Tailored Training to Create Winners: Lessons from Seabiscuit and Tom Smith

A manager who stresses the need for training and creates opportunities for his team to learn is one who is invested not only in his clients but in his team members too. But as good as his intentions might be, there are constraints attached to its results. Training intended to meet general requirements does precisely that. There is no guarantee that his team members will level their respective weaknesses with a common module. 

What they need are customized training programs instead of pre-packaged ones designed to address and alleviate their particular pain points. 

This is where the leadership skills of a manager come to the fore. Though it might not be viable to individually train a team, with a little vision and innovation, a manager can hand-pick modules that are designed to tackle the common issues within it. Providing access to the tools and techniques that result in individual development and steer them towards professional growth will create wonders for the firm as well. 

The challenge that Tom Smith took with Seabiscuit, a racehorse that fell below every conceivable standard, reinforces the need for adapting training to suit requirements. 

Seabiscuit was a phenomenon in the 1930s United States, during the Great Depression, and became a beacon of hope to the public with the magic of his rags-to-riches story. He scarcely resembled a racehorse, being severely underweight and knobby-kneed, serious drawbacks for a career on a racing track. What transformed Seabiscuit into a legend, a winner of multiple titles and trophies, was the rigorous – and most often, tailor-made – training regimen. 

It is a story that is almost a century old, but every aspect of the improvised training methods that Smith adopted is still relevant in the 21st century, especially in the corporate world, where expansion of skill set is a major game-changer as well as a prerequisite. 

To smoothen the rough edges

Personality quirks are not actual deficiencies, but in a professional ecosystem, they might act as impediments in critical processes. Smith fathomed the potential of the horse and saw a winner. Chipping away the rough edges was a bargain he was willing to take. Helping someone adapt to suit the work requirement – to understand, accept, and adjust to the personalities of others, that include coworkers and clients – does not come pre-designed. The solution varies according to the problem.

Seabiscuit was ill-treated by his former owner, and as a result, the horse was aggressive, violent, and hostile. For any advancement to be made in his training, Tom Smith had to change the horse’s behavior altogether. Apart from showering the unhappy animal with affection and gifts, Smith gave him three animal companions to tone down his aggression.

Preferences may vary from person to person and this usually has a psychological effect on the decisions we make. Neuro Linguistic Programming is a widely accepted methodology in helping people assess their own preferences and behavior patterns. Incorporating the concepts of NLP in the training modules will help them in connecting with other stakeholders in the project, and thus contribute better towards the organization’s goals.

To alleviate weaknesses

In a previous article on mentoring, we discussed adjusting and altering existing techniques to tackle weaknesses. Sometimes, this means re-inventing a whole new process to accommodate or alleviate a weakness.

Seabiscuit was born knobby-kneed, which meant that his knees protruded from his legs, exposing him to the threat of multiple bruises and fractures. Smith’s solution was to prepare a liniment of his own and apply it on Seabiscuit’s legs, and keep them bandaged at all times so that it stays in place. The extra padding protected his knees from potential bumps, thus shielding him from his own weakness.

Individual weaknesses require individual attention to alleviate – and in some cases, dispose of – because they hinder the team’s performance and that of the organization as a whole.

To fortify the foundations

The most important part of any profession is the fundamentals, which, more often than not, are usually forgotten as one advances. And sometimes, the easiest and the most essential solution is just to conduct a reminder session to go back to the basics.

Seabiscuit was a sparring horse before Smith found him, and he was trained to rein in his instincts. The horse’s job was to let his training partner get ahead by being the horse that repeatedly loses. Once in Smith’s hands, Seabiscuit continued to display this trait, refusing to run at the pace a horse should and constantly fighting off his riders aggressively. Smith realized that Seabiscuit must be allowed to rediscover being a horse again, to run without restraint and with speed. So, he just let him loose. Without anyone to stop him, and no one left to fight, Seabiscuit galloped wildly, with no race course or finish point in his mind.

Having forgotten his basic instincts, Seabiscuit had to be taught how to be competitive again to have a chance in the game. Fortifying the foundations is necessary, and for this, once in a while, each team member must be given an opportunity to go back to the fundamentals and re-learn them.

To self-drive motivation

Coercion was not one of the many methods that Smith followed to train Seabiscuit, and he completely spared the whip. What transformed a difficult animal into a competitive challenger was the trust he was able to develop in his trainer. He had the freedom to choose what he wanted to do to develop his skills.

Customized training has the same effect on an individual. With the freedom of choice in sessions and the stress of attending mandatory ones lifted, individual development not only becomes easier but a lot more interesting. This presents them with the wonderful opportunity of strengthening their strengths and building on their existing skills.

Skilling a team with the right tools and right methods will provide them with a unique learning experience. A disciplined, skilled workforce is an asset to the organization and building one is the sign of an effective manager.