Learning is a team game

Just as important as supporting individual to take charge of their development and become independent or self-directed learners, learning is a team game. Being actively supported by the right people in an environment that values learning enables people to fully realise their potential. While that is professionally and personally rewarding, there are major benefits to the business.

There are lots of good reasons to get others aware and involved with what you are learning. But let me tell you a story first.

The tale of the shouty boss

Imagine you are a boss who has tended to be a bit shouty when people don’t get things right. You have an epiphany about your behaviour and think, “This whole shouty thing is really the wrong way to treat my employees and colleagues. I am going to make a change”. So, you get some coaching, practice better ways to deal with your frustrations, learn to be more supportive and start listening to people more. It’s possible that people around you will notice, but they have a lot going on and perhaps they lack a bit of awareness too.

You are executing your new plan brilliantly until one day, eight months after you have started your new way of being, a series of unfortunate events – possibly not sleeping, a family or business crisis, feeling a little unwell – finds you not quite on top of your game. Something happens that tips you back into your shouty ways just once, just briefly. You even catch yourself quickly and apologise.

To those who are not aware of your efforts to make this change in your behaviour, you are – despite that long period of non-shouty-ness – still just the shouty boss. But if you discuss your intention to be less shouty with your peers and colleagues at the beginning, share how you think you will go about doing what is needed, and ask them what they think might work to help you, they will be on the lookout for changes in you. And, if they are willing to support your efforts by holding you to account, when you do slip up, you are perceived as a reformed shouty boss just having a bad day. If your peers and team members are aware of what you are doing, it will be much easier, and quicker, to recover their trust, and potentially use that bad-day experience for further growth.

So what that little tale tells us (and it is a tale largely inspired by an example from Marshall Goldsmith in “What got you to here won’t get you to there”) is three important things about engaging others in your development.

Encourage each other’s progress

If others know what you are doing, they can encourage you. People are often incredibly helpful. They can recognise and praise your efforts – even when things aren’t going quite to plan, point you in the direction of someone who could help with something you might be struggling with, and just be a cheer squad. And everyone needs one.

Hold each other to account

The team is also there to point out when you are not making the effort or it’s not quite working – hopefully in a nice supportive way. Asking those around you to impose a penalty (like donating a small amount of money to a charity) when they see you not following through is a great incentive.

Make the change visible

Because it can be easier to change the reality than perceptions, you need to advertise what you are doing. People can be too busy to add up all the little signs that you are learning a new skill, or interested in gathering some particular new information. You may need to let them know.

By getting people aware and engaged with your development, and with you doing the same for others, we understand that people are capable of change and making an effort to change. We can start to see them in a new light. We see how we are all just works in progress. We may be able to develop greater empathy and compassion when things go wrong. Learning can be tough. Trying to learn and grow means we will stuff up from time to time. If the effort is genuine, there is boundless opportunities for support. 

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Gayle Smerdon PhD is an author, speaker, coach and organisational development practitioner who specialises in learning and culture. Gayle applies her expertise in strategic organisational development, learning, change and workplace communication, to create simple, practical tools and programs. 

Contact Gayle about iDevelop – a self-directed learning program that builds trust, encourages initiative and connection. Gayle’s book, iDevelop – Taking charge of your professional development by becoming a conscious learner will be released tomorrow.