My 80-year-old dad is experiencing cognitive decline, has had eye surgery on both eyes, and is deaf. One of my siblings says that my dad is a “terrifying” driver. But no one in the family is doing anything about it, probably because they’re all busy raising families. How can I talk to them about my dad’s driving? And how can we talk to our dad, who will not take lightly his car keys being taken by his children?

Signed,
Concerned

Dear Concerned,

I am sorry to hear about your father. It’s never fun to watch your parents age and decline in their abilities. Your concern for his driving is appropriate, as is your concern for how he will respond to the conversation. No one wants to admit, let alone experience, limitations that come due to aging.

This is a conversation that many people will face with their parents. While for your dad it’s his vision and hearing, for others it could be medical conditions that impair their abilities. Regardless of the limitations, the challenge a child faces is convincing a parent that they are now placing themselves and the public at risk.

My guess is your father, while aware that he’s no longer as keen as he once was, probably feels that he’s still capable. In addition, he may see surrendering his keys as the end of the life he’s always known. Lost is the ability to visit others, or go to the store, or even go out to eat. You see driving as a danger. He sees not driving as a loss of freedom.

So how do you bridge the gap? How do you help him understand that in his current state he shouldn’t be driving? The potential is for you to argue your concerns and for him to argue his counterpoints. That accomplishes nothing and may damage your relationship.

It sounds like your siblings agree and have the same concerns about your father’s driving. It may make sense to have a unified front and to visit with your father together. If that’s not possible, this may be something you have to do on your own, representing the family.

The real question is how do you make your father’s surrender of his car keys his idea? Or, at the very least, something he agrees to do? Here are some suggestions to help you in this quest:

Focus on what you really want. As you speak to your father, begin by letting him know that you’d like to talk to him about his driving and some of your concerns. Share your good intent. One of the best ways of doing so is by contrasting what you do want with what you don’t want. You feel it’s time for him to stop driving, but you don’t want him to feel like he’s losing his freedom or mobility. You actually want to allow his mobility without the potential risks of his driving,

Use facts to explain your concerns. While you and your siblings may feel as if your father’s driving is “terrifying,” explaining that to your dad will trigger a defensive response as he digs in and defends his stance. What makes his driving “terrifying?” Share the facts of your father’s dangerous encounters while driving. Begin with his most recent and add others that support your concerns.

Invite him to share. The key is to engage in dialogue rather than a monologue of you telling him it’s time to turn in his keys. Remember the goal is to help him to decide to do so. After sharing your facts (what you’ve noticed) and your concerns (why it matters), ask him to share his perspective. Inviting him to participate in the conversation will help him feel included in the final decision.

Seek a mutual purpose. Avoid too much focus on the dangers of his horrible driving and that he needs to stop driving. Instead, focus on finding a solution that makes doing so acceptable in his eyes. A mutual purpose is a win-win for both you and your father. Explain you want to find a solution that allows him the flexibility and freedom he seeks, while at the same time avoids the potential dangers of him driving with his limited vision, hearing, and cognitive decline.

Come prepared with suggestions. It may be helpful to do some homework before approaching your father. Look into the options available that will help your father maintain his freedom as well as allow him to stay connected with others and do the things he wants to do. Maybe you can teach your father how to use rideshare services like Uber or Lyft. Doing so will help establish your intent that giving up the car keys doesn’t mean giving up on life. This may improve the likelihood of your father making a smooth transition.

Best of luck to you as you approach this difficult conversation.

If you’ve had experiences delivering difficult news to an aging parent, please add any insights you have learned in the comments.

Sincerely,
Scott

The post How to Confront an Aging Parent about Their Driving appeared first on Crucial Learning.

I have a new employee on my team who is very knowledgeable but shares her knowledge in a very know-it-all fashion. I’m concerned this will lead to a disconnect between her and the rest of the team. I want her to develop good relationships with our team members, but I’ve noticed that her tendency is driving people away. Some folks on my team have also noticed and let me know. How do I “coach” her? I’ve never had to coach to personality traits before. It’s so much easier to address poor performance or disrespect, but this? What can I do?

Signed,
Coach

Dear Coach,

Thanks for your question. Let me begin by applauding your word choice. As a people leader, one of my favorite responsibilities is that of a coach. In today’s evolving workplace, the role of servant leadership—with mentoring and coaching—is becoming more and more important. Additionally, those entering the workforce want to work in environments that foster skill development, and that requires coaching.

You may have to shift your mindset a bit to coach someone. Managing takes more of a directive approach by telling people what to do or solving their problems for them. Mentoring and coaching take an indirect approach. Mentors help by showing and offering guidance. Coaches ask questions so others can solve and overcome their own challenges.

So, what to do with your situation? How do you coach someone with a “know-it-all” personality?

Make Your Motives Clear

Focusing on what you really want is of most importance. But it’s a balance between what you want for EACH member and what you want for the TEAM. Phil Jackson, a world-champion professional basketball coach once said, “The strength of a team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”

What do you want for the team? My guess is you want a team where everyone can freely and safely share their ideas with each other. You want a team that not only listens but also values everyone’s ideas and input. You want a team that creates a strong pool of shared meaning to make better decisions and get improved results.

Within the team, what do you want for each team member? Again, my guess is you want each member of your team to feel safe to share, explore, challenge, question, and inspire one another. You want them to make their biggest and best contributions. These motives should drive how you lead your team. They should be your focus when you coach, especially in times when things go wrong or emotions get strong. Once you are clear with your motives, share them with your team and remind them in moments like this when you need to address something getting in the way.

Help Her See

People are often unaware of how their behavior impacts others. Good coaches don’t merely tell others what they are doing wrong. They help them see their behavior. In sports, a coach will use game film (a video recording of the game) to help the player identify where they fell short. In watching themselves perform, you don’t have to tell them what they did wrong; they will see it.

It’s probably a bit cumbersome for you to walk around with a video camera capturing every team interaction. And even if modern technology allowed for it, I wouldn’t recommend it. Instead, try to capture what we might call “verbal game film.” Your question suggests that your employee shares her knowledge in a “know-it-all” fashion. What does that look like? If she were watching game film of the interaction, what would she see? What would she hear?

She may or may not know she is even doing it. Share the facts of these interactions to help her see how her behavior is affecting others. Avoid any stories or conclusions, like she’s a “know-it-all.” Doing so may trigger defensiveness and limit her receptiveness to your coaching. Stick to facts and try to help her see the impact her behavior is having on others. For example, “You may not be aware of it, but when you said in today’s marketing meeting ‘Everyone knows that direct mail is dead!’ others looked downward and went silent. Later, a few team members expressed concern that you shut down dialogue.”

Then invite her to share her thoughts after seeing the “game film.”

Let Her Lead

Whether this behavior is a new discovery or one she has been aware of for years, let her lead in exploring solutions. Too often as leaders we look for a quick fix. We insert ourselves too quickly. Remember, those you lead are closest to the problem and often know what to do better than you. Leaders are sometimes hesitant to step into a coaching role because they worry they don’t have all the answers. You don’t have to have all the answers. You just need to care.

Ask questions to engage her in discovering the best approach moving forward. Work jointly to find a solution that serves a mutual purpose for both her and the team.

Great leaders have a coaching mindset. Use this opportunity to identify how you can help your team learn and improve. I’d love to hear what other leaders have done to coach their team members. Tell us in the comments.

Sincerely,
Scott

The post How to Coach a Know-It-All appeared first on Crucial Learning.

I’ve taken a different approach. To guide my desires and commitments for being better in the coming year than I was the year before, I choose a word for the year. My guess is many of you have done something similar. Some of my past words include contribute, grow, focus, become. This year, my word is discipline. In his book Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control, author Ryan Holiday says, “Discipline means being disciplined in all things, especially the little things.”

I want to be more disciplined in the little things of my life. For me, that means improving my daily habits. A habit is something that starts out as choice and then becomes nearly an automatic pattern. The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg, teaches the science behind habit formation with three components of the habit loop:

• The cue: the trigger or signal that initiates the habit (time of day, your environment, etc.)
• The routine: the actual behavior or action
• The reward: the signal to the brain to do the routine again (a positive outcome or satisfaction)

Once you identify the desired routine, leveraging the right cues and the right rewards helps create automaticity.

What daily habits would you like to be automatic this year? Mediation? Exercise? Journaling? Reading? Networking? Regardless of your desired habits, it will ultimately take discipline—or, in other words, willpower. As Charles Duhigg says, “Willpower isn’t just a skill, it’s a muscle, like the muscles in your arms or legs, and it gets tired as it works harder, so there’s less power left over for other things.” It’s willpower that gets exhausted for many of us.

More than intelligence, wealth, or advanced academics, willpower seems to be a greater predictor of success. Understanding the habit loop will not be enough, we have to harness our willpower. We have to be more disciplined. But how? Here are five suggestions to help support your willpower.

Focus on Your WHY

People need a sense of purpose to persist in a habit change. Your why should be something personal and meaningful to you. It’s the reason why, specifically, you wish to accomplish this habit. Constantly ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?”

Create a Specific Plan

Too often our resolutions are too vague. Lose weight is a great goal, but it won’t guide your behavior. You are more likely to do a routine if you make it small and specific, like adding at least 25 grams of protein to your breakfast every day. Make it small and specific enough that when the time comes to do the routine, you don’t even have to think about it. The ultimate goal is to reduce the time between the cueing and the doing.

Surround Yourself with True Friends

Friends are great. True friends are better. A true friend makes it easier to accomplish our goals, not harder. A supportive network of true friends increases our willpower.

Turn Bad Days into Good Data

As you experiment with new habits, see yourself as the scientist and the subject. Learn to see your behavior not in terms of success and failure but in terms of data you can use to improve.

Repetition is Key

We often underestimate the amount of effort required to achieve success. Changing behavior will get harder before it gets easier. Over time it will get easier—but first, we must overcome the forces (real and perceived) that keep us where we are. And that takes repetition.

If you don’t believe it can and will get easier, you will find yourself at the beginning of the curve—and that makes it far too easy to slip back to your old habits and stay where you are. Take heart from this classic Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: “That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.”

These five tips to increase our discipline will be key as we look to learn from the past, live in the present, and prepare for the future. Let’s make 2024 the year of impact as we make, keep, and improve our daily habits in order to accomplish our even bigger goals.

The post Being Disciplined with Daily Habits appeared first on Crucial Learning.

How do you respectfully hold people accountable? We have clear standards for care, but some staff (and leaders) treat them as though they are optional. They aren’t! How do you hold someone accountable to the standard so they still feel capable, empowered, and motivated?

Signed,
Leader at a Loss

Dear Leader,

Your question holds the key to influencing your people. You asked, “How do you hold someone accountable to the standard so they still feel capable, empowered, and motivated?” People do things for two reasons, because they want to (motivation) and because they can (ability). To hold people accountable to the standards, target both their motivation and ability, but first get clear on exactly what you want them to do.

Clarify Vital Behaviors

Clarify and emphasize the behaviors that will bring about the desired outcomes of care. Make it clear to people not only what they need to do, but also when they need to do it. Clarity is the precursor of change. Also make sure the standards of behavior truly lead to the results you want. Ask yourself, “Have I seen others do this behavior, and have they achieved the results? Is there data to suggest this behavior will generate the results we want?”

Address Ability First

Not only is it ineffective to try to motivate people to do things they are unable to do, when you enable people first, motivation often follows.

Three questions to ask:

Do people lack the knowledge or skills to do the desired behaviors?

If the answer to that question is “Yes,” it is important to invest in their development. If their lack of skill is keeping you from results, then their lack of skill is your problem. Look for ways to model the behavior, hold short training sessions, or give them the opportunity to evaluate their own performance.

Are others keeping them from being able to perform the desired behavior?

If so, assign mentors, coaches, and peers to provide examples, training, and feedback.

Is the environment preventing people from doing the desired behavior?

In many cases, our ability is impacted by our environment. Consider arranging spaces by moving things closer or farther away. Adjust the flow of data, provide the right tools or technologies, streamline any processes, and implement cues or reminders in key moments and key places. The goal should be to create an environment where it’s easier to meet the standard of behavior.

Address Motivation Second

With strategies in place to improve ability, look at three ways to make it motivating.

Connect to Moral Values

When people see that the desired behavior relates to their values, it changes how they feel, which impacts how they act. In reality, we can’t motivate others. We can, however, foster motivation by helping people see the connections between what’s important to them and the behaviors we need them to do. A key strategy to help others experience the implications of the behavior is to take them on a field trip to see the behavior in action or to tell them stories that create a vicarious experience. In other words, demonstrate how the behaviors relate to their values. Highlight the human, moral, or ethical consequences of the behaviors in question.

Leverage Social Influence

“Who you’re with is how you act.” Look for ways to lean on those with social influence. You can’t lead alone. Partnering with employees who already have influence will increase your efforts to bring about the desired behaviors. Get them on board first, then enlist them in your cause. Because people tend to conform to what’s normal, find ways to make the standard behaviors “normal.” Pair people up to foster accountability.

Use Rewards Sparingly

Often when striving to change behavior, leaders lean too heavily on rewards, prizes, promotions, or raises. These efforts rarely produce lasting behavior change. The key is to use this approach sparingly and only after you have worked to connect to moral values and leveraged social influences. It’s also important to choose rewards that are rewarding. Are the chosen rewards something people value? Will they truly incentivize the behavior? Finally, connect rewards to the behaviors and not the results. Not doing so may lead to unwanted consequences.

To summarize, make sure the standards are clear, specific, and lead to your desired outcomes, and think abilty first and motivation second. True leadership is about empowering others to become leaders themselves. Holding others accountable is that kind of empowerment.

I’d love to hear from readers how you have helped people meet standards of behavior. Let us know in the comments.

Sincerely,
Scott

The post How to Hold Employees Accountable while Empowering Them appeared first on Crucial Learning.

I love the Crucial Influence® Model, and I’ve been able to apply it to overcome hurdles and help others that I mentor. However, I struggle to apply the framework when it comes to personality types. I have received feedback from my managers that I need to be more action-oriented, but numerous personality tests tell me I am more of a “think first” person rather than an “act first” person.

Here is my question: Does personality relate to ability or motivation? If my personality is more “think first” and my boss is asking me to be more “act first,” how do I change my behavior while still being true to who I am?

Signed,
Just Who I Am

Dear Just Who I Am,

Many organizations have begun leveraging personality tests to get to know their employees and build thriving relationships in the workplace. Personality tests provide insight into communication styles, strengths, and areas for potential growth. Organizations use them to improve collaboration, understand team dynamics, strengthen individual and team performance, and even to reduce turnover.

There are however some potential cautions. Some personality tests may be simplistic, lead to biases, and limit employees’ beliefs about themselves.

Let me offer an additional perspective. Over the years, I have come to realize that these types of assessments do not define us, but rather refine us. They measure and bring to light our preferences, tendencies, and cognitive processes. They help us grasp and adapt to our environment. What they don’t do is determine who we are. American psychologist, Elias Porter, said, “The more a personality theory can be for a person, rather than about a person, the better it will serve a person.”

The Crucial Influence Model, on the other hand, helps us understand how our social world works and how to change our world. The model helps us identify how personal, social, and structural factors shape our choices and behavior, and how behavior contributes to results. It also helps us get better results by using six sources of influence to remove barriers to behavior change and increase both motivation and ability.

So, does personality relate to ability or motivation? The answer is yes.

Motivation

Two questions we ask to diagnose personal motivation barriers are “When left in a room by themselves, would people want to engage in the behavior?” and “Does it fit their sense of who they are or who they want to be?”

As mentioned above, we often embrace our personality assessment results as a measurement of our identity. The more we believe our results, the less motivated we are to engage in behaviors that appear to run contrary to that belief.

Your preference and tendency to “think first” before you act has become a personal value. Such values can run deep and keep us from being open to or desirous to change or adapt to a new behavior. In order for you to want to fulfil your boss’s request, you must first connect the new behavior to something that you value. Your motivation is tied to your motives, so ask yourself, “What do I really want? For myself? For my boss? For the team?” The answer to those questions can help you find the motivation to at least try the new behavior. Are there other values you hold that relate to meeting your boss’s request?

Ability

I often find I’m less motivated to do things that I find difficult to do. When diagnosing personal ability barriers, we ask questions like “Do they have the knowledge? Do they have the skills? Do they have the strength to do the behavior even when it’s difficult?” It could be that you lean towards a “think first” behavior because you find the expected behavior difficult to do.

To shift to an “act first” approach, ask yourself, “What skills, training, or information do I need to be more action-oriented?” Answers may include clearer details on what is being asked or better examples of what the behavior looks like. A better understanding of how the new request aligns with current projects may also be helpful.

With greater understanding of what’s influencing your motivation and ability, it’s time to have an open conversation with your boss. Express appreciation for the feedback and share why you tend to take a more thoughtful approach. Share your intentions with your boss. Discuss how you can align your style with their request in order to accomplish the desired outcomes. Remember, you don’t have to abandon your strength of thinking before acting in order to meet the demands of your role or the request of your boss. Work with your boss to identify tasks or situations where an “act first” approach is crucial and those where a “think first” strategy makes more sense. Don’t forget to establish regular check-ins to evaluate your progress with your boss.

Your personality assessment results combined with the Crucial Influence Model can help you find synergy between your tendencies and the requirements of your boss. Try to make small steps to build confidence. Finally, apply multiple sources of influence to your own behavior so you can adopt the new behavior without sacrificing your values.

I’d love to hear from others. How do you see the relationship between the Crucial Influence Model and personality assessments?

Sincerely,
Scott

The post My Boss Wants Me to “Act First,” But That’s Not My Personality appeared first on Crucial Learning.

How do you address envy or jealousy in the workplace? To be specific, what can you do when a colleague reacts negatively to another colleague’s success? Or, even worse, what do you do when it progresses from the occasional nasty comment to outright sabotage?

Signed,
Green with Envy

Dear Green with Envy,

The ancient Greek tragedian and the father of tragedy Aeschylus once said, “It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.”

Before addressing the specific questions at hand, let’s first explore a larger question: How do you create a competitive employee culture that also finds joy in the success of others? This is as important in the corporate world as it is in the world of sports, communities, and families. Great teams thrive when each member can rejoice when others succeed.

Too often, as individuals we translate praise of another as personal shame. We see a team member’s promotion as our demotion. Others’ victories become our failures. It’s been said that we don’t see the world as it is, we see the world as we are. Thus, the key is to help employees see their world differently. Create a new paradigm. Three areas of focus (Competition, Celebration, and Collaboration) will help you in these efforts.

Competition

Our new paradigm begins with of all places, competition. Competition can drive innovation, increase effort, and achieve results. It can also increase anxiety, promote silos, and undermine collaboration and teamwork. While employees undoubtedly compete for recognition, bonuses, and promotions, that doesn’t mean they are competing one with another.

Author and modern-day philosopher Matshona Dhiwayo said, “To be a champion, compete; to be a great champion, compete with the best; but to be the greatest champion, compete with yourself.” The only real person we should compete with is ourselves. Foster this paradigm by being clear with employees what they are competing against. During one-one-ones and performance reviews, discuss goals, aspirations, and measurements. Let their behavior and performance act as their baseline for improvement and recognition, not another’s.

Competition can also be centered on standards, competencies, or shared goals. This type of culture fosters multiple winners. It allows each employee to achieve success, rather than a winner-take-all approach. Strong organizations foster such competition allowing all to compete and all to win.

Celebration

Often the root cause behind another’s inability to find joy in the success of others is that they themselves don’t feel recognized. While we may not be able to give everyone a promotion, there should be no limit to our celebration. Never has this been more important than with the rising generations in the workplace. It has been documented over the years that employer approval is one of the highest predictors of younger employee job satisfaction. It’s true that desired behavior, when reinforced, tends to be repeated. Look for and create opportunities to celebrate your employees. In doing so, make sure your celebrations are meaningful, specific, in the moment, and authentic.

Collaboration

Another way to foster a culture free of envy (or at least diminish it), is to create a culture of collaboration. Collaboration not only improves the way your team works together, leading to efficiency, communication, innovation, and success, it also builds team reward and recognition.

Working together on projects, plans, and initiatives allows others to see the contributions of others more clearly, as well as drives team connections and loyalties. Collaboration avoids individual praise and promotes team recognition and appreciation. It creates a “We” environment rather than a “Me” environment.

Working toward an environment with the right competition, celebration, and collaboration will take time. And it won’t be without challenges. There may be times when colleagues do react negatively to another’s success. Or as mentioned, occasional nasty comments may lead to outright sabotage. In those instances, it’s time for a Crucial Conversation. Hopefully, you can address the situation before it escalates.

When meeting with the individual begin by sharing your intent. Remind them of the goal to create a culture of support and where wins can be celebrated by all. Share with them the behavior you have noticed and ask them to share their thoughts. Listen intently to understand. Ask clarifying questions when needed and hear their meaning. In doing so the goal is to come to a mutual purpose—creating a win-win culture where all can be recognized, rewarded, and remembered for their contributions.

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Lago declares, “Beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.” I’d love to hear from you. What have you done to overcome envy and jealousy in the workplace? How have you worked to build a culture of celebration amidst competition?

Sincerely,
Scott

The post How to Create a Culture of Celebration amid Competition appeared first on Crucial Learning.

This was no easy task. Not only would we have to learn and transition to new delivery platforms, but we would also have to learn new skills and overcome a negative mindset around virtual delivery. I often felt like a broken record, saying, “There’s a difference between world-class trainers delivering virtually and world-class virtual trainers.”

Over time, we trainers found our groove. Some of us began to believe that virtual training wasn’t just a viable alternative to in-person training—it was a rival option. Delivery platforms improved, as did our ability to leverage their capabilities to create amazing virtual learning experiences. In fact, many trainers and learners came to prefer the perks of virtual delivery.

Although virtual delivery is here to stay more than three years later, we’re seeing many organizations shift back to in-person delivery. This is the day for which many have waited. They never really made the shift to virtual, merely putting a pause on their L&D offerings. Others have become super comfortable in front of their monitors. As we make our move back to the classroom, it’s important that we do so mindfully—so our liking of virtual delivery doesn’t lead to limitations amid in-person delivery.

Let’s look at three areas to consider as we make our return to in-person learning: classroom, connections, and contributions.

CLASSROOM

The key to making the traditional, in-person classroom setting more effective is to use your physical space wisely. Here are some things to consider when it comes to your classroom:

• Class size. When we talk class size, we’re talking about both the number of participants and the actual size of your classroom. Virtually, it’s been easier to accommodate slightly larger numbers of participants, as there is no space limitation. The sweet spot for an in-person session tends to be 20–25 learners, with 30 being the maximum. Of course, the size of your training room will also help make the decision. It’s important that your classroom creates a safe and comfortable place for learning, connecting, and practicing.

• Class setup. The goal should be to create a physical environment that’s conducive for a positive learning experience and protects the integrity of the instructional design. To help, it is best to arrange the room in tables with groups of four or five. This makes it easier for them to connect and share, and it provides a better situation for deliberate practice.

It’s also important that you have your computer, projector, and audio connected in a way that allows for every participant to have the same experience. Make sure you have VIP successfully installed on your computer and that you have a clicker that works.     

CONNECTIONS

In a virtual setting, we’ve learned to accept that we may not be able to connect as deeply with each participant as we did in person. As we return to being in the physical space, we need to ramp up our connections to help learning stick and to increase the impact of the training. Here are a few ideas for improving connections.

• The content. Look for ways to connect learners to what they are learning. One option is to use the course model included in VIP. Always look to connect each principle to the overall framework of the course. Another powerful way to help foster this connection is to use flipcharts. Many facilitators leverage these to track principles and skills as they teach. Hanging them on the walls allows for learners to see and make connections themselves as well.

• The facilitator. The connection between a learner and their teacher is priceless. When learners feel this kind of a connection, it increases learning and application. Look for and create ways to connect with your learners. One great way to do so is to make sure you are set and ready to go the day before. This allows you to visit with your learners and get to know them as they enter the classroom. Resist the temptation to check your email during breaks. Use that time to connect. Move around the classroom as you teach and observe. This allows you to connect with more of the learners. Another way for you to make a connection is to share your stories. Insert yourself into the content where you can. Be careful, as there isn’t a lot of time to do this—but be intentional.

• Each other. Few things create a stronger bond or connection than learning together. Fortunately, the course design fosters learner connections through table discussions, practice groups, and learning partners. Look for ways to expand those connections. Mix things up. Don’t let learners limit themselves by choosing the most convenient partners or practice groups. Have them stand up and then go to the other side of the room to choose a partner. When they gather as practice groups, remind them to choose at least one person with whom they haven’t worked yet.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Participant engagement stands out as one of the biggest challenges of virtual delivery—but we’ve adapted. We’ve learned to use the chat pod, annotations, emojis, breakout groups, and more. We’ve realized that while our virtual engagement may not be as deep, it can be broad.

In a physical classroom, when we ask a question, we may have time for only two or three participants to respond. In a virtual class of 25, there’s time for all to respond in the chat pod. The challenge becomes how to get more contribution across the board in the classroom. Here are a few ideas:

• Create the opportunity. Rather than opening up a question to the class, have learners share in their table groups or turn to their neighbor and answer the question. Then get one or two people to share with the entire group.

• Recognize/reinforce contribution. Positive reinforcement and recognition are among the best ways to encourage contribution. Look for ways to do so with simple phrases like “Thanks for that powerful insight” or “These comments are great, keep them coming.”

• Physical emojis. I have seen some facilitators take a page out of virtual delivery by creating printed emojis on cardstock that they encourage their learners to use. If that’s a little more work than you’d like, try encouraging learners to share what they’re thinking with a simple “give me a thumbs up or thumbs down.”

As we made our massive pivot to virtual delivery, I often said a virtual classroom behaved very similarly to an in-person classroom, encouraging trainers to ask themselves, “What did I do to create a powerful in-person learning experience? And how do I do that same thing virtually?” Now as we shift back to in-person, we can again ask the same questions—but this time in reverse.

For more ideas to excel with in-person training, check out the “Tips for In-Person Facilitation” and “Getting Started Checklist for In-Person Facilitation” in Trainer Zone (in the Prepare to Facilitate section of your course’s page).

The post A Return to the Classroom: Remembering and Reimagining Our Skills for In-Person Delivery appeared first on Crucial Learning.

How do I change my behavior when it’s basically an addiction? I want to stay away from distractions, but I can’t help myself from checking my phone or really any other digital device. Can the GTD skills help me?

Signed,
Digitally Distracted

Dear Digitally Distracted,

Thank you for your question, or questions. You began by asking how to change behavior, and then concluded with “Can the GTD skills help?” The answer to the latter is a resounding “Yes!” But only if the skills become habits.

A habit is “Something you do (mentally or physically) that starts out as a choice and then becomes a nearly automatic pattern.” The real question isn’t “Can the GTD skills help?” but rather “How do I make the GTD skills habits?”

How Habits Work

Let me introduce you to The Habit Loop. Habits form because the brain is trying to save effort. This loop consists of three steps:

First, there is a cue, something that triggers your brain to go into autopilot. This could be a place, a time of day, a person, or an object.

Then, there is a routine. This is the physical, mental, or emotional behavior, the thing most people think of when they think of a habit.

Finally, there is a reward. Some emotional payoff that reinforces the routine.

Over time, this loop becomes more and more automatic. While you must identify a routine to build a new habit, that often isn’t enough. It’s key to leverage cues and rewards.

The Golden Rule of Habit Change

The golden rule of habit change says you can’t break a bad habit, you can only replace it. Too often we try to quit bad behaviors. But quitting isn’t a behavior. Instead, we need to replace the bad behavior with a good one. Here’s how it works: use the same cue, leverage the same reward, but change the routine.

Application

Our modern technologies make it easy to respond to whatever is latest and loudest, so we end up busy but unproductive. Many people get hooked by digital distractions first thing in the morning. To combat this tendency, GTD practitioners find it most effective to look at their calendars and their to-do lists before checking emails or texts. Why? If you begin your day by looking at email and notifications, you put a lens of “latest and loudest” over your eyes. But if you begin your day by checking your calendar and to-do lists, you see your goals and priorities first.

So, why do we do the ineffective behavior? Let’s look at the loop.

Cue: You wake up and see your phone or see and hear notifications.

Routine: You grab your phone and immediately check email, texts, or social media.

Reward: What’s the reward? You might be thinking there isn’t one. “There’s no reward to checking my email every five minutes. It’s a waste of time and gives me anxiety!”

Rewards can be extrinsic (something tangible you receive in exchange for completing a task or routine—like money, recognition, and so on). Or they can be intrinsic (an emotional payoff when a psychological drive is satisfied).

For a behavior to become habitual, there must be some intrinsic reward. What is rewarded is repeated. So, ask yourself, “What is the emotional payoff I get from the distractions on my device?” You may have to dig deep to identify what’s driving your behavior. A common payoff is a sense of control. Maybe it’s social interaction. Maybe you feel like you are helping others. Maybe you like the sense of urgency, stimulation.

Let’s assume, as an example, you gain a sense of being in control. Checking your email incessantly gives you a sense of control because you know what’s coming at you.

Or do you?

If a sense of control is your payoff, notice that in fact you’ve sacrificed control because these latest emails become the loudest voice in determining what you do. You begin responding to these emails when you’ve got other things to do that are more important.

You might tell yourself, “I have to stop checking my emails first thing in the morning.” But remember, you can’t break a bad habit, you can only replace it. You must substitute your current routine with a new routine.

Cue: You wake up and see your phone.

Routine: You grab your phone and immediately check your calendar and to-list.

Reward: Control. This new routine allows you to view your decisions through the lens of what you’ve already deemed important. You can now more effectively engage with your daily work.

There are two quotes from The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg that have served me well when I’ve tried to change a habit. The first is this: “Change might not be fast, and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”

And the second: “If you believe you can change—if you make it a habit—the change becomes real.”

I hope these ideas help. I’d also like to hear how others have used the principles and skills from The Power of Habit to improve productivity. Tell us in the comments.

Sincerely,
Scott

The post How to Put Down Your Device appeared first on Crucial Learning.

I’ve heard a lot of people accuse teachers of “quiet quitting.” Teachers typically put in many hours and their own dollars to give students the best possible education. But recently, due to low pay, many have said they will limit their work to the classroom only. How can you hold teachers accountable for quietly quitting when, really, the norm has been to work unpaid hours? I suspect this is happening in other industries too.

Signed,
Quietly Wondering

Dear Wondering,

Quiet quitting is a popular phrase used not only in education, but also throughout the business world. It refers to the practice of mentally checking out and only doing the minimum requirements of one’s job. “Quiet quitters” aren’t leaving their jobs (though they may be inclined to) but are staying and putting in the minimum time, effort, or enthusiasm required.

This phenomenon has also been called “work-to-rule,” which essentially means the same thing: employees do no more than the minimum required by the rules of their contract. The effects of quiet quitting are likely magnified in education where employees traditionally operate under the “rules of work,” which means to go above and beyond expectations.

As a former educator, I remember it was standard to arrive early, stay late, help students, pay for supplies, grade work, and prepare lessons—all beyond the hours of a standard workday. Historically, education runs on a lot of unpaid teacher labor.

So how do you help? How do you manage a workforce of teachers who are still performing their job and may have no intention of leaving, but are no longer going above and beyond? Here are two suggestions to get you started.

Change the Narrative

In Crucial Conversations we call this skill Master My Stories. A common narrative about quiet quitting suggests that teachers, like so many others in the business world, are “sticking it” to their employers for increased pay, better working conditions, or a more balanced work schedule. This narrative depicts educators as villains. This villain story assumes the worst possible motives and ignores any possible good motives or reasons they may have.

The stories we tell ourselves often leave out relevant information to confirm our biases, judgments, and conclusions. This hampers dialogue and resolution. The first step is to tell the rest of the story.

How?

Begin by asking yourself, “Why would a decent, reasonable, rational person do this?”

My guess is that as you sincerely explore this question, you’ll see that your teachers are highly invested, caring professionals who feel overwhelmed, stuck, worn out, and need balance to maintain not only their love for their work, but also their physical and mental health. While they may not be giving the accustomed above-and-beyond effort, there are probably few teachers out there doing the “bare minimum.”

Changing the narrative allows you to see your teachers through a different lens. Not only does it change the view, but it will also minimize the emotions that make it difficult to have a meaningful conversation about how to improve the situation.

Diagnose the Problem

One of the most common mistakes we make as leaders is not taking time to diagnose why people do what they do. We fall into what is called The Fundamental Attribution Error. This refers to our tendency to attribute another’s actions to their character or personality, while under-emphasizing situational or environmental influences on their behavior.

Because of the stories we tell ourselves, it’s easy to attribute the behaviors of quiet quitting to a teacher’s personal motivation. “They don’t care anymore.” “They’ve lost their passion for their work.” Attributing poor behavior to selfish motives makes us ineffective at discussing and influencing behavior.

People do things for two reasons: because the can (ability) and because they have reason to (motivation). But ability and motivation are not just personal, they are also affected by social and structural factors. We call these various factors The Six Sources of Influence.

Considering the various sources that can influence behavior should help you come up with several possible answers to the question above: “Why would a decent, reasonable, rational person do this?”

If you need to discuss what looks like quiet quitting with a teacher, check your story before you share what you are observing with the teacher. Then ask them to share their perspective. Listen and see if you can identify the various sources of influence affecting their behavior.

Changing the narrative and taking time to diagnose sources of influence are the first steps to having a meaningful conversation about troubling behavior. Doing this will increase your influence and give your teachers power to improve.

Sincerely,
Scott

Edit January 20, 2023: The title of this article was changed from “Quiet Quitting and Accountability” to its current title to more accurately reflect the author’s message and prevent misunderstanding.

The post Perspective on “Quiet Quitting” appeared first on Crucial Learning.

What is culture? One of my favorite perspectives uses this definition: “The culture of a company is the sum of the behaviors of all its people.”

In our recent research of the L&D divide—the gap between what employers are offering and what employees are asking for—only 44% of participants felt their organization provides them with learning and development opportunities they truly value. I recently heard it said that the war for talent is over, and the talent won. In other words, the future of talent and learning is now in their hands.

Learning and development is no longer a nice to have, it’s a must. It’s your organization’s greatest competitive advantage. As organizations use training to build and develop culture, they need to focus on the culture of learning.

In a report from Association for Talent and Development (ATD) titled Building a Culture of Learning: The Foundation of a Successful Organization, the authors define a culture of learning as “one in which employees continuously seek, share, and apply new knowledge and skills to improve individual and organizational performance.” They add, “The importance of the pursuit and application of learning is expressed in organizational values and permeates all aspects of organizational life.”

Organizations with a strong learning culture affirm the importance of learning and provide an atmosphere in which learning is so ingrained that it becomes a way of life. Unfortunately, studies estimate that only 31% of organizations have a culture of learning.

As you look forward to 2023, look to build or strengthen your organization’s learning culture. Here are a few things for you to keep in mind in doing so.

Assess Your Current Learning Strategy
This is the perfect time to perform a learning audit. Examine how your employees are currently learning, what they are learning, and what your organization’s strengths and weaknesses are. In doing so, you will be better able to create a strategy that will foster your desired learning culture.

Meet Learners Where They Are
COVID-19 forced us to move away from in-person training to virtual training, and in doing so, we’ve come to appreciate how virtual learning offers high-quality training with ease for learners. We’re also seeing a more strategic move to on-demand (self-paced, self-guided) learning to provide ultimate flexibility. Assessing your current learning culture will help you identify whether to deliver in person, virtually, on demand, or a blended or hybrid learning model.

Link in Leadership
Any organizational culture comes from the top down. Leader-led learning and development does more than just foster a learning culture—it can ignite it. It’s important that you move from mere permission to ignition. Linking in leadership includes but is not limited to:

• Leading by example
• Connecting learning to business objectives
• Kicking off training courses/initiatives
• Making time for learning
• Not interrupting learning
• Setting goals
• Sharing experiences
• Rewarding learning

Promote Learning
Employees aren’t going to learn if they don’t know about it. A key component to building a culture of learning is marketing. As you launch learning and leadership development programs, make learners aware. Advertise in email campaigns and company newsletters, discuss in new employee interviews and onboarding, and leverage course champions by fostering opportunities to share what they have learned.

More than knowing that training is available, leaders and learners need to know what’s in it for them. Let them know the benefits and advantages of learning. This can serve as a great motivator and help in building your learning culture.

As you prepare for what we hope will be an epic 2023, let it be the beginning or rejuvenation of your organization’s learning culture. Returning to that ATD report referenced above, the authors said, “Robust cultures of learning are distinct hallmarks of organizations that consistently produce the best business results.”

Developing a culture of learning is an investment that helps you leverage your employees’ potential and grow your business. It truly becomes your competitive advantage.

The post Creating a Culture of Learning in 2023 appeared first on Crucial Learning.