Tony Huppert, CEO, Team Oil Inc.

Every generation speaks of the next generation of workers like they are aliens.

My parents use to say, “When I was young, I use to walk to and from school uphill both ways.” My generation likes to say, “The younger generation just doesn’t understand.” Statements like these do not help in the training of new employees.

Employees today, not only want to be taught how to do something, they want to know why it is done a certain way.

If the trainer can teach how and why, the battle is won. With educational technology available to almost everyone, it is harder to get by with just the word “because” in the training process.

Our new educational system is teaching the students and future workers to ask the question “why.” That creates a lot of problems for older trainers who were taught “it is not your’s to question why it is your’s to do or die.”

I speak from experience, I’m from that generation. I grew up with seven older brothers, and “because I said so,” was their favorite teaching technic.

Maybe more time ought to be set aside training the trainer. Teach by example. The “do as I say not as I do,” just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Tony Huppert is a Wisconsin businessman of 40 years and CEO of Team Oil Inc., the family-owned and operated Team Oil Travel Center, and Subway in Spring Valley, Wis.