How Training Connor Changed the Way We Train Everyone

When our son Connor joined 3rd Element in 2016, we put him through the same training everyone else got. It didn't work. Connor wasn't the problem. Our training was built for one kind of learner, and he wasn't that kind.

Most of our training at the time meant reading material on a screen. Connor processes information differently, and reading screens wasn't going to work for him. He learns by seeing something done and then doing it himself. After that, he needs written material to go back to.

Once we saw that clearly, we had to admit something uncomfortable. If our training only worked for people who learn by reading, it probably wasn't working as well as we thought for a lot of other people either. They had just found ways to cope with it.

We rebuilt our training so every topic is taught three ways: visually, hands-on, and in writing. The order changes depending on what's being taught. Some material makes more sense when you see it first. Some makes more sense when you do it first. Some needs to be read before anything else.

We changed how we interview, too. Our interviews are hands-on, so candidates can show us what they can do instead of having to explain it. A candidate who fidgets, avoids eye contact, or answers a question in an unexpected way isn't automatically a bad fit. If a question isn't landing, we rephrase it or ask it in a different order. We're trying to learn what the person knows and how they think, not how well they handle an interview.

The training we rebuilt for Connor became the foundation of the 90-day onboarding program every new hire goes through today, whatever their role. You can read how that program works here. Every person who goes through it gives us feedback, and we adjust the material based on what they tell us.

It isn't perfect, and it never will be, because everyone is different. The goal is to keep adapting the training to the people in front of us, instead of expecting them to adapt to it.

Connor still works with our team. He picks up and helps wherever he can, takes on projects suited to him, and contributes a great deal in an operating capacity. For several years, he helped many of our clients move their paper records into SharePoint and other document management systems. Most of those clients have since moved well past that stage. Today he is starting to help with our marketing and video production.

We've written about this before, and others have covered it too:

CRN: People Learn Differently: Helping Neurodistinct Employees Reach Their Full Potential

ChannelPro: Fueling Innovation with Neurodiversity