Category
6 articles
Every team has a task only one person can do, and it's usually said with a bit of pride. It shouldn't be. Here's the case for the understudy rule — a named second person for every critical task, built without a single training day.
Slides are comfortable. They're also the reason half your training is forgotten by Friday. This is a practical, slightly opinionated blueprint for a session with no deck at all — plus how to sell the idea to the people who approve the budget.
Hiring into late November or December often tempts everyone to push the start date into January. But the quietest month can give a new starter the best attention they'll ever get — if you plan it properly and go in with your eyes open.
Short, structured shadowing can build real capability without a formal course. The trick is keeping it to one hour, one workflow and one useful follow-up question.
Most skills audits collapse under their own paperwork long before they produce anything useful. Here is a lighter way to find the real gaps — using data you already have, twenty-minute conversations, and a one-page scoring grid you can actually keep alive.
A low-bureaucracy end-of-year exercise for UK team leaders who want to spot skills gaps before 2027 planning takes over. Use three columns, a notebook and 45 minutes to turn vague concerns into a short, realistic training conversation.