Most people who have worked in the corporate environment have taken a behavioral assessment, or 2 or 4, or participated in some form of team or leadership development. Sometimes, I hear from leaders that they aren’t sure how to guarantee the exercise provides long-term, bottom-line value. Or I hear from participants, this is great, but I am not clear on what to do with this information. As a former Corporate Leader and a consultant who facilitates these types of exercises and discussions, we have found most people go through the following phases of development:
Know
Most people and consultants are aware of the common phrase “the first step is awareness.” But a good number of people think that means just learning the “lingo” of the particular assessment or methodology and what their “type” is. We encourage the leader, team and participants to honestly evaluate the current effectiveness, strengths and challenges of the team, including, their strategy, goals, and organizational structure (roles, process, and technology) that supports the execution of tasks to accomplish those goals. A more comprehensive review of how the team is working within the context of organizational factors, combined with, an analysis of the different behavioral styles, their natural strengths and struggles, the fit for the role and the fit within the organizational structure, values and behaviors (some people call this ‘culture’) will lead to a greater depth of understanding.
Engage
But never stop at Knowing. Many people do and that is why they don’t see a lasting value with these exercises. The entire team, with the leader leading by example, needs to actively participate in the dialogue of what to do with this knowledge. And it can’t be just one team session talking “about” it. The team discussion needs to focus on how to apply this knowledge to their people, process, and technology. Each team member has to internalize ownership by explaining specific actions they are going to take to change how the team is working together. Often people want to focus on what other people need to do and not take ownership.
Grow
Even great leaders and team members, tend to stop at the team session. Research shows that people, on average, require 7 interactions to be able to absorb information and change behavior. Most of us are lucky to communicate something 3 times before we lose patience. In order to truly grow the organization, there needs to be an intentional, specific, coaching or action plan (practice) over time with clear expectations to ensure that all this great learning translates into sustainable productivity enhancements.