considered top-end, says Raghuram Sharma
Travelling down memory lane I do vividly recall the question posed to me during an interview. “As a trainer, you would hardly have a success rate of 5-10%. How do you propose to bridge the gap?” Given the fact that I was then a rookie who had yet to build a reputation, it caused a little embarrassment to fathom an outcome of 10%, which seemed such a low score even for a neo trainer. However, attaining a success rate of 10% in moulding a person is really great and that too within a span of a few weeks. The additional bonus points are when we talk about behavioural change or change in the thinking pattern or say, changing a person’s mindset.
The question coming from a seasoned trainer was obviously more of a probe to assess my line of thinking than a question seeking clarification. But what intrigues me that even today, almost every business entity and more specifically every transporter has the same mindset. Instantaneous outcome is what they expect. Probably, we are tending to forget the fine flavour of a filter coffee in this era of mad-mad rush and settling for instant coffee! Training is a tool to use a trainee’s basic intelligence to mould to the requirements of the company.
Looking at the positive side, the transporters by and large who used to have a rigid opinion that training is a waste of time and money – especially in the case of drivers – have now at least started realising the imperativeness of training though their impatience for instant impact is still apparent. Technical aspects could well be inculcated without increased inconvenience of trudging in the depth of sentiments but not so when it comes to a lifestyle change. While talking about the change in the mindset of the socially neglected lot, it requires a dedicated approach for a positive outcome of some measurable bump.
In the context of drivers and more specifically when we are talking about the highway drivers in India who hail from a socially backward clan deprived of even the basic 3Rs in most of the cases, it is a Herculean task to bring in the desired impact of training. And expecting it in a short span is something like wielding a magical wand to bring in a metamorphosis. My recent experience in the port city of Mundra is good enough to demolish any such false expectations. Almost for a period of 10 months I have been living amongst the trailer drivers of the Adani Port.
They are mostly migrants from the far-off states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Utter Pradesh. Barring a miniscule percentage, most of them wouldn’t have even stepped into any school leave alone studying even through the primary classes. They also are men of strong beliefs and disbeliefs and it is the basic instinct of survival that keeps them going ahead. The rudimentary need of earning more or should I say making more trips is the only race they are familiar with. In my very first training session their facial expressions were, “Why on earth are you wasting our precious time; we could have as well done an additional trip to the port” or “You have come to give us a sermon and we are the captive audience, so go ahead and finish it fast.”
There is absolute disbelief in anything that is called change, be it the job environment, self-respect or social and skill upgradation. So much so that even the safety aspect was proving to be nothing but a mere waste of time. It is just not as simple as conducting a training class for any other category of employees. You have to take them into your confidence, sit with them and break bread with them. Learn to laugh with them. Peep into their personal lifestyle. Rather, get into their shoes to understand their way of thinking and eventually open up a two-way communication channel in imparting training. Initially we have to wipe away the apprehensions set deep into their psyche before even attempting the absolute basics of training.
In our case, we could get some measure of success after initially tripping over in our attempts. Over a period of time, a tiny ray of hope could be seen, yet far from the 10% benchmark. But it is possible. Here it is quite pertinent to mention that repetitive training emphasising the relevance of upgrading their job skills, safety and self-respect brings in an inner system transformation. As a result, the driver adopts change as a part of the routine, subconsciously. Well, perseverance is bound to bear fruits but only in the long run. Any attempt at shortcuts will only boomerang.