Page 174 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

146 8 Integrating Training into Animal Husbandry

VetBooks.ir that individuals in the team have a tremen­ initial phase, engage your team and get them
excited about the idea. You need them to feel
dous natural talent for this type of training,
you may be able to reduce the previous six to
process and can shape the idea, as they are the
eight months’ timeframe to three to six that they are a part of the decision‐making
months, or less. This type of gap assessment ones who will be implementing it. Make sure
can help you effectively manage the expecta­ your training vision is compelling and share it
tions of all involved in a project. with the team, so they can envision what the
Undertaking a gap assessment to under­ future could look like, without the detail that
stand skills and attitudes is a first step in you may have in your mind. The formula here
‘meeting your team where they are’ and is is simple: lead with Sinek’s ‘why’, and then lis­
necessary in moving them to where you’d like ten with Covey’s fifth habit.
them to be. Your team may not agree on what Once you’ve clearly articulated the vision
specific training to integrate into your animal of the programme, let your team enlighten
husbandry, but with both individual and you. Whether your ideas become the con­
group assessments you can help achieve the struct you build your work around is irrele­
vision with a strategic initial approach to the vant, as either way, buy‐in goes up.
team. The outcomes from these types of gap Soliciting honest thoughts and opinions
assessments can help drive key decisions, may not be as easy as just simply asking for
such as what teams or team members are them. The level of trust in a team and the
approached first, or used at all, and the train­ personality types of the team members will
ing methods which should be adopted. alter their willingness to share what they are
thinking. For teams that may be experiencing
low trust within the group, you may need to
8.2.2 Creating Successful Teams
spend time with individual members, as
Creating an environment that is conducive to opposed to organising group forums, to get
change, and in which people feel confident the information needed. You should also be
that the training vision can be achieved, is prepared for the implementation of your
fundamental when integrating training into project to take longer than it probably would
animal husbandry. Covey (2004) discusses with a team experiencing high trust.
ways to sharpen the leadership skills needed A high trust team may embrace a new train­
to create a dynamic environment, separated ing initiative quickly and move forward with it
into seven habits. Habit five is ‘seek first to more rapidly than those in a low trust team.
understand, then to be understood’. This is a I have observed teams on both ends of this
valuable ‘habit’ to keep in mind when initially trust spectrum who had drastically different
approaching your team regarding any signifi­ training experiences and results. One team,
cant changes, whether training or related to who was working with plains zebras (Equus
other activities. It is tempting to share all of quagga), had low trust amongst them, which
your big ideas in full detail; however, heed the caused deliberation over every decision. They
advice to suspend your own perspectives and would second‐guess each other and had no
opinions when initially talking with others consistency in their training methods because
and don’t feel compelled to have all the they had difficulty sticking to the decisions
answers right away. Although you will want to that they did make. The zebras’ training went
clearly articulate the training vision of the very slowly and was frustrating for the team
programme, presenting fully‐formed ideas or because they were putting a lot of time into
opinions may actually hinder your ability to their sessions. By contrast, another team
be open to the thoughts and ideas from oth­ working with the red river hog (Potmochoerus
ers and/or an open exchange of ideas between porcus) were a high trust team that could
others if they feel that a singular direction make decisions and stick to them. They
has already been decided. Instead, during this trusted each other so much that they sup­