There Is Only One Right Way

How to know if your instructor is going to be effective or not. . .

My Way or the Highway — This Is the Right Way to Do It — Any Other Way Is Wrong — Hold the Tool like I Showed You — You Can’t Do It That Way — You’re Doing It Wrong — That Will Never Work — You Have To Do It like to Me — There Is Only One Way That Will Work — You Must Follow My Instructions Exactly

You might still be able to learn something from your instructor, but phrases like those I just listed should throw up huge red flags about their ability to teach. Let me share an important discovery I made while working at Home Depot many years ago. There are usually a lot of different ways to do something, most of which worked pretty well. Everyone will have their preferred method which doesn’t make it any better or worse than someone else’s preferred method. As a result, I have learned to offer advice by stating that “most folks find that this method works pretty well” rather than stating that it must be done one particular way.

My blanket advice regarding turning techniques and issues is that “If the way you are doing it now is working for you and if you’re happy with it, keep doing it that way. If it isn’t working or you are looking for a better way, perhaps you should try this method/technique/approach.” YouTube is a wonderful tool and I visit it often not only to post my own clips but to watch others. Sometimes I discover methods that will help me improve my own turning, or I might discover a unique approach which would solve a particular challenge which I know we all face. Sometimes, however, I witness techniques so bad that I have to stop watching as was the case a few minutes ago.

You might be the most highly skilled person in the room, but sometimes you aren’t. Keep an open mind you might learn something. This week’s advice is meant to help you be more effective when you are given the opportunity to show, teach, or advise others, or conversely when you are the student witnessing this behavior. It is perfectly okay to show folks what works for you when attacking a particular turning situation. The way you do it is the right way for you and it may also work for others. But, it is not the only way and it will certainly not always be the preferred way for everyone in the same situation. That doesn’t make the way you do it wrong. Don’t insist that your students do everything exactly the way you do it. At the same time, keep an open mind because occasionally someone else will have a better idea and after some consideration you may wish to change your approach.

My last newsletter generated quite a few responses for which I am grateful. I will be able to report more in the coming months. Sweet Janice and I are off to the AAW national symposium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this week and I hope to see many of you there. I will be in the Peachtree Woodworking Supply booth, as they are my largest dealer, and I am requesting that you swing by and introduce yourself. I always love to see folks who get my newsletters. Because wherever you go there you are.

Here is my inspiration for this message:

Romans 14:5 NLT In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. Each person should have a personal conviction about this matter.