We are not born trainers. A degree in library science, literature, or engineering does not provide people with the ability to get knowledge, skills, and concepts across to others. People who work in libraries are becoming increasingly aware that they need to spend much of their time helping the customer or even other staff to learn to do something. To do this well, we need to know how people learn, why they learn, and how best to help them to learn. The most successful projects start with a well-thought out plan which in some case can take a couple of hours to develop.
Wise planning can help to prevent all sorts of unwanted occurrences or potential disasters.
Unfortunately, few of us really know how to do it and when to use it. Many of the most successful corporate structures are reducing the hierarchy and relying on teams of people to achieve the company goals. Yet, libraries have been slow to adapt to legitimate teams and a real team environment. Many public libraries must depend on groups of community individuals for their guidance and governance. Some of these individuals have had extensive experience serving on various boards and commissions.