The L is for Learning

I had the delight of teaching my daughter to drive, and the experience has probably taught me as much as it has her.

I love driving, so being able to share with her this passion I have was something I was very much looking forward to.?? What I was not expecting was how poorly prepared I was as a driving instructor, and how this was a good reminder to me as a people manager.

Here were the top three lessons I took away.?

Lesson One – Indicate when turning – Understanding Emotions.

I assumed that Georgia would love driving.? She does not, and this meant that I was poorly prepared when getting into the passenger’s seat.

Understanding the position of the person you are coaching is so important to building report with them.? ?If they are coming into a role or project with apprehensions, you need to address those concerns and understand their point of view.? Without this they will becoming reluctant, or worse, disruptive, passengers on the journey. This conversation is like indicating when turning, it lets people know what direction you are heading and allows them to join.

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Lesson Two – Check your mirrors - Patience & Guidance

I forgot how much driving is like automatic pilot for me.? I have gotten so comfortable that I give very little thought to checking mirrors, indicating, changing gears…….taking a phone call, drinking a coffee, all while navigating Devon Hedgerows around kamikaze cyclists.??

?For a new driver, this is so much to take in, and at times too much.? When you have been doing something for a long time, it is easy to make assumptions and forget all the steps that you took to gain the understanding you have today.???

This is the same with a new team member and ensure that you are not piling too much information on at once.? Let it build up over time and ensure you are using the vocabulary they understand.? remember you are not looking in the mirror to see yourself (and where you are today) but to see what is around you and where they are now in thier journey.

Lesson Three – Instructors Manual - Personal Growth & Learning

Two things I realised very quickly on were,

1. I learned very differently on a very different car and

2. I had picked up a lot of bad habits.? This meant I needed to retrain my brain on how to support her and ensure I was not passing on any bad habits.?

There were two things I needed to

1. Read the Highway code and

2. Find her a qualified instructor.

?When in a new role it is important that we refresh our own knowledge of the role before teaching it to others.? Over the past 16 years in one company, I have been regularly introducted to new tools, functionality, processes and methodologies and it is easy to miss a few a long the way.? However, a single update may make a world of difference. With a new starter, you want to ensure they are utilising the very best of what is available to them, not just ‘how you do it’.? I would never tell my daughter to use a map rather than satnav, just because that is how I learned.

Finding an instructor for learning to drive sounds obvious, but I never had one, my father taught me to drive.? We all learn differently and also can sometimes learn better from one teacher than another.? Recognising this and being confident enough to bring in another voice, allows new joiners to get the best instruction possible.? This could be a peer, specialist or coach.

Through teaching my daughter to drive, I too became a better, more aware driver. This is also true whenever I have a new starter or mentee, I learn just as much and remind myself how much better I can be.....Always learning, the L plates don't ever really come off.