Leaders really are the best teachers

As I was watching Master and Commander: Far Side of the World, the film starring Russell Crowe, for the umpteenth time, I noticed a snippet in one of the scenes. A passing moment, which, as I said, I had witnessed numerous times as the film forces me to watch it over and over again. But this time, I really took account of the fact that something was happening in the scene that tells us quite a bit about how people learn.

It's the scene in which Jack Aubrey, Happy Jack, the character played by Crowe, is discussing the damage to the ship and how they will need to repair it in order to pursue their enemy. Aubrey is interrupted by an officer as he is teaching the midshipmen how to use their sextants to locate the ship in the vast southern Atlantic Ocean. And in that two seconds of throw-away scene, we see two things that we have known for quite some time, but have perhaps ignored at our peril.

The first is that people learn best by doing. And in this case, obviously, the captain is not lecturing his charges on the theory of navigation, its concepts, and the science behind how it works and how best to do it. He's actually having them do it ---using the tools, explaining best practice, and correcting their technique as they describe what they see as they execute. The lesson is clear ---if you're going to learn something really important, perhaps the best way to do that is to, well, actually do it.

The second is that, when it comes to learning, there is no greater teacher than an experienced leader. Captain Aubrey stands for something beyond simply being a Captain --- his experience and acquired knowledge, latent knowledge we might call it today, allows him to represent everything that needs to be known if one aspires to be a successful seafarer and commander of men at sea. The fact that he is teaching this important task not only communicates its significance, but also communicates to the midshipmen that they are learning it from the very best. Thus, they are more likely to absorb the learning, and strive to perfect it.

And as I said, we may know this inherently --- but we do tend to forget it at our peril, as we design classroom teaching. When we move into the classroom, we tend to focus on the "telling" as opposed to the "showing" and the "doing" --- and we tend to rely on the expert "broadcast" as opposed to the expert "coaching". We simply must avoid this, if we are to effectively develop the next generation of leaders in our companies.

But as we try to embrace this notion of coaching and "learning by doing", we need to keep a few important thoughts in mind in order to make our leaders as effective as possible as the teachers we need them to be:

First, ensure that the advice senior leaders give their direct reports aligns with their experience, draws upon their general management experience and not just specific subject matter knowledge, and is aligned with the individual needs of the team member. Remember, not all direct reports are the same.

Second, as a leader coaches more and more senior individuals, be sure to shift that leader's coaching from very directive, instruction-based interactions to more fluid,

open-ended discussions that develop emotional intelligence and participative decision making among the direct reports and are based on truly authentic interventions and development opportunities in the direct report's workflow.

And third, be sure the leader walks their charges through some sort of framework that helps them to develop a structured approach to learning on the job. At some companies this takes the form of Prepare-Act-Reflect-Review or the creation of a learning resume or --- walking the direct report through a discussion about the need for development, specific actions

taken to change behavior and learn, reflecting on what was done differently and then discussing how best to expand that to others. Your framework may be different. The key is to have some sort of framework and to make it visible for the developing leader as well as the

established leader who is teaching.

One other element of the navigation lesson scene, which is also expressed powerfully in the book Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman, is that a foundation of shared values, shared objectives, and accountability is likewise critical not only for the learning to stick but for the ship to execute superlatively and sustainably. The midshipmen know their roles, understand the importance of their contribution, and know they will be held accountable for contributing effectively. And Aubrey's leadership aligns with Wickman's insistence that processes must be "followed by all". Aubrey's participation in the navigation ensures his best practice will be implemented.

With this in mind, perhaps we can display the sort of talent Happy Jack Aubrey displayed in developing his team...and not have to sail into the fierce weather of the south Atlantic to fight Napoleon's navy to do it.