Can “anyone” Really Train Effectively?
July 7, 2011 — by Jeff Seevers
Last week I stumbled on a post on Linkedin (from ASTD National) that posed this question: “What are your thoughts, responses to the mindset that training is easy and ‘anyone’ can train”?
All right… Am I the only one who thought of the Pixar movie Ratatouille when Chef Gusteau tells Remy, “Anyone can cook”? Sorry, but with four kids, these are the kinds of movies I typically watch (grin).
“Can anyone train” has been circulating in conversations for decades. And the varying responses are as far east is from west. I’m sure that thesis papers have been written on this topic, so I will not begin to answer this question here. But as we think about Chef Gusteau’s assertion that “anyone can cook,” and then observing Remy (the rat) cooking with much success, let’s consider the factors that led to that success.
Besides Remy’s innate natural ability to combine flavors, what contributed to his development into a cook? And does that suggest that “anyone can train”?
Have you seen the movie? What are your observations? Thoughts?
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John M. Rhame, IV says:
July 25, 2011 12:40 pm
Put simply, anyone can cook . . . the real question is, “does everyone want to eat it?” The same can be said about training, anyone can train . . . but, “can everyone train effectively?”
Training in my opinion is very similar to Ratatouille in the respect that, cooking like training is a subtle blend of art and science; parts entertainment, information and practice, when combined in appropriate measures, can create magic.
Training does have recipes (instructional models) and the best chefs (trainers) know how to utilize, modify, and incorporate different ingredients (methodologies) to deliver nutritional and savory meals (i.e. effective training – possessing the knowledge, skills and ability to perform a task that one could not perform prior to attendance)
Everyone is capable of cooking and training . . . Not everyone is going to become chef or an effective trainer.