Training and Documents That Actually Work

When Books Meet Boots on the Ground

How I Learned to Create Training and Documents That Actually Work wasn’t the result of a seminar or certification—it was the hard-earned outcome of watching good systems fail and great people disengage.

Early in my career, I saw firsthand how policies became paperweights and training became a punchline. But I also worked alongside leaders who knew how to connect—who understood that compliance without clarity, and structure without soul, gets you nowhere fast. This is the story of how I stopped building documents for audits and started creating tools that people actually use. The difference? Everything.

I was fortunate to work under leaders who actually led—not just managed. They could walk into a room, connect with anyone, and leave people better than they found them. One of them handed me Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People and said, “You won’t understand this until you need it. But trust me, you will.”

He was right. It wasn’t about manipulation or smooth-talking. It was about one core truth: people are the reason your systems work. That simple idea has shaped every training program and document I’ve built since. And if you’re in safety, HR, compliance, or leadership, here’s the tough truth: if your systems don’t engage real people, they’re just expensive binders collecting dust.

From CYA to Buy-In

Call it intuition or experience, but it feels like genuine human connection has become a lost art in modern training. Somewhere along the way, policies became paperwork, and procedures became PowerPoint slides. If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone call training a “CYA exercise,” I could retire. But I wouldn’t—because I still love Kraft Dinner and fixing broken systems.

Here’s what I figured out: People are not motivated by regulations. They’re motivated by recognition, respect, and relevance. And that’s not a soft science claim—it’s backed by adult learning theory. According to Knowles’ principles of andragogy, adults need to see the value in what they’re learning, feel that it respects their experience, and be given space to participate in shaping the outcome (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2015).

In other words: if your training talks at them instead of with them, they’re already gone.

What a CEO Taught Me in 30 Seconds

One of the most formative moments of my career came during my first year at Wescast Industries. I was standing in a Christmas lineup to shake hands with the founder—a man I had never met, who led 9,000 employees worldwide. When he got to me, he shook my hand, said my name, and made a comment that proved he knew exactly who I was.

He didn’t have to do that. But he did. And that moment stuck with me because it showed me this: no one knows the job better than the person actually doing it. Real leadership isn’t about oversight—it’s about insight.

And science backs that up. A 2020 report by the Center for Creative Leadership found that employees who feel seen and heard by senior leadership are 4.6 times more likely to perform at their best (CCL, 2020).

The takeaway? Policies don’t improve performance—people do.

From Policing to Partnering

The turning point came when I stopped policing systems and started engaging the people who actually had to use them. That meant switching from the old “command-and-control” compliance model to something more dynamic: a coaching-consulting hybrid.

Coaching, when applied properly, opens the door to self-awareness and ownership. Consulting, when used strategically, adds technical expertise and legal clarity. In EHS and operational roles, both are necessary. Because let’s face it: the regulations are complex, the stakes are high, and the margin for error is small.

When you meet workers at the intersection of their experience and your expertise, that’s where the magic happens. Suddenly, you’re not just delivering training—you’re co-creating solutions.

And the result? Buy-in. Not the performative kind. The kind where people start defending the safety program for you, because it actually makes sense to them.

According to the National Safety Council, organizations with strong safety engagement see up to a 64% reduction in workplace incidents (NSC, 2021). Engagement isn’t fluff. It’s how you close the gap between policy and practice.

What Was Your Turning Point?

Have you ever had to rebuild your training systems from scratch? What moment changed your mindset about what works and what doesn’t?

Want to see how I build training that actually sticks? Let’s talk. Or better yet—show me what worked for you.

Drop a comment or message me. I’m still learning too.

Reference Sources:

1. Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development.
2. Center for Creative Leadership. (2020). Listening: The Key to Employee Engagement.
3. National Safety Council. (2021). The Business Case for Safety.