As an owner of a self storage facility, but not the operator, you entrust your business to the intelligence, experience, initiative, and drive of whomever you hire to become your manager. Like any good owner you want your manager to have the best tools that are available to make the job easier and more efficient. The trick can be in figuring out just how to get your manager trained and up to speed on new tools as they become available.
Training your self storage facility manager does not have to be a long, drawn out process or an expensive one if you take the right approach to training him/her on whatever it is.
To start you need to be fully aware of what skills your manager does and does not have. Much of this you probably know already from the interview process, but have likely gotten a better picture of since they started working for you. Compare their skill set with the skills they will need to have in order to put the new tool into practice.
Once you have this established you can devise the right type of strategy in order to conduct the training. If the necessary skill set is something they already have then you will not need to do as much training and can probably get by with a few short sessions. However, if they do not have the necessary skill set, but you really want them to use this tool, you will have to figure out how to get them up to speed so that they can.
After your training is complete the process does not end there. Classroom or theoretical implementation is much different than practical application. You’ll need to follow up with your self storage manager to insure that things are being done properly and that they do not have any questions. This could be onsite visits, bi-weekly or monthly reports, or periodic conference calls.
When the training has been completed and you are happy with the implementation of the tool by your self storage facility manager it is time to make an overall review. Talk to your manager and see if he/she thinks that the tool really is making a difference in the operation of your facility. Take a look at the big picture and see if it is something that makes the jobs of the staff easier freeing them up to make you more money.
If a tool is not working out as well as you had hoped it can be either because it is not as good as advertised or the application of it is beyond the abilities of your people. Regardless of why it is not working you need to find out so that it can be pulled from use. The employees of your unit will likely become more efficient knowing that the boss cares enough not to make their lives more difficult.
Sources Used:
“4 Steps To Training Self Storage Managers On New Management Tools.” Inside Self Storage; 11 February 2011.
“Training Self Storage Managers: Creating a Manual, What to Teach, Choosing a Trainer and More.” Inside Self Storage; 10 November 2010.