#10 - Blinding glimpses of the obvious!
4 May 24
Every team has knowledge and expertise buried within it. Every team also has knowledge gaps. Providing opportunities to collectively share expertise will help to bond the team members, address skill fade and increase team productivity.
Putting in place regular 'Lunch and Learn' sessions, focussed on key business activities will encourage everyone to 'level up' their knowledge. People will start to learn from each other in a collaborative, safe environment.
The ultimate aim is to foster a continual learning culture, where asking questions is the norm.
Exposure to those Blinding Glimpses of the Obvious buried within the heads of a few key individuals will allow your team to go from Good to Great!
This edition is sponsored by Kajabi - the one stop shop solution for entrepreneurs hoping to start an online business. Use my affiliate link below to receive an increased trial period from 14 to 30 days - only for Springboard Spotlight readers!
Whether you're an aspiring or seasoned entrepreneur, Kajabi is the platform to help you monetize your skills & knowledge. It's an all-in-one platform that lets you transform your expertise into income through online courses, membership sites, community building, and personalized coaching tools.
#10 - Blinding glimpses of the obvious!
What?
There is a common saying that says that 'Assumption is the mother of all @#$$!'
I have to say, in my experience, this is very true.
It's the same with the assumed level of knowledge held within a team. We assume people know what they need to know, but do they? How often do people volunteer that they don't know something? How often do people sit quietly saying nothing so they don't expose themselves unnecessarily?
In reality, of course, there is nothing wrong with not knowing something. But it's important to develop a culture which encourages people to be more open about it.
Why?
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO, Lew Platt, once famously said, 'If HP knew what HP knows, we'd be three times more productive.'
It implies that there is a goldmine of information and expertise buried within the heads of those who work within a team. This is critical corporate information that isn't always volunteered. But if it was, it would be game-changing for the Company.
However, it also works in reverse. Because people are reluctant to acknowledge their knowledge gaps, we blindly assume they know what they need to know. This could introduce a level of risk into the business which is not only unknown, but may also be unquantifiable.
So the trick is to unlock buried information, and identify where the knowledge gaps are.
Once those two pieces of information are understood, you can take action to address them.
Sounds easy right?
How?
The way to approach this is to effectively start from Ground Zero. We can address knowledge gaps at the same time as unlocking the pockets of expertise already held within the team.
I know I said earlier that assumption is the.......but bear with me! Assuming that everyone has gaps is a fair assumption in my view.
- To start with, put in place a regular training programme for the entire team and call it something like 'Lunch and Learn.' No longer than one hour in length. No more frequent than every two weeks. This keeps it informal. Inviting everyone and ring-fencing the activity in everyone's schedules also shows that management have fully bought into the idea.
- Make sure that you sell the idea as an opportunity for people to 'level up' their knowledge and to address skill fade.
- Choose topics that reflect your business activities and keep it very focussed. Appoint someone to lead each session.
- Split the sessions in half. No longer than 30 minutes to present, and 30 minutes for discussion and Q&A.
- During the presenting half, make sure that you introduce participative activities for the attendees. Do not just make it a didactic one way delivery.
- During the participative activities and the Q&A, encourage discussion and a two-way flow of information. Also encourage the longer-serving employees to share their experiences for the benefit of the newer members of staff.
- Emphasise that the opportunity is for everyone to share knowledge and experiences and to therefore learn from each other.
- Exposure to others' pearls of wisdom, or Blinding Glimpses of the Obvious will be enlightening for most, and act as consolidation for others. It will also identify where the knowledge is held so that people know who to go to for advice.
- Continue to carry out this activity to foster a culture of team/collective learning. Encourage people to always ask questions. Emphasise that there is no such thing as a stupid question, apart from the question that was never asked.
Over time you will start to see the results.
In Summary
I hope that you enjoyed reading this newsletter and that it has given you food for thought.
Every team has knowledge and expertise buried within it. Every team also has knowledge gaps. Providing opportunities to collectively share expertise will help to bond the team members, address skill fade and increase team productivity.
Everyone will be able to 'level up' their knowledge. The ultimate aim is to foster a continual learning culture, where asking questions is the norm.
Exposure to those Blinding Glimpses of the Obvious buried within the heads of a few key individuals will allow your team to go from Good to Great!
Have a great week!
Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you:
- Resources - Reading is an essential component to developing your own authentic leadership style. Check out my resources page for really inspiring books which I have found invaluable within my own leadership journey,
- Coach Station - Singular issue 60 minute coaching sessions,
- Coach Journey - Bespoke coaching packages of 6 or 12 sessions for transformative change,
- Schedule Optimiser - Online course allowing you to take back control of your diary.
Responses