In this blog Tom Ingram (Owner of BIG TOM Driving School)
assists PDI’s in putting the job of driving training into perspective.
I have two sons and they attend different secondary schools
in my home town. Both schools are in the business
of developing the mind, body and soul of our youngsters, igniting passions and nurturing
their wellbeing. The approach each takes
to sickness of pupils could not be more contrasting. It does beg the question why that would be
the case? Recently I have received
communication from each school where one is advising parents to keep ill
children at home and the other is encouraging ill children to go to
school. How can there be such a contrast in
the running of two schools who both have the same goals?
The reason why I raise this issue is due to the parallels
that occur in the driving training industry.
Parents could quite justifiably look at the way driving schools are
conducting their day to day business, see contrasting “messages” and wonder why
there is such a difference.
One possible reason that I would like to propose is related
to the culture of the organisation. As a
PDI, depending on your background, the exposure you have had to considering the
culture of organisations may vary quite considerably. Without wanting to trivialise (because wise
people write books on this subject), ultimately the culture within an
organisation affects how it ‘breathes’, it affects every single cog of the
machinery, no matter the size of the cog, and it affects outcomes. Whatever the “end product” of the
organisation is….. the culture of the organisation will affect it. The culture will affect the psyche of the
individuals within it – if an individual finds themselves at odds with the
culture, they inevitably leave for one reason or another, because they are
unwilling to behave in the manner in which the culture encourages.
Due to the fact that I am referring to decision making, it
stands to reason that I am suggesting it touches the working life of every
single person in the organisation.
Culture has no regard for payscales and responsibilities. Once you qualify as an ADI, depending on the
path you take, there is every possibility that the very subject I am raising
here will be truly on your shoulders. Businesses
live and die due to their culture.
Customers make purchasing decisions based on the culture of an
organisation (whether that is conscious or not).
There are obstacles that crop up that create tension for the
culture of an organisation. The source
of these conflicts can be internally or externally generated. (Without wanting to demean the effort of hard
working professionals I rather suspect that in one of my sons schools, the
issue regarding sickness of pupils is internally generated). But the message I want to raise in this blog
is that it is vitally important to recognise the perspective in which we as
professional driving trainers are working within. Our “end product” is not edible or pleasing
to the eye or a certificate with a grade on it, our “end product” has a strong
desire to drive on public roads with all the potential dangers that presents.
That is a responsibility that you need to come to terms with
if you want to sleep well at night.
If you are still reading this blog, then I take my hat off
to you, as it is hardly an attractive subject for an aspiring PDI. And my last piece of advice for you for
staying the course is to offer you some light.
Whilst that is a responsibility, you need to be assured that you are not
alone. The reason why my blogs for PDI’s
often refer to the DVSA Driving Standard is because that organisation is the “compass”
that keeps us all on track.
Tom Ingram provides training for PDI’s on a PAYG basis 0775 607 1464
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