July/August 2006

Back to School

We all know the value of education. A good education will help children grow into competent adults who can make wise choices, acquire good jobs, be independent, and solve problems. But education shouldn’t end after high school or college. Education should be a lifelong pursuit that keeps us engaged, interested, and young at heart.

That’s why it’s imperative for those of us who are done with our formal learning to continue our education at work. The best workplaces are full of discovery and learning. And organizations that value learning actually perform better than those that don’t. One study found that companies that invest in people-focused practices, such as building learning capacity and professional development, fare better financially than those that don’t. But these companies don’t get there overnight. It can take years—just as it can take years for a child to become competent in reading or math.

For learning to take hold, people must work at it—they must practice daily, be inquisitive, be willing to take risks, and have teachers and mentors they respect. With all those ducks in a row, learning will thrive.

Foster a Culture of Discovery
Although the term “learning organization” has been around for more than a decade now, two authors say they prefer“discovering organization.” Chip R. Bell and Billjack R. Bell, authors of Magnetic Service, explain that “learning” suggests adding to existing knowledge, while “discovering” means “actively searching, deliberately exploring, and finding.” What can leaders do to foster a culture of discovery? Here’s what the authors recommend:

(1) Ask questions at every opportunity. Demonstrate your passion for learning by constantly asking managers and employees about customers’ experience and progress on projects. These questions are not meant to “check up” on Back to School employees, but to search for new information that may prove valuable.
(2) Tell stories. Stories are a great way to communicate meaning, stir inquiry, and instruct. When FedEx employees tell the story of a frontline employee who authorized a private jet to transport equipment needed to rescue young Jessica McClure from a well in Texas, they are really saying, “We are empowered to make decisions on behalf of customers.”
(3) Deliver constructive feedback. Instead of an accusatory, “You were wrong to do that,” ask, “What might be the impact of your actions?” Provide honest, clear feedback that leaves no doubts in the listener’s mind.

Leaders Who Teach
All great leaders have been teachers. Thomas Jefferson mentored Meriwether Lewis before he ventured off with James Clark in search of the Northwest Passage. Winston Churchill taught the British not to give up. And let’s not forget my dear friend Daffy, who taught us a thing or two about laughter.

Leaders in your organization should also strive to be teachers—whether it’s by modeling certain behaviors, teaching in formal classes, coaching, or mentoring. Consultant Brian Jones recommends turning leaders into teachers by:

(1) Inspiring confidence. Teaching and speaking in public can be scary prospects for some. Make teaching easier by scripting the message, if necessary, and giving lots of positive feedback.
(2) Helping leaders find their story. Everyone has some sort of personal success story that can help inspire and educate others. Invite managers to think about a time when they feared change but things worked out fine.
(3) Focusing on projects that matter. Forget about “leadership development,” and instead concentrate on the problems and issues at hand. Get your managers busy on the real work.
(4) Engaging learners. Learners should be active, not passive, participants. They should be involved in teaching activities and discussions and regularly meet with leaders.
(5) Rewarding teachers. Hire people who are effective teachers. Send the message that teachers are important by including stories in your newsletter about effective teaching or by publicly recognizing good teachers.

Knowledge Leaders
Knowledge and information are tools that are expected and even demanded from every worker today, not just top management. This reality places new demands on leaders, who would do well to cultivate the following skills, according to Keshavan Nair, author of Beyond Winning:

(1) Interactive leadership. No longer can senior managers afford to work exclusively with each other. Knowledge-based organizations require managers to interact with a cross-section of employees to develop strategies and solutions. The value of an idea must be based solely on the idea itself, not on the position of the person who devised it.
(2) Leading while following. Today’s leaders must accept the fact that others—oftentimes, individuals who are younger or many levels below senior leadership—are the ones with superior knowledge. This means that leaders must strive to be comfortable leading individuals who may know more than they do.
(3) Intellectual curiosity. This essential characteristic allows leaders to respect the knowledge and skills of others. Showing genuine interest in others’ work and skills generates greater motivation and commitment among employees.
(4) Bridging the intellectual and business worlds. Leaders build a bridge that turns knowledge and information into economicreality. They must also convince others of how being a knowledge-based business can yield positive financial results.

Training That Sticks
As every leader knows, one of the problems with training is that participants leave the event, go back to work, and all their new knowledge vanishes—they don’t apply it to their jobs. Consultants Jack Zenger, Joe Folkman, and Bob Sherwin, authors of The Extraordinary Leader, explain that for training to stick, four elements must be in place:

1. Motivation. People rarely change if they are not motivated to do so. The most effective employees and leaders are those who constantly seek ways to improve their performance.
   
2. Accountability. Three people are responsible for the training session: the manager, the trainer, and the participant. Implementation occurs only when each of these three accepts his or her role in making it happen. The participants must be clear about their responsibility when they return to work; managers must understand what was learned, watch to make sure the learning is applied, and give positive reinforcement when it is; trainers must know what happens when learners return to the job and encourage follow-up activities.
   
3. Visibility. Organizations rarely measure the impact of training programs, mainly because they don’t have an effective way to do so. The inability to clearly see or measure what the participant learned is a major roadblock to implementation.
   
4. Follow-up. “If learning is simply an event and materials are put on a shelf to be forgotten, then these skills or information will not be implemented,” write the consultants. “People don’t do what you expect; they do what you inspect.”

• Set the bar high. By not lowering her standards or giving up on Guttman, the novice writer reached a new level of excellence.
  
• Be clear. Joan never said, “rewrite this,” but gave Guttman specifi c feedback about what to change. She never focused on how bad the writing was, but how it could be better.
  
• Don’t offer solutions. Joan refrained from telling Guttman how to write the article. She pointed out the problems with it but then let him come up with the solutions.
  
• Test for understanding. At the end of each feedback session, Joan laid out what she expected from Guttman in their next meeting and scheduled the meeting so he could be prepared.
  
• Be patient. “Joan may have been frustrated by the rework,” writes Guttman, “but she never let it show. I was on a learning curve, and she gave me the time I needed.”

• Energize employees by providing vision and support. Give staff members the resources to try new approaches, and don’t penalize the occasional failure.
  
• Empower people by giving them responsibility and authority. Managers have to delegate—inspire employees by trusting them to take the initiative.
  
• Manage by providing, not punishing. The best managers act as coaches and colleagues. They develop employees by encouraging training, allowing employees to learn new skills, and allowing productive disagreements.
  
• Foster honest and respectful communication. Free and frequent exchange of information lets employees share their ideas as well as concerns and helps managers fi t the right person to the task.