Leaders Apply What They Learn From ANY Meeting

How Do Leaders Use It, and NOT Lose It?

How often have you (or one of your direct reports) attended an excellent course, seminar, or workshop, then returned to work and failed to apply what you learned? It happens to all of us. Why? There are a number of reasons why we “lose it and don’t use it.” These include: treating the course (and education) as an event instead of a process, having unclear goals, trying to apply too many ideas, failing to celebrate small implementation steps, not knowing how to link new learning to current systems or habits…

Sir Francis Bacon once wrote that knowledge is power. It is not! Applied knowledge is power. So, next time you or your team want to get the most out of any educational endeavor, try the step-by-step system outlined below. Many leaders have told me that this approach has helped them apply what they learn from ANY meeting.

1. Brainstorm challenges and strategy. Prior to attending any class, ask yourself: What major challenges am I facing at work? Let your ideas flow and keep your pen moving as you brainstorm the answers to this question. In addition, reflect on your professional goals and your organization’s strategy.

2. Write a S.M.A.R.T. goal. Based on your business challenges, professional goals, and your organization’s strategic imperatives, write a S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Responsible, Timed) goal for your class. What do you want to do better or differently because of the class? For example, one executive at our recent 5-day leadership course said her goal was: Improve my coaching skills by mid-year to help my direct reports develop professionally.

3. Meet with your manager. One or two days prior to class, meet with your manager for a few minutes to discuss your goals for the training. Ask for input regarding how well you have aligned your goals with his or her overall strategy.

4. Create an insights, ideas, and behaviors page. At the start of class, write your goal at the top of the back page of your study guide. Beneath your goal, write: insights, ideas, and behaviors (IIB). As you proceed through class, whenever you hear or think of an IIB that might help you reach your goal, write it down on this page. By the end of the class you should have several IIBs on this page.

5. Review your favorites with a partner. Review your insights, ideas, and behaviors with a classmate near the end of your educational program. Focus your discussion on a few IIBs that you feel will help you best reach your goal. Tell your partner how you’re going to use these few IIBs when you get back to work.

6. Create a list of four behaviors. Translate those few, insights, ideas and behaviors into four specific behaviors you will implement when you get back to work. Write these four behaviors in the left-hand column on a blank sheet of paper. A well-written behavioral action helps you adapt your IIB into a behavior that you can actually see yourself applying. Here’s an example: I will write the XLM on a Post-it note, and place it on my computer screen during my direct reports’ performance reviews.

7. Link the new behavior with an old habit. One of the best ways to remind yourself to practice your new behaviors is to link those new behaviors to an existing habit or system (old habit + new behavior = new habit). For example, in the previous step, the old habit (i.e., current system) was conducting performance reviews. Linking the performance review with the XLM (i.e., new behavior) on a Post-it note will help create the new habit of using the XLM to develop direct reports.

8. Review and celebrate progress. When you are back at work, solicit feedback from a colleague or your manager regarding your implementation of these behaviors. Ask them to help you monitor your progress. Once a week, report the progress and challenges you are experiencing as you use your new behaviors. Make sure you also celebrate your small successes. Don’t worry too much about your goal, concentrate on behaviors. Research tells us that you will accomplish your big goal by, paradoxically, focusing on small steps.

Adapt these eight steps to help your team apply what they learn from ANY meeting. What other techniques do you use to make sure you and your team members use it and don’t lose it?

            Keep eXpanding your leadership,

            Dave

1. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies; June 22, 2002.

P.S. Dave Jensen and his team transform proven leadership tools into your success stories. Dave is an executive coach and an engaging speaker at conferences, meetings, and retreats. He can be reached in Los Angeles, CA at (310) 397-6686. Click here for more info about the research-based, online 360-leadership assessment (XLM): http://xlmassessment.com/ 

P.S.S. You are welcome to republish these leadership articles, forward them to your contacts, or use my blog in your corporate newsletter or websites. Simply include my contact info at the bottom.