Am I Supposed To Memorize Inane Acronyms?

Dear Someone Else’s Dad,

Our company requires us to participate in totally worthless leadership training sessions. We have to memorize inane acronyms for how to act in certain situations. For coaching, it’s SPARKLE (S is for “Set Expectations,” P is for “Praise Good Behavior,” A is for “Ask Open-Ended Questions,” etc.). For giving feedback, it’s SLICK (S is for “Something I Don’t Remember,” L is for “You’re a Loser if You Don’t Remember What L is For,” etc.) Why? Why? Why?

Thanks,

CYNIC (C is for “Cutting Off My Ear Is Easier Than Memorizing Acronyms”…)

Dear CYNIC,

Here’s my advice.

Don’t memorize those acronyms.

Understand that the longer the acronym the harder to make sense of it.

Make sure you remember these are guidelines not rules.

Brainstorm about goals you’d like your people to work on

Apply the guidelines to specific situations for each employee.

Sit down with your employees and go over shared goals.

Send feedback to your company about how they could improve the training.

Just remember, DUMBASS.

Best,

SED