The 3 Most Important Characteristics of a Crane & Rigging Trainer

We have some of the world’s greatest instructors here at ITI.  They are personable, incredibly knowledgeable, and most importantly – they never stop learning.  Here are 3 characteristics that make up a great crane and rigging trainer.

1. President Harry Truman said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”  An instructor of anything can grow a big head and leave earth for a while if they forget that there are always new things to learn.  The gravitational awakening this know-it-all trainer will experience may come from a mentor, colleague, or even a student.  In the crane and rigging industry, changing technologies, regulations, and techniques force instructors to constantly keep those neurons firing and always remain Teachable.
2. My brother is an Officer in the US Army.  He has been instructing soldiers since he graduated from West Point Military Academy.  However, he will be the first to tell you that when he returns from his first tour of duty overseas, his message will have an unparalleled impact compared to his prior, “inexperienced” instructional sessions.  At ITI, our students get dirty everyday at their job.  What will they gain from trainers who have never been dirty themselves?  This is why a truly Experienced trainer is the most prepared to teach and the most admired by their students.
3. Have you ever had a robot teach you physics for eights hours straight?  Well, me neither.  But I’m sure we can all imagine it – a lack of personality and humility as facts, figures, and examples are tossed over our heads.  A Great Communicator is someone who is personable, humble, and genuinely convinced that the listener must be able to interpret was is being iterated.  Not only are they convinced of this fact, but the reason they are a great communicator is because they have the ability of speaking at the level of the listener, and not like a robot.

So there you have it, my humble opinion:

1. Teachable
2. Experienced
3. Great Communicator

I hope you are able to learn from ITI’s crane and rigging instructors someday soon.  I smart thing to do would be to pick up the latest ITI 2011 Training Schedule, and see when you can make it to a training program.