Why Earthquakes Don't Work

Earthquakes are good at some things.  They are good at causing massive change to topography.  They are also good at breaking dishes and directing traffic to CNN or Yahoo News.  Earthquakes may even be good at finding a newfound respect for a doorframe you had previously ignored as 'nothing special'.  Yes, there are some things earthquakes are quite good at, but when it comes to learning, earthquakes don't cut it.

In this, I'm referring to crafting a massive change in perspective or knowledge that shakes up most of what the learner was previously aware of.  An earthquake method treats learning as something that involves destruction; destroying previously held notions, wiping clear previous ideas.  But in reality, learning works best as a gradual process, and an effective leader should emphasize what was previously learned to build upon the next piece of information rather than go for shock and surprise with the next reveal.

Surprises work well for earthquakes.  But when it comes to teaching, surprises don't work as effectively for leaders.  A leader who has an abrupt teaching style opens him or herself up to a loss of credibility; what the leader is hoping may come across as a clearing of the mind or leading to an 'a-ha' moment often appears as a lack of preparation.  Furthermore, surprises can frequently discourage the learner; people want to feel that what they have learned up until now has been worthwhile and hasn't been wasted time.  By using 'earthquake teaching' we're actively trying to cast doubt on previously held understandings.

What's more helpful in learning is to build on what's been done before.  If an earthquake is a metaphor for a style of teaching we want to avoid, think of a river carving a canyon as a style we want to emulate.  We must build on what has been learned in order to teach new knowledge.  When teaching, its important to identify the previously obtained knowledge and seek connections between that and the new.  Doing this highlights the fact that the leader and learner are actually building towards something based on knowledge already possessed by the learner.

By taking a gradual approach towards learning we give the learner more confidence and highlight past development, while also showing a potential roadmap for the future.  With earthquake teaching, we never know what will be affected, so we have no consistency in our development and no confidence in what will remain.  But when leaders approach learning as a gradual process their teams will continuously build a useful bank of interconnected knowledge that will continue to strengthen as he or she learns more and more.

How To Make Your Point With Wrong Answers

We've all encountered it.  You're having a great meeting or you're in the middle of a perfect presentation; you've thought of everything.  You've been building up to a new idea and all the work up until this point has been preparing them for the 'critical moment'.  The moment when they all exclaim 'oooohhhh' and everything falls into place.

And it comes, and it goes.  It flops, it falls apart.  For whatever reason your people are not digesting the concept you've provided for them.  And worse, you can't move on until they do.

We all know the proverb, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.  This can be true for teaching.  So frequently we can provide all the info, the instruction, and the resources to our people but they don't get the point.  And sometimes this isn't our problem.  It is not the responsibility of a leader for a person's success.  Its not our responsibility to ensure our team never fails (that would be impossible).

But what if this said horse is thirsty and has simply never seen a river before?  The horse has been led to water but he doesn't know that he can actually drink from it.  Many times in teaching the fact that people aren't seeing the point isn't a result of stubbornness, its simply lack of awareness.  And its here where our skills as effective teachers really come to help us.

Good leaders can accept ignorance in their people.  We're here to teach-if they already knew it all, what would be the point.  Don't get frustrated with those people who don't 'get it'.  Our job as leaders is to help them 'get it,' and our success in this validates our title as 'Leaders'.

As we teach, its important to be prepared for the incorrect answer.  I don't believe my people are dumb, I just want to be ready with a backup plan if my point isn't understood.  Whenever you are making a new point or sharing new information be ready for that not knowing.  Its great if they get it, just don't assume it.

So, instead of seeking answers, seek ideas.  It may be a lot to ask your people to divine the specific idea you have in mind, but everyone can be expected to share a thought on a subject.  We all have experiences, we all have different areas of expertise.  Though a correct answer is difficult to guess, an simple idea is easy to provide.

Instead of fishing for a specific answer, do mini-brainstorms.  No need to write it down, just get people to vocalize thoughts.  From this group of ideas there's a greater likelihood that the correct train of thought has been provided.  The safety in numbers principle holds here.

Keep in ind the goal isn't the correct answer, its the usable answer.  Be on the lookout for suggestions that have some parallels to your point.  Keep an eye out for 'horseshoe ideas,' ideas that are close to what you want to say but not quite there.  When you encounter these ask permission to rephrase it into something closer to your point.  This way the leap to your point won't be so far.

Once we have these collected ideas we need to use them.  Begin to explain your point incorporating what your people already said.  Refer, by the person's name, to specific suggestions that are relevant to your concept.  This helps lead to our point, rather than forcing a search for it.  Emphasize the similarities between what has been said and what you're introducing.  Once similarities have been addressed, dive into the peculiarities of your point.

When presenting new knowledge, it is better for it to appear as an evolution of knowledge currently held, rather than a radical break from what they knew.  People are more likely to remember and utilize information that builds upon what the already have.  Maybe we're hearing a bunch of wrong answers, but all those wrong answers can come together to form the right thought.

Sometimes you need to give them what they want

In general I encourage the view that leadership is a process interwoven with teaching.  I believe that people should help coach and guide those employees, peers, or team members they work with to help them learn more, and therefore perform more effectively in future projects.  Effective leaders realize that teaching is an investment of time that results in a future of greater efficiency.

But what about those situations which necessitate taking charge.  Leaders frequently encounter them and they must be addressed.  Dan Rockwell, at the fantastic blog Leadership Freak, gives a ten question survey to identify if this is a 'Leader Take Charge' situation:

1) Employees expect direction. This may not be the determining factor but it matters.
2) Situations require direction.  Beginnings require more direction than middles or endings.
3) Tasks are once and done rather than frequently repeated.
4) Situations are highly ambiguous.
5) Uncertainty is high.
6) Organizational structure calls for authority; formal authority is high.
7) Team members lack skills, education, or experience and they need time to develop.
8) Tasks are highly complex.
9) Failure is high impact and public.
10) Job satisfaction is a function of the group rather than centered within the individuals.  Military organizations generally illustrated a need for highly directive leadership styles where job satisfaction is closely tied to the group.

(read his post here)

These times exist and failure to take charge is not an example of a caring and effective leader.  Rather its an example of a leader who is incapacitated and unable to accept responsibility.

For a leader who frequently is trying to help teach and develop, these times of directive leadership can feel like a bit of cognitive dissonance; you're always striving towards one way of thinking and suddenly you feel you are working in the opposite direction.

How can we maintain our effectiveness when we switch our leadership styles?

First of all, acknowledge the situation.  Identify the situation for what it is and inform your people you are going to take a more directive, or hands-on approach, for this project or goal.  Remember to choose your words carefully.  You do not need to tell someone 'You lack the skills necessary to perform this project,' when you could just as easily say 'This project requires a large skill set and I'm going to be more involved in it'.

Secondly, acknowledge your involvement.  Make sure to inform your team you're going to be more active in this project.  Take this as an opportunity to be in the trenches with your group and experience the same everyday minutiae they must go through.  This experience is a great relationship builder.

Finally, narrate the project.  Use meta-communication at times to encourage people to look at what they are doing or how they are doing it.  Its true you need to be involved for this specific task, but will the be ready to accomplish the next one?  Highlight specific points and areas that were done well or could become potential obstacles and explain why.  This is where the teaching comes in.

When done effectively a switch to directive leadership style won't feel like a substantial switch at all to your people.

"Are you the Expert? Then I'll just say nothing"

Before this school year began, I met with my teachers to get our rooms prepared, talk about the upcoming semester, and discuss ideas we had during the summer.

While putting away the bookshelf, I mentioned an idea I wanted to introduce, having a new question each week to get students more conversationally fluent with a variety situations rather than the typical 'How are you?' and 'What is the weather like today?' Seeing her begin to process this I launched into an explanation of the whys behind this idea. Pretty soon I had a response.

"Of course, your right"

That was it, and she meant it. But it wasn't exactly what I hoped for. Though I achieved the end goal of introducing this activity into our lessons I realized I had achieved it as an expert. Her nonverbals in the first few moments indicated she was still thinking it over, and I never allowed her that luxury. Instead she simply agreed assuming I would know what was correct.

Its difficult to introduce a new idea or begin a new project when you're seen as an expert.

On one hand its easy, everyone wants you to take the reigns to tell them what to do. You already know what should be done so just tell us all and we won't waste anyone's time. Experts are confident. Experts have all the answers.

But does anyone learn this way when an expert is your leader? If you're the leader of a team, will your team develop further if you take the expert mentality? Sure you may achieve your goal quickly and maybe even without trouble, but will anyone have learned anything throughout the process?

Yes there is learning at the end, upon completion. But there is also learning that occurs throughout the execution of your goal and there is learning that occurs when starting the project.

Beginnings are always great learning opportunities for leaders to use.

So, what are some simple ways to begin that won't cast you in an expert role?

1) Ask their thoughts. Ask their ideas first and truly listen to them. Give them time to think and time to answer. Most likely they'll need more time than you to collect their thoughts.

2) Shift to Vision. Before giving all your wonderful ideas, share the vision you have for this project, not as a finalized statement but as an idea open to change. Ask what they think of the vision.

3) I'd like to try this. When it is an appropriate time in the discussion for you to say your thoughts, own your desire. Say 'I'd like to try such and such' and tell why. Then ask what they think.

With my counterpart I should have asked her thoughts on the upcoming school year first. From this I could have gained a reading of where she was in terms of preparation for classes to begin. After that discussion I should have shared my vision, in this case that our classes would help students reading, writing, speaking, and listening. From there it would be a natural segue to introduce an idea that would help our classes develop our commitment to English speaking and listening.

Invite discussion, share vision, ask for buy-in.

Using this strategy she would be actively involved in our discussion about to begin the school year, rather than accepting pearls of wisdom from the 'Expert'

Try this as you begin your next project. You may find your team has some ideas and perspectives you weren't expecting.

Teaching for Leaders: or 'Why Should I Care?'

An effective leader must have effective teaching techniques to accomplish their job.  An individual may have great ideas and the passion to work with others to put a plan into action.  But, if that individual is unable to effectively teach the people she works with she is not a leader.  She may be an enthusiastic participant, or an active team member, but not a leaders.  Leaders, to be leaders, must help others become better at what they are doing, and that requires teaching.

Teaching for Leaders is a site focused on helping leaders develop effective teaching techniques.  Our main premise is that every leader, whether they know it or not, is a teacher.  Every leader must convey difficult topics their team is unfamiliar with.  Every leader must communicate with a goal of reaching understanding.  Every leader is working towards a goal that will only be successful if their people are standing with them at the end.

The good news is teaching is simpler than leading.  Being a leader is a mindset, it is a way of viewing the environment that governs how you act.  But teaching-well that's just a skill set; there are many different ways and practices you can embrace to increase your skill at teaching.  And as you improve your teaching skills, you become a better teacher, and as you become a better teacher you become a better leader.

This site is for leaders wherever they may find themselves.  For the part-time employees just beginning to emerge as leaders and the managers with extensive experience.  For athletes looking to better lead on the field and and for chairpersons looking to have more effective committees. For the volunteer looking to motivate and the activist seeking community involvement.

For anyone who wants to be involved beyond taking direction, this site is aimed at you.

How Can Leaders be Good Learners?

If you asked people what traits they associate with a leader, you will usually get ideas such as taking command, making decisions, and initiating action.  With less frequency will you get ideas such as being flexible,  being an excellent listener, and being receptive to feedback.  'These are traits for our followers,' someone might think, 'I don't need to focus on these because I am the leader'.

That someone would be wrong.

A leader must be just as active in improving herself as she desires her team to.  Someone once told me 'If you're coasting, you're going downhill,' and if you are a leader who is not developing yourself you are becoming less effective.

But being in a learning environment can be difficult for someone who is so used to teaching.  When in  classroom, small group, or even one-on-one situations we are the the ones who must be learning.  And because of this unfamiliarity certain destructive instincts may come out.  We may try and be assertive of our own opinion and be unwilling to listen to other ideas that may challenge ours.  Or, we may try to project a subtle air of authority that will help us be viewed as above, or not needing, this instruction.  We may try and pretend we are already familiar and expert with the content being taught.

All of these possibilities can be expressed non-verbally, without saying anything.  These tendencies may come out independent of the leader realizing it, and they are all focused on preventing us from improving upon ourselves.  We must actively fight against them, and here's how.

1) Embrace your leadership instinct by committing to take a silent partnership role with the teacher.  Desire him or her to succeed in his or her goal.  Work with them to create a culture of understanding and curiosity.

2) Be aware of your body language.  Maintain eye contact and be conscious of your facial expressions.  Focus your attention where the teacher asks for it.  Smile.

3) Be an active and enthusiastic participant. If you are a leader, most likely other's will see you as such, so lead by example and ask questions, share difficulties you've had, and encourage everyone's involvement.

Taking an active role in being a good learner not only develops you as a leader, but it also indicates to others that you truly value those who are active learners, which strengthens your team.  Two benefits in one!

Looking for the Moment to Teach

There are a million demands on our day.  There are emails to reply to, meetings to run, phones to answer, classes to teach, coffees to refill, reports to write, posts to reply to, prospects to pitch, clients to ameliorate, etc etc.  And in the midst of these seemingly immediately urgent demands the prospect of taking time to teach can shudder at the the thought of the incoming straw that may break this camels back.

But why does teaching have to seem like such a process?  Instead of viewing teaching as a hour-long (or more!) commitment, what if we looked at it as a flexible activity that can be used to fill those in-between moments.

There are a few benefits to this mindset.

1) Efficiency-live, in the moment, feedback is more effective.  You probably won't remember the specific, teachable moment in a week.  And if you do it certainly won't be as powerful.  Furthermore, people can only process a little bit of feedback at a time, a torrent of feedback will be largely lost.

2) Sincerity-timely feedback is viewed as more sincere.  The fact that you felt it necessary to give an immediate (or close thereafter) impression of the situation showcases a true belief of the importance of the event.  Coming back to an event that has sit for a week or two may indicate that the lesson wasn't truly critical.

3) Connectivity-taking time to teach reinforces relationships and builds greater connection.  Teaching is investment, and we only invest in that which we believe is valueable.  As a leader, teaching is a productive way to connect with your team and highlight their value.

But it can be difficult to find the time to follow up.  Maybe you're busy, maybe you're exhausted, maybe you're emotionally drained.  Whatever the day there will always be an excuse waiting in the wings to avoid teaching.  So here are a few ways you can start teaching more, today.

1) Don't create time, look for opportunities.  The key to taking a moment to teach is not to set aside time to do it.  The key is to look for those already existing moments; walking together to a meeting, driving back from an event.  Often we fill these 'in between times' with small talk, which is important at times, but begin to also view this as valuable development time.

2) Try a standard formula for ease of conversation.  Quick conversations don't have much time for beating around the bush, so try this conversation structure for quick teaching moments.  First, state the behavior you want to address.  Next, give an observed example of this behavior with your student.  Finally, give the observed affect on the work, project, or other people.

3) Make it productive, not personal.  Don't focus on a fault or lack of the particular person, focus on the behavior or result you want to address.  If the teaching leans a bit critical, don't apologize for it, rather support your statement with examples.  If the teaching leans towards praise, give the 'why' behind what went well.  Instead of addressing the person, you want to address the behavior.

By taking just a few minutes everyday to teach you'll find that you will be able to have more dynamic and worthwhile relationship with your team, employees, or coworkers, than you had before.  And by looking for the moment to teach you will ensure there is always time.