The following article appeared on Cleanlink. It contains some good ideas for those of us in the cleaning industry. To continue your education, click on our Events menu and sign up for our CITS (Cleaning Industry Training Standard) education courses!
Why do I believe that continuous education is so important in the custodial industry? Partly because it has been neglected so long because all most of us had to sell was price and promises. Since you are reading this article you are one of the select few that “get it.” Please consider some of the following suggestions to continue your education:
1. Since you obviously have access to the Internet as you are reading this article, I encourage you to use a good search engine to learn more about areas that you want to improve your skills.
2. Skills to consider range from people skills, marketing, bidding, estimating, workloading, training, floor care, chemical knowledge, equipment repair just to name a few. If your interests were not listed then type it in and see what shows up.
3. Become a reader by reading articles such as this as well as subscribing to printed magazines, several of which are free or part of your membership in an association.
4. I always have at least one or two copies of a trade magazine with me when traveling invest my time waiting out delays or on a plane by catching up on industry news and ideas.
5. Highlight or tab key articles for further review or sharing with others.
6. Ask to attend any local trainings or workshops that could help you better understand the how of cleaning.
7. Be committed to becoming a “professional student” and have a passion to learn more. A very close friend will identify a mentor in another city and although he is very busy with his company, he will fly to that city on his own expense and spend days with this mentor.
8. Join and get involved in local associations that cater to the cleaning industry.
9. Commit to learning one new thing each day that will not only benefit your but also your company as it grows.
I hope you will print this article and take it to your manager to discuss how your company can support you as you grow in the industry. Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean…
Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net
