As a supervisor or manager, why does cross-training on the job matter?
Cross-training is a term that is often used in physical fitness programs. It refers to developing different muscles so that the entire body is more healthy and efficient. But cross-training on the job isn't about physical fitness. It's about mental fitness. It's getting better at your job as a professional.
The Deeper Reason
Managers use employee cross-training for several reasons: better understanding of a co-worker's position, when there is not enough work to keep a person busy at their normal position, or when the cross-trained position is understaffed. But there is a deeper reason, especially when you are the manager or supervisor.
Good managers and supervisors make good decisions, and they make those decisions efficiently. One of the foundations for good decision making is a broad base of experience. It's like big-picture thinking. The more you see, the more you know. The more you know, the more you can process ideas effectively and efficiently.
Cross-Training Is Your Craft
Think of it this way: if we were talking about skilled trades and crafts, we might be talking about an apprenticeship program, like the progression of becoming a crane operator. You might not see being an oiler, a rigger, a signalman, and then an operator as cross-training — but it is.
Experience in each position makes it easier, faster, and safer for decision-making as an operator. The exposure to different scenarios, at different levels, broadens their ability to make decisions.
Remember three things:
- Being a supervisor or manager is your craft. Develop it in the same manner as your previous trade when you were in the field as labor, apprentice, then journeyman. Treat your new craft as you would your old one.
- Good managers make good decisions, and good decisions are made with a broader and deeper set of experiences.
- If you really want to be a big picture thinker — if you really want to think strategically and act tactically — then cross-training will make that happen a lot easier.
How to Approach It
If you are the manager who wants cross-training, have the conversation with your peers first — not your boss, yet. Talk to the people you work with at your level. Get them on board with the idea first.
Then approach your boss together. Explain the deeper reason. Explain all of the reasons, but make sure they understand the part about decision making. This shows them that you are making an effort to be a better manager or supervisor.
After your managers or supervisors have swapped positions for a period of time, get them together and have an informal conversation about lessons learned. Ask questions to see whether their experience has shifted their thinking and decision making. Document this in a positive way in their personnel file.